Some Catholic bishops in Illinois have reaffirmed support for a total ban on assault weapons. Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern was among those who supported the ban. He told KMOX why he took part in the movement.
"All of us are concerned about things like protecting the common good, preserving life, we want to foster peace in our communities," McGovern said. "And when we look at what's happened in Illinois in Highland Park, Aurora, Chicago, Northern Illinois University, these are all places where there have been horrible tragedies of the loss of life, because of shootings involving assault weapons."
McGovern said he thinks people in his church are generally supportive — that even people who are pro-gun understand that there should be some limits on the types of guns that are available.
"Even the NRA has agreed to certain restrictions about the vetting process for people who wish to possess guns. So I think there's been some cooperation already," he said. "And I think when we look at some of the incidents, just recently in Illinois, people would say, you know, the status quo can't continue, something has to change."
McGovern talked about the ethics of religious institutions being involved in politics, how people can start making changes in their states, and what advice he has for us as a society moving forward. Listen to his full interview:
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