We will never know if George Zimmerman would ever have gotten out of his car if he hadn’t had a gun.
We do know that countless children of God have died in the last year alone because of gun violence.
More guns and easier access to them do not inherently make us safer.
Gail Neely with North Carolinians Against Gun Violence has put out an urgent call for folks to contact members of the NC House today before noon to ask for support to repeal Stand Your Ground and support universal background checks for all firearm purchases.
House Speaker Thom Tillis
Email: Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net
Phone: (919) 733-3451
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger
Email: Phil.Berger@ncleg.net
Phone: (919) 733-5708
In an opinion piece supporting background checks for gun purchases in last week’s Charlotte Observer, Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina wrote in part:
Too much of the daily work of leaders of all faiths and denominations across North Carolina is helping grieving parishioners cope with loss in the wake of gun violence, and too much of our daily work is presiding over funerals of young people shot to death with guns that made their way into the wrong hands.
And a prayer from the Council’s Lectionary Resource on gun violence reads:
We step forward into the future, supporting each other, building community, making peace, practicing nonviolence, resisting the forces of war, and reconciling with our enemies, come what may. We have met Jesus the Rebel. He is alive and goes before us, summoning us to carry on the mission of nonviolence. We have been changed forever. Beloved God, you have begun the revolution within us. Our hearts burn with the fire of Hope. Amen.
As followers of the Prince of Peace, let us continue to be advocates for a state and a world where all are genuinely safer.
–Aleta Payne, Development and Communications
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