Gun Violence Prevention

Stand with UU FaithAction at The People’s State of the State

by UU FA OfficeJanuary 3, 2019 Leave a comment

Stand up in support of economic, political, and social justice at The People’s State of the State!

New Jerseyans are still waiting for movement on critical issues like a $15 minimum wage for all workers, drivers licenses for all, marijuana legalization, environmental justice, and a tax code that ensures the wealthiest pay their fair share.

We deserve lawmakers who share our sense of urgency and recognize that now is not the time for politics as usual. Now is the time to create a stronger and more-inclusive state for all residents, not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Together we can create the fairer and more-just New Jersey we all envision. Join us on January 10th outside the State House Annex!

WHEN: January 10, 2019 at 10am – 12pm

WHERE: State House Annex
131 W State St
Trenton, NJ 08608
United States

RSVP: https://www.bluewavenj.org/peoplesos

Oppose New Jersey Redistricting

by UU FA OfficeDecember 10, 2018December 10, 2018 Leave a comment

NJ legislative leaders–primarily Democrats–are supporting a horrible amendment to the NJ constitution, a purely political proposal to increase the ability of politicians to choose their voters. The usual term for it is “gerrymandering.” It would also embed the two-party system into the state’s constitution, a blatant attempt to weaken third parties like the Green and Libertarian parties. Every group that testified on the proposed amendment this past week opposed it. UUs and our allies should oppose this most recent attempt to codify gerrymandering too.
Despite the fact that this doesn’t easily fall under one of UU FaithAction’s six issue areas, it flies directly in the face of our 5th Principle: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.“
For example, the amendment not only gives the sitting Senate president, House speaker, and minority leaders the power to appoint eight members to the redistricting commission. It also requires that four of those appointees must be sitting legislators. This would clearly empower elected officials to have an oversized influence on who votes in their own or their own party’s races.
Furthermore, an analysis by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project demonstrates that in creating districts that the amendment calls “competitive” could actually lead to an overrepresentation of the majority party in the legislature.
While the proposed amendment would mandate respecting “communities of interest”, there are no protections for racial equity and too few public hearings to establish truly representative communities of interest.
Additionally, the explanatory paragraphs that describe the amendment on the required statewide ballot are also misleading: they give no hint of the radical change to representative democracy this amendment entails. What seem like “motherhood and apple pie” goals are more like poisoned apples presented to an innocent public.
Finally, New Jersey would be much better served by a non-partisan redistricting process like California’s, rather than a partisan (even if bipartisan) process designed to protect incumbents, party loyalists, and further entrench the Democratic and Republican parties themselves. Our partners at the League of Women Voters proposes such a non-partisan process in their Fair Districts New Jersey Project.
Please make it a priority! Call or write your senator and assembly members to oppose SCR152 and ACR205 (and earlier SCR43 and ACR60).

What You Can Do:
1. Send an email to your legislators letting them know New Jersey deserves a fair redistricting process and fair maps!
2. Call your legislator’s district office to voice your opposition to SCR152/ACR205. Review our sample script and talking points here
3. Visit the League’s “Partisan Gerrymandering” resource webpage and learn more about the undemocratic proposals being fast-tracked through the Legislature
Thank you for your attention to this very important issue!

March for Our Lives

by UU FA OfficeMarch 14, 2018March 26, 2018 Leave a comment

March for Our Lives New Jersey takes place in Newark on Saturday, March 24, at 10 a.m., in conjunction with the national March for Our Lives event in Washington and with sister events across the state and country.

by UU FA OfficeFebruary 27, 2018February 27, 2018 Leave a comment

UUs Attend NJ Gun Violence Prevention Rally after StoneMan Douglas shooting

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018, GVP activists and allies joined students, teachers and the NJ 3rd Congressional District Action Group for the United We Stand for Gun Safety Rally in Marlton, NJ. Below is the text of a speech I delivered that afternoon.

To all present today, thank you for coming. Never underestimate the power of standing up for a cause you believe in. To the students of Stoneman Douglas, I say “you are not alone”. We will stand with you today, next week and for as long as it takes to end the scourge of gun violence in America. Last week you sat huddled in a darkened classroom while the sound of gunshots signaled the injury or death of fellow students and educators. Yesterday, some of you traveled by bus to the Florida State House in Tallahassee, Florida, to implore legislators to discuss a ban on assault weapons. I ask you how many AR-15s do gun enthusiasts use for hunting or shooting at a range? Despite this reasonable request, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to reject bringing the issue of assault weapons to the floor for discussion. To these lawmakers, we say “Shame on you.”

