On the heels of every active-shooter tragedy comes the tidal wave of emotion fueled Facebook statuses, blog posts and media interviews. Rarely seen is an opinion that isn’t either “Let’s beat guns into plowshares!” or “Oh my god! We need more guns!” It is very easy to swing to an extreme when we’re trying to sort through our feelings. I don’t think either of these extremes answers the problem of gun violence adequately, it is much more complex than these responses acknowledge. Sometimes here on my Transparency Campaign blog you will just read my opinion of things, this go around I’m hoping to be more holistic in my approach - but it is still ultimately just my opinion. And as we said in the military, “Opinions are like a-holes, everyone’s got one.”
My home is 10 minutes from where the 2007 New Life Church shooting took place and 45 minutes from where the Aurora Theater mass shooting happened just a few months ago. Also a friend was shot and killed by a homeowner when my friend thought he was locked out and began to break into the wrong house. In the light of these tragedies, my profession, my faith and the most recent school massacre in Newtown – I cannot help but think about guns/self-defense/gun control/gun violence.
Damned Lies and Statistics
The amount of misinformation and outright lies I’ve seen since the Newtown shooting has been ridiculous. Let’s look at some reliable statistics:
In 2010 the homicide rate was 4.8 per 100,000 people.
From 1980 through 2008 handguns were the primary cause of homicide, followed by “other guns”.
From 1980 through 2008 you’re more likely to be killed by someone you know (78.1%) than by a stranger (21.9%)
From 1980 through 2008, “Over two-thirds of victims murdered by a spouse or ex-spouse were killed by guns.”
Gun ownership: United States 90 guns per 100 people, Sweden 32 guns per 100 people, Japan essentially 0 guns per 100 people.
Overall homicide rates: United States 4.8 per 100,000, Sweden 1.0 per 100,000, Japan 0.3 per 100,000
Slogans Versus Reality
I’m sick of hearing people say, “An armed society is a polite society.” Of developed countries America has the most guns per capita, so I counter… How’s that working out for us? This idea that if (even) more people were armed that people would be polite, peaceable, etc. is ridiculous; and the statistics prove otherwise. As seen above Japan has a very minimal homicide rate and gun ownership is virtually non-existent. There is something barbaric in the idea that immediate retribution changes peoples’ intentions or heart.
Have you ever been to an animal shelter, and met a dog that has been abused? They have the weapons (teeth and claws) to defend themselves yet they’re still timid. Why is this? How can they be scared or even feel threatened? Just because they’re armed their environment may not have changed, or the threat from those who would abuse or harm them is still seems real. We too can be (and are) armed to the teeth, and our anxiety could still remain. Having the tools to defeat a shooter doesn’t end the culture that creates the shooters.
I’m not a fan of President Obama, but when he says that gun violence is a complex issue I wholeheartedly agree. These domestic active-shooters seem to have one thing in common beyond the typical media driven label of “nut job”. As seen in a parting manifesto or the testimony of others, these people have been bullied, ridiculed, left out, forgotten, or unloved. I’m not trying to make excuses for their heinous acts, because the things they have done are evil, an evil that we cannot whitewash. Are any of those things we can combat? Sure!
Our neighbors and sometimes even roommates are often strangers to us. I’m culpable in this, I’ve lived in my home for 6 years and I basically know none of my neighbors. Our communities are lacking community, well at least until a tragedy happens. We’re so self-absorbed that no one notices when we sell everything under the ruse that we’re “moving to Hawaii”. We’re so “busy” that we don’t walk through tough times with others. We’re so shallow that we feel connected to others by “friending” them. And we’ve been “burned” too many times to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I think that it is beyond wise to be mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally prepared for what could happen in the course of our day. But we shouldn’t be so paranoid that we push people away. I believe that our culture of selfishness has stunted our own growth and our ability to love well. We feel that someone might take advantage of us, or want more than we’re willing to give. In the long run we shut down and shut others out. No matter how “connected” we are via Social Media, research has shown that we’re feeling more alone than ever. We have this world of lonely people, who no one notices when they fall off the wagon, start buying guns and dream of finally being noticed because of their moment of violence.
Over a decade ago I went through a very “dark” time after an engagement broke off. During this time my closest friends felt like strangers to me. Most of them didn’t reach out to me but let me have my space. In the midst of this I actually bought a handgun with the intention to kill myself. A “friend” even went gun shopping with me. I thank God often that I’m still alive today and have been able to share my story with hundreds of high school students. Thinking back on that time, the scary thing is that even with a good circle of friends I was unstable and armed myself. We can no longer sit idly by when friends are going through a rough time. Who knows what great evil we’re capable of when our heads aren’t right? We need to be or become the friends, family and neighbors that love unconditionally and can be counted on no matter what. That’s what our world needs.
