Religion and guns

People of faith have not been silent in the face of our nation’s gun violence. They have supported reasonable gun laws for many years and now, in the light of recent shootings, their words continue to guide us.

The National Council of Churches issued a statement this week that read, in part:

The unchecked gun violence in this nation must end. In 1967, the NCC adopted a statement calling for Firearms Control while proclaiming at the time that it represented “a long overdue measure which might have prevented much tragic loss of life.” 

Over 50 years later, these basic common-sense changes to our gun laws still have not been enacted and they are far beyond overdue.

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“I stand firmly with the vast majority of Americans who are demanding an end to gun violence and the passage of legislation that requires greater screening, longer waiting periods for background checks, and the elimination of rapid fire guns,” stated Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ and Chair of the NCC Governing Board. “While I do pray for the families whose loved ones were killed, those prayers mean little if they are not backed up with action and legislation that mitigate against the escalation of these domestic acts of terror and mass murder.” 

Episcopalians are not newcomers to this issue. As early as 1976, the General Convention began passing resolutions concerning gun reform legislation. In an action alert sent out this week following the shooting in Boulder, the Episcopal Public Policy Network cited two specific pieces of legislation at the federal level.

Earlier this month, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446) were passed in the House with bipartisan support. We applaud all those members who supported this legislation, and we urge you to contact your Senators today to urge them to pass these two meaningful gun reform bills!

 

H.R. 1446 would fix a gap in the background check system known as the ‘Charleston Loophole.’ Under current law, if a background check takes longer than three days to complete, a person is cleared to purchase a gun even if a completed background check would have rendered them ineligible. It is estimated that since 1998, 58,000 gun sales would have been prevented with a completed background check. One of them was the gun used by the shooter at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015, who killed nine people. H.R. 1446 extends the time to clear a background check from three to ten business days before a person is legally allowed to receive a gun.

 

H.R 8 requires background checks for firearm transfers between private parties, applying the same rules that local stores follow to pop-up gun shows or online person-to-person sales. In short, this legislation maintains universal background checks for every gun sale. Numerous polls show that a large majority of Americans, as many as 9 in 10 people, support universal background checks. 

In response to the question of why Jews should care about gun the violence, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism states:

Jewish tradition emphasizes the sanctity and eternal value of human life. The Talmud teaches that: 

“One who takes a life, it is though they have destroyed the universe. And one who saves a life, it is as though they have saved the universe” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5).

The dehumanization of individuals and the carelessness with which human life is taken during incidents of gun violence stand in direct violation of these affirmations of our tradition. We are called upon to take action to prevent the loss of lives and end gun violence.

Information on the Center’s support of universal background checks and other legislation is available here.

 

The website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America notes that the church “is saddened by the all-too-frequent occurrences of gun violence in the U.S. We mourn the loss of life. We grieve for the victims and their families, who often feel silenced. And we lament for those who have done violence to others and often feel removed from a community of faith.” The ELCA offers 

a journey of prayer, scripture, stories and church teachings with this resource, "A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence." Together through daily observances, it calls us to work toward the prevention of gun violence as people of God who strive for justice and peace in all the world. It may be used for individual reflection, group Bible study, adult education sessions, and congregational daily devotions. 

My own denomination, the Catholic Church, has been a strong advocate for the reasonable regulation of firearms. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has stated, “Christ's love and mercy must guide us. The Church recognizes that recourse to self-defense is legitimate for one's own safety.  In today's world, however, weapons that are increasingly capable of inflicting great suffering in a short period of time are simply too accessible.” A backgrounder on guns, along with list of reasonable measures to address the issue of gun violence, is available here.

According to the most recent Evangelical Leaders Survey about guns posted on the website of the National Association of Evangelicals, "The majority of evangelical leaders (55 percent) favor stricter laws, and a significant minority (40 percent) think current laws are adequate. Only a few (5 percent) favor less strict gun laws. In their comments, many evangelical leaders noted that handgun and assault weapon sales should be limited and background checks should be tightened. Some also emphasized that existing laws should be more strictly enforced.