The mass shooting was carried out by a young man with a history of mental health problems. Mental health plays a significant role in mass shootings. Overall, it is a part but not the heart of the number of gun fatalities annually. President Trump recently said the US needs better mental health treatment to reduce gun violence. If the President sincerely believes this, he can dust off the Obama regulation he rolled back in early 2017, which restricted the access of a mentally unstable person to guns.

The CDC estimates there are in excess of 30 thousand gun deaths each year in America. Japan and Australia average less than 100. Do Americans suffer from mental illness 100X more than these countries? Or, are there too many guns on the streets and in the homes of America? Guns are the third leading cause of injury-related deaths in the US, after poisoning and car accidents. The cost of care to US ERs and the medical system is about 8.6 billion, according to Giffords Law Center. This is a public health epidemic. Listen to the story of a woman who survived the Columbine HS shooting in 1999. Amy Over, in TheDaily Beast, recalled the first day her daughter attended kindergarten. Amy said she thought she would experience joy. Instead Amy had a panic attack. She later realized she was afraid to leave her daughter. Gun shootings affect entire families and last many years.

So what can we do? We can give of our time, our talents and our treasure. There are several GVP groups here that would be happy to have you join their volunteer efforts, as well as donations. We have the power of the pen to write to our legislators about a particular bill or about gun safety, in general. The most important thing we can do is VOTE. Today, I have brought along a pink slip for a congress person who takes money from the NRA. I say to this legislator “your time is up”. Who will join me? (Others held up pink slips)

NJ Gun Violence Walk-Out this FRIDAY

by UU FA OfficeFebruary 22, 2018February 23, 2018 Leave a comment

I hope many of you will take an hour out of your day THIS FRIDAY, Feb. 23rd from 11:30 to 12:30 (see details below) to join the National Strike called in protest of the latest round of school shootings and Congress’ betrayal of our children’s lives in favor of loose—and in many states, effectively no—gun safety regulations and the out-of-control gun lobby.

Below is one more gruesome list: the names of children and adults killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland FL. Each one of them could still be alive today…if we prioritized children over lax gun laws. (With thanks to Po Murray, mother of a child killed in the Newtown, CT school massacre and chair, Newtown Action Alliance & The Newtown Foundation)

Jaime Guttenberg, 14
Nicholas Dworet
Martin Duque, 14
Meadow Pollack, 18
Cara Loughran
Alaina Petty, 14
Joaquin Oliver, 17
Luke Hoyer, 15
Alyssa Alhadeff, 15
Gina Montalto, 14
Carmen Schentrup,
Alex Schachter, 14
Peter Wang, 15
Helena Ramsey, 17
Track coach Aaron Feis, 37
Teacher Scott Beigel, 35
Athletic Director Chris Hixon, 49
Fifteen others were injured.

Republicans in the US House and Senate have long held the key to effective, sane gun regulation…and up to now they have bowed to a vocal gun constituency and the well-financed, extremist gun lobby. Enough. Now even nonpartisan groups like UU FaithAction NJ must be unceasing in our pressure on NJ Republicans who have blood on their hands–those words are written consciously and with due consideration—because of years of inaction on effective and common sense gun/ammunition control.

What: National Walk Out of Parents, Students, and Concerned Residents to Protest at Republican Congressional District Offices

When: Friday, Feb. 23 from 11:30/12 to 1 p.m.

Where: A Republican Congressional office near you. I and my 12 year old daughter will be joining many protesting outside Congressman Leonard Lance’s district offices in Westfield (425 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ 07090) while others will be gathering in Flemington (361 Route 31, Unit 1400 Flemington, NJ 08822.) Protests are also scheduled in Morristown at Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s office (30 Schuyler Pl #2, Morristown, NJ 07960) and the Cherry Hill area.

Who: Many parents will be taking their children out of school in protest of the latest round of school shootings. I will be among them—but everyone needs to show up to ensure we in the majority on this issue are heard and change national gun regulation.

