“ Jesus came preaching peace “ from Paul, the theologian, in the letter to the church at Ephesus,
I have never owned a gun. I have never shot a gun, unless you count a Super Soaker water gun. I am scared of guns. We did not allow our kids to have fake guns, but that did not stop them from turning sticks or other things into a gun or a shooting instrument. So, since I have had no experience with guns, it is not surprising that I would be against most gun ownership.
I did not grow up with hunting of animals either. I do not have any reason to shoot a deer or bear or a coyote. I do not have any interest in driving a motorcycle either. I did not grow up with it. So, this is what I am used to in my life. Thi is my experience with firearms.
I believe the U.S. has a problem with guns, violence, anger and mental health. And, I do not have any answers to the problems. I lived and studied in the U.S. for 7 years, but have little insight to how to address the issues that are again in front of them, with another school shooting. My wife’s family lives in the U. S.
I do wonder why the “default” response to violence in some places in America is to pick up a gun and shoot people. There are many domestic violence cases where where the wife is killed. There are those school shootings where, someone is so mad that they shoot random students. There are those workplace shootings there a disgruntled employee returns to work to shoot their employer and co-workers. When I lived in the U.S. in the 1990’s, there were many postal employees who went on rampages. Was there something wrong with the Post Office ? Guns are available because it is said to be a constitutional right to own, and to use it when you feel threatened. There are 30,000 deaths in the United States a year using firearms. People, I think, agree that that is far too many people killed in one year with guns. Who should be able to own a firearm ?
Most of the mass shootings are carried out by white men. Women and men suffer from mental illness at the same levels in the society, so why do women not commit this kind of violence ? And why do men do it ? 30,000 deaths are a bad thing, but the U.S. community still think that it is important to retain the right to own a gun. And not just any gun, but a sub-machine gun, among many kinds of firearms.
After the recent school shooting, President Trump offered the idea that there should be more guns in the schools. The teachers should be armed and there should be more security personnel . What do you think ? Everybody is upset when these schoolchildren are killed. What are the answers to make the schools safer , and to make the society safer ?
I do not think I should defend my faith with a firearm ? I do not think I should defend my family with a firearm ? We all want to live in a safer society, so what are the answers to this terrifying concern ?
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 