More on Orlando...

In the short time I have been writing blogs on this site since being appointed to St. Paul's, I have had to address the question of mass shootings several times! How sad that, here we are again, in the aftermath of a horrible act of violence that has claimed at least 49 innocent lives, with more than that number injured, and several still critical. This is a time for appealing to God for comfort and grace for the victims, their families, and friends. Prayer is our first order of business. The gut-punch America received upon hearing word of yet another slaughter will linger for a while, and should remind us to keep those prayers flowing until the hurt begins to subside. And pray that at least a little national healing can occur before the next gun-borne tragedy strikes.

What the news is telling us about the shooter is that he was "self-radicalized," and most likely had no formal contact with Daesh (ISIS). It appears he was a very sad man, violent in many venues, and consumed by hate. He also most likely suffered from some undiagnosed mental illness. We should pray for his family, as they seem as lost as to why he committed this unspeakable act as are the rest of us.  From Columbine to Sandy Hook, Charleston to San Bernardino, and now to Orlando, this seems always to be the case. How awful it must be to hear that a loved one has done something like this and to not have had a clue that it could happen. Lord, in your mercy...

What we do know, without a doubt, is that this shooter targeted a specific community--our LGBTQ siblings. Reports say he was recently angered by seeing two men kiss. What is wrong with us? There was a time when, if we felt something was repulsive, or if it "angered" us, we would just turn and walk the other way. When did we become the kind of society that gave birth to such violent and deadly reactions? What is fueling this? And why are we picking on the LGBTQ community? Our own United Methodist denomination still discriminates against this population, so maybe we are feeding it a bit ourselves? I am so tempted to invoke the late Rodney King's question, "Why can't we all just get along?" Why, indeed.

The glorification of guns and the rise of an unyielding "front" against any sane gun safety regulations that hides behind the Second Amendment are culpable. Irrational slogans and Internet posts draw on every type of illogical propaganda, from the infamous "slippery slope" to "red herrings" and "straw men," to "support" opinions that can best be summed up in this selfish philosophy: "I want what I want when I want it," and "It is my right." (I have a real hard time with people who claim to be Christ-followers, and yet still put "my rights" above the greater good.)

Within the first three days of the Orlando tragedy, someone posted a placard on FaceBook that proclaimed:

"If a madman wants to kill innocent people

he will find a way.

Killers don't need guns to kill people.

Timothy McVeigh

used fertilizer.

9-11 terrorists used

box cutters & planes.

The Nazis used

cyanide gas...

Taking guns from

innocent people will not

protect innocent people.

The problem is not guns.

It is a Godless society."

This is the kind of ridiculous "logic" that sane gun safety regulation and banning military-style assault rifles is up against. I responded to this post by a gun-promoting acquaintance by inquiring: Have you tried to purchase ammonium nitrate in any quantity since the Oklahoma City bombing? You can't, because it is now highly regulated. Have you tried to take a box cutter onto a plane since 9-11? Oh, and we fought a World War and staged the Nuremberg Trials as a response to what the Nazis did. And yet, the AR-15 has been the weapon of choice in several mass shootings, and not ONE attempt has been made to regulate its purchase.

We are not a "Godless society." We are a society--of people of color and diversity, of a spectrum of sexual orientations, of differing socio-economic means, of many religious preferences, and political persuasions--and many believe in God. Many don't. Neither of these facts excuse us from acting in the best interests of all, and finding a way to "love our neighbors as ourselves," as someone has suggested. Every time another of these shootings happens, I pray that it will finally be the tipping point for us to demand that our lawmakers act to protect the true innocent. Children are dying because gun safety is so lax. Murder-suicides in domestic disputes are an almost daily occurrence. Over 30,000 people die in acts of gun violence each year in the United States. Having "God" won't fix this problem alone. (In fact, most of my FaceBook "friends" who advocate for gun rights claim to be practicing Christians!)

As a pastor, I am deeply grieved by the strange dichotomy between "God" and gun rights. If we are followers of Jesus, we are called to set aside our own rights when they may cause harm to others. If Jesus had followed the philosophy of the National Rifle Association, he would have turned the Earth into a cinder and walked away after his trial before Pilate. I am not against "law-abiding citizens" owning a gun for sport. And while I would never advocate that people of faith own a gun for "personal protection" (are you, as a Christ-follower, really ready to kill someone?), this is most likely allowed under the Second Amendment. But assault-style weapons? High-capacity ammunition clips? These things are designed to kill people, pure and simple. And they should be illegal to own.

So, what are we going to do? Will we keep playing our sad violin songs until the next shooting? Or will we begin to use our First Amendment rights to speak up, write our lawmakers, and vote our conscience? If not, we'll meet again at the next post-tragedy blog. God help us.