Dear CV Friend,

Something very dark is afoot.

You know it. I know it.

The reactions to the tragic mass shootings from this past weekend
have been predictable. Democrats and the media instantly jumped
to blame right-wing racism, guns, and of course... President
Trump, highlighting the sick anti-Hispanic manifesto of the El
Paso shooter while ignoring the left-wing politics of the Dayton
monster.

All politics, all the time.

Republicans meanwhile offer "thoughts and prayers" (mocked by
progressives), but little else.

So what's the answer?

Demands for stricter gun laws, including the "banning of assault
weapons" are back.

Meanwhile, the President has signaled interest in some type of
"red flag" laws, which would enable law enforcement to prevent
gun sales, or perhaps even confiscate weapons from citizens
deemed dangerous. Some are blaming video games, mental illness,
loneliness, and other social ills.

And of course, talk continues about universal background checks,
and outright banning of some or all guns. This morning the
Cardinal Archbishop of Newark called for the banning and
confiscation of some guns.

What does the Church say?

Some point to the words of the Gospel of Luke, namely the passage
that reads: "Let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy
one" (Luke 22:36). The Catechism, echoing St. Thomas Aquinas,
likewise states: "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" (CCC 2265). The Catechism does
not explicitly mention firearms, but it does affirm the right to
use lethal force in self defense.

UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH: Does anyone really think new gun laws will
end the violence? After all, Americans have owned guns for
centuries. Mass shootings are only a recent phenomenon. Or take
Switzerland, where nearly everyone owns a gun, yet homicides are
practically non-existent. What's different there? What's changed
here at home? Does anyone really have the right answer?

Archbishop Chaput re-released his testimony given before the U.S.
Senate after the tragic Columbine shooting. He also added this
sobering note:

"The experience taught me that assault rifles are not a
birthright, and the Second Amendment is not a Golden Calf. I
support thorough background checks and more restrictive access to
guns for anyone seeking to purchase them.

But it also taught me that only a fool can believe that "gun
control" will solve the problem of mass violence. The people
using the guns in these loathsome incidents are moral agents with
twisted hearts. And the twisting is done by the culture of sexual
anarchy, personal excess, political hatreds, intellectual
dishonesty, and perverted freedoms that we've systematically
created over the past half-century."

We agree.

And no, this isn't a dodge. The answer to the problem of gun
violence is far more complicated than the simple tweaking of gun
laws, that until recently, didn't result in tragic mass
shootings. That's because the real problem lies in the heart of
man. We need to talk about what's inside us.

Why are people pulling the trigger?

Why the total disregard for our fellow man?

Left-wing solutions being proposed are tired and predictable.
Give us power and more money and we will make men moral --
generally through coercion and force. These schemes are doomed to
fail and risk making things even worse.

The sad fact is that Progressives have spent decades destroying
our religious and moral fabric. From abortion to same-sex
marriage, to pornography, graphic violence in movies and video
games, and much more. Our public schools indoctrinate these same
ideas of "individualism" and "liberation" that inexorably lead to
a cult of selfishness, and yes, in some cases, exploitation of
others, including violence.

...not to mention the direct attacks on Christianity, prayer, and
religious schools, charities and more -- the very institutions
that seek to embody and inculcate the habits that make ordered
liberty possible.

Yet conservatives have been far too shy about the only real
alternative -- making our culture great again.

If we believe the underlying problem is the culture, then
Republicans need to be just as loud on fixing our culture as
their opponents are on gun control.

The right to own a gun is enshrined in our Second Amendment.
Millions of Americans own guns and use them to hunt and to
protect themselves and their families. But this right presupposes
a culture of responsibility, character, and moral restraint.

Remove those restraints, and guns will be used irresponsibly.

Which leads to the time-honored question: are Americans still
good enough to be free?

We think so.

The media, left-wing politicians, and increasingly, many of our
Bishops have concluded we are not.

What about you?

Brian


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