Tag Archives: Gun control

by | June 3, 2022 · 8:27 am

Let’s Discuss Why Biden and the Democrats are Wrong on Gun Control (Yeah, I’m going there)

This morning I am sitting down at a table with my laptop and Bible. I have a Bible study in James to conduct in a little over an hour from now.

But at this moment I feel the need and the desire to explain why the Biden administration, along with the Democrat Party, is wrong in their attempts to enact “common sense gun control.” In the recent weeks there have been over 30 people die in “mass” shootings and the tragedy of that is beyond description, yet the answer to the problem is NOT taking away the freedom to own firearms from law-abiding Americans.

In a recent statement, President Biden made an impassioned appeal to do something sweeping and unprecedented.

“As a nation, we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name, will we do what we know in our gut what needs to be done? … We have to act. Don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on this carnage…” 

Joe Biden

However, what is truly in our gut? How has the “gun lobby” affected the rise in cold-blooded murder? What should we REALLY be doing in “God’s name”? Let me tell you.

The thing that’s in the gut of Americans is the nauseating, stomach churning truth that what’s been going on in our country is not the fault of guns or lobbyists – it’s much deeper than that. The true problem, along with the solution, is one the Biden administration and the liberal left refuses to acknowledge for fear the implications will ultimately undermine their agenda.

I know it’s a long passage to post, but you really need to see it all. It’s just 10 verses, but it’s totally applicable to this discussion.

[1] What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? [2] You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong–you want only what will give you pleasure. [4] You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. [5] What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? [6] But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” [7] So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. [9] Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:1-10 NLT

It would seem to me that if we were serious about acting in God’s name, we should consult His revealed Word.

You see, God never said anything about guns, did He? He never said weapons of any kind were evil and killed people. No, what He actually said was that people and nations who forget Him will turn to violent means to get what they want.

That’s where we are, today.

What has changed in the religious fabric of our nation since we “boomers” were children? To what levels of depravity has our culture reached in its attempt to obliterate self-control and free itself from accountability? Is it not ironic to see the progression of gun violence mirror the departure from moral absolutes and our identity as a Christian nation?

Think about what has changed in less than 50 years…

  • Where have the gun racks in the back of pick-up trucks gone? Remember when your dad could leave a shotgun and a rifle in plain sight and not worry?
  • Remember when BB guns were common children’s toys?
  • Remember when kids brought their own .22 cal. rifles to school for marksmanship training?
  • Remember the days before toy pistols had to be colored bright orange?

What changed? Did guns become more deadly? Did ammunition develop a mean streak? No, we’ve simply emptied ourselves of moral responsibility and our guts growl with a spiritual hunger.

When you get hungry enough, you’ll eat anything, even if it will make your sick or kill you.

Gun control – the banning or taking away weapons – will not fix the problem. People with hearts that love their neighbor more than themselves can sit in a room full of AR-15s and never once feel inclined to shoot somebody.

We all know this in “our gut,” but some of us are too afraid to say it.

I’m not.

3 Comments

Filed under America, current events

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 25, 2022 · 11:44 am

So, If Guns Are Banned in America …

First, my deepest condolences go out to the families of those children and teachers killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Our hearts break.

I have never lost a child, so I cannot say I know how they feel. However, having been there as a chaplain for the families who lost children in the Woodmore school bus crash, I was witness to the explosive grief that overwhelmed them upon notification that their child had died. All one could do at that moment was cry with them. I can only imagine it has been similar in Uvalde.

Yet, once again – and is truly sad that there even is a “once again” – those who are adamant that gun control in America is the answer to all gun crime are not only screaming for new laws, but they are also cursing those who pray for the families! “F*** your prayers!” were the words of at least one elected official.

Other people, like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D), blamed Republicans for the children’s deaths. Why? Because Republicans, she said, though claiming to be “pro-life,” still refuse to agree to comprehensive gun legislation which could help stop the murdering of children. They never waste a catastrophe, do they?

But what if legislation was passed tomorrow that banned all handguns and rifles? What if, starting tomorrow, all high-capacity magazines, AR-15-like rifles, and handguns were ordered to be taken somewhere and destroyed? Who would be the ones bringing the weapons for destruction? The criminals? the murderers? NO! It would be the law-abiding citizens! That would only make the mass shooters happy!

I know it may sound cliche, but it’s the truth: when you take away the guns, only criminals will have them. No new law will stop a criminal from breaking it when they are already break the ones that exist.

My question is how did the shooter in Texas get into the classroom in the first place? He had already been on the run after shooting his grandmother and then firing at police. It was when he was fleeing police that he entered Robb Elementary. Were there no locked doors? Was there access into the school other than in the front? It is a lot more difficult for a gunman to enter a school that has taken measures to prevent such a thing. How did he get into this school?

