ARLINGTON, VA, July 2 /
Christian Newswire/ -- "We commend Pastor Ken Pagano for his celebration last weekend in Kentucky of American Independence and the Second Amendment," said John M. Snyder, President of the interdenominational St. Gabriel Possenti Society, Inc. (
www.gunsaint.com).
"We're sending him a St. Gabriel Possenti Society Honor Medallion as evidence of our esteem," he continued. "Pastor Pagano knows that religious people own firearms and know how to use them in a responsible manner. His gun carry service was a fine commemoration of our Declaration of Independence and the Second Amendment constitutional right to keep and bear arms."
About 180 participants came to the New Bethel Church last Saturday to hear Pagano, according to The New York Times. "We want to send a message that there are legal, civil, law-abiding intelligent people who also own guns," Pagano preached. "There is nothing to be afraid of from a legal firearms owner."
"We concur," said Snyder. "Too many church officials of various persuasions talk and act as though they're afraid of anything that goes 'bang.' Pastor Pagano counters this mistaken attitude. Guns in the hands of good, responsible citizens can be and are used to prevent crime from occurring or to interrupt crime in process. According to scholarly research, firearms are used over a million times a year in the United States alone for this purpose.
"Pastor Pagano also counters the phony idea that arms use somehow opposes religious values. The Holy Bible itself is replete with references to good, even holy, arms use. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself advised that 'a man without a sword must sell his cloak and buy one,' according to the Gospel according to St. Luke."
Snyder said that, "Clergymen of various faiths may take a cue from Pastor Ken Pagano and follow his example. We certainly hope so. Guns can and are used to save lives."
St. Gabriel Possenti was a mid-19th century Catholic seminarian who was proficient in the use of rifles, shotguns and handguns. He used handguns in 1860 to rescue villagers of Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy from a gang of marauders. He died of consumption two years later. In 1920, Pope Benedict XV canonized him. The international Society seeks his official Vatican designation as Patron of Handgunners. The Society emphasizes the historical, philosophical and theological bases for the right of self-defense. It commemorates its 20th anniversary this year.
(
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXNE2jBaL9o)
