Politicizing Gun Control In the Midst of Tragedy Is Shameful

Here we go again. People die at the hands of a deranged lunatic gunman and a certain element seizes the opportunity to ramp up the gun control argument. Not that any politician or public official would be so insensitive as to politicize a tragedy, mind you.

I consider myself to be a fairly open-minded guy when it comes to discussions regarding issues of an individual’s right to bear arms. I absolutely feel this is an important right, intentionally granted by our founding fathers to balance out any future oppressive government, invading force or simply for personal protection. This certainly seems to be important in our current day and age and political climate.

Without sounding like a liberal, I am willing to concede that I understand those who oppose individuals owning assault weapons and automatic weapons. I’m not opposed to those who want to own them, quite the contrary, but I understand why it’s probably not wise to allow open-carry of these types of weapons in certain venues. Legal or not, it won’t be comfortable for the families trying to enjoy their day in the park if they’re sharing space with someone who has an AK-47 slung over their shoulder.

For me this issue is best left to private property owners and voters. If a city doesn’t want to allow firearms in public then they should be able to hold a vote on this issue. Certainly I do not think the outcome should ever be allowed to determine whether or not individuals can own these weapons, only where they can carry them. If the owner of a restaurant, shopping center or other commercial venue restricts firearms, so be it. As an individual, if you don’t like it, protest, but otherwise your gun isn’t welcome on their property and that is fair.

The arguments made on both sides of this issue can truly make your head spin. All sense of reason and compromise is lost. I understand that on the right-wing side any compromise is viewed as an open door to erode the entire right to bear arms. I understand the left-wing becoming angrier by the second that people believe an entire populace armed to the hilt like Rambo, would be a country that anyone would enjoy living in.

I’d like to address the arguments for gun control. Some common sense should tell us that, in most cases, tougher laws to regulate guns will only leave the criminal element with guns. This isn’t a reasonable scenario. Obviously, we shouldn’t make it easy or legal for those with mental issues to access firearms. It’s true they will more than likely end up with them anyway if they so desire, but that doesn’t detract from taking measures to limit the legality of this.

It would be a beautiful world if the answers were as simple as passing legislation. As it stands, we must apply real common sense and not the politically correct type.

Concealed carry handguns should not be discouraged. The only reservation with this is in insuring that those with such permits are properly trained with the firearms they’re carrying. In my home state of Alabama, a concealed carry permit is a matter or paying the local sheriff for a photo ID every year. That isn’t very comforting. Although I’m opposed to bureaucracy in general, I must admit it feels better knowing those with permits here in Texas have actually fired a handgun and passed a course that provides handgun safety and usage information and demonstration.

We all need to accept and understand that most legislation in regards to handgun bans and the like, is disastrous. Take Washington D.C., in 1976 the city council passed a law preventing residents from possessing handguns and firearms. This ban was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008. During the time of the ban, the murder rate in D.C. averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law, while the U.S. murder rate averaged 11% lower. I would acquiesce that this dramatic increase was caused by many factors, but what is clear is the ban obviously didn’t deter gun crime. To be fair, Chicago recorded a 17% decrease for the duration of its similar ban, but it should be noted that the average decrease in the U.S. was 30%.

When passing right to carry laws, both Florida and Texas saw a decrease in murder rates in excess of 30% since the laws were enacted. During the same period, the average U.S. drop in murder rates was less than half this.

Our nation loves guns. It goes right to the core of who we are as Americans. Just ask the British. In rural areas, like the place where I grew up, everyone has a shotgun and a rifle, even if they don’t own a handgun. Sure, we used them primarily for hunting but they were more than ready for protection if necessary.

I suppose my point in all this is to say, as many often do, guns aren’t evil. They don’t fire themselves. Yes, they may make a convenient tool for the angry, deranged or hate-filled but firearms themselves serve many valid purposes and we cannot abandon a foundational right in order to pursue a politically correct, fear-mongering, liberal agenda cloaked as a solution. Those with bad intentions will always be able to find a firearm or some other tool to serve their evil desires, whether legal or not. I’m not willing to consider restricting the law-abiding firearm possessing citizen based on the actions of the evil and I hope we can all understand the sense in that.

