Three people were shot dead and others wounded yesterday as a man opened fire in a church in Missouri. It is illegal for citizens to carry guns inside a church or other place of worship in Missouri, even if they have a concealed carry weapon permit. The innocent men and women inside obeyed the law, the killer did not. However, this is not the time to be political - my condolences to the bereaved.
Gun Control Kills
Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007
Labels: CCW, gun control, guns, law and order, Missouri, self-defence, self-defense, shooting | Hotlinks: DiggIt! Del.icio.us
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2 Comments:
Whilst it is a flagrant violation of individual rights for the state to make blanket provisions for "places of worship" (which definition might, for some, include the Ludwig von Mises Institute or the Ayn Rand Institute), is this necessarily the reason behind this tragedy?
Churches are established on private property, and it should therefore be the prerogative of the property owner or their appointed agent - the church or priest - to determine whether guns are permitted. It seems that this particular congregation is part of the United Church of Christ - a "liberal," pro-gun control, reformist Christian denomination. So where the claims of the property owner (to determine gun policy) conflict with those of the visitor (the church-goer), the property owner must prevail - which implies that Missouri law was a redundant factor, rather than a determinant of the outcome here.
You are quite probably correct. Perhaps the Church will see the idiocy of its polcy (didn't Jesus say "if you ain't got no sword, sell your clothes and buy one" or... something to that effect). More likely they will call for more gun control. Which reminds me: I'm not entirely sure what the media mean when they call one of the guns the killer used "a semi-automatic machinepistol!"
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