Again, our hearts break for the families of Robb Elementary. And regardless of what AOC thinks, we will pray for them.

10 Comments

Filed under current events

Tagged as , ,

by | February 23, 2018 · 3:02 pm

If You Don’t Want My Opinion, Don’t Read This Post – You Might Be Offended

My Opinions

My opinions are my opinions, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you to accept them.

Wait…If you feel like I’m forcing you to accept my opinions, what kind of mental midget are you? Good grief! I’m so tired of worrying about the fragile feelings of infantile adults who cry quicker than a baby who’s lost her pacifier. If you can be forced to accept my opinions, then you’re too weak to argue for your own and should just go back to kindergarten or take a nap in your cradle.

MY opinions are just that…mine. If you don’t like them, move on. Believe me, if I don’t like your opinions, I’m certainly not going to feel obligated to affirm their validity; I’ll just say “next” and move on.

So, what I am going to share in this post is not necessarily the views and opinions of other people with whom I associate. Take them for what they are worth, but you don’t have to approve.

Guns

I know I have friends in the UK, Australia, and other places where guns of all kinds are either forbidden or tightly restricted. It is not my intention to offend any of you guys, so stop reading right here if the subject content is apt to “trigger” you (pun intended).

But here’s a fact: Guns are not evil.

Guns are no more evil than alcohol, drugs, or automobiles. In the same way alcohol doesn’t pour itself down our throats and drugs don’t crawl into needles and attack us, guns don’t kill people without a human being getting involved. Automobiles? Well, who knows what self-driving cars will do?

Therefore, calling for the ban of certain weapons – or any weapon, for that matter – after a tragedy like a school or church shooting, does NOTHING to address the evil that does exist in the heart of the one who kills innocents.

Take away guns and you’ll still have murderers. You had them before guns were invented, didn’t you? Did Cain kill Able with a .45 cal.? No. Are we going to ban rocks?

Guns In America

Folks, I live in the United States of America. Like it or not, guns have been a part of our DNA since before the Second Amendment was penned with a quill. Guns will always be a part of our culture, no matter how many times Europeans try to chastise and shame us into getting rid of them. Remember, we would still be paying taxes to England if we’d not had them.

Face it, folks…even if you tried to outlaw guns in America, you’d never get rid of them all. Never. Besides the fact that there would be so many immediately hidden, you’d have to go door-to-door to confiscate the majority of them – and there are tens of millions of them – and a lot of folk wouldn’t take too kindly to that.

If, by some stretch of the imagination, you were able to outlaw guns of every shape, size, and caliber…and if all law-abiding, patriotic, God-fearing citizens decided to comply with the insanity and surrender their weapons…who do you think would still have access to millions of pistols, rifles, shotguns, and those dreaded AR-15s? Those who already refuse to submit to or abide by the law! The criminals!!

If criminals and murderers already don’t care about the law, what’s a new law going to do to stop them?

As I have written previously…

You could take away all the guns, but you’ll still have a disease that’s going to find a way to steal, kill, and destroy. No law, no matter how strict, is going to turn a lawbreaker into a law-abiding citizen.

Until you address the heart and soul issues, your only solution will end up being totalitarian control. When the law of God is written on the hearts of men, there’s no need for external restraints; the constraints are internal. But when the only law written on the heart is the law of Self, there’s no restraint sufficient to make a man love his neighbor.

So, ban all the guns you want, but in the context of this country, combined with the facts of human nature, you will never stop gun violence, only encourage the violent lawbreakers to prey on the law-keepers.

Protecting Our Students at School

Folks, I’m about sick of the way the media is controlling the conversation. They don’t want real answers; they want gun control, pure and simple. If it wasn’t about gun control and the opportunity to take advantage of a tragedy to achieve it, then why don’t they encourage protests and walk-outs over a thousand other things?

How much money is spent on sports? How much money is spent developing new ways to teach diversity? How many billions of tax dollars do we spend each year to produce inferior graduates? Where does all the money go? How much money is spent on actual safety upgrades?

As for arming teachers, YES!! Absolutely!

I recently heard an idiot on CNN claim that President Trump wants to put guns in the hands of every teacher. The lying, misleading, fact-twisting, Trump-hating propagandist then began to call it “insanity!” No, what’s insane was his clinically deranged hatred being allowed to suggest that a properly-trained, devoted, life-sacrificing teacher wouldn’t be effective in saving the lives of children when a killer’s on the loose. Insanity is thinking that throwing erasers at a shooter is no less effective than a courageous teacher with a concealed 9mm.

No one with any common sense is suggesting that ALL teachers in schools should be given weapons. What IS being suggested is that willing and qualified teachers should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon for the purpose of defense and deterrence. There is nothing crazy about that.

