(President Obama has since unveiled his gun-control proposals, via The Washington Post)
The Washington Post focuses on the role of faith groups concerning gun control, in anticipation for President Obama’s expected Wednesday announcement:
Dozens of prominent faith leaders launched a push Tuesday for gun control, using the post-Newtown climate to argue there is a spiritual imperative for action on gun violence.
Jim Wallis, founder of the evangelical movement Sojourners, challenged the NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s argument that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
Wallis, who was among 25 clergy at a Tuesday news conference, called LaPierre’s view “morally mistaken, theologically dangerous and religiously repugnant. The world is not full of good and bad people, that’s not what the scripture teaches. We all have bad and good in us.”
Progressive clergy have long preached for tighter gun measures but since the mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school, their demands are getting much more specific and the clergy involved are coming from a broader base.
Monday night, a few dozen national clergy who serve now or have as official advisors to President Obama issued a statement calling for “reasonable steps” such as the enforcement of universal background checks for people buying guns and the “collection and publication of relevant” data on gun violence.
Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, a diverse coalition of more than 40 denominations and faith-based organizations, has written a letter to Congress that identifies three top priorities for federal lawmakers that include requiring who buys a gun to pass a criminal background check; removing high capacity guns and ammunition magazines from the streets; and making gun trafficking a federal crime.
Back on December 20th, Episcopal Cafe focused on what church leaders were doing in mobilizing against gun violence. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s Christmas letter was featured in that post.
Details are starting to emerge on President Obama expected proposal on gun control. CNN is reporting that it “will include universal background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
Yesterday, legislation was signed by New York Governor Cuomo called the “NY SAFE ACT”.
This gives “New York State the most comprehensive gun laws in the nation”.
The governor’s website states:
New York will be the first state in the nation to:
* Completely ban all pre-1994 high capacity magazines
* Ban any magazine that can hold over 7 rounds (down from a limit of 10)
* Conduct real time background checks of ammunition purchases in
order to alert law enforcement of high volume buyers