Is gun control pro-life?

In the wake of the Connecticut school massacre, some have claimed that it is just as important to support gun control as it is to oppose abortion. They claim that one can be considered pro-life only if one supports gun control legislation. In an article for America, the National Catholic Review, Rev. James Martin writes, “[Gun control] is just as much of what many religious people call a ‘life issue’ or a ‘pro-life issue,’ as is abortion.”

Now, I have absolutely no problem with gun control legislation, but I do have a problem with that comparison.

In the days following the massacre, my Facebook news feed was filled with suggestions for preventing future violence. The solutions ranged from issuing every teacher an assault rifle to repealing the Second Amendment. Which approach is correct? Which approach will save more lives? Perhaps the answer is not as simple as we might like to think. Perhaps there is no answer at all.

But one thing is clear. The difference between these two approaches is not comparable to the difference between the pro-choice and the pro-life positions.

The consistent pro-choice position with respect to school shootings would not be to arm teachers with weapons. The consistent pro-choice position would be to support the gunman’s right to choose. The consistent pro-choice position would be to make massacres legal.

The pro-life position, on the other hand, is the position adopted by virtually every American, whether Democrat or Republican. With respect to school shootings, the consistent pro-life position is this: you can’t kill children. It does not matter how young they are. It does not matter what your own circumstances are. It does not matter how many people you consulted about your decision. You just can’t kill children. Ever. Because it’s wrong.

Unfortunately, however, many Americans abandon this commonsense position when it comes to the issue of abortion. As a result, over one million children are legally killed every year in this country, many of them in brutal and excruciatingly painful late-term abortions.

As I explain here, President Obama has supported abortion before, during, and even a little while after birth. Furthermore, he has fought to keep Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in America, funded by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

In his remarks at the Sandy Hook Prayer Vigil, President Obama delivered these words:

This is our first task — caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.

And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?

I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.

I could not agree with him more.