A Prediction

Before I go – and I must – let me make a prediction. Actually, I’ve made this prediction several times in the past, but no one will listen to me.

Before you ever make any progress on getting rid of guns, one day there will be a shooting with a gun carried into the school inside a band instrument case. Some kid is going to bring in a stash of weapons hidden inside his trumpet or tuba case, and no one is going to see it coming. He or she is going to walk right through all of the safety measures and bring loaded firearms into the school and right into the classrooms.

Why? Because it’s illegal in most schools to do random searches of lockers and personal items. Therefore, some kid is going to figure this out (I’m sure they already have) and someone is going to die. All because we are too scared to hurt a child’s feelings, or appear to be profiling.

Those are my opinions for the day. I hope we’re still friends.

14 Comments

Filed under America, community, current events

Tagged as , , , ,

by | November 8, 2017 · 10:29 pm

The Danger of Being Prepared

A Horrible Day

Last Sunday, as you’re aware, a horrible, horrible tragedy befell the little town of Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man possessed by demonic hatred, bent on murder, blasted his way into the small First Baptist Church and slaughtered nearly half the congregation, wounding most of the rest.

To be sure, it was not simply an act of rage against his mother-in-law, but an evil attack on the very institution she was supposed to be attending. The killer could have chosen any other place to commit murder, but he chose a church…during Sunday services…and came prepared to kill them all. He hated more than just his estranged relatives.

Last Sunday was a horrible day for Texas, but it was also a horrible day for the whole country; we all died a little that day; we changed.

The Aftermath of Debate

Immediately following the carnage – I dare say before the bodies of the slain were even cold – accusations began flying from every direction. One could even say that your’s truly got a little caught up in the accusatory stream. However, two main camps were, and still continue to be, the loudest: the gun control activists and those who are fighting to maintain gun owner’s rights. Now, I have my own thoughts regarding that debate, but even though it’s going to be the most reported, there are others worth noting, and one has to do with guns in churches.

Even before the murder of eight congregants, including the pastor, at Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., I had been warning of larger-scale attacks on defenseless congregations. You see, it’s an under-reported fact that more people have been killed in churches throughout America since the 1990’s than all the school shootings combined.

Incredibly, even before last Sunday’s death toll, it was reported that over 690 people have died a violent death while on church or faith-based property since 1999.* And not counting the 27 at FBC Sutherton Springs, by “August 31 of THIS YEAR, we had already surpassed the number of VIOLENT DEATHS on Church and Faith-Based Property for ALL of last year (2016).”** Needless to say, getting killed at church is nothing new.

So, based on the statistics, increased hatred aimed at Christians (the most persecuted and martyred people in the world), and the typical soft-target demographic of churches, American congregations have thankfully now begun to prepare for the possibility of violence, and one of those ways is by facing the grim fact that stopping an armed killer may involve armed church members. What some view as sacrilegious, others are seeing as a God-given right and mandate to defend the innocent, as shepherds defend their sheep.

In my opinion, as the violence and threat of terrorism continue to rise, the debate over being armed for survival will narrow, and more churches will become harder targets, better prepared to defend themselves.

The Danger of Preparedness

But as we prepare our churches and faith organizations for the threat of violence; as we turn ushers and deacons into S.W.A.T.-like security teams; as we replace the “turn the other cheek” mentality with one of “go ahead, make my day,” there’s literally an even greater danger we may be bringing upon ourselves – PRIDE.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for every church becoming a place where active shooters fear to dread. However, in all our preparing we must not go so far as to forget our Rock, our Fortress, our Shield, and our Deliverer. It is one thing to foolishly walk up to Goliath with nothing in hand, not even a sling and stone; but it’s a different thing altogether to assume, because of our training and marksmanship, our projectile will hit its mark without the grace of God.

In the 24th chapter of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles 21, King David sinned a great sin against God and did a seemingly innocuous thing – he numbered the people. In other words, he ordered a census of all the able-bodied fighting men so he could know how big of an army he had. But why was this so wrong? Why would that be a bad thing? Well, normally there would be nothing wrong with it, but David’s sin was that he thought power and protection could be calculated, even though Israel’s real Defender was God.

But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” – 2 Samuel 24:10 ESV

My fear is that in an attempt to protect ourselves, our churches may go from being fearful to faithless. When we get to that point, no amount of guns in our churches could replace the protective hand of God, and no amount of firepower could hold back His judgment.

Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” – 2 Samuel 24:14 ESV

Better to “prepare to meet thy God,” than be so “prepared” we forget Him.

