Religious leaders have begun calling for more serious gun control in the U.S. following the deadly shooting of 19 children and two adults in a Texas elementary school.
The Pope has called for stricter gun control in the United States after the horrific Texas mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde on Tuesday. A Chicago Cardinal agreed with Pope Francis. The Pope spoke out about the Texas mass shooting of children and two adults from the Vatican's St. Peter's Square during the Pope's weekly general audience.
"I am praying for the children and adults who were killed, and for their families. It is time to say enough to the indiscriminate trafficking of arms," Pope Francis said on Wednesday, as reported by The Blaze. The Pope also urged the US government to "make a commitment" to avoid such "tragedies" from occurring again.
Meanwhile, Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase J. Cupich took to Twitter to agree with the Pope's recent statements. He wrote, "The size of the crisis, and its sheer horror, make it all too easy to toss up one's hands and declare: Nothing can be done. But that is the counsel of despair, and we are a people of hope. What do we hope for our children?"
"The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai," the Chicago cardinal argued. The Second Amendment declares that a "well regulated Militia" is required in securing a free America and ensures American citizens' rights to "keep and bear arms."
Religious Leaders Call for Better Gun Control in the US After Several Mass Shootings in the Last Weeks
Cardinal Cupich argued that Americans' "right to bear arms" will "will never be more important than human life," adding that children "have rights too." The Chicago cardinal concluded by reminding elected officials that they have a "moral duty" to protect America's children.
Nineteen children and two adults were murdered at Robb Elementary School in the town of Uvalde, when Salvador Ramos charged into the school on Tuesday with his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and open fired, AP News reported. After running into the school, Ramos fired at two arriving Uvalde police officers outside the building, but were unharmed. The shooter reportedly "barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers that were inside that classroom," the Department of Public Safety's Lt. Christopher Olivarez reported.
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Shooter Easily Purchased Weaponry for His 18th Birthday
Ramos, who was described by CNN as "a local high school student with few if any friends," had legally purchased two assault rifles and 375 rounds of ammunition last week for his 18th birthday. During the attack, he was armed with an assault rifle and tactical vest. The attacker was also described as "a bullied loner with no criminal history."
However, Ramos' posts on social media indicated a premeditated attack. Three days before the Texas mass shooting of children and teachers, the shooter posted an Instagram story showing his newly bought assault rifles. He also communicated on Facebook to a girl he met online that he was "going to shoot [his] grandmother," and that he "shot [his] grandmother." The grandmother was injured and sent to the hospital. Finally, he wrote, "I'm going to shoot an elementary school."
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