Around 10:30 am, Sunday, December 29, 2019, in the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, TX, a gunman opened fire (during the service). Two persons were fatally shot by the gunman before the gunman was shot and killed by an armed church member.
Those darn guns! What are we gonna do with them?
A few short years ago, I had my gun with me during session in the Missouri House of Representatives. I told my gun prior to session to shoot the first person to walk by my desk… it disobeyed.
During that day’s session, we were debating a gun bill. I stood from my seat, was recognized, and proceeded to tell the House members what I had previously instructed my gun to do. The funny, but sad, addition to that story is that a fellow representative approached me after my speech and asked, “Did you really tell your gun to shoot somebody?”
Some people apparently really think that guns can “act” on their own. The fact is, though, guns are inanimate objects (they are not alive and therefore cannot think or act as humans do).
Still, some want us to believe that guns are the “bad guys.” If only we would rid ourselves of handguns and long guns, there’d be no more violence or deaths related to them.
Okay, let’s continue that logic for a bit. Since guns kill, how about automobiles. In 2018, more than 36,000 deaths were associated with automobiles. Should we ban automobiles? In 2014, the FBI reported that people would be more apt to die as a result of being beaten than from a firearm. Should we require that everyone wear padding on hands, arms, legs, and feet to avert death by beating? And, it seems that accidents cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. But, how will we stop those deaths?
I won’t attempt to answer the last question, however, I will take a stab at what is the answer to “gun” violence. I cannot leave that statement as is: “gun” violence? Guns are not violent!
People are the problem. The problem is an internal one. It’s a problem of the mind. An old book of Wisdom I read regularly would refer to the problem as one of the heart (which, being interpreted, is the mind). Until people make decisions which will have an impact on how they think and act, violence and troubled people will continue to be with us.
So, since the root of the problem is people, it is extremely important that it remain legal for innocent, law abiding people be afforded the opportunity to protect themselves. We simply cannot rely on law enforcement to be there in our time of need.
Consider the Freeway Church of Christ. Had those in attendance been required to wait on law enforcement to arrive, their lives would likely have been dependent upon the number of rounds the shooter possessed. Fortunately, for those present at the time of the shooting, there were at least a half-dozen prepared individuals who were trained and ready to act at a moments notice. We must never, ever, allow politicians, bureaucrats and/or academics to orchestrate the taking of our ability to protect ourselves and our families from those who wish to do us harm.
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