Father Jim Martin, SJ: Gun Control is a Pro-Life Issue

Our buddy Father Jim Martin has an excellent piece on gun control as a moral, nay “pro-life”, issue in America Magazine today.

Jim says in part:

Gun control is about the defense of life.  Those who consider themselves religious or pro-life must be invited to see that the desire to prevent gun-related deaths is part of the religious defense of the dignity of all life.  To put the matter bluntly, if one is in favor of protecting the unborn–and will advocate for them, protest in marches on their behalf, donate money to pro-life groups and encourage voting for legislators who protect the unborn—one should be equally in favor of protecting those lives six and seven years out of the womb, the ages of several of the children murdered last week in Connecticut.

I am not a political person. I do not follow political campaigns or the ins and outs of various pieces of legislation as closely as some of my friends do. And I don’t know which politicians have supported and opposed stricter gun control laws.  But I am a religious person. Many of my political opinions, then, are formed by my religious ideals: for example, a commitment to help the poor and marginalized, a desire for a peaceful world, and a respect for the sanctity of life from natural conception to natural death.

That is why I believe that gun control is a religious issue. It is just as much of what many religious people call a “life issue” or a “pro-life issue,” as is abortion, euthanasia or the death penalty (all of which I oppose), and programs that provide the poor with the same access to basic human needs as the wealthy (which I am for). There is a “consistent ethic of life” that views all these issues as linked, because they are.

Read Jim’s post in its entirety HERE.