Please note: there are other major gun violence protests happening around the country within the next month or two. This includes the highly publicized March 24 “March For Our Lives” on Washington DC called for by surviving students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. in Parkland, FL. We hope to have a NJ UU presence at that march and will be getting back in touch with you shortly. You can learn more about that march here www.marchforourlives.com/

Two additional pieces of potentially hopeful news (with thanks from Kathy Allen Roth, UU Beacon/Summit for passing on):

How Banks Could Control Gun Sales if Washington Won’t by Andrew Sorkin (NYT Feb. 21) https://nyti.ms/2BDLBE7

GOP Chairman May Rethink CDC Ban on Gun Violence Research

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/374149-gop-chairman-congress-should-rethink-cdc-ban-on-gun-violence-research

Finally, I wanted to let you know that UU FaithAction NJ (though under our old name) is signatory to this open letter from the Campaign Against Assault Weapons. We will keep the pressure on until the American cult worship of weapons of mass murder is exposed and safely curtailed.

In faith, with love, for justice,

Rob

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT, SENATE PRESIDENT JOE NEGRON, HOUSE SPEAKER RICHARD CORCORAN, AND SENATE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN GREG STEUBE

February 20, 2018

Dear Governor Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube:

We send you our thoughts and prayers for the loss of your constituents to another heartbreaking mass shooting incident in the State of Florida. Your state is now the home of the two deadliest mass shooting incidents in modern U.S. history.

After the deadly Orlando shooting, you took no action to keep your citizens safe from gun violence and now 17 families from Parkland have been devastated by another senseless and preventable act of gun violence.

The 19-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter was able to legally purchase Smith & Wesson M&P15 assault rifle in your state to turn a place of learning into a bloody warzone. The same assault rifle was used to kill 12 people and wounded 70 others in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 and to kill 14 people in a community center in San Bernardino, California in 2015.

Military-style semi-automatic assault weapons are designed to efficiently kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time available. There is absolutely no reason for assault rifles, assault pistols, and assault shotguns to be sold to civilians.

Governor Dannell Malloy and the Democratic and Republican members of the Connecticut State Legislature passed the second strongest gun laws in the nation -including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines – after 20 children and six educators were senselessly gunned down in Sandy Hook Elementary School. Now, Connecticut is ranked 46th for gun death rate – one of the lowest in the nation. Conversely, Florida is ranked 26th for gun laws and 25th for gun death rate.

For the past two legislative sessions, the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters of Florida have implored you to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in your state. Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Sen. Linda Stewart have introduced bills calling for these bans, but neither have been placed on their legislative committees’ agenda to be heard.

We, the 168 organizations from the Campaign Against Assault Weapons, implore you to immediately put SB 196 and HB 219 on the legislative committee agenda, hold a hearing and work to pass these life-saving measures to keep your constituents safe in Florida. If you fail to take action to honor the lives lost in Parkland and Orlando then we will implore your constituents to hold you accountable on Election Day.

