Into the Cross Hairs
Essays, Social Justice — By Jeff Fulmer on August 28, 2012 at 4:48 pm
High profile shootings occur every year or so; Gabby Giffords, Treyvon Martin, Virginia Tech, and Columbine come to mind. The latest chapter was played out in Aurora, Colorado where a disturbed young man took his automatic rifle with a 100 round drum of bullets out on as many people as he could put in his cross hairs. Of course, other countries have mass shootings too (Norway and Finland), but they typically enact tough gun laws in the wake of their tragedies. Not in the US.
The NRA and their supporters have been very effective in shouting down any movement toward common sense gun control. The United States leads the world in gun ownership and, as a result, we have twenty times more gun-related murders (10,000 annually) as other high income countries. Afraid of a backlash, preachers and politicians typically sidestep the topic completely, leaving us doomed to repeat the same cycle of violence over and over again.
While the 2nd Amendment gives every citizen the right to bear arms, it was written when homesteaders were at the mercy of outlaws and Indians. It was back when neighbors formed posses and militias, and many hunted for food. Now, virtually every community has a police force that is a 911 call away, not to mention grocery stores. We also have the most powerful military the world has ever known, so we are probably not in danger of being invaded by a foreign country any time soon.
The 2nd Amendment is also there to make a stand against our own government, should it become too oppressive. Extreme gun enthusiasts are quick to find fault in public policies or certain politicians as an excuse to feed their dark fantasies and stockpile weapons. Civilization would have to become seriously derailed for guns to play a part in a survival scenario. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who had rather prepare for the Apocalypse than work for a better world in the here and now.
I know many pro-gun proponents who are strong Christians, but it is difficult to find support for their beliefs in the Bible. Sure, there are plenty of bloody battles in the Old Testament, but that does not mean that violence was ever God’s first choice. God condemned the killing of Abel and, a couple of chapters later, we are told God decided to destroy the entire earth with a flood because, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence.” (Genesis 6:11) Even though King David was a man after God’s heart, he wasn’t allowed to build the temple because “you have been a man of war and have shed blood.” I Chronicles 28: 3
Jesus presents a radically different approach to conflict resolution, whether he was blessing peacemakers, or telling his followers to turn the other cheek and love their enemies. When the authorities arrested Jesus, Peter drew a sword and cut off a soldier’s ear. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26: 52) Jesus challenges us to go beyond taking an eye for an eye, and examine how we view others, even those who would do us harm.
It is instinctual to want to protect our families, but more guns actually make society more dangerous. Instead of finding compromise with reasonable restrictions (limiting high capacity clips and automatic weapons), some are trying to push guns into our parks, bars, and even our schools. Besides the number of shootings (accidental and otherwise) that will inevitably rise, we are becoming a nation that accepts violence as a way of life. As a result, we are moving further away from the example Jesus set on the cross and closer into the cross hairs.
Jeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book Hometown Prophet. If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say? You can also follow at Twitter or like on Facebook.
Tags: conflict resolution, gun control, gun violence, the Bible and violence
5 Comments
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There are a couple noteworthy things. But before I start in the interest of full disclosure I will say I am a gun owning believer. Yet one who feels we should not be permitted to have automatic weapons and also one who believes we spend way too much money on military.
I get the feeling that you write with the belief that gun owners plan on using their guns.
It is my experience that most gun owners take the same approach to having to use their weapon as they do their life insurance policy. They really hope they never have to pull the trigger.
Was your mention of our gun related deaths being 20 times that of other countries a per capita stat or a gun death to gun death stat?
I just get the idea you are taking a few nut jobs and their whacko idea and applying your point to the broader group of level headed Americans who choose personal protection.
Jesus took the sword from Peter because he instigated violence. A challenging question would be what would Jesus response be had the guard tried to kill Peter and he defensed himself? It may be dangerous to answer as to what his response would be but intriguing none the less.
Your overall point f the story is valid, let’s not stockpile weapons for an apocalypse or a political uprising God forbid. Let’s focus our energy and resources on love and applying it to those in most need of it. I’m on bored with that. But I’m not seeing the correlation with that and gun ownership I think you strayed from the point your title insinuates.
Peace and Love
Oh btw the GOP party doesn’t speak for me either lol and I will be checking out your book. Politicians have lost sight of what our governments responsibility to the people is. And we can only hope that the citizens votes will start to reflect that. With a candidate like Romney i fear for our country.
“While the 2nd Amendment gives every citizen the right to bear arms, it was written when homesteaders were at the mercy of outlaws and Indians.”
This seems to be equating Native Americans with outlaws. I think history clearly shows that, for the most part, it was the Native Americans who were at the mercy of the new settlers, who moved in on their land.
I suspect that this is why—perhaps more so than preparing for the Apocalypse—people own guns. It’s an us vs. them mentality. “It was back when neighbors formed posses and militias…” This is still happening, except it’s called gangs and neighborhood watch.
The high-profile shootings are indeed tragic and terrifying, but I don’t think they are responsible for the majority of the quoted 10,000 annual gun-related murders. Therefore, even though I agree there is a danger in quick-and-easy access to automatic guns that can kill many people at a time, I’m not so sure those are our biggest problem. Violence and murder can occur without guns, as well, and even with all the guns people have, there are still many news reports of stabbings, drownings, beatings, poisonings, etc.
I agree we need to look closer at gun policy, but I think there’s a much bigger issue here than people trying to protect themselves from outlaws, home invasions, invading countries, and the Apocalypse. I think we need to address these social issues of pride, anger, egotism, fear and hatred of the Other (whomever that may be), greed, etc.
Jeffrey, I believe that the 20 X is a per capita number. The only places it’s higher is in poorer, war-torn countries, such as in Africa. A recent study at Harvard found that the states with the top 25% of household firearm ownership had a homicide rate that was 60% higher than the rest of the nation. Compared with the states in the bottom 25% of gun ownership, the top 25% had 114% greater firearm related homicides. All that to say, the notion that we would be safer if more people were packing is absolutely false. State by state, nation by nation, statistical speaking, more guns = more death.
You’re question about what would Jesus have said if they wanted to kill Peter…? Well, they were there to kill Jesus – and Jesus didn’t fight back.
Stephanie, we may be arming ourselves as neighborhood watches and gangs, but that doesn’t make it right. We also have a police force now – and we really didn’t have much of one (especially outside of cities) back when the Constitution was written.
The mass shootings comprise a tiny percentage of gun-related deaths, but gun violence is a problem. Unlike other weapons, you can literally kill or maim someone with the twitch of finger. Of course, our nation’s love affair with guns is symptomatic of a bigger problem of a violent society. Many find their safety and redemption behind the barrel of a gun. People have that right; I just think it takes us further where Christ is calling us.