As someone involved with Respect Life activities, I can understand Kenneth Schammel’s recent letter expressing concern about firearms and respect for human life.
However, the underlying cause of mass shootings is not easy access to or the use of firearms, but the breakdown of the family, tolerance of abortion, the acceptance of pornography, and society’s abandonment of God. In short, disrespect of human life is a moral and spiritual problem, not legislative.
Sadly, attacks against life will continue in a nation that permits the killing of millions of the most innocent and vulnerable. Only in ending this primary cause of violence, and asking the Precious Blood of Jesus to wash and heal our nation, can we cure our country’s cultural disease.
I invite everyone to attend the Vigil of the Two Hearts that is held each First Friday and First Saturday of the month at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte to join in prayer for the unborn and for the conversion of our country. Go to www.prolifecharlotte.org/two-hearts to learn more.
Tammy Harris is co-coordinator of the Catholic Pro-Life Action Network.
When we talk and write about respect for all life, we rarely mention the word “guns.” What do Catholics think about guns and how they fit into the conversation about respect for life?
As a nation, we must really love our guns because we own 50 percent of all the guns in the world. When it comes to our military, we give our wholehearted support and taxes for buying more guns.
We sacrifice many other needs – such as roads, health care, education and housing – to give priority to guns in our national budget.
Our defense industry sells guns to almost any other nation that wants them: good for our economy. And in the private sector, we hold aloft our constitutional right to own guns.
But let’s ask ourselves: what is the primary purpose of guns? Simply put, guns are for killing: war, murder, robbery, revenge, protection, etc. But isn’t killing contrary to respect for life? We hardly ever think or talk about the people being killed every day in war zones, many of them civilians.
We tell ourselves that having guns in our homes or on our person is a good way to protect ourselves, but in truth it is rare that a good guy with a gun actually prevents a bad guy from using his gun. Currently, with the many shootings of our children and others, how can we sit back and allow our leaders and ourselves to continue to worship our guns?
Kenneth Schammel lives in Cornelius.