Gun violence prevention has long been a racial equity matter. More Blacks favor restrictions on access to guns; more whites are gun rights advocates (“What the ‘black-on-black crime’ fallacy misses about race and gun deaths,” Shirley Carswell, The Washington Post, July 8, 2020). Guns, however, are not the panacea protection that gun rights advocates claim. Guns are dangerous and more guns are more dangerous. Many Black people know first-hand that more guns mean more gun deaths, having attended the funerals of their parents, siblings, and children caught in gun violence cross-fire. White people know this as well, though through a different statistic: over seventy percent of gun suicides are white men. Again, more guns mean more gun deaths. We have stated in the past that Americans have a strange relationship to their guns, in some instances verging on idolism. The idea of owning a gun, or at least having the right to own one, is raised to the level of religious frenzy without regard to the real harm happening in our communities.
We hope the resources you find here will help tell a different story, a more accurate story, and provide the tools needed to start saving lives.
(Photo from Giffords Law Center Gun Violence Statistics)
NC Council of Churches
- Legislative Bulletin: Gun Violence Prevention
- Voices Archive (Op-eds)
- Statement from the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director
- Stand Up Sabbath
Member Denomination Resources
- Alliance of Baptists
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Episcopal Church
- Bishops United Against Gun Violence
- Episcopalians Against Gun Violence (part of Bishops United as listed above)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence
- Mennonite Church USA, Prevention Gun Violence Guide
- Metropolitan Community Churches, National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Resources
- Presbyterian Church, USA
- Religious Society of Friends
- United Church of Christ
- Justice and Witness Ministries, Overcoming Violence Bible Study
- United Methodist Church
Other Faith-Based Resources
- Baptist Peace Fellowship/Bautistas por la Paz, Gun Violence Prevention Congregational Toolkit
- Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Worship Guide
- Dominican Sisters of Peace (Catholic religious order)
- Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
- National Council of Churches, Resolution and Call to Action
- Rabbis Against Gun Violence, Stand Up Shabbat Resource Packet
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Washington National Cathedral, Gun Violence Prevention Toolkit
- A Case Study in Hope: Lessons from Oakland’s Remarkable Reduction in Gun Violence
- Annual Gun Law Scorecard
- Gun Violence Across America
- Gun Safety in North Carolina; A Discussion Guide
- Healing Communities in Crisis: Lifesaving Solutions to the Urban Gun Violence Epidemic
- Investing in Intervention: The Critical Role of State-Level Support in Breaking the Cycle of Urban Gun Violence
- Know the Laws: North Carolina
- The Landscape of Gun Deaths in North Carolina
- Learn what it takes to keep America Safe
- North Carolina Domestic Violence and Guns
- North Carolina State Law Summary
- Want to fix gun violence in America? Go local.
- Tell Congress to act to end gun violence
- Send a Letter to the Editor of your local paper
- Share how gun violence has impacted you
- Encourage your local mayor to join Mayors Against Illegal guns
- Request a “No Guns” sticker for your place of worship by emailing beck@ncgv.org
- Host a film screening of:
NC House Sustains Veto & Defeats the Second Amendment Protection Act
Just last week, Governor Cooper vetoed H652, the Second Amendment Protection Act. This bill would have legalized the carrying of concealed firearms at places of worship associated with schools, weakened our concealed carry weapons permitting system, and allowed EMS personnel to concealed carry when on the job with police. A big thanks goes out to all of our supporters and partners for making calls and emailing representatives to stop this dangerous bill.
RELEVANT NEWS
- 4 Reasons Not to Buy Guns in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
- The CARES Act: Opportunities for Funding Community-based Violence Prevention and Intervention Work
- Everytown Announces New Initiative With Interfaith Leaders and Organizations to Mobilize People of Faith Around Gun Safety in 2020
- Guidelines for Safe Storage of Firearms
- NC Gun Violence Prevention Coalition Statement on School Safety
- North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCGV) Statement on Open-Carry in NC During COVID-19 Stay at Home Orders
