Again, you are making a massive jump. The Catechism states that we have a grave duty to protect those around us, period. It mentions nothing of using guns. You believe that guns are the best defense, but the Catechism does not say that. Therefore, you are making up your own version of the Church’s teachings.
Michael, You are trying to put forth transitory opinions as if they are infallible doctrine. Nothing you have put forth is infallible, other than your recognition of a duty to self-defense in the catechism. The catechism does not prohibt the use of guns either…so are you making up a version of the Church’s teachings?
Secondly, you are missing the point that the Vatican documents I have cited thus far - while primarily dealing with the illegal arms trade - also mention the control of regulation of guns in the hands of private citizens. Just because the primary topic of these documents is the illegal arms trade does not mean these documents have only one exclusive topic. The text makes this crystal clear. The Vatican is for strict gun control all around.
Michael, I’m not missing anything. They refer to regulation, not prohibition. Perhaps they have put some thought into the fact that an 85 yr old, 5’ 95 lb woman may be at a significant disadvantage in a hand to hand confrontation with someone? And according to the catechism
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.
Does she have less of a right to defend herself than a healthy young large male? She has the right to deliver a lethal blow yet you believe the Church denies her the means?
Or that the head of a household confronted by multiple criminals may not be Bruce/Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jason Statham or any of those other martial artists capable of wonderfully choreographed fights in cinema, giving folks completely unrealistic expectaions of what violent confrontations are actually like? I’ve seen multiple opponents back down and walk away from an armed person, never from someone with their bare hands.
Finally, in the Vatican quote you mention, you are also reading too much into that - that quote does not state that private citizens should possess guns, (and nothing in the catechism prohibits it either) it simply states that the right of defense by arms exists for those who are responsible for the good of others; you are inferring that the quote means that private citizens should possess guns to protect their families, but that is NOT what the quote says. That is your interpretation of the quote. Besides, I have researched the Vatican’s position more on this matter, and I have found a quote that ends our discussion:
"There is an urgent need to work locally, nationally, regionally and globally to eradicate small arms and light weapons." ~ The Holy See, October 3, 2005
Again, the document you sight refers to small arms being used in conflicts, not self-defense. So, it’s about governments or liberationist movements killing their own people or in regional conflicts. But I do appreciate the link since it pertains to the UN panel on disarmament. Here’s a link to how the UN comes up with their stats on small arms/fatalities and crime. Note, governments self report so things like China killing millions of their own folks, or Syria killing hundreds of their own are considered legitimate use of force and skew the stats.
pajamasmedia.com/blog/united-nations-ignores-its-own-data-to-promote-gun-ban/2/
This statement can be found on the Vatican’s website here:
vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/2005/documents/rc_seg-st_20051003_migliore-disarmament_en.html
End of discussion. The above quote could not be anymore blunt and clear. The Vatican is not only for strict gun control, but the Vatican wishes to eventually eradicate all small arms and light weapons. In future debates, please make sure that you do not put your own spin on the Church’s words. However, I did enjoy this conversation, and I thank you for being respectful despite our opposing viewpoints. May God Bless you!
