Is the Mormon Church 'Putting Profits Over Principle?'

By Clare Morris, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, February 12, 2012

An anonymous source has spoken out on issues dealing with illegal gun sales and the for-profit branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to one source, "It seems [The Mormon Church] made a choice to put profits over principle," according to Buzzfeed.com.

In December, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg released a report detailing the illegal online gun trade. Buzzfeed.com's source worked on this project with Mayor Bloomberg. The report stated that KSL.com enables illegal gun purchases. KSL.com is owned and operated by the for-profit branch of The Mormon Church.

Bloomberg's investigation found, through the use of hidden cameras and private investigators, that 67 percent of the time, sellers on the classified section of KSL.com agreed to sell guns to someone who readily admitted he could not pass a background check. KSL.com was not the worst offender-Craiglist.com sellers agreed 82 percent of the time, Glocktalk.com sellers agreed 78 percent of the time, and Gunlistings.org sellers agreed 77 percent of the time. But then again, KSL.com is the only site owned by a religious organization.

The anonymous source tells Buzzfeed.com, "One would think that a church would feel a special obligation to make sure that they weren't fueling a black market for a particularly deadly form of commerce."

In its classified section KSL.com clearly states, "KSL encourages lawful, responsible and safe firearm transactions. Anyone who buys or sells firearms should become familiar with state and federal laws relating to firearm transactions."

However, contact information is available, which makes it possible for illegal deals to be made off the site. As Buzzfeed.com's source put it, "If you're going to [facilitate sales] for something deadly, you have an obligation to make sure it's done legally and appropriately."