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Council Posts Billboard about Gun Violence

April 5, 2018 by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

On your drive along I-85/40 outside of Mebane, look for our billboard on the side of the road. It will go up this week and stay in place for the next four weeks, another crucial message for all of us while gun violence continues to erupt all around.

While amendments and policies related to gun control dominate the airwaves, the North Carolina Council of Churches is pointing to a different directive to guide the conversation about guns and safety in our country—The Second Commandment. Right after God commands God’s people not to follow other gods, God commands the people not to have any idols. Idols can assume a lot of guises in our world that we don’t immediately understand as idolatry. For many of us, guns have become the symbol of safety, the idol we turn to because we ‘believe in them’ to keep us safe.

Meanwhile, statistics show exactly the opposite, with the presence of guns actually making us less safe. An average of 96 people are killed by guns every day in this country, but less than 4% are killed in mass shootings. While mass shootings are horrific and should always lead the news cycle, the more insidious statistics about gun deaths rarely make the news. For example:

  • States with more guns have more deaths.
  • For each time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns in a home.
  • 62% of gun deaths are suicides.
  • 43% of homes with guns and children have at least one unlocked firearm, resulting in 62 children who are accidentally shot and killed each year.
  • Domestic violence situations involving a gun increase a woman’s chance of death fivefold.
  • The firearm death rate in the U.S. for children 14 and younger is nearly 12 times higher than the combined rate in 14 other modern industrialized nations.

The juxtaposition of The Second Commandment with the The Second Amendment is by design. Nearly 70% of the people who carry a gun claim they do so for safety, while the statistics clearly show guns make us less safe. This makes guns a false idol. To this end, the Council is trying to reframe some of the contentious issues in the public discourse by reminding people of faith of the guiding principles found in our scriptures and our creeds. As people of faith, we should always guard against those things that become more important to us than the God who calls us to abundant life. How much more so, should we call out the idols that hold out false promises.

No one in the gun violence prevention collaborative wants to repeal the 2nd Amendment and many gun rights advocates support laws that include reasonable restrictions. The argument that criminals can always get a gun may be true, but we should make it very hard and very expensive for them to do so. Good gun laws will never prevent good gun owners from having their weapons. In short, we must confess guns are not the solution to our safety. Our communities could become safer by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned. That could be a message for our next billboard.

This billboard is only the first of a series of messages planned by the Council over the coming months. We plan to erect a new billboard in a different part of the state throughout the summer, regularly reminding people there is a different way of framing the conversation.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Council News, Gun Violence

Avatar photo

About Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

Jennifer is a native of South Carolina and an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church. She loves South Carolina, but has managed to spend all but ten years of her adult life in North Carolina. Those ten years were spent pastoring United Methodist churches across the Upstate. She attended Duke University several times and in the process earned a BA, double majoring in English and Religion, a Master of Divinity, a PhD in religion, and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent 16 years as the United Methodist Chaplain at Duke University, where she also taught undergraduate and divinity school classes, served on committees and task forces, and attended lots of basketball games. She writes frequently for various publications when time permits and preaches regularly in congregations across North Carolina. Jennifer has two adult children, Nathan, who is a software developer in Durham, and Hannah, who is a digital marketing analyst in Charlotte. Jennifer is the overjoyed grandparent of Benjamin and Theodore.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dan slate says

    April 17, 2018 at 8:24 am

    Dr Copeland: I was very disappointed when I saw the press release for the Billboard. It is obvious that you are trying to provoke people into thinking about gun violence, but was there any thought given to the negative impact on believers who are also supporters of the Second Amendment? While I certainly place my citizenship in the Kingdom above all else, I also have to keep in mind the very reasons our country was founded and what it took to do so. Your poor choice of design incorporates basic training firearms into the picture along with the Military style weapons which are currently the target of opposition. This gives the impression that your organization is lumping all of us “gun rights” types into a group that you are “judging” as idol worshipers. As a member of the clergy I should not have to remind you about “judging others.” I realize that it plays to your advantage to jump onto the current anti-gun hysteria bandwagon. Is it really worth the “15 minutes of fame?” We are supposed to be unifying and edifying others, not creating further division. I really expected a more responsible approach, especially from an organization like yours –

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 20, 2018 at 8:14 am

      Rev. Slate,
      We do not believe every gun owner places their gun above God, but we are suggesting that some of the rhetoric about gun ownership does elevant the 2nd Amendment above the 2nd Commandment. Clearly, we have touched a nerve in enough folks that I believe we are onto something. Like you, I believe it is our responsibility to speak God’s truth into the public square. As for judging others, only the individual can know in her heart if the gun is more important than God. That’s between her and God.

