Gun Violence (2014)

This resolution was prepared in consultation with the Rabbinical Assembly.

BACKGROUND

Incidents of gun violence have occurred in elementary schools, colleges, movie theatres, and malls just to name a few. The organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns analyzed 93 incidents between January 2009 and September 2013 in which at least 4 people were killed by guns. They found that 14 of them involved assault weapons with high capacity magazines which resulted in 63% more deaths than any other mass shooting.
Faiths United Against Gun Violence reports that in the sixteen states where laws are stricter than the Federal requirements, gun trafficking is 48% lower, the gun suicide rate is 49% lower and the number of women killed by a partner with a gun is 38% lower indicating that stricter laws make a difference.

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress has failed to pass any legislation on guns with regard to assault weapons, the numbers of bullets allowed in magazines or stricter background checks for private-party sales at gun shows and online;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Women’s League for Conservative Judaism encourages its members to lobby their local, state and federal lawmakers to support required background checks on all public and private gun sales, bans on military style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and legislation making gun trafficking a federal crime with severe penalties.