Catholics and Firearms

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po18guy said:
Taking human life is an easy thing to talk about. What follows, both legally and psychologically, is not so easy to discuss. I had numerous opportunities during my career, but the Lord spared me from having to make that decision. That was purely a blessing. Conversely, if one is not prepared to die and face immediate judgment when confronted by evil, then they must be prepared to defend their life at potential risk to the life of the assailant. It cuts both ways, and no one is left untouched when violence arrives.
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I don’t believe taking a human life is an easy thing to do. I believe it is the most serious decision a person may have to make. I pray I never have to make that decision, but I would rather face that type of emotional distress than bury my wife or child before their time. I’m not looking for trouble, but if trouble enters my home I want a fair chance to end the situation in my favor. A handgun may give me the edge. A shotgun may give me an edge. I’ve spent 25 years of my life living in a small town(900 homes) devoid of violent crime and we are planning on moving to an area in NC that has a larger population and a more urban environment. Second, NC is a much more firearm friendly state that NY. I have enjoyed shooting sports as a younger man and believe I would enjoy shooting competitions. My desire to re-enter this sport is two fold. I think I can make new friends getting back into a shooting sport and also add some degree of security / comfort to my new home. 🙂
 
Buck_Crosswhite said:
If it’s in a lock box you’re better off to have a bucket of rocks to throw in a convenient position.
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Perhaps. Since we don’t have any children living with us , that may not be a necessary option. I do have some concern about the weapon being stolen and /or used against me. I thought a lock-box could secure a handgun when the apartment/condo is vacant during work hours.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
It is not so black and white.

Let’s say you hear a bump in the night. You think someone has broke into your home. Your bedroom is upstairs and the upstairs hallway overlooks the downstairs living room. You see an unidentifiable person rummaging through your drawers down in the living room. They don’t appear to be armed, but you can’t tell for sure. Your twelve gauge is in hand with a shell in the chamber. You have a clear shot at them and they have no idea you are there. What do you do?

There is no right answer. If you turn on the light or yell at them, they may turn and instinctively shoot with the weapon you couldn’t see in the dark. They may kill you, leaving your wife and 2-year old daughter upstairs to fend for themselves. If you shoot without warning and without identifying the intruder, you may end up killing an unarmed burglar. Maybe it was your troubled 18 year old nephew who was looking for some money to buy some dope. Would you be willing to live with this?

It is not black and white. There is no right answer. Make sure you are ready to accept the consequences of your actions, whatever they may be.
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Currently my entire house and every entryway is alarmed. I have interior and exterior security lighting. I have sensors in stairwells. My friends know me well and would NOT attempt to enter my home unannounced. My children have never violated our after hours access plan and each have a disarm code, a panic code and verbal passwords in case of a power outage. The main reason for these layers of security is we run a cash business now, so my children ( now grown adults) understand security is important and have grown up with a high degree of importance placed on sticking to the security protocols.

There is no such thing as a unarmed burglar, if you get my meaning.
Anyone that would steal from me, like a sneak thief in the night, is no family of mine.
I hope I would be able to live with the end result. I know being dead is not appealing to me.👍
 
Calgar said:
Are you being tongue-in-cheek? A person breaking into your home while you and/or your family are there is not there mistakenly. The threshold of my home is the point of no return.

In Texas it’s your property line. 😃 That was tongue-in-cheek. I think…
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NC has improved their version of the castle doctrine to include your car and your workplace. Of course a CCW would be required and some employers may not allow a weapon in their work space.

As a legal occupant of a house/apartment/condo you are not required to attempt to retreat.
 
JRKH said:
A number of good points have been made on this thread…But I would just like to stress one thing.

Anyone seriously considering purchasing a firearm for protection needs to really REALLY consider carefully whether you have it in you to pull the trigger and take another human life.
To do so quickly and to do so skillfully and accurately. By that I mean, quick identification of the target (friend or foe) and decision to shoot or not shoot followed by firm execution of the decision.

