Dear Members of the Oregon House and Senate,
This February 14th, Oregon's birthday and the first anniversary of the Parkland High School massacre, I am writing to urge that you support efforts by Lift Every Voice Oregon to ban the sale of assault weapons, along with the sale of large capacity magazines.
These weapons are not needed for duck hunting in Oregon. They are weapons of war designed to kill large numbers of individuals. Assault weapons were used in Newtown, Aurora, San Bernadino, Orlando and here in Oregon.
As the university chaplain at Pacific University, I have comforted students who have lost family and friends in mass shootings. As a parent of two children in the Portland Public Schools, I have shared in the anxiety of our daughters and their classmates when they have been forced to hide under desks during lockdowns - lockdowns caused by real gun violence or threats of violence. As a member of the clergy, I have been threatened with gun violence.
Life Every Voice Oregon is a coalition of faith and student leaders. The faith community in the United States has long called for additional efforts to confront gun violence. The National Council of Churches in Christ USA, U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, and the Union of Reform Judaism are among the many faith bodies that have called for assault weapons to be banned. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs have been killed by such weapons while worshipping.
As clergy, we bury the dead and work to rebuild lives after these terror-filled events.
With your help, we can help prevent mass shootings. This should not be a partisan issue. It is, however, for too many a matter of life or death.
As always, I appreciate the public service of those elected to represent the people of this great state.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie
