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| Archbishop of Canterbury backs calls for stricter gun controls in US | Archbishop of Canterbury backs calls for stricter gun controls in US |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for stricter gun controls in the US in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, saying the easy availability of deadly weapons in a culture where "fear is rampant" pushed people to extreme violence. | The archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for stricter gun controls in the US in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, saying the easy availability of deadly weapons in a culture where "fear is rampant" pushed people to extreme violence. |
| Dr Rowan Williams also warned that the UK had "better not be complacent" about gang-related gun and knife crime and called for more focus on preventing youngsters from seeking acceptance and respect in destructive places. | Dr Rowan Williams also warned that the UK had "better not be complacent" about gang-related gun and knife crime and called for more focus on preventing youngsters from seeking acceptance and respect in destructive places. |
| Delivering BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, the archbishop said it was hard to celebrate the festive season while thinking of the lives "cut so brutally short and of the unimaginable loss and trauma suffered by parents", following the death of 20 pupils and six staff in Connecticut. | Delivering BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, the archbishop said it was hard to celebrate the festive season while thinking of the lives "cut so brutally short and of the unimaginable loss and trauma suffered by parents", following the death of 20 pupils and six staff in Connecticut. |
| He acknowledged that gun control was a sensitive political issue in the US but urged action to be taken to prevent weapons from being so readily accessible, claiming easy access to guns makes it more likely that individuals will use them as an automatic response to a "unsettling situation or personal conflict". | He acknowledged that gun control was a sensitive political issue in the US but urged action to be taken to prevent weapons from being so readily accessible, claiming easy access to guns makes it more likely that individuals will use them as an automatic response to a "unsettling situation or personal conflict". |
| "Nearly 6,000 children and teenagers were killed by firearms in the USA in just two years," he said. | "Nearly 6,000 children and teenagers were killed by firearms in the USA in just two years," he said. |
| "And we had better not be complacent about the issues of gun and knife crime affecting people in our own cities here. | "And we had better not be complacent about the issues of gun and knife crime affecting people in our own cities here. |
| "In the UK, the question is how we push back against gang culture by giving people the acceptance and respect they deserve so that they don't look for it in destructive places. | "In the UK, the question is how we push back against gang culture by giving people the acceptance and respect they deserve so that they don't look for it in destructive places. |
| "In the United States the question is of course about gun laws – one of the most polarising issues in American politics." | "In the United States the question is of course about gun laws – one of the most polarising issues in American politics." |
| While individuals made the choice to use guns, "it makes a difference to people what weapons are at hand for them to use and even more what happens to people in a culture where fear is rampant and the default response to frightening or unsettling situations or personal tensions is violence and the threat of violence", he said. | While individuals made the choice to use guns, "it makes a difference to people what weapons are at hand for them to use and even more what happens to people in a culture where fear is rampant and the default response to frightening or unsettling situations or personal tensions is violence and the threat of violence", he said. |
| "People use guns but, in a sense, guns use people too. When we have the technology for violence easily to hand, our choices are skewed and we are more vulnerable to being manipulated into violent action." | "People use guns but, in a sense, guns use people too. When we have the technology for violence easily to hand, our choices are skewed and we are more vulnerable to being manipulated into violent action." |
| He went on: "Perhaps it is true that if all you have is a gun, everything looks like a target. But if all you have is the child's openness and willingness to be loved, everything looks like a promise. | He went on: "Perhaps it is true that if all you have is a gun, everything looks like a target. But if all you have is the child's openness and willingness to be loved, everything looks like a promise. |
| "Control of the weapons trade is a start but what will really make a difference is dealing with fear and the pressure to release our anxiety and tension at the expense of others." | "Control of the weapons trade is a start but what will really make a difference is dealing with fear and the pressure to release our anxiety and tension at the expense of others." |
| Williams will step down from his role of archbishop of Canterbury at the end of this month and will be replaced by the Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby. | Williams will step down from his role of archbishop of Canterbury at the end of this month and will be replaced by the Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby. |
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