Religious groups weigh in on the issue of gun control in the United States

Religious institutions are expressing their opinions on stricter gun control in light of the Newtown, Conn. shooting on Dec. 14 and the passage of the New York state gun control law on Jan. 15.

Although this issue has political dimensions, religious views evidently have an effect on where individuals stand on the issue of gun control.

The Public Religion Research Institute conducted a poll recently that included Protestants, Evangelicals and Catholics to see whether they were opposed to or in favor of stricter gun control.  They found that most major religious groups are in favor of stricter gun control laws, with the exception of white Evangelical Protestants, who polled 38 percent in favor of gun control laws. Less traditional religions, such as Paganism, were not included in the study.

The Catholic Church has been particularly public about its stance on gun control. In a Jan. 19 Huffington Post article, Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican’s chief spokesman, said 47 religious leaders have appealed to members of Congress to pass stricter gun control laws. In the above poll, 67 percent of Catholics favored stricter gun control laws.

Rev. Linus DeSantis, the Catholic Chaplain at SU, said he doesn’t see the need for the assault weapons that New York law is banning.

“Automatic, AK-47’s, I don’t think we need that,” DeSantis said. “You know you don’t shoot squirrels with an AK-47 or birds or whatever it is. Even a deer you don’t use an AK-47.”

DeSantis believes that the new law will address issues such as keeping guns out of the hands of people with criminal records and those that are mentally ill.

DeSantis said one of the reasons Catholics support the law is because their faith teaches that every human has a right to life and a natural death.

Brian Small, director of programming and student engagement at the Winnick Center for Jewish Life, said he sees that same value being important for Judaism and their support for stricter gun control.

“I think the Jewish community in general is embracing the idea that any steps that the government takes to embrace human life and save human life is very, very important and it’s something that needs to be emphasized and appreciated in society,” Small said.

Rev. Bruce Webster, the Protestant Chaplain at SU, said the official stance of the United Methodist church is for stricter gun laws but not all United Methodists agree.

“I did find a couple of places where there were efforts to try and get the United Methodist Church to change its stance because as a United Methodist, we don’t believe taking away our rights,” Webster said.

Webster’s support for gun control stems from similar beliefs to DeSantis and Small about the value of human life.

“Part of my belief is that we need to care for a child as much as we do in the womb after they are born,” Webster said.

There are still some religions that generally do not agree with stricter gun control laws, such as white Evangelicals who overwhelmingly oppose the laws at 62 percent.

John Elmer, lead pastor at The Vineyard Church in Syracuse, said one reason for these results could be that Evangelicals tend to be Republicans while Catholics tend to be Democrats.

Another reason for the Evangelicals’ low support is 57 percent report that they live in a household with at least one gun while only 31 percent of Catholics do.

 Non-traditional religions were not polled in the study. Alejandro Mercado-Capote, a neuroscience and psychology junior who identifies himself as a Pagan, said one of the reasons for this is the bad publicity Paganism has received. He said many people associate it with witchcraft and magic. He also said Pagans are more quiet about their beliefs.  

“My faith is very leaning towards empowering the individual,” Mercado-Capote said. “I would say it influences it but it’s not necessarily the complete aspect of it.”

In light of the two mass shootings in Aurora, Colo. and Newtown, Conn., DeSantis, the Catholic Chaplain at SU, said he feels that people want and need gun control reforms, regardless of their faith.

“I don’t know if I would attribute it just to a particular religious tradition,” DeSantis said. “ I would say a thoughtful, conscience person, a person who’s interested in the safety of the community and the safety of children, I’d say they’d support it.”