Ambler Church To Hold Community Forum On Gun Violence

AMBLER, PA — As gun violence continues to impact communities around Pennsylvania and across America, a local community group is looking for answers.

Ambler's Upper Dublin Lutheran Church is holding an upcoming Interfaith Community Forum on Preventing Gun Violence between political, school, and law enforcement leaders aiming to address the violence and prevent it from happening here.

“We want to bring people of all faiths and backgrounds together because this is not an issue for one religion or race,” church leader Chris Tranchida said in a statement. "This is everyone’s problem to solve and we need to come together as a community."

The event will be held on March 10 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

State Rep. Ben Sanchez, Upper Dublin School District Superintendent Laurie Smith, and Upper Dublin Chief of Police Francis Wheatley will all be in attendance.

Organizers say the event will focus on "concrete solutions" to prevent violence.

The church law currently displays a "Memorial to the Lost," built by Philadelphia nonprofit Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence. The memorial features 81 t-shirts symbolizing each of the gun-related deaths in Montgomery County from 2019 to 2023.

Each shirt includes the victim's name, age, and the date they were killed.

To help families with children, the church is working with Upper Dublin Public Library to provide supervision for children ages 5 to 12 during the event. Babysitting is available for children under 5.

Upper Dublin Lutheran Church is located on 411 Susquehanna Road.