      Reply
  2. Marvin Maddox says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    I grew up in rural Georgia a long time ago; almost everyone had a gun of some sort to kill “varmints” or to go hunting.
    Probably the same situation still exists in rural areas. My primary concern nowadays is with assault rifles. I’m retired from the military so I understand that assault rifles are great for killing people. Why would an ordinary citizen want an assault rifle?

    Reply
  3. John Shirley says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

    Your statistics on guns are mostly incorrect. Your organization should be ashamed to publish lies in order to advance an agenda!

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 16, 2018 at 11:19 pm

      Our statistics come from the CDC, a source we trust.

      Reply
  4. Steve says

    April 16, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    Hi NC Council / Rev. Dr. Copeland – thanks so much for pushing us to think differently about the gun debate. I’m a gun owner, and have been really appalled at the escalation of firepower that stems from this culture of fear that is, to my mind, promulgated by those that stand to profit from it. And having recently read posts by military veterans who, as well, are questioning the fascination with and availability of military-style weapons, I think it is high time that we look ourselves in the mirror and ask about how we might be manipulated by the companies and organizations that seek to profit from our fear (and purchase of ever-more-powerful guns)..

    I understand that you are NOT suggesting repealing the 2nd amendment, but that you ARE pushing us, as thinking and believing people, to examine our lives through this lens, and perhaps come to a different perspective and deeper alignment with our spiritual values (and leaders).

    Good work! And keep those billboards coming! Gives me something more interesting to look at than the usual stuff. With respect –
    Steve

    Reply
  5. David JARRELL says

    April 14, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    WHO CAME UP WITH THIS TERRIBLE IDEA. TO ASSOCIATE GUNS AS AN IDOL IS ONE OF THE MOST RIDICULOUS THINGS I HAVE EVER HEARD. THE CHURCH NUMBER ONE PRIORITY SHOULD BE WINNING PEOPLE TO GOD NOT THROWING UP ROAD BLOCKS. I AM NOT OVERLY FOND OF GUN AND ESPECIALLY RAPID FIRE ONES, BUT GUNS ARE NOT THE SOLE PROBLEM, PEOPLE ARE. WE ARE METHODIST AND WILL BE EVALUATING OUR MEMBERSHIP AND GIVING. THE USE OF ALCOHOL AN DRUGS WOULD FIT MORE AS AN IDOL. WHERE DOES YOUR GROUP STAND ON THIS ISSUE?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 15, 2018 at 10:25 am

      We are launching through our faith communities within a few weeks an initiative to help educate and advocate around the opiod crisis. This is the place where we believe the biggest changes can happen, when we unite God’s power with human will.

      We also believe there are many “idols” that distract God’s people from focusing on the life abundant that God promises. For some people that idol could be a gun. Since people are talking about guns a lot right now, we thought it good to point out some other possibilities for framing the conversation.

      Reply
  6. Beth Messersmith says

    April 14, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    Thank you for your consistent moral leadership to end gun violence. Your efforts are seen and greatly appreciated!

    Reply
  7. George B Kimsey says

    April 14, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    Thank you Jenifer and the Council for opening this conversation! It surely needs to be openly and fully discussed with the hope that the Prince of Peace can work in the hearts and minds of our citizens and leaders to find ways and means to curb gun violence.

    Reply
  8. Stormy Ingold says

    April 13, 2018 at 11:03 pm

    Thank you for this engaging billboard and message. I agree that we are on a slippery slope when it comes to cultural preoccupation with guns. I support the second amendment, but believe there are many measures that need to be taken to ensure that only responsible individuals are able to possess guns. I applaud the NC Council of Churches for taking a stand on this issue and pointing out how easy it is to turn away from the Truth and place our hope in things of this world (and in this case, things that can too easily be used to destroy life).

