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Faith Leaders Call on Gov. Deal to Veto Campus Carry Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2016

Contact:
Michelle Nealy, (202)735-7123, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org
Graham Younger, 678-739-8584, gyounger@faithinpubliclife.org

Faith Leaders Call on Gov. Deal to Veto Campus Carry Bill

Atlanta, GA – On Monday, March 21st, Outcry, a prominent coalition of faith leaders against gun violence, gathered in the courtyard of Central Presbyterian Church, steps away from the statehouse, and urged Gov. Nathan Deal to veto HB 859.

Rev. Jane Fahey, Interim Associate Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church:

“The clergy of Outcry come from a wide variety of religious traditions. We have differences of opinion on a host of religious and social questions, but on this one thing we agree, God calls us to value every human life. As people of faith, we believe this bill will make us a more violent, less moral society. We believe it will turn communities of learning into places of more frequent gun tragedies. We are calling on Gov. Deal to veto HB 859.”

Dr. Ellen Stockstill, Marion L. Brittain Fellow at Georgia Tech:

“I oppose campus carry because it will not make our campuses safer and because it will negatively impact student learning. Instead of expanding access to firearms on our campuses, let’s develop initiatives that we know will create a safer learning environment for our students, such as programs that encourage consistent reporting of sexual assaults and that outline ways to handle the acute stress of college life. That’s what we need and what our students deserve.”

Rev. Damon Williams, Providence Missionary Baptist Church and Lecturer at Georgia Tech:

“As a professor, I am often confronted by eager, young minds that attend our state institutions desiring a campus focused on educating them, not arming them. As a pastor, I see those same impressionable minds in my pews. Whether it’s on campus or in church, cultivating morally centered people must be done without weapons. Guns and their bullets leave holes in the moral fabric of our community. We want HB 859 vetoed.”

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