Ten Years of Faith-Fueled Action to End Gun Violence!
August 2025 Digest
In this edition of the Digest:
CFCU Public Health Strategies Hosts Senator Cathy Kipp and Ms Ginny Mack, sponsors of SB25-034
Showcase of GVP Youth Programming You Can Bring to Your Congregation
News from the Advocacy Team
North Central Meeting
Guns to Gardens News
Atwood Institute
Get a CFCU Shirt through Bonfire
Our Featured Congregation: Kirk of Bonnie Brae
CFCU August Calendar
CFCU Public Health Strategies Hosts
Senator Cathy Kipp and Ms Ginny Mack--
sponsors of SB 25-034
The Voluntary Do-Not-Sell Firearm Waiver bill (SB25-034), also known as Donna’s Law for Colorado, is a suicide and firearm injury prevention tool allowing individuals to sign up voluntarily through a secure online portal in order to waive their right to purchase a firearm if they feel that they are or may be a danger to themselves or others. This option will be open to anyone eligible to purchase a firearm in Colorado and is fully reversible after 30 days. The bill passed through the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Polis on June 2.
Senator Cathy Kipp spoke about Donna's Law at the CFCU Public Health Strategies Team Meeting on Zoom (see below)
Senator Kipp and Virginia Mack, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and military veteran from Fort Collins who brought the idea to Sen. Kipp a year ago, briefed members of the CFCU Public Health Action Team about the new law and the need for implementation funding at the team’s July 30th meeting.
It was sponsored by Colorado State Senator Cathy Kipp and co-sponsored by Representatives Jamie Jackson and Andrew Boesenecker. CFCU’s Advocacy Action Team endorsed this measure and worked to help pass it. Because of Colorado’s fiscal crisis that resulted in cut-backs of $1.2 billion in the state budget, the fiscal note attached to SB25-034 had to be removed making it necessary to raise the $212,000 needed to implement the voluntary waiver law through grants and donations. The funding will cover the development of a secure platform within the Colorado Department of Safety, linked to NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). Gun safety and health/mental health related organizations will be enlisted to help with the public education effort. The Advocacy Team voted to support this fundraising campaign.
Virginia Mack spoke about the importance of SB25-034 at the Public Health Strategies Meeting.
The PHS Action Team views this new, voluntary, confidential approach as a useful tool for preventing firearm suicides, which constitute nearly 75% of gun deaths in Colorado.
We encourage you to help make this new suicide prevention tool a reality. For more information on Colorado’s Voluntary Waiver law and to make a donation, please click below.
Office of Suicide Prevention - Subscribe to our monthly OSP newsletter
CFCU Partners with Colorado Ceasefire
to Showcase GVP Programming
for your Congregations' Youth
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 for free to all CFCU congregations. On Wednesday, September 17 from 12 - 1 pm on Zoom, 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.
This meeting is the 2nd in CFCU’s series of 2025 Regional Meetings in which we are doing strategic planning toward our next 10 years.
Contact Cheryl Fleetwood at membership@cfcu-co.orgwith any questions or if you’d like to help plan this meeting!
From the Advocacy Team
Firearm homicides have decreased in Colorado, based on recently published 2024 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Article Submitted by Stephanie Greenberg, Congregation Bonai Shalom.
Total firearm deaths among Colorado residents have decreased, mostly due to the decrease in firearm homicides in both 2023 and 2024. The same is true nationwide. However, in Colorado and the U.S., 2024 total firearm deaths, firearm homicides, and firearm suicides remained higher than in 2019 prior to the Covid pandemic. The annual Profile of Gun Violence in Colorado report, available this fall, will have more information about Colorado and nationwide trends in firearm violence.
Boulder County CFCU Congregations Are Back at the County Fair!
