Gun Safety Working Group Offers Resources

written by Gun Safety Working Group | May 13, 2025
The Gun Safety Working Group is pleased to offer support as your congregation begins the process of considering Resolution 24-05: To Require Individual Congregations to Consider Declaring Their Church Property as Weapon-Free Zones, adopted at our 2024 Diocesan Convention.
Resolution 24-05 calls upon each parish and mission in the Diocese to formally consider adopting a policy that designates church property as a weapon-free zone. While it does not mandate any congregation to take this step, it does require discussion and discernment at the local level. The resolution recognizes the unique contexts of each community. It upholds the importance of local autonomy while also affirming our diocesan commitment to promoting peace, safety, and the sanctity of life in our worship spaces.
This diocesan resolution echoes a similar action taken by the Episcopal Church at its 2012 General Convention. It is also supported by Bishop Susan Brown Snook’s Statement on Gun Violence (May 2024), in which she urged every congregation in our diocese to begin considering a weapon-free policy. Both the 2012 General Convention resolution and Bishop Susan’s statement in May 2024 are rooted in our call to be peacemakers, honor the sanctity of life, and create spaces of welcome and safety.
To assist you in this discernment, the Diocese has launched a new Gun Safety Resource Page, designed to help congregations at every stage of the process—from initial conversation through policy development and, if chosen, implementation.
The site includes core resources to guide your discussions around Resolution 24-05. We encourage your congregation to begin this important conversation now. Thank you for your commitment to fostering communities where all feel secure and at peace.
In Christ’s peace,
Paul Conry
Gun Safety Working Group, Chair
P.S. – If you would like support in your discussions through detailed presentations, simple conversation, or additional resources to consider, please reach out to the Gun Safety Working Group. We are excited to help your community.  Contact the Gun Safety Working Group Here