This week, some news has been devoted to covering the possibility of President Obama signing a UN arms treaty, which some fear will effectively eliminate the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. Whether or not the treaty will prohibit private ownership of firearms is not the focus of this blog post. Instead, I’d like to address one of the philosophical aspects of firearm ownership, namely firearms for the purpose of self defense.
Carrying and using weapons for self defense is a time-honored tradition, and for good reason. During Jesus’s time, traveling from city to city across the desert was rather dangerous. The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates this point rather well:
Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.” (Luke 10:30)
Sure, this is a parable, but it’s not the first robbery in the history of the world. Outlaws have existed since the fall, and will exist until the Second Coming. No matter what the crime, every outlaw believes they will profit, and and those those outlaws will always try to have the upper hand against those they wish to oppress. The use of force, or even simply threat of force, by these outlaws works as an excellent motivator for peaceful, law-abiding citizens to comply and give the outlaws what they want. This of course awards the outlaws’ bad behavior, and they continue on, attacking and robbing other peaceful, law-abiding citizens.
In John chapter 18, as Jesus is arrested, Simon Peter draws his sword and strikes Malchus, the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear. Jesus tells him to put his sword away so his sacrifice could be completed. Certainly before that moment, Jesus knew that Simon Peter carried a sword, and not once in the Gospels does Jesus ever condemn it. I imagine Simon Peter was somewhat proficient considering that he was able to cut off the ear of Malchus while surrounded by the large crowdAt that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?.
The capture of Christ, circa 1520, in Bourgogne
In addition to a scriptural basis for using weapons for self-defense, St. Thomas Aquinas composed an excellent treatise in the Summa Theologica on “whether it is lawful to kill a man in self-defense.” This treatise is also the basis for what is outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as stated:
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimateacceptibleto insist on respectRespect = don't kill me, bro. Trash talk isn't enough to warrant killing someone.for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder
even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful…. Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.[65]
2265 Legitimateeffective and lawfuldefense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the
lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered
unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimatelyRead CCC 1898 for a lesson on what defines legitimate authorityhold authority also have the right to
use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsability.[66]
The passage from the Catechism mentions frequently the use of “legitimate defense,” but what does that mean? Watch for Part 2 next week!