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[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Church agencies voice dismay at ruling on gun control

>Jul. 2, 2008

NOTE: A photograph is available at http://umns.umc.org.

>By United Methodist News Service

Two United Methodist agencies, disappointed with a U.S. Supreme Court
decision on handgun ownership, are urging church members to advocate for
legislation that would tighten federal laws on gun control.

In a joint statement July 1, the United Methodist Board of Church and
Society and the Commission on Religion and Race said they were "deeply
disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strip local
municipalities of the right to enact sensible and necessary gun
restriction laws." A week earlier, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that a
Washington, D.C., ban on handgun ownership was unconstitutional.

"The Supreme Court's decision stands in direct contrast to the stance of
our denomination," the church agencies said.

The denomination's top legislative assembly, the General Conference,
condemned gun violence in a resolution at its April 23-May 2 gathering
in Fort Worth, Texas.

"No appeals to individual autonomy are sufficient to justify our
church's ignorance of this threat," the General Conference stated. "The
need to prevent the incidence of firearm-related injury and death is an
issue of increasing concern and a priority public health issue. The
United Methodist Church is among those religious communities calling for
social policies and personal lifestyles that bring an end to senseless
gun violence."

In keeping with the resolution, the agencies "urge all United Methodists
to continue to advocate for federal legislation in the U.S. Congress to
regulate the importation, manufacturing, sale and possession of guns and
ammunition by the general public." The resolution also calls upon all
governments in countries with a United Methodist presence "to establish
national bans on ownership by the general public of handguns, assault
weapons, automatic weapon conversion kits and weapons that cannot be
detected by traditionally used metal-detection devices."

The agencies noted that, following the ruling, the National Rifle
Association filed lawsuits in Chicago and San Francisco to overturn
other municipal laws on gun ownership.

The statement was signed by Jim Winkler, top staff executive of the
Board of Church and Society, and Erin Hawkins, top staff executive of
the Commission on Religion and Race. Both agencies are based in
Washington. The board focuses on advocacy on social issues and
international affairs, and the commission works to ensure racial
inclusiveness.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

>The full text of the statement follows:

>The Statement

The United Methodist Church's General Board of Church & Society (GBCS)
and General Commission on Religion & Race (GCORR) are deeply
disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strip local
municipalities of the right to enact sensible and necessary gun
restriction laws. Gun violence in local communities has risen in recent
years due to the proliferation of weapons as powerful and well-financed
gun lobbies have been chipping away at gun control regulations at the
state and federal levels.

The Supreme Court's decision stands in direct contrast to the stance of
our denomination. In response to the violence that so often accompanies the abundance of
guns, the 2008 General Conference, the United Methodist Church's top
policy-making body, stated unequivocally last month in a resolution on
gun violence: "No appeals to individual autonomy are sufficient to
justify our church's ignorance of this threat. The need to prevent the
incidence of firearm-related injury and death is an issue of increasing
concern and a priority public health issue. The United Methodist Church
is among those religious communities calling for social policies and
personal lifestyles that bring an end to senseless gun violence."

Unfortunately, the sensible policies in place in various municipalities
are now likely to be challenged through an avalanche of lawsuits, such
as those already filed in San Francisco and Chicago. This litigation
will slow down our already clogged judicial system and most likely open
the floodgates for weapons to pour into local communities.

Unfortunately, the decision, also opens the way for gunshops to be
opened in communities that had previously banned them. The expected
proliferation of weapons will profit weapons manufacturers and powerful
gun lobby groups, but will bring more violence to local communities. As
with legislation involving alcohol and tobacco, we know that
restrictions do not prevent loopholes from being exploited. This
decision will continue to make our children and youths unnecessary
targets and users, while we continue to merchandise for profit the wares
that doom us all.

The Supreme Court decision overturned numerous lower court rulings
permitting state and federal governments to enact reasonable regulations
on access to weapons. The 5-4 decision stretched the language of the
Second Amendment in regard to the right of an armed militia to refer to
an individual's right to keep and bear arms.

In writing the dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens pointed out, "The
Court's announcement of a new constitutional right to own and use
firearms ... leaves for future cases the formidable task of defining the
scope of permissible regulations."

With the memory of the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University
shooting tragedies still fresh in our minds - and the six people killed
in Kentucky just the day before the 5-4 decision was released - it is a
sad day when the Supreme Court justices fail to understand the
heartbreaking implications of easy access to weapons.

GBCS and GCORR, in accordance with the General Conference resolution on
gun violence, urge all United Methodists to continue to advocate for
federal legislation in the U.S. Congress to regulate the importation,
manufacturing, sale and possession of guns and ammunition by the general
public. They also call upon all governments in which there is a United
Methodist presence to establish national bans on ownership by the
general public of handguns, assault weapons, automatic weapon conversion
kits, and weapons that cannot be detected by traditionally used
metal-detection devices."

Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society, The
United Methodist Church and Erin Hawkins, General Secretary, General Commission Religion and Race,
The United Methodist Church

>********************

United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org

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