Our story

God Before Guns was formed in 2013 in the wake of school shootings in Chardon, OH and Newtown, CT. 

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Early in 2013 a presentation on gun violence was given at Forest Hill Church in Cleveland Hts., Ohio. Rev. James Atwood, a pastor, author and gun owner, spoke of how persons of faith can and must respond to the increasing role of guns in America's consciousness and gun violence in daily life. In the course of the workshop a number of attendees, led by Rev. Kristine and David Eggert, decided to begin an on-going effort to respond to gun violence. 

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An initial decision was made to make build a multi-faith organization of persons and faith communities. The name "God Before Guns" was adopted to reflect our conviction that we cannot worship both God and guns, and as persons of faith committed to God's creation we are called to engage in the campaign to reduce America's gun violence crisis.

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Since our founding God Before Guns has worked to mobilize activism to address gun violence in Ohio and our nation. Much of our work is focused on communities of faith, bringing sermons, adult education presentations, and opportunities for taking action. We also coordinate in many cases with other gun violence prevention (GVP) organizations on specific projects. We have provided numerous public vigils, rallies, symposiums, GVP related film showings, and speaking events to build GVP awareness in the community.

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God Before Guns is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are led by an active Board of Directors and we invite interested persons and faith communities to follow us by joining our contact list, following us on Facebook and Twitter, and supporting us financially. God Before Guns is led by volunteers.