Sincerely,

A New Routine for America
AIDS CT
All Saints Church Pasadena Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
American Federation of Teachers
Anna’s Place: A Franciscan Hospitality Center
Arizonans for Gun Safety
Art = Ammo, Artists Against Gun Violence
Avaaz
Battle Born Progress
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with Million Mom March
Brave New Films
Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
Broader Representation Advocacy Team- Political Action Committee (BRAT-PAC)
Californians For Gun Safety
Campaign to Unload
Ceasefire Oregon
CeaseFire Pennsylvania
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Central Lutheran Church
Chicago’s Citizens for Change, Inc.
Children’s Firearm Safety Alliance
Coalition Against Gun Violence, a Santa Barbara County Coalition
Coalition for Peace Action
Coalition of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
CODEPINK Women for Peace
Colorado Ceasefire
Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence
Concert Across America to End Gun Violence
Congregation Kol Ami
Connecticut Against Gun Violence
Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence
Democracy for America
Disarm Hate
Doctors for America
Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, NY
Dominican Sisters of Peace
End the Madness
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Equality California
Every Child Matters
Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
Families4peace
Felician Sisters of Livonia
First Church
FIVE AWAKE
Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Franciscan Peace Center
Franciscan Sisters
Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph
Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
Friends Against Violence Everywhere (FAVE)
GAYS against GUNS
Gays Not Guns
Georgetown Against Gun Violence
Georgia Alliance for Social Justice
Georgians for Gun Safety
Global Exchange
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence – Cape Cod
Grandparents Against Gun Violence (MO)
Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence
Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart
Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah
GunControlToday
GunsDown
Gunsense Vermont
Hands Up for Gun Safety (HUGS)
Hawaii Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Healing 4 Our Families & Our Nation
Heeding God’s Call
Herndon-Reston Alliance To End Gun Violence
Holman United Methodist Church
Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
International Health & Epidemiology Research Center
Iowans for Gun Safety
Jessi’s Message
Jewish Women International (JWI)
Joint Action Committee
JPIC Office of the Wheaton Franciscans
Justice, peace and integrity for creation committee
Latin America Working Group Education Fund
League of Women Voters of Florida
LGBT4GVP
Louisiana Violence Reduction Coalition
LPAC
MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
March For Racial Justice #M4RJ
Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence
Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Caucus
Mike the Gun Guy
MomsRising
Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought
MoveOn.org Civic Action
Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Education Association
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Medical Council on Gun Violence
National Physicians Alliance
National Women’s Law Center
New Castle Promise
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
Newtown Action Alliance
North Carolina Council of Churches
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund
Northwest Corner Committee for Gun Violence Prevention
Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
Oklahoma Gun Sense
One Pulse for America
Pacem in Terris-Delaware
Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence
Pride Fund to End Gun Violence
Progressive Congress Action Fund
Project End Gun Violence
Protect Minnesota
Protest Easy Guns
Rabbis Against Gun Violence
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence
Safe Campus Colorado
San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA Province
Sravasti Abbey
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Capitol Hill DC
St. Sabina’s Church
States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Step Up, Step Out: End the Culture of Violence, a ministry of Asylum Hill Congregational Church
Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Killing Innocent People (SKIP)
Stop the Violence Coalition, Buffalo, NY
Stop the Violence Prayer Chain, Wilm. DE
Survivors Empowered
Team 26
Temple Micah Gun Violence Prevention Group
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
The Connecticut Effect
The ENOUGH Campaign
The Greater Phoenix Million Mom March
The Safe Tennessee Project
The Washington office on Latin America
Theodore Parker Church UU Social Action Committee
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey
Violence Policy Center
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
Virginia Center for Public Safety
Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Coalition
Vision Quilt
Washing Ceasefire Foundation
Washington Ceasefire
Washington National Cathedral Gun Violence Prevention Group
We The People For Sensible Gun Laws
Wheaton Franciscans
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Ed Fund
Women Against Gun Violence
Women Against the Violence Epidemic (WAVE)
Women’s March
Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, St. Louis, MO

Po Murray
Chairman, Newtown Action Alliance & The Newtown Foundation

NewtownAction.org

P.O. Box 3325, Newtown CT 06470

203-512-1778

Gun Violence Prevention Task Force: 

Contact: admin@uufaithaction.org

After the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut we believed that tragedy would mobilize public sentiment to propel our federal and state legislators to address our nation’s woeful record on gun violence. The latest estimates of private US gun ownership is 101¹ (both licit and illicit).

On a personal level, whether you are new to our gun violence prevention efforts or already active, we welcome your participation in this life affirming work. We need people in each UU congregation to help. You can contribute by coordinating presentations, staffing letter writing tables, and spreading the word to our members.

At the annual plenary each Spring an annual report lays out the focus for each area in the coming year.

Materials and Resources

Articles of Interest

Gun Violence Prevention Books, Ted Talks, Podcasts

The Las Vegas Massacre of Oct. 1, 2017

by Rev. Rob GregsonOctober 9, 2017February 11, 2021

Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Responds to

the Oct. 1, 2017 Las Vegas Massacre

On 10/1/17, 58 people were killed and around 500 injured in the largest mass shooting in modern American history. This number was made possible with the aid of a bump stock device which effectively converts a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic one, similar to a machine gun. A former Iraq Vet concert goer later told NPR it was like the warfare he’d experienced in Iraq.

There have been multiple mass shootings since 26 children and educators were fatally shot at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 0f 2012. To date, Congress has failed to demonstrate the moral courage to enact a single piece of meaningful legislation to decrease gun violence in the US. The gun lobby spends tens of millions to support candidates who comply with their dictates. Sadly, Congress members have placed their own re-election above the public safety of their constituents. As American citizens, we have the power of our voices and votes to compel our elected representatives to act on our behalf. As Unitarians, we have a moral imperative to live our principles. As such, we need to support the inherent worth of every person and work towards a world that is safe, just and peaceful.

