Matthew 26:50-52 (NIV)
Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
Over the last few weeks since the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students along with two teachers, some in the U.S. Congress have been debating possible gun safety legislation. Now before I go any further in sharing my thoughts, I want all of you readers to know that I am not a “gun hater.” I grew up on a farm, and I own a shotgun that was given to me by my father, which I have used to shoot predators such as skunks, along with pheasants and grouse, etc.
Having said that, I would like to address the issue of what some are calling “gundamentalism” within our country. This is a movement of people who (inspired by the NRA) radically and rabidly refuse to consider any common sense measures which would curb at least some of the gun violence within our nation. They attempt to flip the script and talk about the mental health of those who commit gun violence, rather than talking about the guns that make their level of violence possible. So, for those who desire to hold up the Second Amendment as a sacrosanct, divinely inspired right, I have a few points to make.
First of all, there is no right which we enjoy in this country that is absolute. The First Amendment gives us the right to free speech; but we all know this right is limited. You can’t go into a theater and yell fire, and you can’t threaten or slander your neighbor without being brought up on charges. Just like the First Amendment has limitations that protect others; the Second Amendment should as well.
Secondly, the fact that the Second Amendment is actually an “amendment” means that the Constitution wasn’t a perfect document from the beginning. The framers of our nation left some things out, and had to reevaluate some other items. And for those of you who think an amendment should never be repealed or “amended,” do you happen to remember the 18th amendment? Oh yeah, that’s the one that prohibited the sale of alcohol. I’m guessing many strict “Constitutionalists” have no problem with that one being reversed.
Thirdly, what the Second amendment actually afforded was the right to bear “muskets!” The authors of the Constitution couldn’t have imagined the weapons of mass violence that exist today, any more than they could have imagined a man on the moon. So American civilians have no more of a right to “bear” a military assault rifle than they do to “bear” a shoulder fired missile or a nuclear bomb.
Finally, for those like Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert who want to turn Jesus into some kind of Rambo figure in a vile, disgusting and appalling way; this truth needs to be told.
When Jesus had the choice to “kill or be killed,” he allowed himself to be killed. I know this scripture doesn’t fit the “self defense above all else” narrative, but that is what the Bible says actually happened.
So when it comes to a choice between allowing civilians to possess military assault weapons, just so some redneck can shoot prairie dogs with it, versus protecting our children from the gruesome horror they produce – the choice is clear to me. I have a gun; but I love kids more than I do guns. Full stop.
