Guns and Safer Subjects
Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying Words with Friends? It's a Facebook application, and Susie B. and Dorcas B. are faithfully playing the game my way. I'm pleased to say that I've broken my initial losing streak, but these two persistent players make me work hard for every game I win. I'm not sure if I win half the time or not. Dorcas is my sister and Susie is a co-teacher-housemate from the 1970s in Holmes County, OH. I love them both, for reasons other than their WWF playing expertise, but for that too.
*********************
My head is fairly exploding with too much gun violence information. (Sorry I went there. Not a good picture.) So far I've looked on as others have debated the matter on Facebook or in blogs or opinion pieces or on MennoDiscuss, and I've mostly limited myself to saying amen or muttering less agreeable things under my breath.
The main thing I knew about gun violence at the beginning of this study was that I was against it. Slowly a few other understandings are floating to the surface, but no clever, sure-shot ways of preventing gun violence, except for everyone to forget that there is such a thing as guns. I think I'm about 300 years too late with that idea, so I'm back to round one in this consideration. I do very much wish that everyone who needs a gun of any kind would quietly content themselves with a 22 and a nice all-around shotgun if need be, and a bow and arrow--for varmints and for hunting for food. After all, how much "killing machine" capability does anyone need? Not much, as I see it, which I'm sure immediately identifies me as one of the hopelessly clueless individuals referred to in a previous post.
I also wish that every tortured soul who needs help would find help before they lash out in violent responses to their own pain. Especially I wish for the light of Christ to shine in the dark places of our broken world and our sin-dirtied lives.
I'd like for Anabaptists to ponder the position of our 16th century Anabaptist forefathers, who were never the perpetrators of violence (except for those shameful Munsterites), although they suffered much violence at the hands of others. Neither did they take up arms in their own defense. Zwingli, on the other hand, who did not hesitate to use his authority against the Anabaptists, heroically ventured forth, sword in hand, in a battle against others from a neighboring canton, and died in the battle. So much for suffering love in evidence there.
I wish for everyone to exercise the utmost caution around firearms. Guns, after all, are killing machines--"born and bred" for that very purpose. Rocks and hammers and knives and cars can be lethal weapons too, of course, but none of them were made primarily--by God or by people--for killing. I don't like the idea of "sporting" with killing machines at all. There's that cluelessness again.
As for gun control legislation, I certainly don't foresee dire consequences of the reductio ad absurdum variety, if prudent legislation is enacted, but neither do I see great potential for significant improvement by legislative means. I definitely think that fewer guns would mean fewer accidents, fewer suicides, and fewer lethal attacks in the heat of the moment, but I'm afraid the gains might be small. I'm not sure, though, that we shouldn't try to do whatever is possible, even if we can't do things perfectly. If the life of one of my loved ones were taken by gun violence, I might feel even more strongly that everything that could be done to save a life should have been done.
You won't hear me championing any of the "mystiques" on parade in some of the anti-gun control "noise." They're not being brandished under that heading of course, but I see the Patriot, the Lone Ranger, and the Macho mystique all lifted high as a worthy standard. Those aren't my target identities and I'm embarrassed for others when those mystiques are obviously in their sights. I do see provision, protection, and self-sacrifice as manly characteristics, but those can all be cultivated entirely apart from guns, and I believe preoccupation with guns actually can be a detriment to developing those characteristics.
And now I think I'll turn my thoughts to safer and less controversial matters--like Words with Friends and a good night's rest.
*********************
My head is fairly exploding with too much gun violence information. (Sorry I went there. Not a good picture.) So far I've looked on as others have debated the matter on Facebook or in blogs or opinion pieces or on MennoDiscuss, and I've mostly limited myself to saying amen or muttering less agreeable things under my breath.
The main thing I knew about gun violence at the beginning of this study was that I was against it. Slowly a few other understandings are floating to the surface, but no clever, sure-shot ways of preventing gun violence, except for everyone to forget that there is such a thing as guns. I think I'm about 300 years too late with that idea, so I'm back to round one in this consideration. I do very much wish that everyone who needs a gun of any kind would quietly content themselves with a 22 and a nice all-around shotgun if need be, and a bow and arrow--for varmints and for hunting for food. After all, how much "killing machine" capability does anyone need? Not much, as I see it, which I'm sure immediately identifies me as one of the hopelessly clueless individuals referred to in a previous post.
I also wish that every tortured soul who needs help would find help before they lash out in violent responses to their own pain. Especially I wish for the light of Christ to shine in the dark places of our broken world and our sin-dirtied lives.
I'd like for Anabaptists to ponder the position of our 16th century Anabaptist forefathers, who were never the perpetrators of violence (except for those shameful Munsterites), although they suffered much violence at the hands of others. Neither did they take up arms in their own defense. Zwingli, on the other hand, who did not hesitate to use his authority against the Anabaptists, heroically ventured forth, sword in hand, in a battle against others from a neighboring canton, and died in the battle. So much for suffering love in evidence there.
I wish for everyone to exercise the utmost caution around firearms. Guns, after all, are killing machines--"born and bred" for that very purpose. Rocks and hammers and knives and cars can be lethal weapons too, of course, but none of them were made primarily--by God or by people--for killing. I don't like the idea of "sporting" with killing machines at all. There's that cluelessness again.
As for gun control legislation, I certainly don't foresee dire consequences of the reductio ad absurdum variety, if prudent legislation is enacted, but neither do I see great potential for significant improvement by legislative means. I definitely think that fewer guns would mean fewer accidents, fewer suicides, and fewer lethal attacks in the heat of the moment, but I'm afraid the gains might be small. I'm not sure, though, that we shouldn't try to do whatever is possible, even if we can't do things perfectly. If the life of one of my loved ones were taken by gun violence, I might feel even more strongly that everything that could be done to save a life should have been done.
You won't hear me championing any of the "mystiques" on parade in some of the anti-gun control "noise." They're not being brandished under that heading of course, but I see the Patriot, the Lone Ranger, and the Macho mystique all lifted high as a worthy standard. Those aren't my target identities and I'm embarrassed for others when those mystiques are obviously in their sights. I do see provision, protection, and self-sacrifice as manly characteristics, but those can all be cultivated entirely apart from guns, and I believe preoccupation with guns actually can be a detriment to developing those characteristics.
And now I think I'll turn my thoughts to safer and less controversial matters--like Words with Friends and a good night's rest.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home