PC(USA) Office of Public Witness looks ahead to the 2016 campaign year

The 2016 presidential election campaign has been underway for nearly a year, but the coming months will see campaigns kick into high gear as voters begin to react to what they’ve seen and heard from the candidates.  The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, says he believes four key issues should be the major focus leading up to next November.

“Gun violence in the U.S. should be the top concern of our candidates. When we think about what has happened on our college campuses, movie theaters and other public venues, all of us are at risk when guns are in the hands of individuals who should not have them,” he says. “For the issue of safety, that needs to be addressed by all campaigns as to how they will deal with it.”

Nelson notes the PC(USA) General Assembly supports common sense gun legislation which includes universal background checks and a re-instatement of the ban on assault rifles. He says many of the killings in the past year could have been avoided if those checks were mandated.

The second major issue for presidential candidates should be climate change, according to Nelson.

“Despite those who refuse to acknowledge climate change, I think the evidence is very clear we are facing difficult times with regards to the damage we have done to the environment,” he says. “Someone must have the intestinal fortitude to challenge corporations to get emissions under control. Each of us needs to take more responsibility in our own homes with regards to climate and energy and the types of devices we use every day.” (Read more…)