“Just Me,” Just a Few, Can Begin to Make a Difference
There were just 42 of us, sitting around tables at St. Mark’s Community Center in this small Midwestern city of about 60,000 but we all knew why we were there. This was only the second meeting of the newly formed Dubuque “Culture of Nonviolence Coalition.” Mary, the chair of the steering committee, invited us to go around and introduce ourselves and tell if we were from a group: Dubuque Peace and Justice, NAACP, B.V.M. “Just Me,” Franciscans, Quakers, “Just Me,” Rescue Mission, Unitarians, Loras College (Roman Catholic), “Just Me,” Wartburg Seminary (Lutheran), Sisters of the Presentation, “Just Me,” Family Services, Sisters of Charity, Sinsinawa Dominicans, Free Church, Riverview Center, and more … Many who identified their affiliation as “Just Me,” came because they cared as individuals. Others knew each other from ecumenical, interfaith and justice networks. My husband and I had heard about the meeting from one of the many nuns in the room.
The chief of police had been invited to address the group. The local sheriff came too. Each with decades of service, they provided information the group needed to assess the local situation. While the murder rate is not high here, changes in state gun laws have changed the culture. At the state level the seemingly simple change of a verb from the sheriff “may” issue a concealed carry permit to the sheriff “shall,” which went into effect two years ago produced these results: Number of concealed carry permits in Dubuque County: 2008: 122; 2009: 119; 2010:125; 2011:2007. In January of 2013, 270 permits to carry were issued. Before the change in law the sheriff could assess if a person was a constant substance abuser or had significant mental health issues. Now the danger a person carrying a gun could be to the community needs to be legally proven beforehand.
The group engaged the guests with questions for over an hour. We wanted to know. We wanted real information so that we, together, could act responsibly and helpfully. By the end of the afternoon it was no longer “just me,” but people informed together. Not only was the Culture of Nonviolence Coalition grateful to dialog with the law enforcement leaders but it seemed they also were pleased to have come. They both said, “It’s really about social connection, helping people get along better together. It starts with grass roots efforts.” Otherwise fear begets fear and perception of my neighbor being dangerous prods one to think, “I need a gun, too.”