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A Win for Gun Violence Prevention in Washington State!
Yesterday, along with the US Senate and House of Representative elections and numerous elections on the state level, voters in Washington state chose not to stand silently by any longer in the face of gun violence. Ballot Initiative I-594 to institute universal background checks including for private sales in Washington passed by an overwhelming majority of 59.7% while the counter-initiative that would have prevented background checks in Washington State failed resoundingly. Laws similar to this one have been passed by other states, including last year in Maryland where the new law has already led to a significant drop in gun deaths state-wide.
There’s More to Gun Violence than Mental Illness
Newtown. Aurora. Tucson. These three shootings, at an elementary school in Connecticut, at a movie theater in Colorado and at a constituent meeting in Arizona, are just a few examples of the mass shootings that have captured the media’s attention in the past few years. While the shootings have sparked discussions on gun violence in this country, they have also led to conversations about the intersection of gun violence prevention and mental illness. In each of these cases, mental illness was at one point or another discussed as a potential cause of the violent crimes committed in these three towns. Whether the shooters in these attacks were mentally ill or not does not impact the importance of keeping guns out of the hands of people with mental illness. Moreover, the focus on gun violence and mental health can be limiting.
Broad Coalition Opposes Irresponsible DC Gun Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: S. Kathryn Bigam
(202) 387-2800 | news@rac.org
Shining a Light Through Our Sorrow: Two Years After Newtown
December 14, 2014 marks the second anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In 2012, 20 school children and 6 teachers were shot in the single deadliest shooting since Virginia Tech in 2007. After the Newtown shooting, the Reform Movement once again joined with the interfaith community and renewed our long-standing efforts to support gun violence prevention legislation, and provide resources and prayer services for our communities for healing. We worked tirelessly on the Manchin-Toomey bipartisan bill that proposed universal background checks for gun purchasing we were deeply saddened when Congress failed to pass that important legislation.
This School Year Not Another Shooting
The beginning of the school year for me has always been filled with the comfort of the early September winds and the coming High Holy Days. With the first day of classes brings with it new teachers, classrooms, and friends. Dipping apples in honey, smelling the musty reticence of the shofar, and walking along the beach throwing breadcrumbs give me the sense of clean slate, a new start and a new year.
Reform Jewish Leader Disappointed By Supreme Court Ruling in DC Gun Ban Case
Saperstein: Common sense gun bans, like the one weakened by today’s ruling, are essential to prevent the unchecked proliferation of firearms and a society in which each citizen is potentially armed to the teeth.
April is Genocide Prevention Month
April is Genocide Prevention Month: a time to reflect upon the tragedy of past genocides, recognize current mass atrocities and fight for peace.
Reform Jewish Leader Applauds Enactment of the Veterans Suicide Prevention Act
In response to the enactment of the Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement.
Faith Based Organizations Call on House Committee to Support Effective HIV Prevention Strategies, Drop Abstinence Earmark
Contact: Sean Thibault
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Reform Jewish Leader Commends Senate Passage of Landmark Global AIDS Bill, Expresses Concern Over Key Prevention Provisions
Saperstein: We congratulate the Senate for passing this bill and urge Congress to address the need for evidence-based prevention programs during conference.