    Reply
  9. Chantal Church says

    April 13, 2018 at 3:40 pm

    Clarification for my reference to a gun violence event in NC in the comment below:
    It was North Hills Mall, May 29, 1972, in Raleigh NC.
    I survived by hiding behind a car while people all around me were shot or killed by a lone sniper.

    I state this for those who need statistics, verification, who doubt. The impulsive and horrific public attacks have occurred for decades in our culture.
    To compare the USA and other countries’ gun stats, please refer to a recent well-researched article:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/mass-shootings/?%3Ftid%3D=sm_pg&utm_term=.3b7fc26e97f5

    Others also appeared on the CNN website last year.

    And on the Raleigh shooting, refer to this link. How quickly people forget.
    https://legeros.com/history/stories/north-hills/north-hills-sniper.pdf

    .

    Reply
  10. Chantal Church says

    April 13, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    I am a survivor of a US sniper attack by an armed gunman, killing several, wounding more at a mall in NC. That tragedy has affected my life in long-lasting and even subtle ways, and due to our American gun culture, is remembered often. I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I applaud the Council’s courage in taking a stand on a volatile but important issue, and plan to donate support. If possible I even hope to help sponsor one billboard, as I believe the dialogue created is helpful in these troubled times. Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  11. dena stanley says

    April 13, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    excellent billboard. I drove past it this morning. I am so used to the billboards citing biblical talk promoting right wing christian ideals, I had to do a double take. I thought “Was that really guns and bullets I saw?” Then this afternoon a friend posed it on facebook. Hooray for you!

    Reply
  12. Kathy Kaufman says

    April 13, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    Thank you for taking a stand that is both moral and grounded in common sense and years of data. For too long the conversation around guns in this country has been grounded in the misleading and divisive rhetoric of the NRA.

    Many families affected by gun violence – including mine – are hopeful that common sense change is coming, but we need to work for it. Thank you for your contribution to this important work.

    Reply
  13. Marguerite Most says

    April 13, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    Thank you for this brave step by the Council of Churches to change the conversation about guns in our culture. I welcome the Council’s billboard on I-85 near Mebane and applaud its message addressing gun violence.

    I look forward to seeing other billboards across North Carolina addressing societal issues that concern us all – racial injustice, poverty, and healthcare as a universal right, to name a few.

    Reply
  14. Kelly Suttles says

    April 13, 2018 at 1:12 pm

    Just wanted to say you’ve made a great statement with this billboard! I posted a link to a different article in my Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense group and people loved it! You will be hearing from our supporters about ways to partner. We support the 2nd amendment but believe there should be common sense regulations on gun ownership.
    Thanks for making this statement. I applaud your efforts.

    Reply
  15. James says

    April 12, 2018 at 11:16 am

    I am not in agreement with your position, and I would fathom a guess that many other congregants are not either. This is a politicization of the faith based on your views and something I do not support. My Church is a member of the NC Council of Churches and through that membership, I am being misrepresented by the campaign summarized in this article. While I had known of our affiliation with the NC Council of Churches, I had no idea that this campaign existed. I’m confident that most other congregants are also unaware.

    This puts me in a position where I now have to choose whether I can continue to support my Church as I will not allow a single dime of my money to continue going towards the support of this anti-gun message. Addressing gun violence is one thing, and something I support. Pushing an anti-gun political message, and tieing guns to idolatry is quite another. You’re doing yourself and those you are supposed to represent a disservice.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      Just as all the members of your local church do not agree on every issue, we understand that some congregations who make up our membership do not agree on every issue. For our part, we hope to generate conversations among people of faith about their different ideas so that together we can all work toward the flourishing that God holds forth for each of us. We believe a healthy conversation about the place of guns in our culture can be a step in that direction.

      Reply
  16. Stephen Barrett, MD says

    April 12, 2018 at 11:00 am

    I believe you can have great impact on the forthcoming election by endorsing candidates fir Congress who share your position.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:15 pm

      As a non-partisan organization, we endorse issues and not candidates, though clearly we would be in favor of having members of congress who might begin to think carefully about the statistics surrounding gun violence.

      Reply
  17. Karen Godwin says

    April 11, 2018 at 11:36 pm

    Please send me a list of the 6200 congregations that support this so I can see if my church is being part of this.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:17 pm

      The denominational members of the North Carolina Council of Churches are listed on our website.

