American Notes DENVER

Parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Denver got an unusual proposal last year from their pastor. If they would turn in their guns, the Rev. Marshall Gourley told them, he would give $100 for each of them. Tired of officiating at the funerals of shooting victims, the priest has mounted a crusade against handgun violence.

Starting with a bankroll of $2,000, Gourley managed to collect 35 handguns, four shotguns and $800 in special donations before running out of money last week. Some of the gun traders could not be paid, but they did not seem to mind. Yet not all of them had the purest motives. One man vowed to use his cash bounty as a down payment on an assault rifle. Another threatened to kill the priest. Still others bought cheap $30 guns and sold them to Gourley for a $70 profit.

Undaunted, Gourley hopes some good will come out of his efforts: he wants to melt down the weapons for a new church bell. "We just want people to think Denver is not the O.K. Corral," he said.