Source: Star Tribune

On September 25, 1999, the Star Tribune published an article on the efforts of Minnesota religious organizations and congregations to stop gun violence. Churches are lobbying the state legislature in Minnesota and Congress in Washington to improve efforts against hate crimes, and are inviting speakers to talk about violence and its prevention. Rev. Rufus Campbell of Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Paul stated: "Our political leaders fail to come to grips with the depth of evil and the power of evil that guns have over us...The best of us - if we are pushed to the limit and have easy access to a gun - that's our solution. None of us is exempt. People fail to grasp the very nature of evil represented by handguns." Muslim congregations, along with many Christian groups, have sponsored gun buy-backs and other local efforts to try and decrease gun violence. Rev. Oliver White, pastor of Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, is trying a different way of stopping violence by opening his church as a haven for young people. White stated: "I'd rather have a program controlling attitudes about guns...Guns never kill. It takes someone to pull the trigger."