La. bishops: No guns in Catholic churches

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Ponyguy said:
Not quite so fast, Mr. Byzman…

The law specifically allows owners of private property to have the final say in the matter… and the Bishops have had their “final say,” which is “No guns allowed in church”!

Frankly, with the growing amount of lawlessness in the country, particularly in urban areas, I applaud this decision by the Bishops; when I am in church, I want to be free of concern about anything else besides me, my soul and my Lord. I want to exercise my right to worship as I please, without concern for my safety or the safety of my family (or the rest of the congregation, when I’m on duty as an usher.)

I wonder why the USAToday had to specifically refer to the Catholic Church, and why they chose to make an issue out of it? I would imagine that most other churches would prefer to have their churches free of firearms, as well… http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/ponyguy/Shrug.gif
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How does a ban on guns keep you safe in church when a armed criminal decides to enter intending to commit a crime? An armed society is a safer society! Bans don’t stop the threat.
 
scipio337 said:
All the more reason to carry there. Once a place is known to have weapons “banned”, its open season for those who have no regard for that particular rule.

A Baptist pastor was killed, during a Sunday service, not too far from my home parish. Were I in Louisiana, I’d still carry to church, but would be sure to confess it to my priest. Probably a venial sin, right? 😃
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See…someone here gets the point!👍

Except I think the Bishops of Louisiana should not put a ban in place and let the legal conceal carrying Catholics in the door with their weapons. This would be much safer for the people! An attacker could any day enter a church with the intent to cause harm! It has happened before!
 
PacoG said:
The Bill of Rights constrains government action, not private action. The Church is a private organization and isn’t constrained by the Second Amendment.

Guns have no place in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It is sacrilege.

I am a firm supporter of the right to bear arms. I am a Texan. I own a gun. However, there is such thing as appropriateness. Guns and other weapons have no place in any place where the Blessed Sacrament is present.
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Guns do have a place in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament…properly holstered on the person worshipping the Lord! This is not a sacrilege!
 
Byzman said:
Some on this thread have said that guns don’t belong in church, others have said that it is the church’s right(which I believe) to not allow guns, and others have said the Church is not infringing upon the 2nd Amendment, but I say that the 2nd Amendment is implicitly about defense.

What has now happened is the Louisiana Bishops have now established their churches as “gun free zones”(no guns allowed), or rather, better called “criminal protection zones.” Criminals really don’t care about laws or care about where guns can or cannot be carried. They still will carry away into these places, all the while leaving the good guys, the law-abiding citizens, in this case, the worshipping Catholics, leaving them defenseless.

Sadly to say, when something like this happens, the passing of laws allowing the right to carry, the right of the private party simply responds by placing a ban of guns on their property, thinking it is in the best interest of everyone, but in actuality they create “defense free zones.”
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QFT

I’m going to laugh (not really but still) when there is a crime, and then everyone starts saying the reason is that guns aren’t controlled enough. The problem is that people can’t stop a crime.

I’m so glad that Texas has castle laws in place.
 
texasnan said:
You actually want to bring a gun into CHURCH? :confused:
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I do carry a gun to church, every sunday! In my state the conceal carry law is that we must get permission from the pastor of the church to be allowed to carry in there. My priest is an NRA member, and he carries his too!
 
Redratfish said:
QFT

I’m going to laugh (not really but still) when there is a crime, and then everyone starts saying the reason is that guns aren’t controlled enough. The problem is that people can’t stop a crime.

I’m so glad that Texas has castle laws in place.
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Defense-less people can’t stop a crime!
 
archangel04 said:
I am all for the 2nd ammendment, but why on earth do you need to bring your gun to Mass? If I were to be killed at Mass, what better place to die?
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Why? For defense of life…I have a family that needs me in their lives! The catechism would agree with me.

CCC 2265
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another’s life. Preserving the common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm
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You know Byzman, you speak of all these crimes, yet I do not recall many times that I have heard of something like a gunfight breaking out during Mass. I doubt it is a common enough to get so enthusiastic about bringing weaponry to church. If we needed to keep people from breaking in and throwing us to the lions, that would be a bit more legitimate, but do such things happen often enough? You make it sound as if the mafia is going to move in and start demanding protection money from the congregation as they pray in the pews.
 
