Shooting

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.

About Stan Guthrie

Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers. Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's €œTell Me More,€ WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio'€™s €œNew Day Florida.€ A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
This entry was posted in Thought of the Day. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *