MN faith leaders&#39; gun petition isn&#39;t about partisan ...

MN faith leaders' gun petition isn't about partisan politics

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here. The following article was signed by several faith leaders in Minnesota. Their names are listed below. Last Wednesday, 70 of us gathered in person at the State Capitol to deliver a letter that has now been signed by over 950 faith leaders — pastors, deacons, rabbis, imams, chaplains and clergy elders. The letter, addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and members of the Minnesota Legislature, calls for a special legislative session to enact a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Written in response to recent school shootings, it asks our elected leaders to act — to turn our collective heartbreak into laws that protect our children and communities and to lead with the courage our public life so desperately needs. That list of 950 faith leaders continues to grow, and each leader is deeply engaged in communities across 69 counties, ranging from Hermantown to Bemidji to Brainerd to St. Cloud to Avon to Annandale to Afton to Blooming Prairie to Austin to Albert Lea to Blue Earth to Montevideo to Barnesville to Bricelyn to Alexandria. This letter is not signed because of partisan politics or social optics, but out of shared grief and moral urgency. We believe there is a new story unfolding — a prophetic, pastoral witness emerging from our communities. It calls all of us, including those in power, into deeper solidarity with one another and all who suffer. Over the past seven days, faith leaders, teachers and community members have gathered at the Capitol for prayer and action. We came because elementary students should not have to tend to bullet wounds. Because teenagers should not need to carry first-aid kits in their backpacks. Because teachers should not have to calculate sightlines in their classrooms. Because parents should not have to run barefoot into the street to see if their children are alive. Because doctors should not have to bear witness to the exponential violence assault weapons and high-capacity magazines inflict on little bodies. Because clergy should not have to bury the youngest among us and hold the anguish of those who loved them most. This is bigger than partisan politics; it is a call to mutual accountability for the sake of our children and the well-being of our communities. It is a prophetic, collective cry born of pastoral concern: our communities are in pain, and our leaders must respond with courage, integrity and urgency. When we met with government officials, we told them that as leaders of diverse communities — with as many opinions as people — we know how difficult it is to decide and act. But we also told them: We are here to support you in brave action. We, too, hope to create and realize the world we long to live in.

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

The following article was signed by several faith leaders in Minnesota. Their names are listed below.

Last Wednesday, 70 of us gathered in person at the State Capitol to deliver a letter that has now been signed by over 950 faith leaders — pastors, deacons, rabbis, imams, chaplains and clergy elders. The letter, addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and members of the Minnesota Legislature, calls for a special legislative session to enact a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Written in response to recent school shootings, it asks our elected leaders to act — to turn our collective heartbreak into laws that protect our children and communities and to lead with the courage our public life so desperately needs.

That list of 950 faith leaders continues to grow, and each leader is deeply engaged in communities across 69 counties, ranging from Hermantown to Bemidji to Brainerd to St. Cloud to Avon to Annandale to Afton to Blooming Prairie to Austin to Albert Lea to Blue Earth to Montevideo to Barnesville to Bricelyn to Alexandria. This letter is not signed because of partisan politics or social optics, but out of shared grief and moral urgency. We believe there is a new story unfolding — a prophetic, pastoral witness emerging from our communities. It calls all of us, including those in power, into deeper solidarity with one another and all who suffer.

Over the past seven days, faith leaders, teachers and community members have gathered at the Capitol for prayer and action. We came because elementary students should not have to tend to bullet wounds. Because teenagers should not need to carry first-aid kits in their backpacks. Because teachers should not have to calculate sightlines in their classrooms. Because parents should not have to run barefoot into the street to see if their children are alive. Because doctors should not have to bear witness to the exponential violence assault weapons and high-capacity magazines inflict on little bodies. Because clergy should not have to bury the youngest among us and hold the anguish of those who loved them most.

This is bigger than partisan politics; it is a call to mutual accountability for the sake of our children and the well-being of our communities. It is a prophetic, collective cry born of pastoral concern: our communities are in pain, and our leaders must respond with courage, integrity and urgency. When we met with government officials, we told them that as leaders of diverse communities — with as many opinions as people — we know how difficult it is to decide and act. But we also told them: We are here to support you in brave action. We, too, hope to create and realize the world we long to live in.