Action item: Get to know your neighbors - host a cookout, take a moment to talk to someone when you go grab the mail, strike up a conversation when you and your neighbor pull into your respective driveways at the same time.
Our nation was created through great violence and during the civil war brothers killed each other to preserve the union; through all this I believe that we’ve developed a culture that thinks it is more respectable to fight than talk. Our heroes are the ones with the brawn and muscle and overcame violent situations with greater violence. Our make-believe heroes like Batman and The X-Men use violence to overcome evil. And we have bloody almost gladiator like MMA matches right in our own towns. Our children and many adults play video games that glorify violence, scoring points for killing others - scoring greater points for headshots.
I think that we’ve all known bullies growing up. This new generation doesn’t punctuate their actions with a shout of “O’Doyle rules!” They punctuate the last moments of their lives with bloodshed and bullets. They go out knowing their name will be known worldwide. What if our media had a blackout of these domestic acts of terrorism? When Israeli media outlets stopped reporting on car and suicide bombings, the incidents dropped off very dramatically. Just a thought.
Action items: Encourage your youth pastor to ban violent videogames at church and youth group events. Learn about people who lived non-violent lives.
Double Agents
I’m going to keep this point short because I get infuriated, even downright pissed when this comes up… There are those who believe that firearms are needed to protect them from a tyrannical government that uses the military and law enforcement as their “Jack-booted” henchmen. As someone who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution not once but four times, this idea is beyond insulting. It is crazy to believe that those who have served honorably year after year, protecting your Constitutional rights are just waiting to throw that honor aside to enslave Americans.
Secondly, how is an AR15 going to even stand a chance against armored vehicles, drones and air to ground missiles? So possessing semi-automatic weapons to resist tyranny is weak logic, well, unless you’ve watched Red Dawn one too many times. This paragraph calls into question what “arms” the Framers of the Constitution wished us to have. Maybe the pro-2nd Amendment folks have set their sights too low. (A whole new discussion)
Action item: Go on a ride along with your local law enforcement agency - get to know those men and women who are willing to die for complete strangers, day in and day out.
Clinging to Guns and Religion
Maybe President Obama was right when he alleged that a segment of our society is “clinging to guns and religion”. In Conservative Christian circles the gun ownership debate might be even hotter than anywhere else. The entire debate is difficult for me to wade through, and then when you add faith/religion to the mix I feel the most torn. I am a man who lives with the striving to know and live the truth. Tackling the religious implications of this debate brings out the most ardent feelings in people. What I’ve found most helpful when wrestling with a tough concept, is asking questions and trying to wisely answer those questions. Here are some questions and quotes that are helping me process.
· “Laws enforced by the sword control behavior but cannot change hearts, no matter how sharp the sword is. The redemption of the cross does what laws and bullets and bombs can never do - bring transformation of evildoers and enemies.” – Pastor Greg Boyd
· Who was Jesus, what was he about, how did he live and am I willing to live in the same way?
· “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” – Jesus (Luke 6:27)
· How is “love your enemy” lived out?
· "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” – Tertullian
· Am I willing to lay down my life to let an “enemy” know the love of Christ?
· “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” – Jesus (Matt. 26:52)
· “Violence will not rid the world of violence. You do not use swords to get rid of swords or guns to get rid of guns. There is another way.” – Shane Claiborne
· Can I resist evil without resorting to violence?
· “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Jesus (Matt. 5:9)
· The biggest question of all: Are Christ's teachings compatible or in line with my beliefs/career/actions?
Action items: Tune out all the media influences and study for yourself topics that interest you or that you care strongly about. Invite people over for dinner/drinks and have a polite discussion (and by "people" I don't just mean people who you agree with).
Where I'm now
Even after essentially years of thinking though and talking about this topic I can't say that I'm pro-any-position. I do see the validity of multiple arguments. I see the benefit of Constitutional provisions/protections. And I definitely can understand citizens wanting safer communities.
Through all of this searching I find myself resonating with both camps. Believe me... I pray that I have the strength to follow the Lord on whatever path He lays out for me, regardless of how it impacts my career or relationships.
References/other articles:
(DOJ stats tend to be a little dated as they’re always compiling data)
