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New Gun Violence Prevention Law in MA: How We Helped Make it Happen
Right before my daughter was born, my husband and I took a childcare class. We were the typical expectant parents, eagerly awaiting the birth of our child, and petrified that we wouldn’t know what to do once she arrived. I expected to learn how to put on a diaper and what to do for an earache. What I didn’t expect was for the instructor to say that before I let my child go on a play date, I should ask the host family if they had a gun in the house and how they stored it. Before that, I had never actually thought about my quiet suburban neighbors touting firearms that could endanger my child.
Fast forward a couple of years to our joining Temple Israel in Boston. TI was a pioneer in using faith-based community organizing methods, and was engaging in house meetings. One emerging theme was huge concerns about teenagers experiencing stress and issues regarding their safety. And then, there was Newtown, CT. The tragedy of kindergarten children and their teachers being tragically murdered brought all of our attention to the threat of gun violence, and the threats that guns pose when used in crimes, suicides, and accidents.
Broad Coalition Opposes Irresponsible DC Gun Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: S. Kathryn Bigam
(202) 387-2800 | news@rac.org
Let’s Make Background Checks on Guns Universal
With seemingly near constant news headlines of mass shootings and other acts of gun violence, debate on prevention measures for public safety is critical. The issue of whether universal background checks should be required for all firearm purchases is a possible solution to decrease some of these disturbing statistics:
- One in three people in the U.S. know someone who has been shot;
- On average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day and 140 are treated in an emergency room for gun-related injuries;
- Every day, about 51 people take their own life with a gun and 45 people are shot or killed in a gun accident.
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.
Mourning the Death of James Brady
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Howie Levine
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
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.
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
Speaking Out Against Sexual Violence
I entered college on the eve of the SlutWalk revolution. A 12-year-old girl had been repeatedly assaulted in Texas, and the newspaper reporting on it cited a possible motive: she was wearing makeup.
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.