We can continue to desperately seek out reasons and targets for blame or we can simply concede we as a nation, as a world, have a heart condition. We can choose to work together to foster love, education and unity or we can continue with divisive politics, lines in the sand, fingers pointed and go full speed ahead to the detriment of our nation.

*https://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

Trump: My Take

Tonight, I couldn’t help but watch Donald Trump at his campaign stop in my home state of Alabama. A brilliant showman, he entered to our unofficial anthem of “Sweet Home Alabama”. Equally as brilliant is his use of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.

Most of you know, I’m not a fan but I tried to remain as unbiased and open-minded as possible. I’ve been asked to share my thoughts so here we go:

As a professional in the business realm, I respect Trump. He’s shrewd, sharp and just plain good at what he does. He knows business and he knows people. In short, he knows exactly what he’s doing and what people want to hear. His only hang-up is he loves himself above all else and it shows in any speech he gives that lasts more than a couple of minutes.

Tonight he rambled and was borderline incoherent at times as he bounced around and back and forth, but even with this he knew what he was doing. He knows why people are gravitating to his message and to him.

Our country is tired and quite frankly many of us want someone to do all the things he says he’ll do. We want to believe it’s as easy as just saying it’ll be done and just like that, it’s done. We want our country to be great again. We want jobs. We want a stronger military. We want someone who isn’t beholden to special interest. We’re tired of the establishment. We want solutions to immigration (for the record I’m not with his plan, although I agree it’s a problem that must be addressed). We want someone to stand up to corporations.

Donald Trump is as dumb as a fox. He’s by far the best salesman in this game. He knows what to say and what gets people fired up. So, the non-politician, politician is actually a better politician than the career politicians. He’s beating them at their own game; however, he has no standards to feign upholding and nothing to lose. They do.

I now concede that Trump is good for this race in that he is forcing everyone to address issues they would otherwise tiptoe around. He’s making other candidates from both parties tackle issues and take a stand. He’s eliminating middle ground and that’s beautiful.

I honestly think he’s arrogant enough to believe he can do all he says he can do. He loves himself that much. Although it may be difficult to admit now, the POTUS doesn’t actually have that kind of unbridled power. By design, they are forced to play the game and that’s actually supposed to be for our protection, even though it’s been corrupted.

It actually concerns me to see the way his supporters are behaving. This looks like the same blind, fan base cultivated and manipulated by our current president. His supporters are fawning over him like he is the Messiah, and he thinks he is. I watched him make several thinly veiled comments meant to pander to his fans. The Bible reference being one and even then he couldn’t help but put his own book at number two. He is playing his supporters for fools and they are lapping it up. He is not what he wants you to think he is. Sorry.

We’ve reached a dangerous place in our country where we make politicians, celebrities, pastors and various other things our idols. Once we commit we validate our allegiance even when that takes us to extremes.

These people are meant to work for us. They should always be accountable to we the people and we should never be their fan base. Unfortunately, the truth is, this is how elections are won. By manipulating the masses, majority uninformed, and those who are do so in a way that reinforces what they’ve already made up their mind to believe.

Ground control to Major Tom.

My biggest problem is that Donald Trump only recently formed this platform he has people drooling over. Broken record or not, he has been an ardent supporter of gun control, abortion, both Clinton’s and even Nancy Pelosi. He has admittedly bought politicians and this makes him part of the problem. He’d have you believe it’s okay, because “he can”. Just because I find a married woman willing to have an affair doesn’t mean it’s acceptable if I act on it. It would make me part of the problem.

If I honestly believed Donald Trump had integrity or was capable of putting anyone’s interest ahead of his own, I may enjoy what he’s saying more. I don’t.

His track record clearly shows a lack of integrity and a shrewdness dangerous to those with power. He is a narcissist. Narcissists make dangerous leaders, as we should all very well know by now. A man incapable of an apology isn’t much of a man. A man who doesn’t think he should involve the God he professes to believe in in his personal life isn’t someone I can support. It highlights a lacking moral compass.

