- I marched for Norah and all of my kids.
- I marched for those who lost their lives in Sandy Hook.
- I marched for those students from FL who are asking to march with them.
- I marched for all those children of color who have lost their lives to violence, for whom society forgot.
I have seen the damage gun violence has done to families. A cousin of mine was murdered in California in a convenience store (he was at the wrong place at the wrong time). I have seen how civil war in Mozambique has continued to deprive the people of that country with the freedom and life they deserve. Violence destroys many lives and has many victims.
I marched because I also believe that we cannot continue to embrace the guns the way that we do.
The Episcopal Church has adopted the Sandy Hook Principles developed by the bipartisan United States Conference of Mayors as an expression of this Church’s commitment to stemming gun
violence in America. I wholeheartedly agree with them:
1. Require permits to carry concealed weapons and criminal background checks for every
gun purchase, including those made at gun shows; and
2. Except for the use of military and law enforcement agencies, ban the sale, transfer,
importation and manufacture of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines; and
3. Ban the importation and manufacture of Full-Auto Conversion kits that convert guns
into automatic weapons; and
4. Tighten laws against gun trafficking, and increase penalties for those who engage in
"straw purchases" of firearms for ineligible persons; and
5. Prohibit persons from purchasing guns without evidence of gun safety training; and
6. Recognize the impact of existing inheritance laws on the transfer of gun ownership; and
7. Promote funding for research into the prevention and causes of gun violence.
I would only add that I believe the use of "Red Flag Laws" to be consistent with these principles:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/25/red-flag-laws-allow-temporary-restrictions-access-guns-gain-momentum-across-nation/454395002/
and finally I would add that as this conversation continues, I continue to look to all sides of the debate as how we best can proceed. I recently found this article on former SCOTUS Justice Scalia to be enlightening:
https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/11/justice-scalias-gun-control-argument/
2 comments:
GUN SAFETY & GUN REFORM
Episcopal Church policies:
Support Handgun Purchaser Licensing
Implement Laws to Decrease Gun Violence, including:
Permits to carry concealed weapons and criminal background checks for every gun purchase, including those made at gun shows
Except for the use of military and law enforcement agencies, ban the sale, transfer, importation and manufacture of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
Tighten laws against gun trafficking, and increase penalties for those who engage in "straw purchases" of firearms for ineligible persons
Ban the importation and manufacture of Full-Auto Conversion kits that convert guns into automatic weapons
Prohibit persons from purchasing guns without evidence of gun safety training
Promote funding for research into the prevention and causes of gun violence
Urge the appropriate departments and agencies of the U.S. government to prohibit the export of handguns
Remove handguns and assault weapons from our homes, other residential communities, and vehicles
Express Concern About Availability of Handguns and Assault Weapons
Urge Restrictions on Sale, Ownership and Use of Firearms, including:
Increase restrictions on the sale, ownership and use of firearms, particularly "Saturday night specials"
That legislation to ban carrying concealed firearms be encouraged
Develop regulations to delineate appropriate safety standards for use of firearms
Apply the same quality and safety standards to domestically manufactured hand guns that are currently applied to imported hand guns
Urge all citizens to support federal, state, and local legislation aimed at controlling the sale and use of hand guns
Pass comprehensive gun control and safety legislation, restricting children's access to guns and requiring thorough background checks for new gun purchases
Allow community-based mental healthcare providers the same opportunities to access federal funding as are currently allowed to providers of physical healthcare
Urge Episcopalians to examine our own cultural attitudes toward violence through efforts in our own congregations and communities, to repent of our own roles in the glorification and trivialization of violence, and to commit ourselves to another way.
The Sandy Hook Principles
Bishops United Against Gun Violence
https://www.episcopalcafe.com/marchepiscopal-joins-marchforourlives/
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