Maryland parish offers gun-surrender program
November 22, 2010
A Catholic parish in Baltimore, Maryland is offering cash rewards to parishioners who turn in guns, in an effort to decrease the number of firearms on the streets.
Msgr. Damien Nalepa, the pastor of St. Gregory the Great parish, concedes that most of the guns surrendered to the parish are not turned in by criminals, but by law-abiding citizens who have found firearms dropped on their property-- probably by criminals who do not want to be caught with the weapons. Nevertheless he reasons that by taking more than 200 guns off the streets the parish program has made a step toward community safety.
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Posted by: impossible -
Nov. 22, 2010 9:55 PM ET USA
For some insight on the subject of how guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens save lives read: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html
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Posted by: impossible -
Nov. 22, 2010 9:54 PM ET USA
Perhaps the Parish should consider a campaign to have parishioners surrender all condoms and birth control pills in "an effort to decrease the number of abortions," not to mention a reduction in mortal sins and lost souls. In case there hasn't been any faithful catechesis from their pulpit on the subject, it would be necessary to provide some to encourage cooperation with the effort. Parishioners should be encouraged to cancel all IVF appointments as well. These measures would save more lives
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Posted by: BobJ70777069 -
Nov. 22, 2010 7:54 PM ET USA
Another case of liberal "feel-good logic". Anyone who believes that criminals with illegal guns care one whit what the law says, is silly. Msgr. concedes that "most of the guns are not turned in by criminals". I'll wager that if he were pressed, he'd have to admit that none of them were. Safe communities are those with legally armed citizens.
