Being a Catholic gunnie
Weer’d had a comment from P. Edward Murray on this post. Mr. Murray said the following:
As a Catholic Christian American I am disgusted at your attitude toward the sanctity of human life and your attitude toward Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and those who lost their lives that day because people like you think that a Gun is more important than anyone’s life.
Jesus said to St Peter that those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. Today’s sword is a gun.
I hope that Jesus forgives all of you before you have to meet him.
Strong stuff, that. First, I’m not sure why he introduced himself that way. Does being a “Catholic Christian American” give him a particular insight into morality? I think he is trying to suggest that his opinion is more…holy?…than Weerd’s and thus his conclusions are…more enlightened? It doesn’t make any sense to me, for reasons that I will explain.
I am a Catholic, an adult convert in fact. I was baptized when I was 20. I say this only to make the point that I made a conscious decision to become Catholic after long thought and prayer. I’ve studied the teachings of the Catholic Church fairly deeply. I disagree pretty vehemently with Mr. Murray.
First, the religious beliefs of one person cannot possibly bind another person. Weerd has said that he is not a Christian, let alone a Catholic. (I’m not implying anything here, other than that Catholicism is a specific form of Christianity.) Therefore it’s impossible for him to sin in the context of Catholicism, any more than it would be sinful for me to eat pork. My religion, my rules. In becoming a Catholic, I took on the code of my religion, not Weerd. To judge him by my rules is nonsensical. (There is a deeper argument here regarding salvation, but lets save that for another time. 
)
For those who aren’t aware, the binding teachings of the Catholic Church are not the Bible (actually a bone of contention between Catholics and some other Christians!) but the Catechism. Like it or not, the Church is a top-down system. The Catechism, not the Bible, not your priest, not your Bishop is the source for orthodox teaching. Luckily, we live in a modern era. The Catechism is indexed, hypertexed, and available here.
Lets see what the Catechism has to say on the matter, shall we?
On self-defense:
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
- If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.66
The Catechism goes on to state it even more plainly:
2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.
Emphasis is mine.
To put it in basic terms: God gave you your life. It’s not yours to squander. It’s not just your right, it is your obligation to defend that life. If you are responsible for the lives of others, you have not only the right, but the religious obligation to defend your life, even if that costs the unjust attacker his.
If it’s your obligation to protect yourself, doesn’t it follow that God would expect you to do so with the most effective means possible? The most effective means of defense is a personal firearm. It renders you capable of defending yourself regardless of the physical disparity of between victim and attacker.
Finally, on the notion that we are mocking Gabby Giffords. Horseshit. Re-read the articles. We are apalled by the violence in Tuscon. We are not mocking. We are begging, pleading, cajoling. You are not safe. Carry your guns! Learn to use them.
Sorry, Mr. Murray. You are the sinner here, not Weer’d.
I am a gunnie
Well, we seem to have kicked over the hornet’s nest with our counter protest!
Weer’d highlights the fallacy.
And Madmedic in the comments makes it a meme.
I’m a solutions architect for a major software company.
I am a gunnie.
I have a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Philosophy. They are more closely related than you might think.
I am a gunnie.
My MBA is in Finance.
I am a gunnie.
I’m a dad and a husband. The two most important roles in my life. I want to make sure that my daughter grows up with her daddy, and my wife grows old with her husband.
I am a gunnie.
I love my daughter more than life itself. I can’t imagine what it would be like if she was threatened, and I couldn’t protect her. I can’t let that happen.
I am a gunnie.
While I’m larger than I used to be, I don’t think it can fairly be called a beer belly.
I am a gunnie.
I do, however, enjoy a good stout.
I am a gunnie.
I learned a long time ago that criminals break the law, whether it is the law against carrying a gun or the law about killing your neighbor. And begging for mercy from the merciless is a bad strategy.
I am a gunnie.
The deepest shame that I can imagine is my family hurt or killed, and knowing that I could do nothing to stop it. It’s my responsibility as a father and as a husband to provide food, shelter, and safety to my family. I do that with my tool of choice, the defensive firearm.
I am a gunnie.
You have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm. I don’t break the law. In fact, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars to make sure I don’t. I’ve been fingerprinted, background-checked, trained. I’ve proven that I can use my tool safely. And that wasn’t enough. I know the awesome responsibility I’ve taken upon myself. I’ve spent thousands of dollars more on training, making sure that I can use my tool, effectively, safely.
I am a gunnie. I’m your friend, your neighbor, your teacher, your pastor, your doctor, your mechanic, your customer. Look to your left and to your right. I’m one of you.
