Easter

Dying He destroyed our death
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16

Rising He restored our life
"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
John 11:25

Identity Crisis

The Sandy Hook School Shooting: The tragedy and the lesson. Part 1 of 4

 

I was born and raised in a small town in Northern California in a home with conservative views which I adopted as I grew up. After leaving home those views were combined with more liberal ideas and experiences that helped me make sense of a complicated world around me. My early Christian faith included an evangelical perspective and it too has experienced change, because although I grew up Protestant I am strongly Catholic today. As a result, I’ll admit my faith tends to be a bit conservative and my politics tend to be a bit liberal; and they both tend to meet in the middle.

 

I don’t appreciate the rant against all liberals as “gun grabbers” because although I identify myself as a liberal I am a gun rights advocate in agreement with the rant that makes me uncomfortable. In fact, until recently I didn’t even realize there was a divide between gun owners.

 

You’ll be glad to know that my identity crisis hasn’t prompted me to re-evaluate my interest in firearms, or my support of the 2nd Amendment, or my concern for the future of our country, even though some of my family thinks I’m slipping over the edge.

 

I’ll admit that plenty of liberals are trying to take advantage of recent events and they do fit the gun grabber label closely, but there are lots of other liberals (like me) who own and appreciate firearms, and I think it’s time for me (and for them) to stand up in defense of the Second Amendment.

I believe that credible people (should) suspend judgment when considering another person’s perspective. This doesn’t mean they don’t have passion and strong beliefs; but everyone should be open to other opinions, even if they are quite different. We don’t see this much today, it’s rarely seen in government and so far it’s been absent in the gun debates.

Stand Up

It's time for me to stand up!

A Dark Path

I would like to begin by confessing that I’m a Liberal and a Catholic, and I’m also a gun owner which makes me something of an enigma or at best a public contradiction, because despite my politics and religion I strongly support the Second Amendment. While struggling with my personal identity crisis I’ve been writing down how I feel about the argument currently raging across our nation.

 

I should also confess that the name for this blog came from someone else’s article, which inspired me. I found myself wanting to reach those who are focusing on the tool instead of the underlying problems to help them understand why I think they are fighting the wrong battle. I hope the posts in this blog will promote a more reasoned and less emotional understanding of gun ownership and use.
 

I started out trying to understand what gun control advocates understood about gun violence. I pulled information from statistics and reports as well as input from family and friends on both sides of the issue, but most of what I’ve written are my own thoughts and beliefs. I was also concerned that the saying, “United we stand, Divided we fall” applied to gun rights activists regardless of political affiliation. If we don't unite and work together I'm convinced that our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms will be permanently infringed.

 

I now realize that there is a much bigger problem: Modern “rights” theory is redefining our personal and collective rights as rooted not in human nature but in the human will, which in turn is manifested in a system of law. In other words, natural law is being ignored and our personal rights are assumed to be dependent on existing law. As a result, if a person proposes some form of truth that society does not accept and also proposes that we can know this truth, such as a belief in God or the basic rights of individuals (including the unborn), then that person is labeled as a trouble maker.

 

In our government's actions we are being told that thinking for ourselves means we are acting against the best interests of society. This is especially true regarding the Second Amendment which even includes the phrase "shall not be infringed". I recognize that the common will of the people can be guided by personal gain or misinformation, but too often it is simply usurped by political and corporate power. As a result of misdirection and misinformation by the media, dialogue and affirmation by the people will not keep political evil at bay, nor will a misguided attempt to maintain a free and open society protect us.

 

Protecting our Second Amendment rights in particular and the Bill of Rights in general have become absolutely necessary if we are to protect any of our other rights. Unfortunately, taking a Patriotic stand today is defined as not acting in the best interests of society, and not accepting the rules created for the "common good' has become an act of terrorism. This country is headed down a dark path, and I hope that this blog is not the record of its fall.

Loss of the Innocent

If we as a nation are so concerned about the safety of our children,

shouldn't we focus on the biggest problems first?
 

 

Newtown Tragedy

I stand with the millions of people around the world in remembering the horrific shooting in the Newton Connecticut school one month ago today. I am saddened by the tragic loss of life, and by the struggle of those who survived. It was a terrible event, but I am also saddened by this nation's reaction to that event.

 

In the short time since the shooting almost everyone is making the same mistake, focusing their anger on the tool instead of the problem. When a deranged bomber kills people we blame the bomber, when a drunk driver kills people we blame the driver, but when a disturbed shooter kills people we blame the gun. Some go so far as to insist that a world with exactly zero guns in it would be a safer place, even though that’s never going to happen, and although it seems intuitive I seriously doubt that it’s true.

 

Steven Pinkers and Chris Uggen have writtent that, "A narrow focus on stopping mass shootings is less likely to produce beneficial changes than a broader-based effort to reduce homicide and other violence. These rare and terrible crimes are like rare and terrible diseases, and a strategy to address them is best considered within the context of more common and deadlier threats to population health.”

 

Focusing on guns is not the answer; they’re just a tool, they are not the problem.