CATHOLIC GUN ACTIVISTS SEND MESSAGE

The New GUN WEEK, July 10, 2005

As the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops concluded their biannual meeting in Chicago in mid-June, a gathering of lay Catholic firearm rights enthusiasts celebrated Father’s Day with a shooting tournament in suburban Washington, DC, according to John M. Snyder, founder/chairman of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society Inc. Snyder joined John Aquilino (L) and Chris Carroll (R), founders of the Catholic Sportsmen’s Organization (CSO), and over 50 competitors for the 6th Annual Father’s Day Classic Sporting Clays Tournament at the Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, MD, for the CSO-sponsored event. All proceeds from the event are used to benefit local youth organizations. For the Father’s Day event, the St. Gabriel Possenti Society provided special medallions which the Catholic Sportsmen’s Organization attached to plaques awarded to winners in various shooting categories. A number of organizations and businesses provided door prizes for the event. Commenting on the gathering, Snyder said that, “while the meeting of the hierarchy in the church is very important, it also is significant that Catholic men and women in general understand the importance of the use of firearms in American life…Let us all pray that the bishops see the light and get the message.” (Ling Woo photo)