Letter: Church should see gun violence as m..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The issues Stephen A. Van Dyke raised ("Attack on LDS Church about guns unwarranted," August 8) concerning the gun issues that Ron Molen featured in his letter are nonsense. Molen did not make "attacks" on the LDS Church. He encouraged church leaders to consider the fruits of a gun-addicted society with the fear and destruction it perpetuates, and asked if this is the kind of society they want for their people.

Mr. Van Dyke asked why Ron didn't chastise the LDS Church for not speaking out on knives or "the careless use of cars." Simple. Unlike guns, knives don't result in over 30,000 deaths a year (National Centers for Disease Control). Unlike gun owners, drivers must be thoroughly tested and licensed. Vehicles must be registered. To compare gun deaths with motor vehicle deaths, gun owners and guns should have the same requirements as drivers and cars.

According to Mr. Van Dyke, the LDS Church is concerned, like many other churches, "when lives are lost to any cause." If that is true, then like many other denominations, they should advocate for sane gun laws that have proven effective against gun violence. This is a moral issue (Thou shalt not kill), not a political one.

Linda King Newell

Salt Lake City

Letter: Church should see gun violence as moral issue