It is not an easy thing…Please consider carefully…
As others have pointed out, one should not hesitate.
Those who deal with these sorts of things (trainers, Law Enforcement etc.) state that those who hesitate run a very high risk of having their firearm seized by the intruder and used against them.

I’m not taking a position one way or another on the matter of whether to own a gun or not…
All I’m saying is that a person needs to really consider carefully whether they would, in reality and under stress, be able to take the life of another person…
Then - if you DO feel that you could do this. Make sure you go and get the best training available.

Peace
James
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Thanks.
 
When I was a child I couldn’t conceive of such a question even being asked.
 
yellow8yellowM said:
It is not so black and white.

Let’s say you hear a bump in the night. You think someone has broke into your home. Your bedroom is upstairs and the upstairs hallway overlooks the downstairs living room. You see an unidentifiable person rummaging through your drawers down in the living room. They don’t appear to be armed, but you can’t tell for sure. Your twelve gauge is in hand with a shell in the chamber. You have a clear shot at them and they have no idea you are there. What do you do?

There is no right answer. If you turn on the light or yell at them, they may turn and instinctively shoot with the weapon you couldn’t see in the dark. They may kill you, leaving your wife and 2-year old daughter upstairs to fend for themselves. If you shoot without warning and without identifying the intruder, you may end up killing an unarmed burglar. Maybe it was your troubled 18 year old nephew who was looking for some money to buy some dope. Would you be willing to live with this?

It is not black and white. There is no right answer. Make sure you are ready to accept the consequences of your actions, whatever they may be.
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Are you willing to risk your family on a “what if”? Breaking into an occupied home is proof of evil intent.
 
Calgar said:
They make several options for securing weapons from children, but still able to be grabbed in a hurry.
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No children in my home. Once we move family will be in NY, we will be in NC.

Additionally I saw a holster that secures to the bed by way of a panel that fits between the mattress and bed frame.
 
JRKH said:
A number of good points have been made on this thread…But I would just like to stress one thing.

Anyone seriously considering purchasing a firearm for protection needs to really REALLY consider carefully whether you have it in you to pull the trigger and take another human life.
To do so quickly and to do so skillfully and accurately. By that I mean, quick identification of the target (friend or foe) and decision to shoot or not shoot followed by firm execution of the decision.

It is not an easy thing…Please consider carefully…
As others have pointed out, one should not hesitate.
Those who deal with these sorts of things (trainers, Law Enforcement etc.) state that those who hesitate run a very high risk of having their firearm seized by the intruder and used against them.

I’m not taking a position one way or another on the matter of whether to own a gun or not…
All I’m saying is that a person needs to really consider carefully whether they would, in reality and under stress, be able to take the life of another person…
Then - if you DO feel that you could do this. Make sure you go and get the best training available.

Peace
James
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If one decides that he definately does NOT have it in him to take a human life in self defense, then he must decide whether he has it in him to possibly watch his family be raped and/or murdered.
 
coachkfan1 said:
If one decides that he definately does NOT have it in him to take a human life in self defense, then he must decide whether he has it in him to possibly watch his family be raped and/or murdered.
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That is an ignorant comment my brother. If one decides they do not have it in them to take a human life they know that they must invest in non-lethal methods (dog, alarm, dog, lights, dog, central station monitoring, dog, heavy duty locks, dog, window bars, dog, moving next to a police station, dog or getting a dog) to protect their family.

I apologize if I sounded harsh, but to intimate that not being able to take a human life means that you condone watching your family be raped and murdered did not sit well with me.
 
If one decides that he definately does NOT have it in him to take a human life in self defense, then he must decide whether he has it in him to possibly watch his family be raped and/or murdered.

Indeed, this too must be considered. However, much will depend on the spiritual make-up of the individuals (plural) involved.
Remember that what is pleasing to God might be quite different than what is pleasing to us.

One person or family, in their spiritual structure might see such suffering - rape and/or murder - as a part of redemptive suffering and place this, as a good, above the possible risk to their souls that they see as inherent in “planning” to kill someone (if necessary).

