Gun Control from a Biblical Worldview
As of today there have been 213 mass shootings in America in 2022 alone. 27 of them have been in schools. And it’s only May 25. (https://www.gunviolencearchive.org). They have become so common we lament them for a short season and then quickly move on. In your lifetime more than 1,000,000 people will die from gun violence. We need to talk about this issue from a Biblical worldview in order to potentially get a better handle on this issue.
A Biblical Worldview
The main reason neither side (Dem or Rep) has been able solve this issue is due to the fact that both sides are being pushed to the far extremes and have abandoned a pure Biblical Worldview. Yet, as soon as the topic of guns comes up the extremes get the most press. Our thinking on gun control must start from a Biblical point of view. You cannot get the answer from the NRA or from our government. Neither one of them come from seeking to know the thinking and planning of God nor his vision for our lives.
A biblical worldview is….
Focused on our responsibilities over our rights: Obviously, there are no references to guns in the bible. Therefore, you cannot say that gun ownership is a Christian value/right. A Christian may own a gun, but they are in no way afforded that right as a Christian. However, it is an American right, according to the second amendment. When Jesus died on the cross he was embraced responsibility for your sin, rather than claiming his right not to die. This is what it means to take up your cross daily and follow him. I think this is at the heart of what JFK meant when he said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
Pro-life: This means so many things; we care for the unborn, the poor, widows, the incarcerated, the elderly, even people we disagree with. I’ve heard too many Christians speak aggressively about shooting intruders or applauding ridiculous statements like “It’s God’s job to judge the wicked. It’s our job to arrange the appointment.” To be pro-life means we value all life and give all life as much chance as possible to live and to come to repentance.
Lived in Freedom: We have co-opted this biblical idea and applied it patriotic themes. When the bible speaks of freedom it is talking about freedom from the grip of sin and freedom from the law. In America we love our freedom, and it is a great thing. I wonder if in that freedom we are accidentally perpetuating the first sin…we are wanting to be God rather than obey God. In our freedom we don’t want anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it. There’s a fine line between freedom being a good thing or a god thing (idol).
An ethic of love: When Peter drew his sword and tried to fight a soldier in Matthew 26, Jesus said to him. “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Love is a much better way to live. Admittedly, there are some who are so evil that we must address them with aggression. But I find this to me more rare then common for ordinary citizens.
Peacemaking: Matthew 5:9 says “Happy are the peacemakers for they will be called Children of God.” We have no shortage of examples of the chaos rather than peace created from gun ownership and misuse including Kyle Rittenhouse, Ethan Crumbly (Michigan school shooting), and Congressman Thomas Massie’s absurd twitter post from last December (see pic below). God’s vision for our lives and our world is one of peace. It is the obligation of believers to be at peace and to be devoted to the message of peace. One of the ways that we work for peace here on earth is to not only pray for the “kingdom to come on earth as is it in heaven” but to live here and now in a way that reflects the age to come. Since peace will permeate the age to come, I suggest the following as means to peace here on earth in relation to gun policy.
A biblical worldview applied
We must address sin. We’ve all heard that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” The reason for this is sin. The root of all evil is sin. I’m quite sure our national leaders will not address this issue. But until we address the reality of the evil behind tragedy, we guarantee the continuance of mass shootings. Biblical justice understands that there is a spiritual issue that we must contend with if we are to experience peace.
No one should own an assault rifle or high capacity magazines: I’m sure they are fun to shoot. I’d love to shoot one. Perhaps they should be limited to rent/use at gun ranges. It is simply nonsensical to think a private citizen has use for this. This “right” should be lost due to our responsibilities to each other.
Require background checks for all firearm sales (including private): Christians wisely advocate for anyone crossing the boarder to have a background check. We should be consistent in this principle by having all gun purchases require a background check.
Not everyone should be allowed to own a gun: Many are not allowed to own guns and it should be expanded to include those convicted of violent crimes, domestic abusers, the mentally ill, aspergers, autism, those on depression meds, etc… Yes, that is exclusionary, and it should be. The Crumbley family is a good example of this. He shot and killed 4 students on Nov 30th. You likely forgot about this, which goes to prove how desensitized we have become. The Crumbley family simply should not have been allowed to own a gun. I’m not sure what criteria they would have triggered on an application but we need to figure that out.
Some people should own guns: I don’t think you can or should get rid of all guns. The police, responsible citizens, and hunters all come to mind. And practically speaking, there are around 300,000,000 guns in America (from what I hear). Taking all of these guns would incite a civil war.
It needs to be very very hard for someone to own a gun: Classes should be involved, invasive background checks, etc.. Yet, one third of American’s own a gun and 40% live in a home with a gun (Pew Research).
We must be consistent in out pro-life ethic: We live in a murderous society in which we are playing God by deciding who lives and who dies. Our pro-life ethic should include a stance against all abortion, against the death penalty, and murder of one another.
Advocate for non-lethal ammo: Pew (2021) reports that 63% of gun owners cite personal safety as the reason for their owning a gun. There’s many ways to defend yourself with non-lethal ammo such as rubber bullets, wax bullets, beanbag rounds and stun guns. If our ethic is pro-life and redemptive then those who are defending themselves need not kill someone in the midst of sin. If you believe sin sends someone to hell the you should not seek to end their life while they are sinning. A more Biblical mindset would be to defend yourself in a manner that can give the perpetrator an opportunity to experience redemption.
Perhaps guns should not be allowed to be given in an inheritance. The only possibly exclusion might be antiques.
This is an extremely complicated issue and I don’t pretend I have all the answers. My goal here is to help you think more biblically about this issue.
