So-called gun violence is a problem. It’s a problem not because of the guns, but because of the violence. That’s something that gets missed all too often.

After all, with the anti-Second Amendment crowd harping on the evils of guns, it’s easy to understand why some people think guns are the issue rather than the violence itself.

In Lansing, Michigan, a group of pastors is hoping to address gun violence in a better way.

After multiple teenage deaths in Lansing, leaders of the faith-based community felt they needed to help, said the Rev. Terrence King of Kingdom Ministries. King is one of seven members of the Assembly of Lansing Pastors, which recently issued a series of recommendations to address gun violence and other concerns in the city.

“We believe that we carry a unique role, that the resources that we have amongst our congregations, the resources that we have in our own background as faith leaders, and the resource of God, whom we believe can provide the insight and answers for us to resolve these issues in the form and in the practice of love,” King said.

The pastors gave a 25-page proposal to Lansing Mayor Andy Schor on how to reduce gun violence, racial discrimination and housing insecurities in the city. The group also recommended adding a review board to the police department.

“We want to make sure that we’re doing all that we can to help get these issues resolved in our communities so that everyone can live a better quality life and a safer life free from gun violence,” King said.

Now, I get that a lot of their proposal revolves around the language of “social justice,” which is typically anything but justice, but what’s interesting here is that none of this involves pushing for gun control.

They’re acknowledging that crime is caused by a number of factors, and it seems they believe none of those are the existence of the Second Amendment.

That’s good.

In fact, that’s vital if you want to really address “gun violence.” After all, as I noted, the issue isn’t the gun, it’s the violence. Gun control, at best, only removes one particular weapon from the equation. Again, at best. Even if criminals couldn’t get guns, they could still get knives, chains, bats, and a host of other weapons with which to commit murder and mayhem.

By going after the roots of the violence itself, these pastors are hoping to actually short-circuit the pipeline that leads people toward violent lifestyles in the first place.

This means not only will those folks not be killing people, but they likely won’t be associating with the kind of crowd that would get them killed either.

In other words, it’s a win straight across the board.

“Gun violence” will continue to be an issue so long as one life is lost, but the problem has always been the violence itself. You don’t feel better because your loved one was stabbed or beaten to death. Focusing on the violence and how to prevent it is the best way forward.