Getting Ourselves Off the Hook

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense.

Introduction

Perhaps too much time has passed since the horror of Newtown was seared into our memories. Anyone could see what would come of this. Rather than recognize this as a terrible and unexplainable tragedy, those in power, those with dark agendas, would seize this as an opportunity for Americans to vote away their freedom for a greater level of perceived security.

This is occurring now- “Let’s take another look at that troublesome 2^nd amendment.”

More reinterpretation.  More pruning.  And, deeper into tyranny we may well indeed sink, the more perilous our future becomes.

I write this as any man would, from my life experiences, which includes my upbringing, my career as a police officer, my education, and my Christian faith. I am also a husband and father of children; I love my family dearly. I would do most anything to protect them, even lay down my life for them if need be.

Most importantly, I am God’s child. It is my deepest desire to love and honor Him above all.

If this makes me bias, then so be it.

I would challenge anyone who would tell me their life experiences do not affect their world view. My world view aside, it is my hope to articulate a few points that speak to this debate over gun control. I wish to speak to it from a rational perspective. Not an emotional one.

If this seems long winded, I consider that notion sad. It’s sad because we all seem content to live with trite and compact little sayings to describe entire philosophies, entire belief systems, even an entire faith.

We post them on Facebook, see them on billboards, watch them on Oprah and we are immediately attached to them. They sound good. They “feel” good. From this feeling, we make judgments that should demand a great deal more deliberation. We tend to guide our lives by emotions. I think this is very dangerous.

Unfortunately, we don’t digest the “logos” all that well. Our attention spans are too short. The “pathos” is easier to summon; it’s hotter and quicker; and therefore, it can be more seductive. This fits easily into the natural flow of emotion that pours out after any tragic event .

It breaks my heart when I think of what happened at Sandy Hook. I wish I could have been there. There is often no “easy” answer to such tragedies.

But, I believe there are powerful forces at work when we see reason bent and misused as it is surrounding this recent debate.

Making guns evil in and of themselves unwittingly releases us from responsibility for ourselves… and each other.

In this case, the guns we are talking about are the so called assault weapons.

Evil exists within us because we are not whole. We can do evil with our minds, any implement, or with our bare hands. The machines we make are just our tools. We can use them for good or evil.

What is truly evil is the human person becoming marginalized. The human person is not examined or taken into account. In turning our back on the human person, an implication or notion begins to rise that says, “We are not responsible for our actions.” Worse yet, another notion is fostered that says, “Because we are so defective and hence can’t be trusted, we must disempower ourselves so we can be safe.”  

Both notions lack faith in the human person as capable. As human beings we have free will.  We can be trusted with our lives and our future. We don’t need to lock ourselves up from ourselves.

Of course, believing in evil is another problem for us too.

I have broken down this essay into five parts, the first of which is this introduction. They are:

The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being

The Militia. An Antiquated Term?

The Problem with Governments

Ignorance from Firearms and Conclusion

Sandy Hook Q & A. Responses to Comments and Question From Readers

They are meant to be read in that order as one set of concepts are built upon the previous. I will post them in the hopes I can elicit comments. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. I would ask you to state your reasons and/or ask a question along those lines. I really want to hear from you.

It is often the case that points of view like this are excluded from the dialog. They are filtered out.

I ask that you share the links to these posts with others in order to start a dialog.

It is my intention to outline why a ban on so called assault weapons would be a violation not only of our rights as Americans, but a violation of our right to self defense in our current age. Both amount to a depravation of our dignity as human beings.

Go to Part 2 The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being