Cupich: Surging Gun Violence has Turned Streets into Battlefields

By Gary Nguyen --
14 Oct 2015 --

By Goat_Girl [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Regarding gun violence, Chicago’s Catholic Archbishop says the intent of the second amendment “has been perverted.”

Writing in the Chicago Tribune, His Excellency Archbishop Blase Cupich of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago echoes the views of His Holiness Pope Francis who remarked during his visit to the country in September that the weapons manufacturer lobby was pushing their own agenda, driven by greed and 'money drenched in blood'. This money was made from selling weapons to 'those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society', added the Pope in his speech to Congress last month.

While this was lauded by U.S. policymakers, those in the House and Senate saw it as applying to the sale of arms and weapons happening overseas. Archbishop Blase Cupich disagrees with this view, saying that they can’t applaud one understanding of that line while ignoring the domestic implications.

“The Original Intent of the Second Amendment Has Been Perverted.” -Blase Cupich[/tweetthis]

Archbishop Cupich, in his op-ed wrote that the Second Amendment had been passed during an era where there were just a few in the organized police force. As such, citizen militias were important in maintaining peace. He stated that original authors may not have anticipated a time when the weapons that we have a right to bear “include military-grade assault weapons that have turned our streets into battlefields.”.

“The original intent of the Second Amendment has been perverted,” by a few who have profited a lot from doing so. The Archbishop added that if we try we could find a middle ground between the original intent and the carnage of the Amendment that we see today.

With Chicago being becoming synonymous with gun violence, the Archbishop also mentioned a recent shooting where a child was hurt and its mother and grandmother killed, and also the October 1st Umpqua Community College incident in Oregon where a student opened fire and killed nine people. The Archbishop said that he wanted to engage in dialogue with law enforcement officials, pastors and civic leaders so it would lead to change rather than mere statements that make the newspaper headlines. He also said that it is high time that those in positions of power take in step forward to comfort the bereaved families on those fallen prey to gun violence.

“We must band together to call for gun-control legislation,” concludes the high-ranking prelate. “We must act in ways that promote the dignity and value of human life. And we must do it now.”

He is currently in Rome participating in the Synod on the Family, which is being attended by 270 bishops from around the world.