In the wake of the latest mass shooting, social media are again thick with outraged calls for a political solution–more gun control, a ban on assault weapons, etc. In essence, the gun-control advocates want us to trade at least some of our Second Amendment right to self-defense back to our government minders in exchange for an implicit promise that law enforcement will protect us from danger.
As one who is, shall we say, a tad skeptical that political solutions can have much effect on our country’s social and spiritual malaise–though of course God puts governing authorities in place to restrain evil generally–I must ask: How’s it working so far?
Apparently the FBI was warned last September that this latest would-be shooter was making all kinds of threats on social media about doing what he in fact did. Yet the FBI, in essence, did nothing, and a murderous young man with an AR-15 (bought legally) was able to wreak havoc on an unarmed school campus before other authorities with guns finally stopped him–but much too late.
There are no easy answers to this issue, regardless of what your neighbor on social media says. About the only easy thing these days is moral preening. I for one think it’s foolish to put all our eggs in the “Big Brother will protect us” basket.
By all means, let’s figure out what we can do to minimize the risks of a school shooting, but let’s remember that merely “doing something,” if it’s not the right thing, may leave us worse off than we were before. And instead of merely reacting to each incident, let’s ask the prior question about why so many angry young men are resorting to guns to settle scores in the first place. This may sound simplistic, but they need to know the Savior.
We don’t need more laws. We need more grace.