Boulder area CFCU congregations will host our annual booth at the Boulder County Fair from Friday August 8th to Sunday August 10th, 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM (until 6:00 PM on Sunday). We'll be handing out brochures on the ERPO law, safe storage, and suicide prevention, and we'll be giving out free gun locks provided by the Boulder County DA and the VA. The fairgrounds are at 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont. The county fair is fun and educational for all ages, and if you come, be sure to drop by our booth!
The Kirk of Bonnie Brae UCC is a progressive church rooted in Christianity and welcoming to spiritual seekers from all backgrounds who are pursuing depth in relationship with God, Earth, and a community, through engaged faith and social justice. Rev. Selena Wright has been its pastor for eleven years.
Kirk is an intergenerational church with folks of all ages who are a part of their church experience. They have 150 active participants with between 65-75 on a Sunday and 20 people online. They like to include lots of voices in worship.
One of Kirk’s emphases is engaged faith – whether it’s through justice advocacy or meeting emergency needs of their neighbors. They also have active prayer stations in worship each week. “Faith isn’t just something we receive, but something we are an active participant in,” said Wright.
Kirk’s leading issue is climate justice but they are involved in all kinds of justice issues, which led to their involvement in CFCU. “We understand the epidemic of gun violence in our nation. We are particularly aware that the language used in response to gun violence is ‘thoughts and prayers’ but we take prayer very seriously.” Responding to gun violence is one way they engage in their faith. “We are not passive but in an active engagement with God and our neighbor. And as the saying goes, what we allow will continue,” said Wright.
Kirk of Bonnie Brae is very appreciative of CFCU sending out action alerts during legislative session, and those are forwarded on to certain members of the congregation. They’ve also started a group that writes thank you notes who are doing good in the world to let them know they’re not alone. “There is so much to be angry at, but it helps us use that muscle of gratitude and recognize the amazing things people are doing,” said Wright.
Their church is very collaborative, believing that faith is something we practice with others. “Just last Sunday we worshipped with 15 other UCC congregations,” said Wright.
Rev. Selena Wright has been pastor of The Kirk of Bonnie Brae for 11 years.
Kirk is an LGBTQ affirming church and has a very active youth group. Fun fact: “Kirk” is the Scottish name for church, and Bonnie Brae means beautiful hill.
Kirk of Bonnie Brae UCC is located at 1201 S Steele St, Denver, CO 80210, and worships on Sunday mornings in-person and online at 10 a.m.. https://www.kirkofbonniebrae.org/
Article submitted by Rev. Alice Horner Nelson, Calvary Baptist Church.
CFCU is a project of Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. Donations, grants and dues payments are tax deductible.
Monday, August 4, 2:00 PM. Outreach and Engagement Regional Planning Meeting. Please contact Cheryl Fleetwood (membership@cfcu-co.org) for more information.
Monday, August 11, 2:00 PM. Outreach and Engagement Regional Planning Meeting. Please contact Cheryl Fleetwood (membership@cfcu-co.org) for more information.
Thursday, August 14 , 9 AM - 10 AM. Communications Meeting on Zoom. For more information please contact Daryl Foelske (dfoelske@gmail.com)
Monday, August 18, 2:00 PM. Outreach and Engagement Regional Planning Meeting. Please contact Cheryl Fleetwood (membership@cfcu-co.org) for more information.
Tuesday, August 19: 3 - 5 p.m. Combined Executive Committee and Steering Committee Meeting on Zoom. For more information please contact Alana Smart (publichealthstrategies@cfcu-co.org)
Sunday, August 24: 3- 5 pm. Boulder/Longmont Regional Meeting at First Congregational Church (1128 Pine St
Wednesday August 27, 2:00 PM.Advocacy Team Meetingon Zoom. For more information or to join the meeting, please contact Stephanie at advocacy@cfcu-co.org.
Sunday, September 14: 3- 5 pm. South Regional Meeting. Place to be announced.
Wednesday, September 24: 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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Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence, P.O. Box 18770, Denver, Colorado 80218, USA
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