Gun Violence Action Alert for Congregations

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Gun Violence Prevention Action Alert for Congregations Nov. 7, 2025 Oppose US House Bill HR38 ASAP Welcome, New Readers! As soon as the government re-opens, one of the first bills to be introduced in the US House of Representatives is HR 38. This terrible bill requires every state to allow the concealed carry of loaded firearms if a person has a permit from any state that allows concealed carry. States that prohibit or limit the public carrying of firearms have generally seen a significant decrease in gun violence. To mandate concealed carry reciprocity nationwide will increase gun violence. If we act now, we have an opportunity to stop this bill. On a bipartisan basis, there are swing votes to oppose or prevent the bill from being introduced because it also has unreasonable requirements for law enforcement: police officers can be sued for not knowing the concealed carry laws of each state, and the bill strips the government from being able to designate non-governmental private property as "sensitve spaces" to prevent concealed carry in these spaces, requiring police to know the policies of each such building. This would include churches, healthcare and private daycare facilities. Law-enforcement advocates in Congress could oppose the bill because of these unreasonable provisions within it. Everyone reading this, please act now HERE. (This Action link from the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness can be used by anyone). Take additional action: phone calls, letters to the editor, social media, postcards and letter-writing over the next week. What could you do in church this Sunday? Act quickly. If you live in one of these swing states, please see below: NY, NJ, PA, CA, MI, FL, OH, TX, GA, NM, NC, WA Because this bill imposes unreasonable requirements on local law enforcement, the US congressional representatives below have good reasons to oppose it or to privately pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson to not introduce it when the Congress re-opens. Please take extra intiative in these states. Who do you know who lives in these districts? Share this Action Alert with them. Organize phone calls to the local and Washington offices of these representatives. Their staff are answering phones during the shutdown. Schedule a meeting, even on Zoom, with the represenative or their staff. Staff are key at this moment. See HR 38 HERE. Read the info HERE to strengthen your comments to oppose HR 38 as unreasonable for local police to enforce, as dangerous for church and other private properties and because it will increase gun violence nationwide. Find public health data and analysis on the danger of citizens carrying loaded, concealed weapons in public HERE. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Potential Swing Representatives: Mike Lawler, NY-17 Nick LaLota, NY-1 Nicole Malliotakis, NY-11 Andrew Garbarino, NY-2 Thomas Kean, NJ-7 Christ Smith, NJ-4 Ryan Mackenzie, PA-7 Rob Bresnahan, PA-8 Young Kim, CA-40 John James, MI-10 Tom Barrett, MI-7 Mario Diaz Balart, FL-26 Maria Salazar, FL-27 Carlos Gimenez, FL-28 Mike Turner, OH-10 David Joyce, OH-14 Vicente Gonzalez, TX-23 Henry Cuellar, TX-28 Sanford Bishop, GA-2 Gabe Vasquez, NM-2 Don Davis, NC-1 Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, WA-3 Thank you for taking action to oppose HR38 and to save lives nationwide. Guns to Gardens Winter 2026 Action Circles Jan. 8- Feb. 12 One In one hour weekly on Zoom, learn how to take direct action to reduce the number of unwanted guns to be found by children, youth, or others; used in a crisis; resold or stolen to be returned to the gun market. Learn with other congregations how to plan and offer a Guns to Gardens Safe Disposal Event for unwanted guns in your community. Every Thursday for six weeks for one hour per week, plus one hour of preparation. Register for Noon ET Daytime Circle HERE. Register for 7:30 pm ET Evening Circle HERE. Photos: On Oct. 4, Stillwater, Minnesota Guns to Gardens safely dismantled 38 firearms at First Presbyterian Church. Participant Joni Burns received her Guns to Gardens Firearm Safety Officer Certifcation training in VA following the Atwood Instiute. 2 New Resources Gun Violence & Christian Ethics A new educational video series featuring a range of Biblical and theological leaders reflecting on such topics as violence in the Bible, gun ownership for Christians, and the search for safety. A new option for adult small group study in your congregation. Find the 4-session series HERE. Find the series trailer HERE. Find a brochure and download instructions HERE. Created by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness.  In Guns We Trust --The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms by William Kole In this unsettling investigation into white evangelicals' fusion of the gospel and guns, veteran journalist William J. Kole exposes how some Christians are standing in the way of reasonable restrictions on firearms--and how it makes us all less safe. Details at Broadleaf Books HERE. Chapter 9 - Swords Into Plowshares is based largely on conversations the author had with participants at the PPF Atwood Insitute in 2024. Find a "Matter of Faith" podcast conversation about the book with the author Wm. Kole HERE. Help Wanted! PPF seeks new volunteers for: Protecting Children from Gun Violence Team -- meets on Zoom to engage congregations in finding and taking action to prevent deaths, injuries and spiritual harm to children from gun violence. Good fit for teachers/retired teachers, parents, grandparents, public health personnel, church educators, gun safety advocates and others. Gun Violence Prevention Working Group -- PPF's ecumenical team to plan and implement its Gun Violence Prevention Ministry, including the Atwood Institute, Guns to Gardens, the Congregational Toolkit, Enews, Emergency Response and more. Meets monthly on Zoom with follow up as needed. A good fit for congregational leaders, youth leaders, media/public relations volunteers, legal volunteers, worship/music leaders, policy wonks, and those who feel isolated in their context and want to be part of a gun violence prevention faith-based activist community. To volunteer, please contact Rev. Margery Rossi, PPF Minister for Gun Violence Prevention HERE. T-Shirts Guns to Gardens T-shirts and sweatshirts with the Guns to Gardens logo on the front and Isaiah 2:4 on the back. Order for your church volunteers for gun violence prevention events or as a gift. Order HERE Please Support PPF's Gun Violence Prevention Ministry We need support from churches, individuals and presbyteries to do this work. Gifts of all amounts are needed. Gifts are tax-deductible.  Give HERE or Mail checks to: "Presbyterian Peace Fellowship" att: Gun Violence Prevention 17 Cricketown Rd. Stony Point, NY 10980 Thank you. GIVE HERE! presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence-prevention  Rev. Margery Rossi, Minister for Gun Violence Prevention margery@presbypeacefellowship.org Rev. Jan Orr-Harter, Editor & Moderator, Gun Violence Prevention Working Group gvp@presbypeacefellowship.org Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 845-786-6743 | presbypeacefellowship.org Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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