There has been too much senseless violence caused by firearms in this country. Recently, three nine-year olds were killed at a Nashville Christian school and an unarmed African-American teenager, Ralf Yarl, was shot in Kansas City because he rang the wrong doorbell. Here in South County, we have experienced such violence. There have been so many tragedies caused by firearms that it is hard to keep track of them and I fear that these events are so frequent that we are growing numb.
Each year, in both 2021 and in 2022 there were over 20,000 deaths from shootings (excluding suicides) and over 600 mass shootings. (A mass shooting being defined as one in which four or more people were shot.) There are over 70,000 licensed gun dealers in the United States, and, in 2022, 16.5 million guns were sold in this country; 18.8 million were sold in 2021. In many places it is more difficult to adopt a dog or to get a driver’s license than to buy a gun.
Places of worship have not been spared. Among the recent incidents in places of worship, there have been shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburg, a mosque in Albuquerque, a Sikh Gurdwara (temple) in Wisconsin, as well as several Christian churches. People of faith need to address this as a religious issue, not because the violence has affected our places of worship but because it is destroying the very soul of our country.
This is not just a political issue. Every religious tradition opposes such senseless violence. “Thou shalt not kill” is a religious command for Jews and Christians. One of my favorite verses in the Quran is Sura 5:32, “We decreed . . . that whoever kills a soul . . . it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”
In eastern religions there is the concept of Ahisma, non-violence. This is part of both the Hindu and Buddhist tradition. It is especially strong in Jainism. The Jain understanding of Ahisma greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chávez.
The reality is that guns do not make us safer. And every right carries with it responsibilities. Gun rights carry grave responsibilities. It is possible to have restrictions without limiting the legitimate needs of people who use them for hunting. In addition to some restrictions, we need a change of attitude. At one time people saw nothing wrong with smoking. Today, though cigarettes are available, we see the harm that they cause, and smoking is no longer prevalent. We accept the use of seatbelts and infant seats in cars. Why can we not accept reasonable restrictions on the sale and use of firearms?
Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in the United States. This is a national crisis. In God’s name, let us each do what we can to stop this senseless violence!
Father Jose Rubio is the Retired in Residence pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Gilroy. He is one of the original members of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County. Father Jose can be reached at jo********@ds*.org.
Great article! Thank you, Father Rubio. This is so minor, and yet I was curious. As an avid yogi and student of the Yamas and Niyamas, I noticed that my texts show non-violence as Ahimsa, not Ahisma. Is this a difference in the texts or a simple typo? Thank you again for your article. It seems so obvious and yet, common sense isn’t common, is it?