Gun Violence Prevention News for Congregations - A Win! Plus Action Now on Background Checks

Gun Violence Prevention News for Congregations Sept. 2023 A WIN for the American Public ! Rep. Maxwell Frost, a past leader of March for Our Lives, joins the President and Vice President in the Rose Garden to dedicate the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention on Sept. 22. Said the first Gen Z member of Congress: "This is a win for the gun violence prevention movement and a win for the American public." Photo: People Watch the event and learn what the new Office of GVP will do HERE. ACTION Needed NOW: Background Checks As a person of faith and hope, please take 5 minutes now to comment positively on new proposed rules to expand background checks on gun sales. Your action can help save lives. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 gave the President tools to take executive action, such as the new White House Office of GVP and the option to help close the online and gun show loophole, moving us closer to comprehensive background checks. Please Contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to show support for the proposed rules HERE. See Details and Talking Points HERE. Presbyterian Peacemaking Program News As part of the Presbyterian Decade to End Gun Violence, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program invites your church, presbytery or community to apply for a grant of up to $2,000 to support gun violence prevention actions. Learn more and apply for grants HERE. THANK YOU to churches and communities that have offered Guns to Gardens events this summer and fall! Photo: Channel 19 News, PPF Action Circle grad Shirley Fitzpatrick emphasized gun safe storage at the Sept. 3 event in East Cleveland, OH, distributing 500 of PPF's Gun Safety Cards. Order cards HERE. Next Guns to Gardens Action Circles Jan. 11- Feb. 8 Register Now HERE for Noon ET Or HERE for 7:30 pm ET Dec 9-10 Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Days Honoring Gun Violence Survivors PPF Invites your church or community to join in a national weekend of Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender events to support gun violence survivors and their families. Events begin on Wed. Dec. 6, 7-9pm ET with the the annual National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Encourage your Senators and Representative to attend. Hold your own vigil. Learn more HERE. With the beginning of Advent and the remembering of the Sandy Hook school shooting on Dec. 14, early December has become a season for congregations to focus on gun violence prevention in worship and in actions such as Guns to Gardens. This year, PPF encourages you to support, pray for and involve gun violence survivors and their families from your community in your events. Guns to Gardens offers a deeply healing experience for many survivors and family members. If your congregation is considering or planning a Guns to Gardens event this fall or Dec. 9-10, please let us know HERE. Good luck to all Safe Surrender events this fall, such as Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg, VA on Oct. 22 and Westwood Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY on Nov. 18. Learn more about Guns to Gardens HERE. Take Positive Action: • Remember to submit your positive comment on the proposed new rules to strengthen background checks HERE. • Support the Peace Fellowship's Gun Violence Prevention Ministry by your church, presbytery or personal giving. Gifts are tax-deductible. Give HERE now. Or Mail checks, payable Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, marked "Gun Violence Prevention" to: Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 17 Cricketown Rd. Stony Point, NY 10980 Thank you! Give Here!! New Podcast Resources: • Revisionist History: Doctors, Guns, and Money by Malcolm Gladwell, looks at the myths about guns in our culture. Six episodes. Learn more HERE. • The Gun Machine: How America was Forged by the Gun Industry, from The Trace and NPR/Boston. Decade-long research opens with the question: What if everything we know about guns is wrong? Listen starting Oct. 4 wherever podcasts are found. Learn more HERE. ‌ Learn more at presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence Rev. Deanna Hollas, Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator deanna@presbypeacefellowship.org Rev. Jan Orr-Harter, Enews Editor janoh4@aol.com News! Share new article in Presbyterian Outlook by Rev. Deanna Hollas, From Despair to Hope: Mobilizing Your Church to End Gun Violence HERE. First Presbyterian Church in Richardson, TX recently used this special issue of The Outlook for an adult study series. Find the full issue HERE. Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 845-786-6743 | presbypeacefellowship.org Instagram | Facebook | Twitter