Online Archives

By Marta Aldrich
United Methodist News Service

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handgun possession and decided for the first time in the nation's history that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual's right to own a gun for self-defense.

The court's decision allows residents to keep guns in their homes. A ban on handguns in the streets and other public spaces remains in effect.

But even with the ban, there are a number of firearms on the streets. The Washington Post reports that this year, D.C. police have seized more than 1,200 firearms. Eighty percent of homicides in the District are caused by guns.

The United Methodist Church's stance on firearms stands in direct contrast to the Supreme Court's decision.

In a joint statement, issued July 1, the General Board of Church and Society and the Commission on Religion and Race, both headquartered in Washington, D.C., expressed their disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling. They decried the court's decision to strip local municipalities of the right to enact sensible and necessary gun restriction laws.

The denomination's top legislative assembly, the General Conference, condemned gun violence in a resolution at its April 23-May 2 gathering in Fort Worth, Texas.

"No appeals to individual autonomy are sufficient to justify our church's ignorance of this threat," the General Conference stated. "The need to prevent the incidence of firearm-related injury and death is an issue of increasing concern and a priority public health issue. The United Methodist Church is among those religious communities calling for social policies and personal lifestyles that bring an end to senseless gun violence."

In keeping with the resolution, the agencies "urge all United Methodists to continue to advocate for federal legislation in the U.S. Congress to regulate the importation, manufacturing, sale and possession of guns and ammunition by the general public."

In our recent online poll at www.bwcumc.org, users were asked: "Do you agree with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end the gun ban in Washington?"