For ANY person attempting to make a good, solid, rational decision based on their belief in the teachings of Christ, the very first and most important issue is getting themselves and their loved ones to heaven. Other decisions must follow from this one.

Peace
James
 
Calgar said:
Are you willing to risk your family on a “what if”? Breaking into an occupied home is proof of evil intent.
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In most cases this is likely true - - but not all.

Two scenarios come to mind where a person under stress might break into a home.
In both cases it may be that they either believe the home is unoccupied, or are unsure but need to get in…
  1. Rural area - Bad car wreck - HAVE to get help - No cell phone or no cell phone coverage…
  2. Rural area - Severe winter conditions - Auto accident or just stuck - Need to get someplace warm…
In these circumstances the fact that a person chooses to break in is NOT proof of evil intent…
BUT based on what some have said here, they might find that they just shot a completely innocent person with no criminal record who was unaware that the house was occupied and simply needed to get inside…

Granted, these are unusual circumstances, but the person who is willing to use deadly force if necessary had better be sure that it actually IS necessary.

This is why, in my earlier post I recommended getting the very best training available. in such situations it is absolutely critical that one is able to make the correct split second decision.

Peace
James
 
TheDoctor said:
That is an ignorant comment my brother. If one decides they do not have it in them to take a human life they know that they must invest in non-lethal methods (dog, alarm, dog, lights, dog, central station monitoring, dog, heavy duty locks, dog, window bars, dog, moving next to a police station, dog or getting a dog) to protect their family.

I apologize if I sounded harsh, but to intimate that not being able to take a human life means that you condone watching your family be raped and murdered did not sit well with me.
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I’m allergic to dogs and cats. 🙂 I’m not sure what types of modifications I’ll be allowed to do in a rental or condo. I guess we will wait and see.
 
JRKH said:
In most cases this is likely true - - but not all.

Two scenarios come to mind where a person under stress might break into a home.
In both cases it may be that they either believe the home is unoccupied, or are unsure but need to get in…
  1. Rural area - Bad car wreck - HAVE to get help - No cell phone or no cell phone coverage…
  2. Rural area - Severe winter conditions - Auto accident or just stuck - Need to get someplace warm…
In these circumstances the fact that a person chooses to break in is NOT proof of evil intent…
BUT based on what some have said here, they might find that they just shot a completely innocent person with no criminal record who was unaware that the house was occupied and simply needed to get inside…

Granted, these are unusual circumstances, but the person who is willing to use deadly force if necessary had better be sure that it actually IS necessary.

This is why, in my earlier post I recommended getting the very best training available. in such situations it is absolutely critical that one is able to make the correct split second decision.

Peace
James
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Hopefully the poor souls that were in a wreck have the mind to make a racket , yelling, pounding on the door and such , before they attempt to enter the house.

Yes, James, this is not an easy decision that’s why I started this thread, to explore the issues related to ownership of a firearm. Thank you.
 
Rand2410 said:
Is it acceptable for Roman Catholics to own fire arms that would be used to defend their home and family?

Background: I currently live in a very small town in NY. Our little hamlet has had three murders in 30 years and almost no other violent crimes. Due to my families financial position and the rising costs of living in NY ( on Long Island) we will be forced to relocate to a new state(a cheaper place to live). It is my position that being in a unfamiliar town, I would feel a certain amount of comfort knowing I have a firearm ( loaded and in a tap-style lock box) with which to defend my new home and my wife ( our children are grown and out of the house). I am comfortable with firearms and did enjoy shooting as a sport in the past.

So . . . keeping the 10 Commandments in mind , is it “acceptable” for a catholic to own a firearm with the knowledge that some day he/she could someday use that weapon to defend their family and possibly take a human life? 🤷
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I’m against guns, but I think this is OK and feel pretty confident that the Church would sanction lethal force in situations of legitimate defence of one’s family, even though the spirit of the doctrine is undoubtedly only as a last resort!
 
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