Take Action: Gun Violence Prevention
As Christians we are called upon to live a Christ-centered life.It is our sacred duty to stand up for others, and to love our fellow human beings.
Our hearts break every time that we hear about another act of gun violence taking lives and tearing families apart.We weep, we pray, and we ask ourselves what can we possibly do to keep these tragedies from happening over and over again.
The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations has a series of action alerts to help guide us in what the official Church position is on these matters, and there are many regarding gun violence, including asking our elected officials to support universal background checks, and research into gun violence prevention.
Please visit:
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/OGR/action-alerts
for more information about how you can take steps to help prevent gun violence.
Additional Resources:
The Episcopal Church's Public Policy Network is a "grassroots network of Episcopalians across the country dedicated to carrying out the Baptismal Covenant's call to "strive for justice and peace" through the active ministry of public policy advocacy."
We believe in a God of life in the face of death who calls our church to speak and act decisively against the unholy trinity of poverty, racism and violence. In the struggle against these evils, our group offers four contributions:
- public liturgy including processions, vigils and prayers services to commemorate the dead and inspire the living
- spiritual support for those living with gun shot wounds, with grief, with fear and with the temptation of hopelessness, and advocacy for broader and easier access to mental health services for those at risk of suicide
- sound teaching for those yearning to bring an ethic of Christian compassion and concern for the common good to bear on debates regarding unjust economic and legal structures, public safety, individual rights and our responsibilities to one another as children of God
- persistent advocacy for common sense gun safety measures that enjoy the support of gun owners and non-gun owners alike, such as
- handgun purchaser licensing
- background checks on all gun purchasers
- restrictions on gun ownership by domestic abusers
- classification of gun trafficking as a federal crime
- encouragement for the development of “smart gun” technology
- federal funding for research into gun violence prevention strategies
- safe storage of firearm
Tags: Faith in Action / Worship / Getting Involved / Calendar