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"I think my personal experience with gun laws and ownership - which is that of someone who has lived in countries where it is almost a non-issue (Indonesia, Singapore, England) - has deeply informed my perspective and struggles with the topic. It’s made me realize how entrenched culture, society, religion, economics, and politics is to unpacking this issue in the US. I feel very blessed to have been able to discuss this and learn from the other participants; like-minded Christians who have had deeply personal and vastly different experiences with regard to guns. It was very enriching to listen to them while also valuable to see how, despite our differences, we struggle with similar questions (i.e. right vs accessibility / the divisions caused by the gun debate / values and culture etc.) The stories and experiences the fellow participants have gone through - and continue to go through, and fight, and tackle every day as loving Christians - have been very inspiring and eye-opening." - Claudia Kwan
"My experience with guns goes back to a very young age with violence and domestic abuse, and followed me in my church work with armed security guards in the sanctuary, blown up by school shootings. I've had a parent as a victim of gun violence, lost of pastoral job over the Christian conversation around gun rights, and can't visit loved ones because I feel my children aren't safe or might find one of many guns laying around the home. This has been full of grief and alienation, for me, and a constant struggle to live in love and tension with those closest to me, and those I serve in my congregation." - Josh (Last Name Redacted)
"Having grown up in Texas, I was very much exposed to a very conservative gun culture. Even though I did not own a gun, I believed that the right to bear arms was an American right. However, as I grew older, and was constantly confronted with breaking news stories of yet another mass shooting, it became really hard to look away. My heart broke for the people who died and for the families whose lives would never be the same. I began to wonder if another world were possible. I believe that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and that we will one day beat our swords into ploughshares. And I long for a glimpse of that here." - Devra Dato-on
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"My personal experiences in both rural and urban settings have informed my understanding of how guns are perceived--as a tool, a weapon, a family tradition, or a deterrent. This depends greatly on context and culture, and we have to come to a common understanding of these perceptions before making any movement on the issue itself." - Anonymous
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"18 million Chinese civilians were murdered by the Japanese soldiers during their invasion in WWII. About 35 million unarmed civilians were kept in their homes and villages to die in China under the oppression of their own government from 1959 to 1961. The American War of Independence was fought and won by the armed civilians, most of them with Christian faith." - James Wang
"My family is active in rural, conservative gun culture. My husband and father-in-law both collect and sell guns. Guns are a family tradition, passed down through generations, experienced as a “rite of passage” on certain birthdays, and part of Sunday afternoon family functions (after church and Sunday lunch). On a larger scale, I’ve seen how this issue has been weaponized to further polarize groups in my community and country. Fear of “they’re going to take your guns” is used by political candidates to induce voting patterns among constituents. I continue to ask God to reveal His understandings about this complicated issue, as I navigate the conflicts between how guns are valued in my family, used by some to create immeasurable loss, and leveraged as a tool of political polarization." - Anonymous