      Reply
  18. Whit Uriah says

    April 11, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    Hello and god bless
    There is one very important statistic missing, which is every time guns is removed from a section of society violent crime goes up even if it was on a decline for that area. God has always been a God of choices and this conversation has been going on in our federal system for more than a 100 years and for the most part has been 1 sided with the constant vilification of the other side. My guns are no more my source of safety any more than my authority to earn money my source for a home or food for my family, but I will fight to prevent someone from taking away my god given authority to do both. Our founding fathers put together our bill of rights, basic human authority that are not to be affected by other people’s feelings. School shooting are very rare. People mudured with a rifle happens less than 300 times a year. Japan a country that has the most strict gun laws in the world has the highest sucide rate in the world with out guns. I will be happy to have a discussion about this. Please let’s have an honest discussion because false facts t hat has been proven wrong over 20 years ago are still being said

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:23 pm

      The statistics we cited came from the CDC and we trust that source. We also believe in your First and Second and all 27 of your Constitutional rights. An honest discussion is our intention.

      Reply
  19. Geoffrey mayrand says

    April 11, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    This billboard is bearing false witness against gun owners and supporters of the second amendment.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:27 pm

      Most of the people in my family own guns, so vilification of gun owners would not be my aim. The billboard is offering a commentary on where the discussion about gun violence, gun safety, and gun rights often goes off the rails.

      Reply
  20. Gloria Smith says

    April 11, 2018 at 11:54 am

    Ignorance is truly bliss for the uninformed. I do not believe that a gun will keep me safe, but it will level the playing field if I encounter a bad person with a gun. We do not worship our guns, we just enjoy using them to hunt for food, put holes in targets for recreation, etc. My daddy (a Baptist deacon for many years) often said “BS means ‘bullshit’, MS means ‘more shit’ and PHD means ‘piled higher and deeper’. I am really beginning to believe he was correct.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:32 pm

      Most of the people in my family own guns and I learned to shoot before I was 10, so I’m not completely uninformed, although I let my son bring home the venison these days… I’m relieved to hear you are not among those who put their right to bear arms above their alliance to God. Regards to your father.

      Reply
  21. Don Davis says

    April 11, 2018 at 10:42 am

    The only idolatry here is the Council’s worship of big government and their own misconceptions drawn from false statistics. Every one of those statistics listed relies on an insidious LIE of omission. The media-fed narcissism that drives mass shootings has nothing to do with 1.5 million church members or anybody else ‘believing in guns’ over their faith in God, in any way shape or form. But Jennifer Copeland apparently places a hell of a lot of faith in “good gun laws” – as if there ever was such a thing. You wanna talk about kneeling at the feet of a golden calf??? Gun control is ALL about placing faith in government first, abrogating our Civic Duty to protect our own and each other, and neglecting the Rights endowed by our Creator. Meanwhile, the Constitution itself reveres God first by declaring its purpose to “secure the Blessings of Liberty”, in the Preamble.

    Denial of reality is fundamental to idolatry: “The argument that criminals can always get a gun may be true, but we should make it very hard and very expensive for them to do so. Good gun laws will never prevent good gun owners from having their weapons.” That may sound innocuous and benevolent enough, but it’s dangerously vague and irresponsibly naive at best, and the deliberate work of the deceiver at worst. Political and economic reality doesn’t work that way.
    There are no “good gun laws” proposed yet that haven’t also increased the cost and difficulty for the faithful and law-abiding at the same time, which means this billboard is predicated on a LIE.
    “No one in the gun violence prevention collaborative wants to repeal the 2nd Amendment” – another LIE.
    There are more unsourced, false statistics quoted here than scripture, which should be more than telling to “he who has understanding”. Get thee behind me, Satan.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:37 pm

      Our statistics were acquired from the CDC, a source we trust. We do not want to repeal the 2nd Amendment–that is not a lie. Finally, I depend on my local police force to protect me, underpaid and underappreciated as they are. I appreciate them and would pay higher taxes to help raise their salaries.

