Catholic pastor warns parishioners faith is not enough for safety, encourages gun possession

Issuing a pro-gun letter to the members of the church, Reverend Edward Fride encourages having guns and attending a concealed pistol license (CPL) classes. Through the letter, the pastor from the Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, warned there may have been a decrease in available armed police response due to a budget cut, in relation to an observed increase in crime within the area.

span style="line-height: 15.8599996566772px;">MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - In Fride's letter, he wrote that the police is supportive of the practice, as it entails protection of families and homes, citing the mass killings at school across the country.

"How to balance faith, reality, prudence, and trust is one of those critical questions that we struggle with all our lives. Pretending we are in Mayberry, while we are clearly not, can have very negative consequences for ourselves and those we love, especially those we have a responsibility to protect. If we are not in Mayberry, is there a real threat?" Pastor Fride wrote, according to the Daily Mail.

He used a reference from the 1960's Andy Griffith Show, stating that most Catholics firmly hold faith on God's protection all the time, like the living condition in Mayberry. He insists that faith is not enough to keep them safe. According to the Detroit Free Press, he had talked about the CPL classes during the Palm Sunday mass.
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However, a lot of concerns were raised by his suggestion, prompting him to send out the letter stating his stand on the activity. The classes cost $125 each person and they are encouraged to enlist earlier due to the limited class size. In a post on their website, the offered CPL classes are going to be held for eight hours, which will include a law enforcement officer giving instructions, spending time on a range and actual use of guns and ammunition.

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