Fear of the law or the law of fear . . .

So we have another shooting.  Thirteen people are dead.  Apparently the shooter asked people if they were Christians - shooting those who answered yes in the head.

I am moved by the bravery of those who answered yes . . . and the actions of Chris Mintz.  Chris approached the gunman to stop the shooting - asking him to not shoot because it was his son's birthday.  Regardless, the shooter shot Chris seven times but he is recovering.  Chris Mintz and his bravery helped save others who were being targeted.

This entire episode has me really confused, however.

Do you get the irony of it all?  This happened on a campus that was supposedly "gun-free" meaning that all the laws we have passed to stop episodes like this didn't help.  In the end, the only way to stop the shooter was with another gun.  And I really don't have an allegiance to the 'gun rights' people or the 'gun control' people but it is very interesting that we still can't stop this mess - even with the tougher laws that we have on the books.  So the 'gun people' and the 'anti-gun people' are both wrong.


Sometimes I feel like we should just get rid of all guns everywhere. 

But if we all get rid of guns, won't we just have more episodes like this?  Don't you think that there is a method to the shooter picking a 'gun free' campus?  If we get rid of all the guns, then law-abiding people will always fear those who are psychologically unstable (or criminally evil) who don't care what laws are out there.  Who will have the guns to take out those shooters?

Please don't answer the government.  Out of respect to those who have suffered at the hands of police officers this summer and spring, let's just all agree that this is a very messy issue with no easy solutions - especially when you consider how well our government handles things (see U.S. Post Office Financial Documents).

So why do we need guns?  Play darts.  Shoot peas.  Take up archery, but why do we need these things that can rips holes in each other?  

Yet I am incredibly grateful for Sgt. Joe Kaney who quickly arrived on the scene with his partner and took down the shooter.  With a gun.  So in one minute I want guns gone and another I am grateful they are there.

What annoys me is when either side of the debate thinks they have an easy solution.  Albert Breer, a journalist with the NFL network said that, "141 shootings is evidence that the American public has blown its right to bear arms."  So that is the solution?  Make a law that says, "no more guns?"  Right.  How did that work with drugs?  The minute you make something illegal you have created an industry for criminals.  Do you really think you can legislate morality when you have gotten rid of morality? If you think we haven't gotten rid of morality, watch TV at night and see how many people are glorified killing each other.  When there is nothing like God or morality tied to the law, all you have is fear of the law.  Fear of the law is proving to be a very weak deterrent.

On the other hand you have those who say everyone should have guns.  This is somewhat appealing because it might cause criminals to think twice about shooting in a mall full of potential shooters.  But now you have the law of fear as the only guide to making sure everyone does what is right.  We have gone back to the jungle and the last shooter wins.

The Bible has a great line for the kind of situation we are in:  "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  We may just have to hunker down for the next few decades of tragic occurrences like this because we have removed God from the conversation and no amount of laws or ammo are going to change the human heart.

That kind of change comes from somewhere else . . .