There has been a lot of discussion
lately about gun control and the 2nd Amendment. There have been too
many mass shootings this year for this discussion not to take place. Too many
innocent lives have been lost and there are simply too many guns just floating
around for anybody to get their hands on. The so-called “left” is pushing for
heavier gun control regulations which would inflict more stringent background
checks on gun buyers, elimination of military style assault rifles and 100
round magazines from the public market. On the other hand, the so-called “right”
is very adamant about defending our 2nd Amendment right to bear
arms, and to cap it all off, The National Rifle Association is calling for armed
police and guards in schools. I would like to weigh in on the debate for just a
moment from three perspectives: political, social, and spiritual.
From a political standpoint, I in no
way believe that gun control regulations are in violation of the 2nd
Amendment, and I wish the far right would understand this. No one is trying to
take away your guns! They are trying to “control” who has access to guns and
what kinds should be available! As was pointed out in another article I read,
times were very different when the 2nd Amendment was written. First
of all, it was written in post-revolutionary war America to ensure that
Americans would have protection from any other Red Coats or militias that would
try to impose themselves on us. Second, they used muskets that took almost 2
minutes to reload one round, not 100 round semi-automatic pistols or rifles.
The context and the situation are completely different. That being said,
perhaps the 2nd Amendment should be updated to reflect a 21st
century world. The context that produced the 2nd Amendment in the 18th
century is most definitely not the context of the 21st century.
From a social perspective, I am trying
to understand what in the world is wrong with us?! Pundits that are blaming
these mass shootings on access to guns and mass media refuse to acknowledge
that other countries have just as many guns and just as much media exposure. In
his documentary Bowling for Columbine,
Michael Moore showed that countries like Canada, Japan, England and Germany
have just as many guns per capita. They also view just as many violent movies,
listen to just as much violent music and play just as many violent video games
as we do in America, yet have nowhere near the amount of violent crimes that we
do. Pundits will then argue that America’s violent past and history is the
source of such violence. But as Moore’s film pointed out, are we saying that Nazi
Germany’s history isn’t as violent as Americas? Or the British Empire? So
violent history has nothing to do with it. What does? In my opinion, there is
simply something wrong with us as Americans. If other countries have the same
access to guns, violent media, and just as violent a history, why do they all
have violent crimes in the hundreds or under while America’s yearly violent
crimes totals over 50,000? Perhaps it is part of that age-old prophecy in
Revelation that America “looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon…”.
This leads me to my final
observation which is spiritual. Things are not going to get better. Gun control
laws are not going to stop anything. Armed guards in schools are not going to
stop anything. And even the elimination of violent media will do nothing to
change the situation that we find ourselves in. Plain and simple, we are living
in the last days of earth’s history. I know it’s been said to death, but I see
no other explanation. Not only have violent crimes and mass murders been on the
rise, but deadly natural disasters are at an all-time high. The world is
spiraling out of control, and only Christ can save it now. The world is beyond
man’s ability to fix it. Indeed, we ruined it. We need Jesus to come to fix
this wretched place. In the meantime, we Christians are to be His representatives
on earth. We need to let people know that only Christ can save the world, and
only Christ can save the soul. Let us be beacons of hope in this dark age.
Christ IS coming back, and He’s coming VERY soon.
Shalom
