Celebrating 11 Years of Faith-Fueled Action to End Gun Violence!
September 2025 Digest
In this edition of the Digest:
A Prayer for the community of Annunciation School, Minneapolis
Boulder County Shows up in a Big Way for the Regional Meeting
Sign up for the South Regional Meeting
FIPI Holds Webinar on Implementing Safe Storage and ERPO
CFCU News from the Boulder County Region
CFCU Partners with Colorado Ceasefire to Offer Two Valuable GVP Programs
News from the Advocacy Team
Guns to Gardens and CFCU Shirts
Words That Disarm "When Claude Got Shot"
CFCU September Calendar
A Prayer for Annunciation Catholic School
Loving God,
We are grieved to hear of another act of gun violence in a school. We are deeply grieved this act of violence occurred during a worship service. We are immensely grieved that an 8 and 10 year old died because of this violence.
We lift up the community of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We lift up the children, the families, the teachers, the administrators whose lives are forever changed.
May we turn our swords into ploughshares. May we know our broken hearts mean we have not become complacent to gun violence. May we continue to work towards a world where gun violence is no more.
Rev. Alice Horner-Nelson
Calvary Baptist Church, Communications, CFCU
2025 Regional Strategic Planning Meetings
Boulder County Shows up in a Big Way!
On Sunday, August 24 thirty folks,representing nine CFCU member congregations, energetically shared their passion for faith-fueled action to end gun violence at the Boulder County Regional Meeting:
Many thanks to our gracious hosts from First Congregational Church of Boulder who provided yummy snacks in a very comfortable space which fostered productive dialogue, generating many ideas and great enthusiasm for CFCU’s work now and into the future!
Boulder County member congregations have been collaborating and working together for several years and it really showed in the cohesiveness and bondedness of those gathered. We are stronger together and our 2025 Regional Meetings allow us to intentionally build and strengthen relationships which are grounded in our shared belief in a future without gun violence.
Please plan to join us on Sunday, September 14, 3-5pm at Calvary Baptist Church. If you are a Friend of CFCU or a member of one of these congregations, please click below to register now.
Boulder County CFCU congregations hosted their annual booth at the Boulder County Fair from Friday August 8th to Sunday August 10th. Volunteers gave out 305 free cable gun locks provided by the Boulder County DA and the VA. When giving people locks, they also handed them brochures on the ERPO law, safe storage, and suicide prevention. Member of Congress Representative Joe Neguse (CD-2) gave Saturday volunteers an enthusiastic thumbs-up when he walked by with his family!
Joanie Nagel and Michelle Goldman, both from Congregation Bonai Shalom, offering gun locks and safe storage materials at the Boulder County Fair.
Boulder Rotary Club sponsors Safe Storage Giveaway.
The Boulder Rotary Club in partnership with Boulder Community Health is organizing a gun safe and cable gun lock giveaway event on Saturday October 18th, 9:00 – 11:00 AM at the Boulder Community Health Foothills Hospital Campus. For more details, please see the flyer below.
CFCU Partners with Colorado Ceasefire
to Showcase GVP Programs
Find Out About Workshops for Youth that You Can Offer for your Congregation
Wednesday, September 17
12-1 pm on Zoom
How do we protect our youth...and how do we even talk to them about gun violence? CFCU is proud to partner with Colorado Ceasefire to share their gun violence prevention youth workshop program, which is available to all CFCU congregations. Laney Sheffel, Interim Executive Director of Colorado Ceasefire, will give us an introduction to their youth programs and share how you can bring them to your congregation. The zoom meeting is informational and will last about 1 hour.
How do we have conversations with people about firearms, who might hold very different views from us? This presentation provides some rational, but simple, responses to common gun rights arguments that focus on balanced approaches and uphold individual rights while prioritizing public safety.
Wednesday, October 22
12 - 1 on Zoom
Tom Mauser is the father of Daniel Mauser, one of the students killed at Columbine High School. Tom became a gun violence prevention activist following that tragedy. For 22 years he has served as a board member of Colorado Ceasefire.
