Three children and Three Adults had just lost their lives to an AR15. Thoughts and prayers resound, especially from mechanical christians(not deserving of the honor of a capital letter). People are on the street asking those in the government to DO something. They want some rules to keep the students in schools safe. Logical, rational, and caring, but when one of their members objects to the do nothing that follows, the body expels those opposed to doing nothing.
Quotes always ring out, stating that when we provide for gun safety, only criminals will have guns. Or the latest chestnut, that if someone wants to kill you, your laws won’t stop them. Both are true and blatant lies in the same breath. Why are so many men and women afraid of assuring that a sixteen-year-old can not access a weapon of war? As of this writing(Easter Monday, 2023), 11,530 people have died because of doing nothing to end this carnage of gun violence. Of this number71, were under the age of eleven, and 399 were between the age of 12 and 17. They weren’t willing to Do something, which means 409 shootings were just because they were unintentional, a polite way of saying those who are not willing to do something aren’t responsible.
I grew up with rifles and shotguns, hunting for deer and antelope, a .22 for the occasional fox or skunk, and was always aware those guns were never to be aimed at another human being. We were instructed in bow and arrow safety through high school. We were introduced to guns in the National Guard shooting range to ensure we never used a gun against another human being.
Those small steps kept us safe and aware. We learned how to store guns so that unintentional access was limited, if not impossible. Yet somewhere along the way, we have fetishized owning and having open access to firearms that can shatter a child’s head. So where is the wisdom in doing nothing when red flag laws and age restrictions save one more life? Why are we afraid of being proactive? Why are we willing to throw up our hands and do nothing? Are we fearful that the next bullet is coming to obliterate our faces?
On Maundy Thursday, we were reminded to love as The Christ loved us. In loving is the risk of dying, as seen on Great or Good Friday. In that darkness is the promise of hope and faith that asks us always to see the best in our siblings. In the silence of that night, we know that we are only hopeless when we are unwilling to risk everything. In the brilliance of a new day, we see what we are to Do. Risk everything to love all the people, especially those requiring conversion.
