Gun Safety Advocacy

Cass Church is actively involved in a campaign to reduce gunviolence. To that end, we have hosted and will continue to host speakers periodically.

Oxford: Its Aftermath
The last several weeks have given all of us a lot to consider and reflect upon as the
justice system has weighed in on those criminally charged with the November 30, 2021 murder of four Oxford High School students.
Let’s begin with some clear lessons learned and then we can consider the unanswered questions that remain in front of us.
Lesson 1: The justice system is prepared to apply a very firm hand to those found to be criminally accountable for the Oxford mass shooting.
Ethan Crumbly was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole after pleading
guilty to the four murders he committed at the age of 15.
Jennifer Crumbly was found guilty by a 12-person jury of four counts of criminal
involuntary manslaughter which may send her to prison for the next 10 years.
James Crumbley awaits trial on the same charges for which his wife was found guilty.
Lesson 2: The failure of the parents to safely store firearms in the home is now
considered criminal negligence for which, if found guilty, carries a sentence of a decade in prison. Reenforcing this lesson learned will be the impact on the justice system, and prosecutors in particular, of Michigan’s Safe Storage law that became effective February 13, 2024. The law makes clear the responsibilities of adults who own a gun to ensure it is unloaded and locked with a proper locking device or stored in a locked box or container when someone under the age of 18 is at the residence.
Lesson 3: School administrators and staff may not be properly prepared to safeguard children in their trust from gun violence by a fellow student. Not every school has the tools and resources to detect and mitigate the impact of behavior in children that is troubling and may, if unaddressed, be a prelude to violence in a school.
Unanswered question 1: Where is the line to be drawn between parental indifference
to a child’s behavior and mental health and criminal neglect?
Unanswered question 2: Should a child who, at the age 15, murdered other children
be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole?
Unanswered question 3: What resources should be standard and required at every
school in order to proactively identify and constructively address a child’s behavior that may, if ignored, be the foundation for subsequent violence against others? How are such standards enforced and how are the resources funded?
Cass Community UMC is offering Oxford: Its Aftermath as a way to stimulate dialog
on keeping our children safe from gun violence. Please share your thoughts on the
lessons learned; the unanswered questions and what more should we all be doing to
keep our children safe.