Democrats blame Republicans and say they “have blood
on their hands.” Many Republicans likewise blame Democrats. “Gun-control”
politicians blame the NRA, guns themselves, and the 99.99% of gun owners who
never have and never will shoot anyone. Gun owners blame those who came up with
such ideas as “gun-free zones.” And on and on it goes. The blame always gets
put on those who had nothing to do with it, and the individual who did it
usually gets sympathy as a “poor, misunderstood kid” who had such potential, but
he was bullied and forced by others into what he did. We’ll see how this latest
incident plays out.
As usual, there will be statements about “thoughts
and prayers,” and there will be those who say such things are pointless. There
will be others who call for more gun laws, even though “common-sense gun laws”
have, to date, failed to stop gun crime. Gun laws are not only
unconstitutional. They are foolish and defy common sense.
In these debates, I come down on the side of those
who say that those with intent to do evil are never stopped by laws. Bullies
are not stopped by tying the hands of the potential victims and then hoping the
bullies will leave them alone. This is little different than herding the
potential victims of mass shooters into “gun-free zones,” which should actually
be called “free-fire zones” or “target rich environments” and expecting a few
signs to keep them safe. Those signs might as well say, “Attention Mass
Shooters: Come on in. No one will shoot back.” That is naiveté of the worst
and most dangerous sort. I am fully aware that there was an armed guard on the
campus of the school where the most recent shooting took place. However, one
armed guard in a school of 3,000 students is worse than insufficient.
Some say we need “more education” in order to stop
people from doing bad things. I have seen too many articles about how education
is the answer. If a man beats his wife, he needs “more education” on why he
shouldn't beat his wife. Right. No one realizes that spousal abuse is wrong
unless he has taken the proper education courses to help him see that. The
problem is not lack of knowledge. It is a heart problem. As long as politicians
and the media insist on blaming inanimate objects and their political opponents
for every mass shooting, there will be no real solutions. No amount of
education or counseling is going to fix the problem.
The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). All human beings are sinners, and sin comes out in different ways in different people. Not everyone will get a firearm and kill people, but we are all sinners, and we all commit sins against God. That is the problem with which we need to deal. It would be extremely difficult to deny this.
Individuals must be held accountable for their
actions. Sadly, in our society, we seem to be looking for explanations and
reasons instead of holding evildoers accountable. The Bible very clearly
addresses this. “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11, NKJV). "Moreover you shall
take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death,
but he shall surely be put to death" (Numbers 35:31, NKJV).
The sin principle must be addressed. Evil actions are
all the result of sin. Ultimately, death is the result of sin. We cannot fix
this problem by making new laws, banning guns, making more mental health
treatment available, or any other bandage we might put on the problem.
The only way to address this is God’s way. The Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is very clear: “... that Christ died FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures, and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day...” (1
Corinthians 15:3-4, NKJV).
Sinners, including potential mass shooters, need a Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ is
the only one who can redeem us. Those who ignore that fact will continue to
experience the meaninglessness and frustration of living, without answers, in
this world full of evil. “Grace to you and
peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our
sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the
will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever” (Galatians
1:3-5, NKJV).