In 1991, NJ passed an Assault Weapons Ban into law. In 1994, Congress took NJ’s example and passed a National Ban on Assault Weapons. In 2004, Congress, under George W. Bush, allowed this law, which had a sunset clause, to expire. Assault weapons are designed for use in battle and have no place on our streets. It is time to reinstate the National Assault Weapons Ban.

Secondly, we need universal background checks. Ninety percent of Americans support this. Universal background checks would help us keep guns out of the hands of individuals who are dangerous to themselves or others. This includes those convicted of domestic abuse, felons and the seriously mentally unstable. It would stem the rate of gun fatalities by suicide, which represents more than 60% of the annual gun deaths.

With crisis comes opportunity. Make your voice heard by contacting your federal representatives in the House and Senate. Urge your representatives to reinstate the National Assault Weapons Ban and Universal Background Checks today.

Those interested in learning more can contact Jeannine Coyne, the UULM Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair at jeanninemcoyne@outlook.com.

Jeannine M Coyne

Chair, UULM of NJ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Vigils across NJ

by Rev. Rob GregsonOctober 5, 2017

Many UU congregations are hosting vigils to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, to advocate for stricter gun laws and to call into question an ongoing culture of violence in the United States.

Cherry Hill UUs held one earlier this week, and Montclair and Beacon (Summit) UUs will be holding their own vigils tonight and Friday. I hope UULMNJ supporters will turn out and continue to work through our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to help break this vicious cycle of violence.

ACTION ALERT: Protect Families from Gun Violence

by UU FA OfficeOctober 26, 2016January 31, 2018

In New Jersey, homicides were up 4% in 2015. Tamara Wilson-Seidle was shot and killed by her husband in broad daylight while their seven-year old daughter looked on. On June 25, 2015, nine days after Tamara lost her life, both houses passed a bill to prevent domestic violence gun deaths with overwhelming majorities. Unfortunately for New Jerseyans, Governor Chris Christie has twice vetoed these bills. Join us in supporting broader firearm restrictions for domestic abusers.

A bill aimed at protecting families from the threat and potential of gun violence will come before the Assembly on Monday, November 21. In a conditional veto from Chris Christie in the spring he “[urged] the Legislature to join with [him] in a bipartisan manner to broaden this bill’s approach to reducing domestic violence while simultaneously empowering victims to protect themselves through lawful means.” The Governor’s proposal would give victims of domestic violence expedited access to their own firearms.

Why is this so important? A woman is 5 times more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner if there is a gun in the house. Of the female homicides reported in New Jersey in 2011, more than half of them were committed by intimate partners and a third involved the use of a firearm. Domestic violence offenses involving a gun increased 10 percent in 2013 when compared to 2012. And 216 women were killed in a domestic violence homicide between 2010 and 2013. There were 2,962 total arrests involving domestic violence restraining orders reported by police in 2011. Of these, 1,804 were arrests for violations of a restraining order only, while 1,158 were arrests for violations of a restraining order with an offense arrest. Children were involved or present during 31 percent of all domestic violence offenses.

Among other provisions, the bill (S2483/A4126) would:

Require domestic abusers who have been convicted of a domestic violence offense to surrender their firearms and provide a receipt and affidavit to the prosecutor demonstrating that they have done so;
Require a law enforcement officer to accompany an abuser who has become subject to a restraining order to the location of the abuser’s firearms and take possession of the firearms, or if the abuser is prohibited from going to the location by restraining order, require the officer to seize the firearms;
Require the application for a restraining order to allow the victim to list firearms owned by the abuser;
Require any identification card and permit issued to an abuser to be immediately revoked and require the court to establish a process for notifying the appropriate authorities of the revocation;
Enhance penalties for domestic violence offenses.

Under current law, the above are provisions the Courts CAN take but are not required. The new legislation tightens that gap, closing a potential loophole.

If you or someone you care about is in danger, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

For a listing of local services, visit the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

Resources

Time to stop being blind to domestic violence epidemic in N.J.

After NJ murder-suicide: A look at stopping domestic violence early on

Chris Christie’s deadly conflict of interest

Laurice Grae-Hauck is the Outreach Coordinator of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ.

Category: Gun Violence Prevention