I must admit that after the disaster in Newtown,
Connecticut, as a Christian I was at a loss as to what to think about “gun
control”.
For years, I have been listening to the arguments on both sides. I have a son-in-law that is adamant that everyone should be allowed to own a handgun for protection of his/her life and that of their family. I know that most American conservatives are GOP voters and thus most so far have supported the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, unconnected to service in the military, and to use that right for self-defense within one’s home, among other things. On the other hand, I am aware that most Christians believe that aside from one’s involvement in an act of war against an aggressor for his/her own country or on behalf of another other, one is not to kill.
When the amendment was adopted over 221 years ago, early American settlers viewed the right to arms as critical and needed for one or more of these purposes (not in order of deemed importance):
- deterring tyrannical government;
- repelling invasion;
- suppressing insurrection;
- facilitating a natural right of self-defense;
- participating in law enforcement;
- enabling the people to organize a militia system.
Do
any of these readily apply today? Only
two (repelling invasion – especially in one’s home -- and facilitating a
natural right of self-defense) come real close at the moment. Admittedly, the first one (deterring
tyrannical government) may indeed come into play before long the way things are
going and if so, the last one (enabling the people to organize a militia
system) will also be valid. The third
one (suppressing insurrection) is something that may be required if and when infiltrated
terrorist groups promoting intolerant Islamist Jihad start acting up more than
they do now, as America and Canada allows more Muslims with that intent to
enter the country. One only has to look
at what is happening in other countries where this is the case. For up to date daily examples, one needs to
check www.jihadwatch.org. Finally, that leaves the fifth one
(participating in law enforcement) and as the need for the third one arises, so
will the need for this one since more and more of our own police forces are
becoming reticent to respond effectively to those that take such actions
against those of us who may not support their Sharia law and other beliefs. In short, every one of the reasons that were
in the mind of early Americans when the Second Amendment was approved are alive
and well and living in America (and to a certain extent Canada) today.
So,
where does that leave us as Christians?
One question we may well ask is this:
What steps has the government taken to convince us that they are doing
all they can to:
- to govern us democratically and honestly
- to stop (home, state, country) invasions
- to suppress insurrection
- to facilitate our natural right of self-defense
- to allow us to assist in enforcing the law especially where the police is not doing their job, and
- to enable the people to organize a militia system where necessary?
I think the answer is obvious
– very little.
On December 16, 2012, the
news source, WND, asked the following question with respect to gun control in
light of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut two days earlier: What if only one teacher had a gun?
Implying an answer to its own
question – that is, that the gunman may well have been dead before many of his
twenty-seven victims lost their lives – it asked a follow-up question: Does
making schools “gun-free zones” really protect children, or make them easy
targets?
In
1999, after a similar event in Israel, the country dumped its strict gun laws
dating back to British rule over the area and opened the doors for concealed
carry permits. Teachers and kindergarten
nurses now started to carry guns.
Parents (and often grandpas) protected schools, guarding them in
voluntary shifts. No school group went on a hike or trip without armed guards. I was there since then and I actually
witnessed this on several occasions.
Word got around that this was the case and after a few attempts by the
PLO at the time failed, the attacks against schools ceased because of the risk
to themselves that was now involved. And
here’s the point, according to some: Terrorists
and other evildoers don’t like risks. We
seem to ignore that.
How
do we ensure, as we must, that our children are safe? As long as attackers have guns we must also arm
defenders. The argument that if you ban
guns, attackers won’t have them is, in my humble opinion, totally unrealistic
at best. Our success in achieving that
would be equivalent, as some have pointed out, to our success in eliminating
the use of pot, meth, and crack and its availability on the street. In a word, total failure.
Of
course, the liberals say it is the teachers’ jobs to teach, not carry arms to
protect their students. Well, aside from
the fact that thousands of teachers who strike regularly for their own greedy
purposes need to be told that from time to time, (no, not all – there are some
very dedicated and self-sacrificing teachers thank God, but more need to learn
how to stand up to their unions), I do not for a moment believe that some teachers
would not see the right to carry guns as a necessary evil not only to protect
their charges but also to protect themselves.
Six adult educators were killed in Newtown on this occasion. Let’s face it, schools have children, and
madmen or terrorists are attracted to places where they can do the most hideous
acts in order to get the greatest reaction and in so doing, will kill teachers
and principals too.
According
to WND, in 2008, the tiny school district in Harrold, Texas, made national news
when it approved a policy change permitting employees to carry concealed
firearms to deter and protect against school shootings. When a major newspaper checked with them
after the Newtown disaster four years later, the superintendent said there has
not been an incident on his campus since implementing the policy and he doesn’t
expect one.
There have been some other attempts in other school
districts in various states to introduce such a plan, but so far to little, or
no, avail. The liberals just do not see
the need, often arguing that children in Israel are more vulnerable to attack than
children in America. I have a question
for them: Where have you been? Or,
should that be “what drug are you on?”
But let us get back to the issue of the Christian in all of this. Are we not supposed to value life? Are we not supposed to have total faith in
God to protect our children and us?
Those are good questions, but they are not fairly asked by those of us
who so far sit comfortably in our homes watching the grieving parents of
Newtown. They and those that have
suffered like them can only ask these questions. And I believe God would have sufficient
answers for each one of them individually.
For me, the answer is clear.
Yes, I value life. But I ask
myself what I would do in the following fictional scenario:
- I am a Christian nurse, totally dependent on God in every aspect of my life
- ·By some strange circumstance, I find myself working with a doctor that is about to carry out an abortion at the request of a woman who does not want her life interfered with by the responsibilities of a child
- My country allows all of us to carry guns
- My country (by some miracle) also has outlawed all abortions.
I asked myself, "Would I kill the abortionist?" I was shocked that it did not take too long for me to answer. If I could not stop him/her in any other way,
I would. And the speed with which that
answer came to me, not to mention the answer itself, helped me understand why I
am on the side of the right to carry guns. Few of us will actually live in a situation like in my fictional scenario, but many of us will someday find ourselves in other situations where the need to take similar action will be necessary.
I believe there are times other than in war that God intends
to use others to stop a brutal killing of someone else – be it a fetus, a child,
or an older person. It is not a matter
of not being dependent on God, it is a matter of acting in the interests of God
to protect life and its sanctity – especially the life you are responsible for – be it in a
classroom, on your bus, or in your home.
Please note: This is not my preferred position. As a Christian, I would rather there be no guns at all needed, anywhere. I would rather live in a Civil Society. And I admit that in some respect the ability to carry guns makes everything seem more uncivil. But let us not allow the continuation of killings of innocent children because we search for, and do anything to get, this Edenic Civil Society we all long for. I wish that were not the case. Deep down I believe every Christian should be a total pacifist in a totally pacifist society. But that is not reality. I'd love to hear your comments preferably below.
Please note: This is not my preferred position. As a Christian, I would rather there be no guns at all needed, anywhere. I would rather live in a Civil Society. And I admit that in some respect the ability to carry guns makes everything seem more uncivil. But let us not allow the continuation of killings of innocent children because we search for, and do anything to get, this Edenic Civil Society we all long for. I wish that were not the case. Deep down I believe every Christian should be a total pacifist in a totally pacifist society. But that is not reality. I'd love to hear your comments preferably below.
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