Guns! Guns! Guns!

Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest…But Jesus said, "No more of this!"  Luke 22:50-51 (NRSV)

Well in case you’ve been out of touch or in a sensory deprivation tank or something let me tell you what has dominated our attention this week, guns. Those who regularly read my Musings already know how I feel about guns. I am not going to restate what I have said before concerning guns, the Second Amendment, etc. What I will Muse about is the purpose of guns in our society and how I think we should view guns.

Originally guns were a necessary part of life in the Americas. They were needed for defense. They are critical to survival. And they were the primary means of arming a militia. The average household on the fringes of civilization would have had guns. The average household in a town or even a city would have had guns. There were no standing armies. There wasn’t an armed police force. Folks needed to be ready to protect and defend themselves and their neighbors.

Today guns are still a part of life in the Americas. We have three primary groups of private citizens that that are armed: hunters, target shooters, and those feeling they need to defend themselves. These are not exclusive to one another as many folks with guns cross over the groups. We also have three groups that are professionally armed within our society: members of the military, law enforcement officers, and security personal. The main difference between the private citizen groups and the other groups is that those armed for their professions are trained, have very specific rules concerning the carrying, storage, exchange and discharge of their weapons, and are armed for the common good.

Now don’t get me wrong, many hunters and target shooters take gun safety seriously by taking classes and they operate within the bounds of restrictions and laws that govern guns and their usage.  But those laws, restrictions, etc are not very detailed and are easily circumvented and are limited in how much they limit gun ownership and usage.

Now I don’t claim to understand the whole need for gun ownership thing. My dad had a hunting rifle that I think he used maybe twice when I was growing up and which he gave away when my older brother became a teen (not sure if the two are related).  I would think that as a target shooter or a hunter you could keep your guns secured in a ‘Gun Bank” where you would go and withdraw them when you wanted to use them.  Or you would only own smart guns that could only be used by one person. Or if you kept the guns at home they would have massive security with trigger locks, gun safes, fire pins removed, etc. If you felt you needed a gun to protect and defend yourself then a smart gun would be your best option as no one could take it from you and use it against you.

I know that smart gun technology is available and that it is expensive. I also know that if we offered buy backs, incentives, rebates, tax credits, etc (like we do for home energy efficiency upgrades, etc) we could lower that cost. I also know that if people began to ask for it and were willing to buy guns with it or have a gun retro fitted that the cost would come down. I also know that if the military started requiring it for their weapons it would be cheaper and more available. There are some logistical matters that would need to be addressed but they could be worked out. I like the way gun safety regulations are being talked about as similar to seat belts, airbags, smoking warnings and restrictions, etc. I think if we see guns in this light we can still have them, still honor the Second Amendment and make guns less of a concern. I also know that no matter what we do there will still be guns out there and people with them and that gun violence would not go totally away.

I do not want to take guns away from people. I cannot see how as a nation we could deny the Second Amendment – we could repeal it but I don’t see that happening. So if guns are a part of our way of life we have to take seriously how they affect life and health and happiness and do what is reasonable for the health and well being of the citizens of this land. We need to study gun violence as a health concern in order to maybe address issues that lead to gun violence. We are not doing enough to make sure guns are a safe part of our lives.

Dear God, help us to see a way forward as a nation and as individuals that will lead us to a place of safety and well being with guns in our midst. Help our nation to find a way to say “No more of this.” Amen.