{"id":1242,"date":"2014-06-25T06:40:43","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T11:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/?p=1242"},"modified":"2015-06-19T18:59:54","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T23:59:54","slug":"three-reasons-not-to-own-a-gun-and-a-fourth-ill-concede","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/2014\/06\/three-reasons-not-to-own-a-gun-and-a-fourth-ill-concede\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Reasons Not to Own a Gun, and a Fourth I’ll Concede"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Please recall that prudential decisions involving firearms are a matter on which Catholics are free to disagree. \u00a0If I write here, in this adult-swim corner of the Catholic internet that is Patheos, on the gunlandian cultural perspective, trust me I have no illusions that I\u2019m proclaiming the indisputable truth on faith and morals<\/a>. \u00a0Speculation has its time and place, and that\u2019s what any of us writing on these topics are doing: Speculating.<\/p>\n

Today, though, I speculate very firmly on the importance of setting aside cultural bias and using common sense. \u00a0Prudence requires a clear head; when we let emotional attachments or fear-based thinking rule us, it can cause us to make decisions that do more harm than good. \u00a0Knee-jerk anti-gun rhetoric is an example of that emotionalism used to great harm, but today let\u2019s talk about moments when the gunlandian venison-n-freedom impulse needs to be checked:<\/p>\n

1. You are prone to thoughts of suicide<\/strong>. \u00a0Disordered thinking happens. \u00a0Fallen world. \u00a0The trouble with guns (unlike, say, the dangers of rope or bathtubs) is the speed with which one can, in a moment of despair, inflict grave and irreversible harm. \u00a0Someone who\u2019s bent on suicide is not going to be stopped by time-delay. \u00a0But someone who actively fights the temptation can be greatly aided by simple precautions that prevent rapid access to the means of self-destruction, such as storing one\u2019s ammunition at WalMart and one\u2019s vintage 1911 in the hands of a trusted friend who covets it, and thus can be counted on not to give it back until your heirs come round wielding a subpoena.<\/p>\n

2. You are not committed to safe handling and storage of your weapon<\/strong>. \u00a0I\u2019m talking to you, idiot at the range, get your finger off that trigger until you are ready to shoot. \u00a0Also to you, moron, putting your revolver in your unlocked glove box when\u00a0the kids are in your car<\/em> and looking at me like I\u2019m the nutcase when you proceed to go back into the house for one more thing. \u00a0Really? \u00a0Really?! \u00a0See \u201cspeed with which one can do irreversible harm.\u201d \u00a0I don\u2019t usually insult people on my blog, but seriously kids: It is not difficult to learn how to safely own and operate a firearm. \u00a0Use your head for something other than a decoration.<\/p>\n

3. You are not committed to complying with your local firearms laws<\/strong>. \u00a0In case of revolution, I guess you overlook this one. \u00a0But it\u2019s not 1776, so, um, try to avoid those felony convictions.<\/p>\n

And quit looking so smug, pool owners, it\u2019s drowning season out there. \u00a0You use common sense, too. \u00a0And we probably should ban cars, but I\u2019m attached to my road-trip love, unable to think rationally about that one.<\/p>\n

\u2013> Terrible accidents happen. \u00a0It\u2019s okay to own something dangerous. \u00a0It is okay to weigh the balance, and decide that a dangerous and not strictly-necessary activity does more good than harm. \u00a0Even something so utterly unnecessary as swimming for pure pleasure, absent any health or safety-training needs. \u00a0Even something so foolish as driving a car for \u201cvacation\u201d despite the real risk that you\u2019ll never make it home alive. \u00a0But if you are likely to use that item recklessly, you are not a good candidate for possessing that item.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u00a0The fourth topic is the cultural one that has arisen in the priest-carry decision. \u00a0Gunlandian that I am, absent any specific ruling from a legitimate authority within the Church, I look at this issue this way:<\/p>\n