Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich thinks it's about time that America restricts gun ownership so that there will be no more unnecessary and brutal crimes victimising civilians.
In an opinion piece written for the Chicago Tribune, Cupich lauded Pope Francis' call for an end to the weapons industry, which he said moves with "money that is drenched in blood."
"Surely America's political leaders did not think the pope's comments were limited to arms trade outside of America's borders," Cupich wrote.
According to the archbishop, the US Constitution's Second Amendment, which allows citizens the right to own guns, was passed in an era "when organised police forces were few and citizen militias were useful in maintaining the peace."
He believes the authors of the Second Amendment did not think that a time would come when ordinary civilians would possess "military-grade assault weapons that have turned our streets into battlefields."
The original intent of the Second Amendment, said Cupich, has unfortunately been "perverted" by those who "have profited mightily."
"Surely there is a middle ground between the original intent of the amendment and the carnage we see today," he said.
This middle ground has been adopted by the City of Chicago recently when it passed an ordinance to tightly regulate gun stores. "I applaud Chicago's leadership for taking this important step to protect our children and families. For this measure to truly be effective, however, the General Assembly must pass a similar law, especially considering how many guns are sold in gun shops located outside of Chicago," he said.
He said it is not enough for civic leaders such as himself to just comfort those who have been victimised by loose gun laws. They must heed the words of Pope Francis when he demanded "to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade," Cupich said.
"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," the archbishop said.
