God, guns, self defense?
I’ve had a short poem by the English poet and author Steve Turner running through my head over the past few days. It’s titled, “Gun.”
What is a gun for?
A gun is for making things.
What does it make?
Orphans, widows,
grief ...
Last week we saw the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on all counts. Even though he shot three people and two of them died he was considered innocent under Wisconsin law. He committed no crime in the eyes of the state, he’s been celebrated by the far right being interviewed by Tucker Carlson and visiting with Donald Trump, he’s playing to the crowd. But I’m less concerned about the eyes of the state, or the heroic status he’s been given by some than I am about the eyes of God.
In all the debate over whether the Rittenhouse got away with murder, the right to self-defense, unjust laws, questions about what would have happened if he had been black, we have forgotten about the tragedy that unfolded that evening.
A seventeen year old took a rifle into an already volatile situation. Riots had been taking place over the previous few days. There were clearly people present with violent tendencies. Who in their right mind can think it’s a good idea to walk into that sort of environment carrying a rifle? One of the victims chases after Rittenhouse and the teenager gets scared and kills him. Another victim hits him with a skateboard, not a deadly weapon and certainly not designed to kill. Rittenhouse kills him too. A third person sensing an active shooter pulls a gun on Rittenhouse and he ends up being shot, but thankfully survived. If the kid had stayed home two people would still be alive. If the kid had left the gun behind and just pretended to be an EMT, no one would have died. I weep.
I often hear gun advocates say that guns don’t kill people, it’s people that kill people. Well, it’s people with guns who kill people. Steve Turner is right, guns exist for one purpose, to kill things. Guns create the people that Christians are called to care for, orphans and widows. I lament and can’t condone the loss of life.
I’ve listened to people talk online about their right to conceal and carry a handgun. One person said they carry it with them when they run alone in case they are attacked. Don’t they know that the moment a gun comes into play in a mugging or robbery it now becomes a life and death situation? The moment a gun is pulled the situation is escalated and death becomes a real possibility. Someone who carries a gun has to be willing to escalate any situation to the point of death.
They say it is their right to defend themselves. I agree, I’d defend myself too. However, a gun is not a defensive weapon, it is an offensive weapon designed to take the life of another person.
If you’re willing to pull a gun on another person you have to be willing to pull the trigger. Therefore you have to believe that your life has greater value than the life of your attacker. What allows you to say that? The last time I checked my theology I found that all people bear the image of God, how then does a Christian justify destroying the image of God in another person? The early church had a simple answer to that question, you can’t. Christians were forbidden from taking the life of another. As the early apologist Tertullain stated, “Christ, in disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier.”
As a follower of Christ I am aware of my eternal destiny. My new life in Christ assures me that I am part of God’s family and will live forever in Christ. I will be part of the resurrection community and inhabit the new earth spoken of in Revelation 21. What if the attacker doesn’t know Christ? God’s desire is that none should miss out on the opportunity to find new life in Christ and we are commanded to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and go the extra mile. Maybe killing our attacker before they have the opportunity to respond to the gospel isn’t the answer.
Can the Church promote a culture of life and hope, and reject a culture of fear and death?
