By Tom Siebert
Gun massacres are a common occurrence in American life. During this year alone in the United States, there have been more than 150 shootings that caused four or more casualties, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
When a mass shooter strikes a place of worship, however, the bullets emotionally pierce not only our hearts and minds, but ricochet straight through to our souls.
Such was the tragic case on the evening of June 17, 2015, when 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, S.C., sat through a Bible study, then pulled out a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot to death nine black worshipers as they stood up to pray.