Why we win
Emily Miller is a columnist for the Washington Times. She has been writing a series on her attempt to get a legal gun in Washington D.C. It’s an interesting series. She has a blog entry discussing her trip to the Beretta factory in Maryland. During the trip, she got to shoot the Beretta ARX-160 rifle. The results are here:
I think the laughter and grin speak for themselves.
Blogroll update
You know that we love newbies here at Newbie Shooter. A Girl and Her Gun joins George’s Handy Dandy Blogroll, and with luck soon to be on the “Bloggers I have met” list. It’s still a secret, but it rhymes with “snackleseed.”
UPDATE: Sean and Heather have announced the event. Come join us!
People of the gun
Welcome A Girl and her Gun to the fold.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Gunnies are good people.
A candle to end violence
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it….”
John 1:5
My plan for ending violence:
My M&P .40 Pro Series, Blade-Tech holster, and some Hornady Critical Defense. The picture is terrible inasmuch as I have no artistic sense. But it’s not meant to be pretty; it’s meant to give comfort, and to remind me that I have nothing to fear.
And when she heard what I was doing, the little one wanted to get involved:
That’s her Ruger Bearcat .22. She’s small, but mighty.
Carry your guns, people. They are a lighter burden than regret.
Quote of the day
The Quote of the Day comes from Lyle blogging at Joe Huffman’s place:
Make no mistake. We’re being offered what amounts to a plea deal. Either we take the deal (vote Republican) or we’re sentenced to another four years with a Democrat in office.
I’ve been looking for a way to put that for a while. Well done, sir.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Half-Truth Henigan is at it again:
“Really it is a national disgrace that the only piece of gun-related legislation to come to a vote since Tucson was this legislation that would have enabled dangerous concealed carriers like Jared Loughner to carry their guns across state lines,” Henigan said.
- Jared Loughner didn’t have a concealed handgun permit (Arizona doesn’t require one.) Thus HR822 wouldn’t have applied here.
- The law does not enable “dangerous concealed carriers like Jared Loughner” to carry their guns across state lines. Jared Loughner was a murderous psychopath. Murderous psychopaths don’t obey laws, and are already carrying their guns across state lines. HR822 would enable responsible concealed carriers like you and me to carry our guns across state lines.
A warning
In general, I’m skeptical of Internet warnings, but this one comes from a good source:
Gun lovers public service announcement: While I was in a Denver gun store today, my car was tagged on the wheel in the parking lot. The gangs do this on wheels or bumpers at gun stores, shooting ranges, gun shows etc. Later when you are parked at a restaurant, hotel, or other location that’s less well guarded or under video surveillance, other gang members spot the marker and break into the car for a quick gun grab. This is so RAMPANT in San Antonio where we were for a National shoot this summer, the police chief of that county came out to brief the 400 participants of our competition. Too bad three teams had already been victimized the first day. This is the first I’ve heard of this in Denver. Please pass this info along to your 2nd amendment list.
Jane Anne adds a note from a Gunsite instructor:
I don’t know how widespread this is becoming , but the info regarding the NSCA Nationals in San Antonio is correct, as all of us who compete in sporting clays know. Competitors there were having their vehicles marked with a small adhesive dot on the rear license plate or rear bumper, then followed for miles and having their vehicles quickly and efficiently broken in to when parked for lunch etc.
Some crews were working the parking lot at the Nationals itself. 27 high end shotguns were taken there recently. They know when 1400 shooters with high $$ competition guns are in town.
Again, I’m generally skeptical, and I’m not sure how deep the market is in stolen competition shotguns, but gunnies take note.
A New Year’s resolution
As we greet the first day of 2012, all of us here at Newbie Shooter want to wish our readers a happy and prosperous New Year. And I have a few asks of you, the shooting community.
First, if you shoot and don’t have a concealed carry permit, go get it. We have already tipped the gun culture from fringe to mainstream. Shooting and gun ownership are mainstream activities. This is the year that we make concealed carry a mainstream issue.
If you do have your concealed carry permit, use it. Carrying a gun is a pain in the ass. It’s heavy, its uncomfortable, you can’t go certain places…the excuses are legion. Make a commitment to carry your gun, and do so every day for a month. One month, every day. At the end of that month, see if you want to keep carrying, or not.
If you already carry, good for you! Your assignment is very simple. Take a training class. I can highly recommend both Gunsite 250 and TigerSwan’s pistol courses. And bring someone with you. Training is more fun with friends.
Happy New year, Gunnies!
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Do your part!
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