The following remarks were delivered by Eco-Justice Connection Director, Susannah Tuttle, during a gun violence prevention press conference on October 14, 2022, in response to the recent Raleigh mass shooting. Click here to view the recording of the press conference.
My name is Susannah Tuttle and I am here on behalf of the North Carolina Council of Churches. We are holding the hearts of the families of the victims in our own hearts. We mourn with you and pray for strength during this difficult time.
The North Carolina Council of Churches has adopted multiple policy statements since the 1960s calling for restrictions on gun ownership, tightening regulation of gun dealers, requiring safe storage for guns, and banning the sale and possession of assault weapons. And today we call upon the city of Raleigh to adopt a community violence intervention program.
The unconscionable acts perpetrated by the lack of gun regulations will not be tolerated. We must stand united together until we can end the gun violence in our nation.
Gun violence continues to plague our communities with yesterday being the latest headline. It is precisely incidents like yesterday where the majority of gun violence deaths happen: calculated murders, crimes of passion, accidental deaths, planned suicides. Crimes where access to guns leads to opportunity which results in tragedy. We could and should impose some barriers that would reduce the hemorrhaging. Some people should not own guns, and some places should never allow guns. And this is where the real work of sensible gun control laws can make a difference.
We at the North Carolina Council of Churches alongside our colleagues today, we implore all people, especially people of faith, we implore you to learn the statistics, understand the gun laws, and think faithfully about what God would have us do in order to strive for genuine safety and not a false sense of security.
Love of neighbor calls for nothing less.
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