The funerals are ongoing this week for the victims of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This follows the funerals last week for the victims of the supermarket shooting in Buffalo, NY. According to the FBI, “active shooter” attacks in 2021 averaged about one every six days. This year seems even worse. Attacks at schools, houses of worship, places of business, on street corners, playgrounds, almost anywhere people gather.

I mention this issue in two of my books. On page 104 of Preaching for the Long Haul: A Case Study on Long-term Pastoral Ministry, I write:

I discovered the limits of prophetic preaching. One Sunday I spoke about our gun-happy culture and the strong link between handguns and murder and suicide. After the service two deacons confronted me at the back of the sanctuary, near the sound booth. One deacon was in law enforcement. The other was in the military. Both took issue with my advocacy for greater gun control. One of the deacons said that if I preached on that again, he was leaving the church.

In Spelunking Scripture: The Letters of Paul, I reference that experience on pages 80-81. Nevertheless, I write:

According to the Switzerland-bases Small Arms Survey, American civilians own 393 million guns. That’s more than the population of the U.S. In comparison, in Australia there are about 15 guns for every 100 people. The question is: What are Americans doing with their freedom to bear arms? We may ask: Are all the guns making our country safer and more secure?

The number of “active shooter” incidents in the United States has risen dramatically in recent years. Someone has said, “just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”

What would Jesus say about our gun-happy culture? I recall Jesus telling Peter to put away his sword (John 18:11). I know it’s complicated. We just observed Memorial Day to honor those who took up arms to defend our country and our freedom. I know guns are necessary in the military and in law enforcement. But 18-year-olds buying assault rifles so they could massacre innocent people! Surely there is a better way.