To sum this up, Trump talks the talk in order to give his fans what they want. I truly believe all he wants is to reach the pinnacle of power. He just wants the power. He is desperate for it and can hardly contain himself now that he has traction and momentum.

He is proving that ultimately, the presidency of these United States can be bought by those other than Super PAC’s and special interest. He’s also proving that the Republican party can be played even by those who aren’t Republican.

If he weren’t polling so high and becoming more and more popular, it would be funny. As it stands, it’s kind of scary, even if refreshingly shaking things up.

It will be interesting to see if he gains a better grasp of facts and a clear plan as this progresses or if he sticks to one-liners, rallying cries and rhetoric. Like all politicans the facts he uses are way off base but that doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Just give them what they want to hear, Donald.

My last point is that I honestly believe every Democrat in this nation is hoping and wishing that Trump is the nominee. Hands down, he will be their easiest opponent simply due to his being so divisive.

Well, my aplogies to the poor soul who asked my opinion, but there it is. It was a fairly decent campaign stop, full of typical Trump. Rousing speach, say what they want to hear, drop a couple hard-line comments, point out how great he is a million times. He’s so good, I liked some of what he had to say. I just don’t like him and I’ll opt for character and integrity every time.

Dear Christians, We Suck

Dear Christians,

We suck! I apologize for being so blunt, but we really do. Maybe not you personally, although I’m sure you have your faults, but as a whole, we really suck. (Romans 3:10, Mark 7:21-23)

Why do I say this? Because Christians are important to me. They are my family. Even the crazy uncle. I can also often be part of the problem, so lest you think I’m pointing fingers only outward, please know I am well aware of my own shortcomings and how I too fit into this equation.
On one hand, I feel this way because it seems we’re failing, but oddly enough my concern is not that we’re failing but how we’re failing. We’ve gotten sidetracked. Somewhere along the way, perhaps the entire journey, we’ve become so self-righteous we’ve made this all about us. We get stuck on behavior modification when condemning sin, we put condemning sin ahead of loving others, and we worry so much about our rights and freedoms (we Christians here in the USA, primarily) that we often trample others in order to insure them. We must remember, this is all contrary to Christ. How can we carry His banner if none of us are willing to endure any suffering, unfairness or persecution? (John 3:17)
Does this mean we shouldn’t speak up in love and truth or in regards to laws that are also meant to protect us? In the words of the apostle Paul, “God forbid”. Those aren’t his exact words but my Greek is terrible.

How often did Christ focus on pointing out how unfair everything was? I must have missed that part.
You see, here in these United States us Christians have had it so good for so long that we’ve become a lazy, entitled lot, shrouded in comfort and convenience. We’ve hidden behind our stained glass, beautiful churches and comfortable accommodations long enough to think it’s okay to pop in on Sunday, mooch off the pastor’s message, give him an “Amen!” and then head home and back to the routine to do it again the next Sunday. To be fair, some of us overachievers make sure we fill a pew on Wednesday too.

Our God loves an underdog as evidenced by the story of the Israelites. Time and again we see the Israelites blessed into comfort, only to squander it away. Comfort breeds complacency. Complacency breeds apathy. Once we turn onto Apathy Lane, we’re off course. A Christian cannot be apathetic. It’s contrary to the Great Commission. It’s contrary to Christ.
The message of Christ is actually a message of servanthood and sacrifice (Matthew 20:28). So how can we all be so strong on rhetoric yet remain so weak on servanthood and love? Do you look around and see Christians routinely visiting low-income areas, orphans, and widows as often as you see them railing against government, sin and the persecution of Christians here in our country (which is laughably defined as persecution in comparison to the rest of the world)? Do we do anything to enact actual change or do we just complain and complain loudly? Are we really acting as the hands and feet of anything, let alone Christ?

