Between January and October 2022, more than 500 mass shootings occurred in the United States. And those traumatic events account for only a fraction of the gun violence plaguing the nation. But they also unsettle the consciences of millions of people, and in an election year, that can catapult the question of gun laws and policies to the top of a voter’s priorities.

In this episode of Voting Catholic for the 2022 Midterms, Sebastian Gomes speaks to Patrick McCormick, a Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University specializing in Christian and Medical Ethics and Catholic Social Teachings, and to Gustavo García-Siller, the Archbishop of San Antonio who ministered to the victims' families of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022.

They explore the data on gun violence, the potential policy questions related to guns, and America's unique attachment to guns which, according to McCormick and Archbishop García-Siller, reveals a form of theological and spiritual idolatry.

Follow America's coverage of the 2022 Midterms

Catholic leaders react to Texas school massacre: ‘Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem.’

Watch People of God: How Catholic Parish Life is Changing in the United States

Support Voting Catholic and access all of America's content by becoming a digital subscriber

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices