In wake of another horrific massacre, this one in Carthage, North Carolina at a nursing home, I want to ask for some consistency regarding gun control.
Norman Jameson, the editor of the North Carolina Baptist Newspaper, The Biblical Recorder, took heat when he suggested that lawmakers who allowed Arkansas church-goers should receive the Darwin Award (for stupidity). Those who objected to Jameson's article suggested that civilian hand-gun possession actually deterred millions of crimes in comparison to 30,000 who were killed accidentally by hand-guns in one year. Therefore, gun control is not something that we should pursue.
Consider the "Liquor by the Drink" referendum in Taylorsville last summer. Of course I am thankful that alcohol is not readily available in the county. Having come from Birmingham and seeing the numerous amounts of damage done by alcohol, I am thankful to live in a county that limits sales and consumption of alcohol. I guess that since I don't drink, I don't feel deprived of anything significant either.
However, the logic of the opposition to the referendum argued that limiting alcohol availability might save lives. It was worth opposing, even if establishments able to serve alcohol could bring needed revenue to the county, if one life was saved.
Yet, the outrage over availability of fire arms is noticeably missing. What about: "If it could save one life, then it would be worth it?"
Today, I just talked to a family whose daughter was shot through the head as she was riding in a car on the interstate. This happened five years ago. After surgeries and years of rehab, she is doing better, but not fully recovered. The shooter was an unsupervised teenager who got a hold of a gun. How did he get a gun? How are so many available that people acquire them illegally? What about legal possession? What are the limits?
What if this Robert Stewart was unable to get his hand on the several firearms he carried into the Carthage nursing home? Or what if the man who shot Fred Winters, the pastor of FBC, Maryville, IL, had been screened prior to sales? What if we worked so hard to save just one life? What if we, like Jesus, laid down our rights to take up our responsibilities to our brothers and sisters?
What if we were consistent in the application of our moral logic?
4 comments:
And another shooting today in an immigration office...
Unfortunately too many Baptists hate liquor and love guns. At least they don't love both in combination! But to ask for guns to be treated with the same deference as alcohol will be a stretch to many. After all, ugns are a God-given right (and the Constitution, our Conservative Bible, says so).
That said, I agree with you.
Yeah, I think that something is going to have to give...too many are getting a hold of guns that have no business doing so.
Very off topic, but I thought that this might be of interest to you.
http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/dont-weep-for-the-demise-of-american-christianity/
Chris,
Thanks! I had read Boyd's Across the Spectrum but did not know much else. Looks great...thanks for the recommendation. Have a blessed Holy Week!
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