I’m unsure why this is even being discussed. Anyone who brings a weapon into a church is totally missing the point of the Gospel. I’d run as far as possible from any church allowing weapons.
 
Biedrik said:
You know Byzman, you speak of all these crimes, yet I do not recall many times that I have heard of something like a gunfight breaking out during Mass. I doubt it is a common enough to get so enthusiastic about bringing weaponry to church. If we needed to keep people from breaking in and throwing us to the lions, that would be a bit more legitimate, but do such things happen often enough? You make it sound as if the mafia is going to move in and start demanding protection money from the congregation as they pray in the pews.
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This is just being ignorant…look up on the internet and see how many shootings have taken place at churches(the ones I think of at first are mainly protestant communities, but still on the same level) and maybe this will change your mind!
 
zathros said:
I’m unsure why this is even being discussed. Anyone who brings a weapon into a church is totally missing the point of the Gospel. I’d run as far as possible from any church allowing weapons.
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Missing what point of the Gospel!?

Oh…maybe this point that the catechism missed…CCC 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:
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I am glad the Bishops in my state does not ban guns in our churches!
 
Byzman said:
Defense-less people can’t stop a crime!
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That isn’t true. In the rare case of a church shooting (how many happen each year in the US?) , people without guns did put a stop to the gunman.

I’m not sure that they would have done so any quicker, or with less mayhem, if some of the parishioners were armed.
 
Byzman, is being able to carry your gun more important to you than say receiving the Eucharist? Excuse me if I’m out of line, but you make it sound as if it is to you.

If you were say visiting another parish that asked you not to bring guns in, would you stick to your guns (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun) and not go to Church? Would you refuse to observe the Sunday obligation if you can’t bring a gun? What you’re saying sure makes it sound like you would.

God is more important than any material good you could ever possess; receiving the Eucharist is worth infinitely more than some gun.
 
curlycool89 said:
Byzman, is being able to carry your gun more important to you than say receiving the Eucharist? Excuse me if I’m out of line, but you make it sound as if it is to you.

If you were say visiting another parish that asked you not to bring guns in, would you stick to your guns (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun) and not go to Church? Would you refuse to observe the Sunday obligation if you can’t bring a gun? What you’re saying sure makes it sound like you would.

God is more important than any material good you could ever possess; receiving the Eucharist is worth infinitely more than some gun.
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How about we leave the comparing of what is more important to me out of this thread, when it comes to faithful matters! and lets talk about why we should be allowed to carry in the Louisiana Church. All I will say is, I will handle that if I am ever faced with that situation!
 
Byzman said:
How about we leave the comparing of what is more important to me out of this thread, when it comes to faithful matters! and lets talk about why we should be allowed to carry in the Louisiana Church. All I will say is, I will handle that if I am ever faced with that situation!
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It’s a simple question you’re avoiding. If you had to make the choice, what’s more important to you, Church or guns? If you were to ever visit Louisiana, would you skip Mass if you couldn’t carry a gun in?

It’s helpful to us to understand what you’re saying and where you’re coming from. There’s defending gun rights, and then there’s putting gun rights before everything else.
 
I know quite a few police who have a concealed weapon when not in uniform. It’s just a part of their normal dress. Few of them even think to remove it before coming into church, and few of them would leave them locked in the car.
 
curlycool89 said:
It’s a simple question you’re avoiding. If you had to make the choice, what’s more important to you, Church or guns? If you were to ever visit Louisiana, would you skip Mass if you couldn’t carry a gun in?

It’s helpful to us to understand what you’re saying and where you’re coming from. There’s defending gun rights, and then there’s putting gun rights before everything else.
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How about this! I will state it this way. Knowing that the Bishops in Louisiana do not allow me to carry legally in their churches, I will not be making a visit to their churches any time soon. Since you are correct in saying we as Catholics must fulfill our obligation, I will stay here, where I am welcome in churches that I can carry my choice of weapon.👍
 
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