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Voices for Peace

Voices for Peace. Diocesan Task Force for the Prevention of Gun Violence San Francisco Deanery Meeting Saturday May 10, 2014. There is a Gun Violence Crisis/Epidemic in America Today. 30,500 lives lost each year: 11,000 homicides, 19,000 suicides 500 unintentional shootings

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Voices for Peace

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  1. Voices for Peace Diocesan Task Force for the Prevention of Gun Violence San Francisco Deanery Meeting Saturday May 10, 2014

  2. There is a Gun Violence Crisis/Epidemic in America Today • 30,500 lives lost each year: • 11,000 homicides, 19,000 suicides • 500 unintentional shootings • 75,000 gun-related injuries • 62 mass shootings in the last 30 years • Since 1968, 1.3 million Americans have died from gun violence. That is more than from ALL wars in American history combined • Since Newton, over 2,600 American lives lost (equivalent of 100 more Newtown shootings)

  3. The Cost of Gun Violence • Firearm-related deaths and injuries result in medical and lost productivity expenses of about $37 billion each year • Factoring in lost quality of life, emotional trauma, decline in property values, and other societal consequences, the cost of gun violence in the U.S. is closer to $100 billion each year

  4. What is Causing the Problem? • The U.S. has a huge supply of firearms: • 270,000,000 guns, enough for each adult citizen to have one Gun laws in the United States are extremely weak: • No universal background checks • No assault weapons ban • No registration or licensing requirements • No regulation of ammunition sales • No federal punishments for illegal trafficking • No resources to enforce existing laws • The few states with stronger gun laws (California) are subject to trafficking from nearby states with weak laws (Nevada

  5. Some Current Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence • Universal Background Checks • Assault Weapons Ban • Ban of Large-Capacity Ammunition Magazines • Regulation of Ammunition Sales • Divestment of State Funds in Firearm Manufacturers • Increased Punishment for Illegal Trafficking • Licensing and Safety Training for Gun Owners

  6. Task Force Background October 2013 Convention-The Resolution on Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was approved Paula Hawthorne sponsored by St. Paul’s Oakland proposed and is Chairperson for the task force

  7. Task Force Members • Mary-Jane Wood-St Giles, Moraga • Steve Sayles, St Francis Novato • Martha Korienek, Associate Rector, St Paul’s Burlingame • Ken Parris, Deacon, St James, Fremont • Krista Fergoso, Associate Rector, St John’s Oakland • Este Cantor, Vicar, Good Shepherd, Berkeley • Mary Balmana, St James, San Francisco

  8. Timeline of Events • January 30,2014-Task Force Commissioned at Grace Cathedral • Lent 2014-St Paul’s Oakland adapts the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s “Our Neighbors & Gun Violence” for a Lenten Program • April 19, 2014 Paula met with Bishop Marc regarding Gun Prevention Program to be implemented in the Diocese and convocation for St Francis Day agreed upon

  9. What You Can Do to Spread • Saint Francis Day-October 4th Plan is to meet at Saint Francis in San Francisco and march to City College of SF, convene at the Bufano Statue of St Francis (made of recycled bullets). Planned guests: Bishop Marc, local politicians, inter-faith leaders, all of you! • If this is something you feel strongly about, consider joining the Task Force, we are recruiting new members

  10. Get Informed!Get Involved! • Check into the Voices for Peace link on Diocal, available soon for resources and any Gun Prevention related events in the Bay Area • Check the http://www.diomass.org/bpeace for potential ideas for DioCal and provide feedback and ideas to Task Force • Read “Reducing Gun Violence in America” presentation to get background info

  11. Resources • Websites: • Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: www.smartgunlaws.org • The Brady Campaign: http://www.bradycampaign.org • Books: • The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know , Phil Cook and Kristen Goss • Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis, Daniel W. Webster and Jon S. Vernick • Private Guns, Public Health, David Hemenway • Don’t Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship and the End of Violence in Inner-City America, David M. Kennedy

  12. Programs Addressing Gun Violence Prevention • Documentary: A Confused War Richmond, CA has long been one of the state’s most dangerous cities. In 2007, this city of 100,000 logged 47 homicides, one of the highest murder rates in the country. By 2012, numbers had dropped from 47 to 18. This short documentary examines the city’s bold, and surprisingly successful, efforts to tame the violence. www.aconfusedwar.com/ • Reducing Violent Crimes: The 3C’s Model: Communication, Collaboration & Coordination, David Muhammad, Solutions Inc. www.solutionsinc.us

  13. Questions/Comments Mary Balmana, San Francisco Deanery Task Force Member marybrn@mac.com 415-710-2930

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