SUPPORT SIMPLE GUN CONTROL

This Great Idea is from hundreds of clergy across Minnesota.

I am one of them.

The Right Reverend Craig Loya, X Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota writes, ‘Any refusal to enact simple and sensible gun control now is accepting the murder of innocent children as a normal part of our society.’

I agree.

As a Christian, and as a human being, the sacrifice of children is unconscionable to me. The traumatizing of children and families who ‘survive‘ gun violence is unconscionable to me.

To do nothing is to accept gun violence as ‘normal’. To do nothing is to accept a narrative that guns are more sacred than children – or any human life; that gun rights supersede human rights.

Accepting gun violence as ‘normal’ is antithetical to my faith in the Child who came to lead us to peace.

What to do? Join the nearly 1000 clergy who have already signed on.

The link to the letter is here.

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Thanks to Rev. Ingrid C. A. Rasmussen of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, who writes:

‘As of [October 14, 2025], 950 faith leaders from 70 counties across Minnesota have signed our letter calling for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. We invite each of you to find two more faith leaders in Minnesota (active or retired), who haven’t yet signed, to join the chorus calling for action. Let’s grow the list to 1,500 names by Tuesday. The link to the letter is here.

Next steps:

  • We would like to coordinate hand-deliveries of the letter to Senator Erin Murphy, Senator Mark Johnson, Representative Lisa Demuth, Representative Harry Niska, Representative Zach Stephenson, Representative Jamie Long, and Senator Bobby Joe Champion. If you are a constituent of any of these legislators and would be willing to help with the delivery, please email me.
  • All: Please hand-deliver or email (email addresses attached) the letter to your own senator and representative. The 34-page PDF of the letter is available here. It will be continually updated with new signatures. Please let us know how your email or visit is received.
  • Here are a few photos from Wednesday’s event. Additional images from Jackie Adelmann Photography will be available soon—check back for more close-up shots of all those who participated. Feel free to download and share these photos.
  • Many of you noted how powerful the words of The Right Reverend Craig Loya, Episcopal Bishop in Minnesota—read by Rev. Dana Fath Strande at the Capitol—were. Please find that quote in a shareable image here.
  • Several signers have drafted an opinion piece for submission to the Star Tribune, which we hope will be published on Sunday. We’ve attached it here in case it helps you to write a piece for your local papers. If you submit, please let us know!

Thank you for bearing witness to our shared conviction that our children’s lives matter more than weapons of war.

With compassion,

Rev. Ingrid C. A. Rasmussen

on behalf of the (very grassroots) organizing team

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Tools to increase awareness and deepen community conviction: