The problem, as I see it, is not guns.
At least, not directly.
The problem is that, as a people, we are too often selfish and self-centered in our thinking and sometimes in our actions.
Ask yourself, "If I could save someone's life by giving up my gun, if I could prevent one death by relinquishing my right to a gun, would I do it?" The answer may be revealing. I believe you have a right to have a gun (though I am not sure it is an unlimited right to any gun, any time, any where, for a lot of reasons I won't go into here). But does your right preclude or supersede the rights of others? In other words, do you get your rights no matter what anyone else wants or needs? And perhaps more importantly, as Christians, does your right trump the law of love taught by Jesus (deny yourself) and set forth so beautifully by Paul in I Corinthians 13 where he suggests that love doesn't demand its own rights (verse 5)? What do we, as Christians, truly believe?
In all of the discussion, debate, arguing, and politicizing following the tragic shooting in Las Vegas, all of the focus is on individual rights and the Constitution. But neither group ever stops to consider the rights of the other group or their welfare. It seems that the discussion always seems to focus on MY rights, MY freedoms, and what I am entitled to or what I want. But do we ever consider what is best for the other person? Are any of us truly willing to limit our individual freedoms, even a little, for the greater good? I am not talking about government mandated restrictions, I am asking, are we willing to self-impose some limit on our freedom for another person?
The Declaration of Independence outlines the goals of the American experiment when it declares that we have "certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among [people]." The goal of the new nation was to pursue these goals and when it became apparent that the Articles of Confederation weren't accomplishing that, we instituted the Constitution to promote a society in which all were supposed to be afforded the opportunity to aspire to those things - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But can I have those things if I feel threatened by others? And if I feel threatened is my only recourse a gun? Or is there a higher calling and a higher moral purpose that beckons us? Much more importantly, at least for me, as a follower of Jesus, is the call to agape - a form of love that seeks to do what's best for someone else. It is not a warm fuzzy kind of love - it is a love that puts others first, that denies itself and doesn't seek its own rights. It is the highest calling expressed by my faith and the faith of millions and millions of others around the world. Shouldn't it call us to something more?
Our Founding Fathers worried about their new government of, by and for the people, because it relied on 'public virtue' or the willingness of individuals to sacrifice for the greater good. Can we, as a nation, still offer care and concern for one another, not in the throes of crisis, but in everyday living together (I think we usually do crisis well)? Are we willing to sacrifice for each other every day? Are we willing to love each other to the point of surrendering ourselves for others - not in major crises but just in simple things? I think that the reason the Greatest Generation attained that title was because they were forced to build community and care for one another in the face of the challenge of the Axis Powers. Can we build community and care for one another without such a challenge, simply as a measure of who we are in Christ? Can we re-learn the power of cooperation and compromise?
Because, as I see it, the problem we have today is not the African American kneeling during the anthem, or the white guy waving the Confederate flag, the problem is that we are so focused on our own wants and needs that we no longer see each other - except in crisis. I want that guy to stand up and respect the flag. I want that guy to quit waving a symbol that I think is racist. I want, I want, I have the right... But what about his/her rights? What will make them happy, and is it in my power to help them achieve that? Can we learn to truly love each other, not in words, but in action?
I think we have met the enemy, and the enemy is us. The good news is that we can overcome.
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