The USCCB Wants My Gun?
Posted by: tony on 02/27/2008 04:03 AM
Updated by: tony on 02/27/2008 04:03 AM
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Expires: 03/29/2008 12:00 AM
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 According to Gerald at the Closed Cafeteria. From the USCCB website:
"...we believe that handguns need to be effectively controlled and eventually eliminated from our society"
"We believe that only prohibition of the importation, manufacture, sale, possession and use of handguns (with reasonable exceptions made for the police military, security guards and pistol clubs where guns would be kept on the premises under secure conditions) will provide a comprehensive response to handgun violence."
Oh that's nice. In the recent incidences of people being shot by someone with a gun, there is a common thread. Nobody else had a gun with which to challenge the shooter. So effectively, the wolf was prowling among the sheep. In many cases these people were not allowed to arm themselves because of the laws in the locality in which they live. A common denominator is that the wolves don't care about laws, and in many of the recent cases are going out to die.
This may be a very non Catholic attitude to take, but if someone wants to die, but wants to take as many innocent people with him before he does, I say the quicker you give him his death wish the better.
In a gun fight, seconds count. The police are minutes away. This is why law abiding, trained and qualified citizens ought to be able to carry concealed.
Speaking of self-defense, I've come across a truly unexpected statement, by Nate Wildermuth of Vox Nova
I’ve come to believe that violent self-defense, whether for individuals or societies, is a sin not so much because of the blood shed, not so much because it is violating the human rights of another (his right to life), but because it is a form of idolatry. This actually parallels the thought of St. Augustine, who thought that killing in self-defense was expressing a heart overly in love with itself (the idol of self).
No greater love than to give up one's life for one's friends.
When someone is planning on killing innocents, the giving up of my life for family, friends or even strangers does no good. The shooter will kill me, then go on to kill others. Putting my life on the line in an effective manner is a better path.
If I get killed defending the innocent, I'll feel confident standing before the throne of judgement. I may have tried to take a life, but it was necessary and undesired. There would be no hatred involved, only sadness and a prayer for the soul of the shooter.
Nate does a lot of good charitable work, to be sure. I really am bewildered by this sentiment. Survival is the most basic instinct of all. There's nothing idolatrous about wanting to live, to not widow one's spouse and so forth. It's a healthy instinct. I hope I'll never have to use my gun (I've never been in a fight either), I don't relish the thought of shooting someone. I'd probably even feel bad for the criminal, to have chosen a life quite possibly ended by .45 bullets. I still would not hesitate, and in fact it'd be my duty to protect my family. It is shameful to want to "castrate" law-abiding citizens like that. We are not wards of the state.
Gerald doesn't understand. The anti-gunners don't trust us. They don't believe the common man has the wisdom, skill and courage to use a firearm effectively in the proper circumstances.
And the handgun in the picture is my next planned purchase. Is it coveting if you're planning to buy it?
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