Since the public consciousness has been reawakened by the shooting of children in an elementary school in Connecticut, a debate has ensued. I have stayed out of it. I have an opinion like everyone else, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. As a Pastor, I have not used the pulpit to address the issue. But I am glad that I am part of a church with leaders who are speaking to it. There was a rally in the state capitol in Harrisburg last week about gun violence and one of the Bishop's in our region (Claire Burket, Southeastern PA synod) was a speaker. I am glad she was there. Her faith compelled her to speak out against gun violence and in favor of increased government regulations to reduce it in PA.
Here's my two cents today. Gun violence is a problem in this country. I don't think there is one solution that will satisfy and eliminate it. I'm concerned about guns. But I am equally as concerned about violence. What causes it? How can we reduce/prevent it in civil society? The peoples' right to own firearms is protected in the Constitution. This freedom comes with a tremendous cost, as do all freedoms. One of the costs is the possibility that people will die a violent death at the hand of a lawful gun owner. We must count the costs as a nation. Thousands of people die by gun fire in the U.S. every year. When two dozen children are slaughtered in a first grade classroom in a small town, everyone pays attention. I am the father of a first grader. I wept for those families who lost children in the week before Christmas.
We hear from the NRA, the politicians, and gun owner/advocates about this issue. I think the people who have suffered from gun violence should have a collective voice in response. I'm not sure how the rules need to change, but they do. I'd leave that to wiser people than I. Here's the question we must ponder; Are we better off with more or less freedom? As a people bound by the laws of this land, are not individual freedoms limited by those laws for the common good? When the common good is threatened are we not compelled as a community to place greater limits on certain freedoms in order to secure other freedoms? At one time, opiates were legal for medicinal purposes in the U.S. Now they are banned substances. No one thinks that heroine should be legal. We know better. People will abuse it and die.
The majority of Americans are peaceful, non-violent citizens. Many of them are gun owners. What is our duty, then, to offer peaceful solutions to people with troubled lives? How can we, in the biblical sense, turn swords into plough shares? How can we give people constructive and productive ways to cope with their anger, fear, pain, grief, etc...? What "tools" can we put in their hands to replace the loaded gun with something that protects and promotes life instead of taking life? What is our responsibility to protect people from themselves?
Should the government limit gun access? Maybe. Will that address the culture of violence prevalent in American life? I don't think so. I think that a new Stallone movie titled "Bullet to the Head" is irresponsible. My children, ages 8 and under, are exposed to more violence than I was in college. And we are careful about what we let them see and hear. We have a gun problem. And we have a violence obsession problem.
I think the church can and should oppose gun violence and promote peace in our communities. And I think we can do so without providing political solutions to the debate on 2nd amendment freedom and gun control. As for me, I will pray for peace today and tomorrow. And I will endeavor to live a peaceful life. I believe, with God's help, I can do that.
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