INFORMED AND EMPOWERED seem appropriate actions to Trump’s signing a law making it easier for mentally ill people to purchase guns, and for the Minnesota House working to pass an omnibus bill which includes Permitless Carry and Stand Your Ground Bills. All of these actions only make weapons more available in public places with fewer restraints. Gun violence floodgates are only widened.
Then there are the annual 33,000 gun deaths a year. In Minnesota over 400 gun deaths a year of which over 80% are suicides overwhelmingly by white people. A gun in the home is 22x more likely to be used in suicide, homicide or accident than in self defense and increases the risk of an abused woman being murdered by 6x. And on and on.
What can we do? We can and must INFORM and EMPOWER ourselves to act for common sense gun laws. This is how change happens. Our faith perspective INFORMS us through the Word of the grace and actions of God in Christ in the world. In turn, we are EMPOWERED to give witness in thought, word and deed.
ENGAGE is a work group whose mission is to MEDITATE on, EDUCATE about and ADVOCATE for gun violence prevention in the nonviolent Spirit of Jesus Christ. Our roots are in the ELCA and the SPAS. But our reach is long. We are prepared to visit your congregation or study group to INFORM and EMPOWER your people. We will look at Biblical foundations, ELCA positions, statistics, our nation’s Founding Documents, the NRA and gun lobby, and suggest specific actions each of us can take. The cost? Your time and passion!
We at ENGAGE are prepared to share our stories, educate and empower. Contact us at: ronletnes@hotmail.com.
Peace!