Colorado’s Youth Suicide Numbers Show a Substantial Decline
CPR recently reported that Colorado’s suicide rate among 10-to-18-year-olds declined in 2024 to its lowest level since 2007, citing data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). In 2024, there were 39 suicide deaths in that age group, fewer than half the number in the peak year of 2020 when 87 young people died by suicide. CDPHE credits evidence-based programming, statewide partnerships, and prevention programs
Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Reports Youth Access to Firearms
Firearms are the most frequent cause of death among children, teens, and young adults in Colorado and nationwide, and easy access to guns is a major factor. A recent analysis by researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health of the 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, a biennial survey of over 60,000 middle- and high-school students, found that 31.4% of youth reported they could access a loaded firearm without permission. Of those, 53.1% reported being able to obtain a firearm in their home, with the highest proportion among White and rural students and those in schools with lower enrollment for free or reduced lunch. Over one-fifth (22.6%) reported availability of a firearm from a family member, and 12.7% reported availability of a firearm from a friend or schoolmate. More than 10% reported being able to steal a firearm and 13.1% being able to buy or trade for a firearm.
“When Claude Got Shot” is one of eight documentaries on the “Sundance” website that are related to guns and gun control. As you know Sundance is well known for its annual film festival that showcases many “lesser known” films, including documentaries.
“When Claude Got Shot” is a film about a man named Claude who was shot one night in a attempted carjacking by 3 youths around the age of 15 at the time. As he attempted to drive away, one of the youths shot his gun at the car, which also hit Claude and seriously wounded him. The film shows how one gun, one assailant, one person shot, one bullet, can result in numerous victims.
This film starts at the time the crime took place and takes you through the 3 years following the shooting. It’s not a film so much about gun control, but rather how one gun can cause so much harm to so many people…..especially the victim.
I found it to be a very “moving” film, because it demonstrated how so many get harmed by that one shooting.
Who? The victim, the victim’s family, the assailant’s family, friends of both, and even the assailant. It shows the cost of the shooting, not just the emotional harm and trauma of those involved, but also the cost in finances, especially to the victim.
As I watched the film, I couldn’t help thinking… this is the result of JUST ONE GUN! And JUST ONE SHOOTING! Multiply that by all that takes place every day, week, month, or even a year. It is a scary and sobering thought.
In my opinion (remember, I am not a “film critic”), this is well worth watching. It reinforces the need for those who, like us, are part of the CFCU family, must continue to work to end stories just like the one shown in this film.
Of course, there are other places to find similar documentaries. But if you want to look at the Sundance site and watch this one or others, go to the site….Sundance.org.
Article submitted by Daryl Foelske, CFCU Steering Committee,
If you have read a compelling book, article, or seen a film that highlights the issue of gun violence prevention, and would like to share a review, please submit your suggestion tocommunications@cfcu-co.org
CFCU is a project of Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. Donations, grants and dues payments are tax deductible.
Monday, September 8: 2 pm. Outreach and Engagement Meeting.on Zoom. For more information please contact Cheryl Fleetwood (membership@cfcu-co.org).
Sunday, September 14: 3- 5 pm. South Regional Meeting. Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave., Denver, 80224
Tuesday, September 16: 3 - 5: Joint Executive and Steering Committee Meeting on Zoom. For more information please contact Alana Smart (publichealthstrategies@cfcu-co.org)
Thursday, September 18: 9 - 10 am: Communications Team Meetingon Zoom.For more information please contact Daryl Foelske (dfoelske@gmail.com )
Wednesday September 24: 2 pm. Advocacy Team Meeting. For more information, contact Stephanie at (advocacy@cfcu-co.org).
Wednesday, October 1: 10:00 - 11:30 AM:Public Health Strategies Meeting on Zoom. For more information please contact Alana Smart (publichealthstrategies@cfcu-co.org)
Sunday, October 26: 3 - 5.West Regional Meeting. Place to be announced.
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