Recently I taught the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church dealing with the Fifth Commandment to my high school CCD class. After reading the sections highlighted below, I felt I had a moral obligation to exercise my Second Amendment rights and arm myself:
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ARTICLE 5 - THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not kill.[54]
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment."
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.[55]
2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."[56]
I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE
2261 Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous."[61] The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere.
2262 In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill,"[62] and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies.[63] He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath.[64]
Legitimate defense
2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor.... The one is intended, the other is not."[65]
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful.... Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.[65]
2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life. Preserving the common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm. To this end, those holding legitimate authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community [the family is the most basic unit of civil community]entrusted to their charge.[66]
My final choice to fulfill my obligations delineated under # 2265 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and to exercise my Second Amendment rights [duties!]:
Heckler & Kock USP .45 Stainless
Worth repeating:
Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.[65] 2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty