Gun Control

The recent gun control controversy has cause a bit of a stir among Conservative Catholics. The threat of a Tyranny taking over this Country was foremost in the founder's minds:

"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence …" George Washington

But the question remains, what would the Church teach on such matters?

2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor. . . . The one is intended, the other is not."

So it seems the Church supports the natural right of the person to defend himself or herself. What about small arms? If they are used in the defense of a person to defend himself against an unjust aggressor, they are legitimate.

Abuses of Government in Recent History
Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and many other countries have abused their authority to kill civilians. In the case of Sudan, the military did not have firearms. When the President gave firearms to the army, the majority muslim army started killing civilians, Christians, and people of different tribes who were not armed. To date, 320,000 deaths on the average of a population of 34 million. For Sudan, the death toll would have been 3 million proportionally based on our population.

In Rwanda, the death toll of 750,000 out of a population of 10 million.  If Rwanda was committed in the United States, the death toll would have been 21 million, xompared proportionally to the United States population.

This is just to show how the abuse of power can be a very bloody thing. What is the citizens in Sudan were armed? The army would have thought twice about attacking the population.

Very Serious Times
Gun control can seem like the right thing to do in the situation of the Sandy Hook Elementary. But what about a Rwanda or Sudan happening? The values of our Country are changing. The Tuskegee airmen were experimented on by being injected with syphilis without their consent. Government can abuse power. Guns are a final defense against such abuse.