The document discusses the debate around gun control, providing definitions and history of gun control laws in other countries. Both sides of the debate are presented, with supporters arguing gun control could lower death and crime, and opponents believing gun ownership deters criminals and lawful gun owners should be able to defend themselves. The church's stance is outlined as being against using guns to harm but supporting their use for self-defense according to Catholic social teaching.

1. Gun Control Debate
by Delaney Dodson

2. Prayer
Lord, help us to turn away from violence and aim
towards peace. Help us to realize the value of life and
to only use weapons for self defense. We pray that we
can be peaceful when solving disagreements instead of
using violence. Amen

3. Background knowledge

4. Definition
Gun control is when a country limits the
citizens access to guns, or eliminates the
access completely.
In extreme cases it is against the law for
citizens to own guns

5. Everyone has a piece of a picture on their
card; find the people that have the other
part of your picture and sit with them.
After you get into your groups, get the
reading for your topic.Choose someone in
your group that will read it outloud to the
class.

7. History of Gun Control
1929 Soviet Union
1911 Turkey
1935 Germany
1935 China
1964 Guatemala
1956 Cambodia

8. Statistics
self-defense -2.5 million times a year.
Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as much
as 2.5 million times every year—or about 6,850 times a day.
each year, firearms are used 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest
citizens than to take lives.
gun owners in U.S.- 80,000,000.
Every 10 seconds a gun is made in America.
Each year, nearly a million violent crimes are committed with handguns

9. Sides of the debate
Supporting gun control
Against gun control
Churches stance

10. Supporting gun control
lower the amount of death
no guns = no violence
lower crime rates

11. Against gun control
guns are protection against criminals
“if you outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns”
The people obeying the law cannot protect themselves
against the people who don’t.

12. Churches stance
The church is against using guns to harm human life
but it supports using arms to protect it.
People should be allowed to use weapons for
protection.

13. Churches teaching
2306 Those who renounce violence and bloodshed and, in order to safeguard human rights, make
use of those means of defense available to the weakest, bear witness to evangelical charity,
provided they do so without harming the rights and obligations of other men and societies. They
bear legitimate witness to the gravity of the physical and moral risks of recourse to violence, with all
its destruction and death.
2316 The production and the sale of arms affect the common good of nations and of the
international community. Hence public authorities have the right and duty to regulate them. The
short-term pursuit of private or collective interests cannot legitimate undertakings that promote
violence and conflict among nations and compromise the international juridical order.
2314 "Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with
their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal
condemnation." A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who
possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit

14. President kennedy affected
by gun control.
President Kennedy was assassinated
Its believed stricter gun laws in Texas could have
prevented this.

15. Moral Decision making
would you enforce gun control in this situation?