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 On Sunday July 4, 2010 a visitor came to our worship service openly carrying a loaded handgun – something that had never happened at our church before, but something that is legal in our State of Wisconsin.
The newcomer was warmly welcomed, as is everyone who comes to church, and she participated fully in the service – including asking that a candle be lit during Joys and Concerns: a candle of concern for those who were homeless or struggling and a candle of joy that the Supreme Court recently upheld the U.S. Constitution.
After the service was over, she chatted with a number of people who asked about her gun, and to some she spoke of exercising her right to carry a firearm provided by the Second Amendment.
Meanwhile, a volunteer and a church staff member, uncertain as to what the gun laws are in Wisconsin, called the local police station to ask for clarification on the law. Officers then came to the church and confronted the woman in the church parking lot as she was driving away.
From this incident we learned that while it is legal to openly carry a loaded gun on your person in Wisconsin, it is not legal to transport a loaded gun in your vehicle.
On July 4, 2010 we did not have signs prohibiting firearms posted in our building. Now we do have such signs at both the east and west entrances. Our Board of Trustees is formalizing our policies and taking other necessary steps to ensure that we can continue to provide a safe and caring environment for all who spend time in our facilities, an environment where we can continue to nurture and practice our values and spirituality.
Some of our members and friends felt frightened or threatened by the presence of a person with a loaded gun in our church. Others of us did not, or did not notice the woman with the gun. Some of us who were not present now feel scared to come to church.
Some of us are against our State’s laws that allow people to openly carry loaded guns; some of us support these laws. Some of us own guns; some of us would never touch a gun.
We can’t assume that we all feel the same or think alike about these things. I have Unitarian Universalist friends who must carry or use weapons in their work. I know Unitarian Universalists who are members of the National Rifle Association and Unitarian Universalists who have weapons to protect their homes. I also know Unitarian Universalists who would never own or use a gun, and Unitarian Universalists who are working to get stricter gun laws in our state and nation. The delegates to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly have passed a number of resolutions on gun control and related issues over the years, including one in 1991 (more information available at: http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/14420.shtml).
We cannot assume that we all feel the same way, but we do need to trust our Board of Trustees and lay leadership to create policies and plans that will help us feel safe at church.
One final thing: it is tempting to make assumptions about the motivation of the woman who brought the gun to church on July 4th. Sometimes when something happens and we are afraid of someone, we characterize them in our minds as “other” than we are – flawed in ways we feel we are not flawed. I would urge us all to resist this temptation. In the wake of this incident, we are called to live up to our cherished values of respecting both the inherent worth of each human being and the beautiful diversity of humanity. We are called to be our best selves as we comfort one another, heal ourselves, and shape a safe and caring environment where all can worship and learn and act for a better world together.
The Rev. Suzelle Lynch, Minister |
13001 West North Avenue