Question 115 – Is It Moral in The Eyes Of The Church To Own a Gun And Use It For Self Defense?

Interview Organization: Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima

Interviewer Name: Christopher P. Wendt

Date: July 13, 2022

The Church teaches that self-defense is morally permissible, especially in extreme situations. For example, using a weapon to protect one's family from harm is justified. Defense should be limited to preventing death or serious harm, without excessive violence. Similarly, defending a congregation from a terrorist attack is morally acceptable.

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Transcript:

This is a traditional teaching of the Church: that you can defend yourself. This is morally allowed. Our father even had some (guns) for the duty to defend his children and his wife when they were attacked by other people who would want to kill them or harm them for their life or to endanger life.

And so in these extreme cases, defend only from killing. You can defend yourself, with this as an appropriate means. In this case, a gun or what you have, but only to defend; you're not doing other excessive things to defend yourself. So in this case, analogously, when the congregation is attacked by a terrorist and you have a weapon, you can defend yourself and the congregation from this terrorist.