Jesuits call for repeal of 2nd Amendment

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50. OK, here's what the UU website has to say.

Here's the main page: http://www.uua.org/liberty/guns/index.shtml

Take Action to Prevent Gun Violence


By our silence, by our willingness to compromise principle… by our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim, by allowing our movie and television screens to teach our children that the hero is one who masters the art of shooting and the technique of killing, by allowing all these developments, we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes.
—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the bottom of that page are some links to specific official UU positions on the subject.

Gun Control

1972 General Resolution

BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1972 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association recommends uniform gun legislation as follows:

1.Licensing for the purchase and possession of all usable guns;

2.Gun registration-holding owners legally accountable for all their guns and registrars legally accountable for privacy of records;

3.Federal, state, provincial and local codes for responsible gun ownership regarding how they are kept, knowledge of proper use and to whom they may be transferred;

4.Sound standards for the responsible use of guns by law enforcement agencies;

5.Restriction of ownership and possession of concealable handguns to persons showing a specific need, such as law enforcement officers and security guards;

6.Strong legislation forbidding use of "drop guns" by law enforcement officers.

http://www.uua.org/statements/statements/19787.shtml

Handguns

1976 General Resolution

WHEREAS, nearly three out of four murders are impulsively committed by previously law-abiding citizens during arguments with family members or their acquaintances;

WHEREAS, for every robber stopped by a homeowner with a handgun, four homeowners or members of their family are killed in gun accidents;

WHEREAS, the US Supreme Court has repeatedly held (most recently in 1939 upholding the 1938 National Firearms Act) that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution only prohibits Congress from restricting the right of each state to maintain an armed militia and does not create a right for individuals to own guns;

BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1976 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges upon the government of the United States the passage of legislation which would prohibit ownership or possession of all handguns, except for: law enforcement officers; members of the armed forces; guards and messengers while on duty; licensed pistol clubs for on-premise use; owners of permanently inoperable handguns; and manufacturers, wholesalers, and dealers as merchandise only.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That such legislation provide for strict control of handgun ammunition and specify security measures to guard against theft or exempted handguns and ammunition, a six-month period wherein handguns may be surrendered in return for reasonable compensation, and that the unlawful possession of a handgun shall be made a felony.

http://www.uua.org/statements/statements/20237.shtml

Gun Control

1991 General Resolution

BECAUSE Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth of every human life; and
BECAUSE safe coexistence within society requires reasonable compromise with the concept of absolute personal liberty; and

WHEREAS the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association passed, in 1972, a resolution advocating mandatory licensing for the purchase and possession of all usable guns and, in 1976, a resolution urging the passage of legislation restricting the ownership or possession of handguns;

WHEREAS in the United States legislation regarding firearms varies widely from state to state;

WHEREAS according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in a report covering the period 1986-1988:

1. firearms are a leading cause of accidental death among children ages 14 and under in the United States;

2. an estimated 130 million firearms exist in the United States, one for every two households;

3. and

4. every year there are over 1 million "gun incidents," including nearly 11,000 murders involving firearms, 15,000 suicides, 1,900 accidental deaths, 175,000 criminal assaults committed with firearms, 221,000 armed robberies, 90,000 forcible rapes, and over 200,000 gun-related injuries;

WHEREAS many consumer products sold in North America are regulated to protect the public from hazards associated with their use; and

WHEREAS machine guns and semi-automatic and automatic assault weapons are highly powerful weapons designed for the efficient destruction of life;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association, its member congregations, and individual Unitarian Universalists be encouraged to petition legislators to enact and support laws such as:

1 .the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1991 (HR7) in the United States, which is intended to place nationally uniform, effective limitations on individual possession of

2. handguns, including waiting periods, licensing, and registration;

3. the "Mitchell Compromise"; and

4. Bill C-80 (1991) in Canada, which is intended to make the purchase of firearms more difficult;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association, its member congregations, and individual Unitarian Universalists be urged to petition legislators to include safety training programs as a mandatory condition that must be met before firearms can be owned and used; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association, its member congregations, and individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States be urged to petition legislators to enact and support laws banning private ownership or use of machine guns and semi-automatic and automatic assault weapons.


http://www.uua.org/statements/statements/14420.shtml