Some of us are. Oddly enough, those that come to mind serve humbly and quietly and embody love above all else. It’s through love that they change hearts and lead souls to Jesus. What if that were all of us? (www.lightofthevillage.org)

I blog, as I’m doing now in the form of a letter to you, my fellow Christians. I commonly meet opposition on various topics from the recent Planned Parenthood video revelations, to various political and social issues.  In some cases, this opposition is vile and insulting. In my human nature, I’d love to tell my detractors exactly what comes to mind. I’d love to tell them what a low down, morally bankrupt, lunatic, sinful excuse for a being they really are…But God. It could be, has been and probably will be me again at some point in the future, when I make yet another mistake. Love. God loves me through it. God shows me grace and mercy and is more concerned about my heart than my behavior. Shouldn’t that provide me with grace and a blueprint to extend to others?

My brothers and sisters, when we make it all about where we stand and all about behavior, we miss the most extraordinary message of our Lord and Savior. The God who loved King David through his adulterous and murderous act. The God who loved Noah through his drunkenness. The God who used Moses in spite of his murderous rage. The God who saved a judgmental and persecution happy Saul.

Let us all come to grips with reality. Our world is morally bankrupt because the human race is morally bankrupt. Is this a surprise or do we believe the word of God? Those who don’t know Christ are disconnected from their purpose, their Creator and their destiny. They will not see, hear and understand as we do. If we play by their rules, we will continue to fail. If we play by Christ’ rules we will walk with Him in a victory we all know is won. (1 Corinthians 5:12)

Is being right more important than being love? Is being right more important than being salt or light? Can we do all these while still standing in truth? Absolutely. As long as we always use Christ as the compass and the Holy Spirit as our guide, then our fruit will speak for itself, even in the midst of persecution. (Matthew 7:16)

How do we really claim to have faith when it costs us nothing to acquire or maintain? Isn’t faith only faith when we use it to stand in the midst of something where we stand to lose everything? Doesn’t faith cost us something? Isn’t it what we are called to stand on? (Luke 6:28, Matthew 5:44)

Our time is coming. Our nation is shifting. For various reasons, many self-inflicted, our world wants to hear less and less from us. So be it. If they want to hear less, show them more. It’s our time to shine. We know our God will not be mocked. We know our God will reign (Galatians 6:7, Psalm 146:10). It’s time we act like it.

Am I saying we should abandon reason and be silenced in the face of adversity? Absolutely not. I am simply making the observation, that if we do not learn to be more about doing the Father’s business than we are talking about the Father’s business, we are failing the lost and ourselves. If we don’t learn that a spirit of love must be the force behind all we do, then we will continue to hurt more than help.

I personally would like to see more of us who use this measure to speak up and speak out. Let’s stop pointing fingers and start being an example. Let’s stop the take our toys and go home, pout up and pitch a fit mentality just because this is not easy. Let’s dig in and love the unlovable and reach the unreachable. After all, it’s not our power we walk in but the power of the One who lives inside us. (1 John 4:4)

Let’s get over ourselves and understand our God doesn’t need us. He chooses us. He desires relationship with us. We don’t change hearts, we spread His love. He handles the rest. Let us remember to always make sure we’re pointing the way to Jesus and not ourselves. Our actions and rhetoric often paint a very different picture than the one we think we’re presenting.

Take heart, Christian family. We know who wins. We know who is in control. We should also know that persecution gives us a beautiful opportunity to showcase our faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. Perhaps that’s what scares so many of us…The rubber meets the road.

Discussing issues, be they politics, social or otherwise is not inherently wrong for us to engage in. In fact, we should engage in them. What we should be most mindful of is how and why. Is it for our ego, our pride, our rights, or to be right? It’s acceptable and encouraged to speak and point to truth, just remember the why and how.

So today, let’s all move forward from our thin-skin and insecurity. God doesn’t need us being offended on His behalf. Everyone has a choice, ultimately, and we want to insure we are part of that olive branch, not a hindrance to it.

Please, don’t lose me here. We can do this. We can be better, but only if there is more of Him and less of us.

Let’s get busy being the hands and feet. Let’s continue in prayer that His kingdom come and His will be done. Let’s use the Spirit that abides in us, to usher the Kingdom of Heaven right back to this earth. I pray we may all be more concerned with salt and light than wrong and right.

God Bless,

Your Broken, Sinful, REDEEMED Brother-In-Christ