Bishop Gene Robinson, Chaplain to EPF’s National Executive Council: “This is a wake up call that the LGBT community remains vulnerable to bias and hatred, and that despite progress in achieving marriage equality, the necessary, reconciling work of changing hearts and minds continues.”
Claysburg, Pennsylvania – The Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) vigorously affirms President Barack Obama’s call to ban the sale of assault weapons following the worst mass shooting in US history at the Pulse – an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida – early June 12. Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others injured.
“Episcopal Peace Fellowship holds all victims of the Pulse massacre in prayer, while urging our membership toward action,” said the Rev. Liles, EPF executive director.
“Homophobia, bigotry and racism exist around the world – however in the United States persons with these ideologies of hate have legal access to AR-15s. Assault rifles have no place in civilian society and EPF calls our members to contact legislators, imploring them to pass sensible gun laws such as an assault weapons ban, universal background checks on all private sales and legislation preventing suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns,” she said.
Bishop Gene Robinson, Chaplain to EPF’s National Executive Council, added – “This is a wake up call that the LGBT community remains vulnerable to bias and hatred, and that despite progress in achieving marriage equality, the necessary, reconciling work of changing hearts and minds continues.”
“Sadly the Orlando slaughter occurred just days before the first anniversary of the killings in Mother of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina,” Liles said.
The Episcopal Peace Fellowship has championed peace, nonviolence and social justice issues since its founding on Armistice Day in 1939.
Read more about EPF – http://epfnational.org.
contact – Bob Kinney – bob.kinney@gmail.com