The ELCA is developing a social message about gun-related violence and trauma. Social messages are ELCA teaching documents that draw from existing social teaching but throw a fuller and sharper spotlight on a particular social issue. The draft’s themes focus on trauma, public health, and an ethic of shared responsibility for peacemaking, seeking to move beyond the strict polarization of gun rights vs. gun control.

A draft version of this social message is now available for your feedback. Please take the time, alone or with a group, to study the message draft and share your affirmations, concerns, and suggestions via this survey form. If you have any questions, comments, or need a printable version of the survey, please email draftsocialmessage@elca.org. Feedback is due by Jan. 31, 2024.

The draft will be revised in light of the public feedback and then considered for adoption by the ELCA Church Council in late March of 2024.