Today we turn our attention to the alarming persistence of mass shootings in the United States, which now occur at a level never seen before. We reflect upon recent incidents, causes, and the broad impacts on victims, families, and communities. We question why the USA stands out among all nations as seeing so many tragedies, and why civilian gun ownership in the States constitutes almost half the world total. As always, we suggest guided intentions, prayers, and practical focus areas for collective healing and advocacy.
Intentions and prayers start at 25 minutes.
Suggested Intention Focus for this week
This week, as we take stock of the shocking prevalence of mass shooting events in the US, we suggest holding as our main intention:
We will that educators, community leaders and legislators across all US states will have wisdom to guide policy, advocacy and teaching that will support nonviolence and significantly reduce or eliminate gun violence, while respecting and winning the support of those who continue to strongly advocate for their Second Amendment right to defend themselves.
Please join us in holding this.
Chapter markers:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:36 The Reality of Mass Shootings
00:06:55 Why Are Mass Shootings Prevalent in the USA?
00:12:11 The Role of Gun Ownership
00:17:01 Factors Behind Mass Shootings
00:19:25 Impact on Victims and Families
00:22:16 Community Responses and Healing
00:24:28 Intentions and Prayers
Note: This episode’s title refers to the 1979 Boomtown Rats song ‘I don’t like Mondays,’ about the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego of the same year.
Sources referenced in this episode:
https://andovernewton.yale.edu/resources/worship-resources-response-recent-mass-shootings
https://apnews.com/article/michigan-church-shooting-gunman-mormons-e607d854e8f198aaaefbf604c6c6f422
https://cofchrist.org/usa-church-news/statement-on-recent-gun-violence/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons#:~:text=The%20United%20States%2C%20with%20less%20than%205,by%20the%20Switzerland%2Dbased%20Small%20Arms%20Survey%20(2018) (cites the 2018 Small Arms Survey)
https://edition.cnn.com/us/mass-shootings-2025-vs-past-years-dg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States_in_2025
https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-eight-executive-orders-in-response-to-el-paso-and-odessa-shootings
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gun-control+nra#:~:text=Safety%20groups%20warn%20that%20former,June%202022
https://katv.com/news/nation-world/happening-today-funeral-for-3-fallen-pa-police-officers-northern-york-county-regional-police-detective-cody-becker-mark-baker-isaiah-emenheiser-north-codorus-township-service-procession-burial
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/12/4/9850572/gun-control-us-japan-switzerland-uk-canada
https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/common-witness/ncc-resolution-on-rampant-gun-violence-and-mass-shootings/
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/public-mass-shootings-database-amasses-details-half-century-us-mass-shootings
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10435045/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8202016/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35261394
https://rockinst.org/blog/public-mass-shootings-around-the-world-prevalence-context-and-prevention/
https://rockinst.org/gun-violence/mass-shooting-factsheet/
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=honorscollege_ehc
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-mass-shootings-texas-ohio/
https://whyy.org/articles/governors-diverge-gun-control-school-security-efforts/
https://www.alfred.edu/about/news/studies/lethal-school-violence/why-do-shootings.cfm
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/religious-organizations-are-integral-to-the-fight-against-gun-violence/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41488081
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57743694
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64377360
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/world/us-gun-culture-world-comparison-intl-cmd
https://www.forthepeople.com/blog/who-blame-mass-shootings/
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-kathy-hochul-97
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/incident/3317532
https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/red-flag-laws-get-little-use-even-as-mass-shootings-gun-deaths-soar
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/05/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0020138323004254
https://www.theiacp.org/after-action-review
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/church-responds-to-days-of-mass-shootings
https://www.vox.com/23142734/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-gun-violence
Join us in person for intention holding:
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.
Our websites:
www.heartfulimpact.com/ Our show website.
https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.
https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.
Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.
Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.
Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.
Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).
Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.
Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.