      Reply
  22. Jason Morrison says

    April 11, 2018 at 10:14 am

    You guys should add, crosses, pictures of christ, santa, the Easter bunny, and money to the billboard as well. They all meet the same criteria you posted for the guns, but mainly because they actually meet the 2nd commandments criteria for what a real idol is.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:38 pm

      I concur with you that money should go to the top of the idol list.

      Reply
  23. Jeff says

    April 11, 2018 at 9:54 am

    What does the Bible say about lying on your website?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:44 pm

      9th Commandment. Could be our next billboard. Thanks for the idea.

      Reply
  24. Jason says

    April 11, 2018 at 9:52 am

    Saw the billboard, don’t like it. You claim we are making idols of guns. This is far from the truth, but before I explain, I’ll ask you this, how many crosses in your church? How many pictures of “christ?” I’m also a religious person, so this is not an attack on beliefs. Santa, easter bunny, What are those? So, these are idols, not the guns. Guns are a tool, we don’t put them before G-D, their just tools. Much like a shovel, when I want to did a hole, I use a shovel. By your logic, since I went and got a shovel, it’s an idol. Ludacris! G-D isn’t going to dig the hole for me, he’ll provide a means to me (the shovel) same for guns, we provide our own food, saftey, and freedom from oppression with them, with G-Ds support. So before the pot starts calling the kettle black, I advise you to remove the plank from your own eye before you point out the splinter in someone elses.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:46 pm

      We are relieved to know that you are among those who do not place the right to bear arms above your allegiance to God.

      Reply
  25. Crystal king says

    April 11, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Sensorship too, as well as acuzations, in my statement I used no bad language an did not target any individuals , was on the topic an was not in my option disrespectful just truthful an it was not anonymous. But you did not post it . Why? Did you realize your mistake in putting up such a bias, unChristian bill board. Christians do not accuse others, unless u changed the bible.. seeing your billboard has caused me so much stress an actually hurt my feelings an made me very emotional an horribly sadden to know Christians would do such a thing… how horrible an demeaning , bias an just plain ol wrong this billboard is, an not posting my comment well that was almost as bad as the billboard. Shame on you !

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 9:50 pm

      There was no attempt to censor you or anyone, only a delay because our offices are closed on Wednesday to allow the staff who have Wednesday church commitments to devote their full attention to those places. Thank you for not being disrespectful, using profanity, or writing anonymously. That certainly has not been the case for some…

      Reply
  26. crystal b king says

    April 11, 2018 at 1:47 am

    THIS STORY IS MISS LEADING AND BORDERS ON LYING , WHERE YOU GOT YOUR STATISTICS I HAVE NO CLUE, BUT I RESEARCH EVERYTHING AND DO FIND YOURS ANYWHERE……….. THE BILLBOARD YOU POST WAS VERY RUDE AND IGNORANT, I AM CHRISTIAN AND DO NOT WORSHIP OR IDOLIZE MY GUN IN ANYWAY, I WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST…… I LIVE IN A RURAL AREA, AND NEED MY GUNS,, YES NEED !!!! COYOTES, SNAKES AND RAPIST UP THE ROAD, I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HAVE MY GUN AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY STUPID THINGS, I WILL DEFEND YOUR RIGHT, BUT YOU WANT TO TAKE MINE AWAY !!! WHERE IS THAT FAIR……….. YOU SHOW ME WHERE JESUS SAY WE CAN NOT DEFEND OURSELVES, AN I WILL SHOW YOU WHERE HE DOES……….. REMEMBER HE SAID TO PICK UP THE SWORD !~!! WELL NO SWORDS IN THIS CENTURY, BUT GUNS ARE THE SWORDS TODAY…….. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, WHAT CHURCHES BELONG TO YOUR ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE I WOULD NOT WANT TO ATTEND THEM…….

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      April 12, 2018 at 10:04 pm

      Our statistics came from the CDC, a source we trust.
      We are relieved to know that you do not place your right to bear arms above your allegiance to God.
      If I had coyotes in my yard, I would keep a gun by the back door; but I don’t have coyotes–yet.
      I kill rattlesnakes and copperheads–we have more of those–with a shovel by cutting off their heads.
      As for the rapist up the road, I’d call the sheriff for that one.
      When they came to arrest Jesus, “one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” (Luke 22:50-51).
      The denominations that are members of the Council are listed on our website.

      Reply

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