*Source: http://www.carlchinn.com/Church_Security_Concepts.html

**Source: http://www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com

4 Comments

Filed under Church, current events, Life/Death, politics

Tagged as , , , ,

by | July 15, 2016 · 11:34 am

Common Sense Vehicle Control Needed

Tragedy

Make no mistake, what happened in Nice, France, was an incredible tragedy. My heart breaks for the families of those killed or injured, and I can only imagine the fear that so many there Thursday night were experiencing.

Yes, it was a tragedy, as are all the times innocent lives are taken and innocent people are wounded and scarred for life. But let’s be honest, it was far more than a just a tragedy; it was a symptom of a disease much greater than isolated “lone wolf” outbreaks.

Now, in order to make a point, had what happened in France this week been the result of one using a gun, then the media in the west, especially the White House, would be all over it. Just like when the assassin killed 5 police officers in Dallas, or a year ago tomorrow when a radical Islamic thug killed 5 of our servicemen here in Chattanooga, had the killing in Nice been associated with a gun, the President would have quickly jumped past the condolences and straight to the issue of gun control.

It’s like what Obama’s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once said, “Never let a tragedy go to waste.”

The Obvious

Well, then, if guns are to blame for all shootings, then what about automobiles? Believe it or not, far more people die because of auto accidents in America than from being shot with a gun of ANY kind. Why don’t we talk about that?

Here are some questions for you…

  1. Did the driver in Nice have a license to drive that truck?
  2. Did the driver in Nice acquire that truck legally, or illegally?
  3. If the truck was stolen, should the owner of the truck be held responsible?
  4. Who made the truck? Should the maker of the truck be held responsible because of it’s killing capabilities were not limited?
  5. Is it too easy for people to acquire a vehicle legally?
  6. Should vehicle owners be required to store their trucks and cars when not being used?
  7. When not being used, should vehicles be required to have mandated steering wheel locks?
  8. Should used car lots be required to perform background checks on all buyers before handing over the keys? What if they sold a car for $5,000 to a guy with a drunk-driving record?
  9. Should the government be able to require that all vehicles have technology that restricts its use to only the legal owner, and no one else?
  10. Should all auto owners be placed on a criminal database?

The answers to the above questions should be obvious. It should also be obvious what gun control is really all about, and it’s not about saving lives.

If it was about saving lives, we would have more common-sense vehicle control.

 

In all seriousness, may the God of peace bring peace and comfort to the hurting and afraid in Nice, France. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.

 

2 Comments

Filed under America, current events

Tagged as , , , ,

by | February 13, 2013 · 11:00 am

Gun Control Legalism

Gun Control

It has been in the news a lot, recently. It is the idea that all guns (handguns, rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, plastic toys, etc.) are bad, bad, bad. Some western countries have all but eliminated them from public possession, while others are arguing over what laws to enact next.

The Lexington Minute Man

The Lexington Minute Man

Personally, coming from a man who lives in the southern United States and would have fought for the Confederacy if alive in the 19th century, I believe “gun control” is being able to hit one’s target. The last thing I will vote for is the removal of weapons from the common citizen. In my opinion, the 2nd Amendment was written by men whose belief was that an armed citizenry was one of the best defenses against tyranny.

Where I grew up, back in the day, the only people that ever got shot were idiots who forgot to check their weapons before crossing a barbed wire fence. Sure, there was the occasional feud, but S.W.A.T. and the F.B.I. were never needed. There were NO home invasions, NO car-jackings, and NO armed robberies in my community, either. Why? Everyone was armed – and everyone knew it.

No one in my community ever locked their doors. There was no real need. Even criminals had enough sense to know that they’d need some serious firepower or the element of surprise to avoid getting killed. For crying out loud, my dad used to drive around with a loaded 12 gauge shotgun on a rack in the window of his Ford truck, while under the seat was a loaded .357 magnum. Rarely was a policeman seen, but none were needed, for the most part.

Gun Laws

Now, out of the brains of postmodern liberals, comes the idea that taking all the guns away from law-abiding people will make us safer. They think that a law will affect the actions of bad guys. Sadly, the only ones that will be safer are the criminals.

Why do I link gun control laws to legalism? It is because gun control laws are put in place by people who forget crime is a heart issue, not a weapon issue. They think that another law will make everything better because, of course, everyone obeys the law.

Some people say, “Give me a list of do’s and don’t’s and everything will be OK.” They are more than willing to give up their freedom for a perception of safety. But what they don’t want to understand is that a sinner will still sin, and a murderer will still murder, regardless of the law or the weapon in hand. And when it comes to weapons, the dark-hearted won’t be deterred by a law they don’t choose to obey. The law keepers are too easy of a target.

My suggestion: Let the self-governing citizens with the law written on their hearts keep their weapons.  The law-breakers who respect no law will be forced to consider the consequences of their actions.

Related articles

7 Comments

Filed under America, Countries, current events, legalism, politics, voting

Tagged as , , ,