US bishops back gun control in response to Newtown shootings

December 22, 2012: In a public statement responding to the Newtown massacre, the chairmen of three committees of the US bishops’ conference have joined in a call for tighter restrictions on legal gun ownership, broader access to health-care services, and voluntary restraints on violence in films and video games.

The US bishops’ statement was signed by Bishops Stephen Blaire of Stockton, California; John Wester of Salt Lake City; and Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne, Indiana. They are, respectively, the chairman of the US bishops’ committees on domestic justice, communications, and family life.