This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Major institutions in this highly religious nation have failed to produce the moral society free of gun violence that every other advanced nation enjoys. Easy access to handguns and assault weapons creates a dangerous environment for everyone, including gun owners. Worse, this decadence continues to grow, taking the lives of innocent people.

Unlike Catholic, Episcopalian and other Protestant faiths that endorse gun control, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains silent, resulting in a moral vacuum in the local culture. Liquor, tobacco, pornography and gambling addictions are condemned, while gun addiction is cynically indulged.

The LDS Church should be listed with other morally tarnished organizations, like the Republican Party, the National Rifle Association and the Utah Legislature. Respectable citizens and institutions need to band together and demand intelligent, well-crafted gun control laws.

Allowing the obtuse NRA leadership to control gun policy is like insisting alcoholics write liquor laws.

The Mormon culture has been poisoned by a rabid gun-addicted minority that insists guns are necessary for daily living. Church leaders need to establish a moral code that defines a morally defensible use of firearms.

Ron Molen

Salt Lake City