Gun Violence in America

At least three have been reported dead after a shooter opened fire on civilians in a small town in Maryland. Enraged citizens have organized a ‘March for our Lives’ in protest against the spate of mass shootings in America. The Buffalo supermarket and the Uvalde elementary school are the most high profile, but there have been over twenty mass shootings in June in places like Smithsburg, Maryland; Portsmouth, Virginia; and Saginaw, Michigan.

People are being killed so often by guns that most of the shootings don’t even make the news. Study after study has shown that places with guns are less safe than places without guns. There are two parts to America’s gun problem. First, there are simply too many guns. There are approximately 1.2 guns for every person in the country. The average gun owner has five of them. Second, people own the wrong types of guns. Almost 83% of gun owners own handguns. That is followed by rifles (which includes assault rifles) at almost 69% and shotguns at about 58%.

Despite most American’s agreeing that the United States has a gun problem, it seems unlikely that anything will be done about it. Special interest groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) are too powerful and a vocal minority that live in red states hold the Senate hostage. Most of the people who are strongly for gun rights have certain things in common. They are usually Republican. They are usually white. And they are usually Christian, or at least they claim to be. Perhaps an appeal to faith can work where reason and emotion have failed.

What did Jesus say about guns?

That’s a bit of a trick question. There were no guns at the time Jesus lived, so he didn’t talk about guns specifically. He did, however, talk a lot about behaviors, and those behaviors can easily be applied to Americans’ relationship with guns. For example, more than two-thirds of gun owners say the reason they have a gun is for self-defense. It turns out Christ was explicit on the topic of self-defense. He said:

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.  

For anyone who believes in the word of Jesus and wants to live a Christian life, clearly self-defense is not an option. Even if a good guy with a gun could stop a bad guy with a gun, Jesus doesn’t want him to.

Another reason people own guns is to protect themselves from tyranny. These are more fringe types, but they are fond of the saying, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Unfortunately for any of these people who want to be Christian, Jesus disagrees. Aside from the “love your enemies” quote which preaches pacifism, Jesus said, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Most people interpret that to mean we should not revolt against secular leaders. He goes further when he says, “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’” Jesus specifically says that his servants do not, and should not, fight back against a tyrant looking to do them harm.

A third reason people own guns, although, for obvious reasons, these guns are not captured by the standard statistics, is to commit crimes. It should be obvious that the Bible doesn’t condone criminal activity. The Ten Commandments prohibit both theft and murder. The two previous paragraphs strongly suggest that the state has every right to police its people but that regular people should not get involved. There are other reasons for owning guns that the Bible doesn’t talk about, let alone prohibit: hunting, sport shooting, collecting, and things like that. But crime, rebellion/insurrection, and self-defense are not compatible with a Christian lifestyle.

Would Jesus Approve of the National Rifle Association?

It’s a little inconsistent that many those supporting gun ownership and the NRA claim to be zealous Christians who preach the word of God. They refuse to budge even the smallest amount on gun-laws, despite the spree of mass shootings which have left communities devastated. The NRA’s position is rooted in the political philosophy of America’s founding fathers; it’s tied to classical liberalism’s emphasis on individual rights over the collective interest. It is not ‘Christian’ to own a gun – that’s more of an ‘American’ thing.

None of this is to suggest that the government should start legislating according to the Gospels alone. Even without direct government action, though, there is an important place for religious reasoning in public debates. It is too bad many secularists fail to notice the importance of religion in modern life. Religion played a huge role in both the Civil Rights movement and the anti-slavery movement. With nearly 70% of Americans describing themselves as some type of Christian, that opens up two types of approaches to curb gun violence.

One is to appeal to the rank-and-file Christians. If shown that their beliefs about guns are incompatible with their religious beliefs, it should make them uncomfortable. At the least it would create some cognitive dissonance. At most it would create a sense of shame or guilt. It is important to the faithful that they be good believers, belief by itself is not enough. And shame can be a powerful motivator.

The other approach is to focus on religious leaders. It may be the scammers and charlatans that make the news, but most are sincere and want to help people. One way they can help their parishioners be safer and better Christians is to preach about gun violence from the pulpit. Pastors have a lot of influence over their flocks. This is a great opportunity to spread the gun control message.

There is a lot of insight and wisdom in Christianity, as well as other religions. People should use these insights and wisdom for good whenever they can. Consistent with most gun control advocates, the appeal to Christianity approach doesn’t want to get rid of all guns. It recognizes legitimate uses for certain types of firearms. What it could do, though, is emphasize the illegitimate uses of guns. It could severely cut down on the number of handguns and assault weapons. It could show people that there is no legal or moral purpose for high-capacity magazines or silencers. That could go a long way towards making the US safer for everyone.