Reducing Gun Violence

The Catholic Church supports the following policies intended to reduce gun violence in our communities:

• A total ban on all assault-style weapons

• A limitation on civilian access to high-capacity rifles and magazines, as data show that restrictions on high-capacity magazines can reduce the number of people killed in mass shootings by as much as 77%

• Universal background checks prior to purchasing a firearm    

• Increased availiability to and funding for programs that address root causes of violence

Gun violence continues to make headlines across the country because of its increasing frequency and severity. Acknowledging the increased acts of violence that plague our society, Pope Francis warned that “many times we live in a world marked by a ‘globalization of indifference,’ which makes us slowly inured to the suffering of others and closed in on ourselves.” 

Responding to the Holy Father's warning of indifference, Catholics and all people of good will cannot become calloused to these events. It should not be normalized for people to live in fear for their lives or those of their children and loved ones in the most common of settings. 

The Catholic Church has consistently promoted peace at home and around the world, including the reasonable regulation of firearms, while recognizing that recourse to self-defense is legitimate for one's own safety. However, in today's world, weapons that are increasingly capable of inflicting great suffering in a short period of time are simply too deadly and accessible.

The Catholic Church calls upon all citizens, regardless of political affiliation or special interests, to stand beside us as peacemakers in this worsening struggle that takes away the existence of so many of God’s children, and in doing so destroys futures, families, and communities. It is also our responsibility as Catholics to do as Jesus did and act to protect human life. Pope Francis said, “each of us also needs to search our souls for ways that we can do more to understand this epidemic of evil and [gun] violence and implore our elected officials to help us take action.” In a letter to Congress dated June 3, 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote, “we must unite in our humanity to stop the massacres of innocent lives.”

However, solutions to gun violence cannot be found only in legislation and policies that limit access to guns, and urges legislators and public policy makers to take a deeper dive into the root causes of gun violence, which include discrimination; income inequality; mental illness; bullying; poverty; underfunded public housing; and a lack of opportunity and perceptions of hopelessness, to name a few.

Through prayers and action, Catholics can continue to work on building a culture of life in the United States and around the world, and The Catholic Church stands ready to assist in those efforts. 

For additional resources on reducing gun violence, please visit the following:

New Jersey Catholic Conference Prayer offered at Multifaith Prayer Gathering for Seeking Empowerment to Stop the Surging US Epidemic of Gun Violence, Trenton, NJ, June 2, 2022

A Mercy and Peacebuilding Approach to Gun Violence, from the USCCB

USCCB’s Letter to Congress Urging Representatives to Address Gun Violence, June 3, 2022

Bishop Chairmen Call for Congressional Action to Address Gun Violence,
June 3, 2022

US Bishops Commend Congressional Efforts to Address Gun Violence,
June 14, 2022

USCCB’s Letter to Congress Regarding Gun Violence and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,
June 23, 2022

Bishop Frank Dewane’s Address to the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Responses to the Plague of Gun Violence, 
November 11, 2019