Chicagoland

I, too, say, 'Enough'

By Chicago Catholic
Sunday, October 18, 2015

Editor's note: The following oped appeared in the Chicago Tribune Oct. 9.

Here are the ingredients of a tragedy: untreated mental illness, a society where life is cheap and crime is glamorized and a ready supply of firearms. As we have seen again last week, a misguided, angry young man with a ready arsenal of weapons can end the lives of those with the misfortune of simply being at school that day.

Closer to home, nearly a dozen human beings in the Archdiocese of Chicago fell victim to gun violence in the past two weeks. And the people injured, maimed and traumatized were simply too many to count. Among them were 10- and 11-month-old infants who lived in neighborhoods where the collateral damage of street showdowns includes babies. Princeton Chew, the 11 month old, will not remember his grandmother or his pregnant mother who died in the shooting. He will never know the brother or sister his mother carried.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has consistently called for "reasonable regulation and controls for guns, especially handguns," including a ban on "assault weapons." In 2013, after the murders in Newtown, Connecticut, the USCCB sent testimony to the U.S. Congress which was then considering gun control legislation. "This is the moment," the USCCB spokesperson declared, "to push for better gun controls. We want to build a culture of life and confront the culture of violence." That moment came and went without meaningful action.

Let's be honest. The second amendment was passed in an era when organized police forces were few and citizen militias useful in maintaining the peace. Its original authors could not have anticipated a time when the arms we have a right to bear include the military grade assault weapons that have turned our streets into battlefields. Its original intent has been perverted by those who, as Pope Francis recently commented, have profited mightily. Surely there is a middle ground between the original intent of the amendment and the carnage we see today.

Recently, the City of Chicago adopted a tough ordinance to license gun stores and crack down on the bad business practices at gun stores that lead to illegal gun trafficking in our communities. I applaud Chicago's leadership for taking this important step to protect our children and families. However, for this measure to truly be effective, our state legislature must pass a similar law statewide, especially considering how many guns were originally sold in stores located outside Chicago.

Perhaps, finally, the time is now. When the members of the U.S. Congress stood to applaud Pope Francis' call for an end to the weapons industry motivated by "money that is drenched in blood" they were endorsing his call "to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade." Surely they did not think his comments were limited to trade outside our borders.

It is no longer enough for those of us involved in civic leadership and pastoral care to comfort the bereaved and bewildered families of victims. It is time to heed the words of Pope Francis and take meaningful and swift action to address violence in our society and return accountability to the place it deserves. We must band together to call for gun control legislation. We must act in ways that promote the dignity and value of human life. And we must do it now.

Blase J. Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago

Topics:

  • cardinal cupich
  • pope francis
  • gun violence
  • peace
  • cardinal blase j cupich
  • gun control

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