Pope Francis has lamented rising gun sales in the United States as a symptom of a “violent, unstable society.”
A forthcoming book, Let Us Dream, obtained by the Washington Examiner, contains Francis’ thoughts on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected discussions about race, politics, and faith. His comments about gun violence came amid a broader criticism of the “hyperinflation of the individual,” which he warns will lead to “anarchy or authoritarianism or both together.”
“We are there already,” Francis writes, pointing to annual gun deaths internationally, as well as record-breaking firearms sales in the U.S. following coronavirus-related shutdown orders in many states.
Francis historically has been critical of gun manufacturing and sales, saying in 2015 that the people who make guns and call themselves Christians may be guilty of “hypocrisy.” Francis in 2019 condemned gun violence in the U.S. after a rash of shootings throughout the country.
Francis, amid reports earlier this year of rising gun sales, on Twitter called for world leaders to “dismantle the perverse logic that links personal and national security to the possession of weaponry.”
“This logic serves only to increase the profits of the arms industry, while fostering a climate of distrust and fear between persons and peoples,” he wrote.
Gun sales in the U.S. hit their all-time high in 2020, an analysis from the Washington Free Beacon found. More than 16.5 million guns were sold through October, a 33% increase in sales from 2019. In 2016, the previous record-holder, about 1.6 million guns were sold.
A November Gallup poll found that gun control support in 2020 dropped to its lowest numbers since 2016, with only 57% of people supporting stricter gun control laws.
