Too Much Talk of Guns

The gun violence current events project at school is now history.  I've had a lot of time to study the matter from a variety of angles, and find that the news is still alive with the subject.  Much of the rhetoric, of course, revolves around gun control legislation, pro or con.  I've read dozens, perhaps hundreds, of articles, Facebook posts, and news items on the subject.  With the students all having been left free to form their own opinions, mine has developed mostly in silence.

Other than what I've already written here, I've mostly kept my emerging impressions to myself, sticking to pointing out the writing of others whose positions make sense to me.  Even without revealing my impressions of those written pieces, that has sometimes resulted in spirited defense from those who hold a different position.  I'm thankful to say that those among my friends and family who have spoken out on this subject have not attacked me uncharitably, although some of them disagreed heartily with what was presented.

Allow me to make an observation here--hold on to your hat--Most of the people I know personally who are adamantly against any kind of gun control are also people who I believe would proudly wear one or more of the labels "Redneck," "Patriot," or "Politically Conservative."  I'm not sure that the labels or the identities are a problem, but I believe being proudly so is a problem.  I see it as an indicator of a need for greater humility and openness to truth wherever it's found.

On the matter of gun control, I now believe that the truth is found on the side of limiting the proliferation of guns in society in some manner.  I base this on the following:

--Guns are killing machines, and I think most people need  only minimal killing capability at their disposal.

--I do not see placing some limits on firepower as a slippery slope toward anarchy.  I believe the constitutional provision for the right to bear arms, in intention and application, was worlds away from the situation gun rights advocates are promoting as reality today.

--I believe the gun rights position is far more driven by influence from gun manufacturers than most people realize.

--I don't see resorting to the use of force to defend life or property as a Christian response;  it's certainly not consistent with an  Anabaptist perspective.

--The evidence from other countries that have adopted various levels of firearms control appears to me to be convincing on the side of some gun control being wise.

--Having fewer guns around would limit the destructive options available to people who don't know how to handle guns safely, people who are caught up in the heat of passion or anger, people who are suicidal, people whose minds have been twisted with violent video games or movies, people whose compassionate impulses have been systematically stifled in military training or combat, people with no moral compass, and people who are mentally ill or carry deep pain or hatred toward others.   Each of the people in these groups are needy in some way, but "gun deficiency" will not exacerbate that neediness and gun access will not relieve it.  The "deficiency," however, is a lot more likely to preserve life than the access will.

--Some of my gun control impulses are based on deeply emotional matters.  A recent gun violence event in our extended family* reinforced for me the potential for gun violence to occur, even when there is no intention to harm.  Also, before I knew her, my sister-in-law, Rhoda, suffered the loss of a brother in a gun accident.  (or was it a boyfriend?  One died in a car accident and another in a hunting accident, within a short span of time.)  Her boys' friend and age mate died from a gunshot wound several years ago.  A former Pilgrim student committed suicide with a gun.  People close to me have struggled with suicidal thoughts.  How could I feel good about promoting gun rights, when, for people I love, guns have caused all this suffering?

You already know I will not be campaigning for gun rights.  I will not be campaigning either for gun control.  If ever there was an issue where some ambivalence on political matters is justified, I think it's this one.  While, for the reasons above, I see some clear benefits for gun control, I have limited confidence that what is being proposed now, and certainly what has any chance of becoming law, will have significant benefit, because it will likely address only what can be sold, not what is already in private hands.  In the meantime, talk of gun control has certainly been a boon to gun manufacturers, even though there was a significant sell-off of stock in those businesses immediately after the events in Newtown.  Nevertheless, if some legislation is enacted, I will consider it a step in the right direction (although some will only see it as a step in the left direction.)

I'm posting links to two columns that made sense to me.  They appeared in our local newspaper.  Neither of these columnists are regulars for The Hutchinson News, and I don't know much about them or their positions on other matters.  I recommend you read this and this. In case these sites are inaccessible, I'm also posting the title and writer, so you can find the columns elsewhere.  (If you're a gun rights advocate, you might like Mark Rogers' website even better than I did.  He established Christiangunowners.com, as I learned just now in tracking down the link to his column referenced here.)

Will we, the people, back gun restrictions?

By E.J. Dionne Jr. 

Drawing the line on gun control

By Mark Rogers 




*Between the time I had begun to work on the current events study and the time the students actually got the assignment, our daughter-in-law's family suffered a gun tragedy.  On the day after Christmas, her cousin, a promising young man from a Christian family, accidentally shot and killed a girl he was on a date with.  He had taken out a gun he was carrying to show it to someone.  All sorts of associated circumstances contributed to this tragic outcome.  He was incarcerated almost immediately and is being prosecuted.  It doesn't take much imagination to see that not having had ready access to a gun is the single factor that would most likely have guaranteed a very different end to a party among friends.