All Saints Church in Pasadena – a congregation long in the forefront of the movement to end gun violence — has declared the church a gun free zone. On Tuesday, May 8 by a unanimous vote the governing board (vestry) adopted the following resolution:

In accordance with our discipleship of Jesus Christ and the vision of the All Saints Church Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to “create communities that are peaceful, safe and secure — where people do not live in fear of the impact of gun violence and we protect the sacredness of every human being” — we declare All Saints Church a Gun Free Zone.

Specifically, this means:
• At no time will guns be allowed in the Nave (primary worship space) of All Saints Church.
• A gun will be allowed on campus if it is part of the mandated uniform of an on-duty law-enforcement officer who has been asked by All Saints Church staff or wardens to be on campus in performance of their duty.

“All Saints Church is committed to being a community of healing, health and racial reconciliation,” said All Saints Rector Mike Kinman. “Gun violence is not only one of the largest public health crises in America – causing more than 33,000 deaths annually* — it disproportionately affects people of color in our state and nation.”**

“In addition, along with our policy that forbids investment in weapons manufacturing, this policy makes it clear we want to provide no support or space for an industry that generates huge economic impact – more than $50 billion a year*** – from the destruction and desecration of human beings that we … and God … hold as sacred.”

“This policy makes it clear that we believe guns have no place in the sacred spaces of our community. It was discussed thoroughly at two successive vestry meetings and input was gathered from local law enforcement leaders before the policy was finalized.”

All Saints’ action is in alignment with the actions of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, which adopted a resolution requesting “every parish and every diocesan place of work to declare their establishments as Gun Free Zones.” [2012 General Convention resolution D003]

For more information on the Gun Violence Task Force, visit the GVTF webpage.

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* https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/gun-deaths/
** A study published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that black people are 16 times more likely to be victims of gun homicides than white people in California: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/health/gun-deaths-in-men-by-state-study/index.html
*** http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2017/04/gun-industry-tops-51-3-billion-in-economic-imparct/