B006 Investing in State-Level Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 80th General Convention urge dioceses of The Episcopal Church across the United States to advocate for safe gun legislation with their state governments; and be it further
Resolved, that the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations support domestic dioceses in state-level advocacy against gun violence and other forms of community violence; and be it further
Resolved, to assist the Office of Government Relations in this state-level advocacy against violence, the Joint Standing Commission on Program, Budget, and Finance consider a budget allocation of $160,000 for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
Recent gun violence in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa have underscored the need for safe gun legislation to prevent gun violence. Deep political divisions in the U.S. Congress, however, have made it difficult to pass meaningful gun violence-prevention legislation at the federal level. In the absence of coherent federal policy, state lawmakers can pass laws that can prevent gun violence.
Episcopalians in dioceses across the church, led by Bishops United Against Gun Violence, are eager to advocate with their state legislatures and governors for legislation that can help stop the epidemic of gun violence, but currently, the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations (OGR) does not have the capacity to provide support to state-level advocacy efforts. This resolution provides two years of funding for OGR to support state-level gun violence and community violence prevention advocates. The work can be accomplished without increasing the permanent DFMS staff and will be evaluated in advance of the 2024 General Convention.