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Good News - Broward Edition
42 April 2013
INTHE NEWS
Finley W. Walker
Good News
The news, media and
numerous political blogs have
been saturated with discussion
and debate on gun control policy
the past few months. Heated
conversations have swelled with
recent tragedies such as the
movie theater shooting in Aurora,
Colorado and the Sandy Hook
shooting
in
Newtown,
Connecticut. We have heard the
pleas and rants from politicians
and opinionists, but what is the
right answer? Is there a right
answer? What does the Bible
have to say about gun control
policy?
Freedom
Well, actually this is one of
those gray areas where the Bible
is not clear. So, for starters, let us
not focus so much on what we do
not know, but rather let us focus
on what we do know. What we do
know is that evil exists and,
sometimes people commit evil
things such as murder. Another
thing we know is that murder is
wrong. But, we also know that
individual choice is important.
God seems to think that
freedom is vitally important, and
that the means the freedom to do
right or wrong. In fact, historically
it appears that freedom is seen as
more important than prevention
of crime. God does not prevent all
of the evils fromhappening in the
world because he has given us the
precious gift of free will. Yet,
many think they can prevent
tragedies from happening by
limiting our choices. Strange that
some think it their job to do what
God himself has decided not to
do.
Gun control is a complex and
multi-layered issue. “Gun control”
is very different from actually
controlling guns; the person
holding the gun has “control” of
the gun. So when things get out of
control, the person has lost
control, not the gun. Some call
this cliché a cop-out, but
nevertheless, “guns don’t kill
people; people kill people.” This is
not to say that people should have
total access to any all kinds of
weapons and destructive tools.
Simply, this standpoint states that
it is the individual who chooses to
create and use a weapon for ill
purposes.
Policy and politics
A further point to consider is
the control of policy. What
happens if policy is out of control?
We must be critical and cautious.
It is a slippery slope when tragedy
in one place dictates policy in
another place. We all want to
limit or even eliminate future
tragedies, but we cannot allow
fear to take control of our
decisions. Pastor Bob Coy
sympathizes, “If you allow tragedy
to dictate what you do with
policy, you may miss the point of
what happened.”
Do not miss the point. Gun
control is not a legal issue; it is a
moral issue revealing the heart of
man. Yet, gun control is used
mostly today for a political
agenda. The issue becomes a
game of passing the blame instead
of proactively seeking to actually
protect people’s livelihood and
freedom! Today’s culture has
created a very different idea of the
purpose of weapons. Weapons
have become about power and
control rather than protection. It
is a condition of the heart.
So we have to ask, what are
we really trying to control—guns
or
people?
Because
the
unfortunate truth is that a
government can completely
outlaw guns, but it can never stop
people from hurting one another.
Evil men find a way to commit
evil acts. Having a lock on your
door gives you a sense of control.
But honestly, it does not stop a
burglar from breaking in if they
wish. This is why Christians put
our trust, hope and faith in the
LORD. He is our protector and
righteous judge. Door locks and
gun policies may help, but
ultimately it is God who saves us.
Lawand responsibility
In the Old Testament, the
Hebrew people clearly had armies
and weapons. Passages such as
Luke 22:38 and John 18:10 tell us
that the disciples had possession
of swords. In the ancient world, it
was not uncommon for people to
carry personal weapons for
protection. Roman Statesman,
Cicero, expounds:
“This, therefore, is a law, O
judges, not written, but born with
us… which we were not trained
in, but which is ingrained in us,
namely, that if our life be in
danger from plots, or from open
violence, or from the weapons of
robbers or enemies, every means
of securing our safety is
honorable.”
But with freedom, we cannot
forget our responsibility. Life is a
gift and we are to be good
stewards. Truly, we have no
rights. We have done nothing to
earn life and liberty. God simply
gives them to us. Life is a privilege.
So we must ask ourselves and
truly wrestle with the questions:
Why do I need or want a gun?
What is the purpose of a gun?
What would I do with a gun? Pray
and seek the LORD that he would
grant you his wisdom in the midst
of a confusing and controversial
world.
Finley can be reached at:
fwwalker@liberty.edu.
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Up in Arms