Judge Chris Wilmoth, Judge Carl Ginsberg and Rev. Dr. Jerry Christian are among many Dallas area citizens who are talking about gun violence in the wake of tragic incidents from Newtown, Connecticut, to Kaufman County closer to home. The Dallas County Democratic Party is also pushing its members to speak out by contacting legislators.
“We are advocating that the time to discuss this issue is now. We can’t put our heads under the sand and not act, when the innocent, including children, are being killed and wounded,” said Rev. Dr. Jerry Christian, pastor of Kirkwood Temple CME in Oak Cliff. Rev. Christian is initiating a large-scale letter writing campaign, asking congregation members at his own and several other churches to speak out by contacting legislators.
Judge Wilmoth, a member at Northaven United Methodist Church, serves on the Church in Society Commission, which will provide information on gun violence and proposed legislation to church members over the next several weeks. “We have a spectrum of opinions on this issue and the healthiest thing to do is talk them out in a spirit of finding a solution. We desperately need to deal with the problem of gun violence,” said Judge Wilmoth.
Judge Ginsberg is making a similar effort through Dallas area rabbis encouraging awareness of the issue and dialogue. “As much as the issue is in the media right now, it is critical that everyone has a voice. If our leaders don’t hear from us, we may not get action,” said Judge Ginsberg.
The Dallas County Democratic Party is conducting volunteer phone banks from its office at 4209 Parry Avenue on a regular basis. Call 214-821-8331 for more information and to sign up to volunteer. The DCDP is also making form letters and addresses of legislators available via its website, DallasDemocrats.org, and its facebook page.
