Lock and Load

"We forget the principle of non-violence, which is the essence of all religions.  The doctrine of arms stands for irreligion." -'Satyagraha - Not Passive Resistance' (H.), Ramchandra Varma, Mahatma Gandhi, about 2 September 1917 (from The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi edited by Raghavan Iyer)

I am no saint.  I grew up playing Cowboys and Indians (the Native American kind) with plastic guns.  I owned plastic armies of men and tanks.  I have played video games where gun mayhem was the chief objective.

As a boy, I went to a summer camp with a shooting range.  I enjoyed target shooting and was pretty good at it.  My father hunted game birds with a shotgun and bought me a gun and took me on a number of hunting outings.  I never shot anything, although, I would have if the opportunity had ever arisen.  In the Air Force, I was trained to shoot an M-16 rifle.  I was a very good shot and received a Marksman's ribbon.

I am not squeamish about guns, although, I don't own any.  And while I cannot conceive of any reason why someone would feel they needed to own a gun, I have no desire to tell someone that they cannot own a gun.

A new law was recently passed in one state (Iowa) of the United States.  The law makes it permissible to carry a gun out in the open.  In fact, in the United States, only seven states do not permit some level of 'open carry.'  In twelve states, there is no licensing or permit needed to carry a gun in the open.  The only restriction are to criminals and the mentally ill.  Many Americans think this makes them safer.

We have a saying in this country, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."  This is certainly true, however, guns make it much, much, much easier.  An impulsive act, a fit of anger, a strange thought, a slight misjudgment, can lead almost instantly to someone's death if a gun is strapped to a hip or on the seat of a car.

Yes, people can be stabbed with a knife, but this act has to be up close and personal.  It takes time to stab someone.  Even in a crowd.  Not so a gun.

Bang, bang, bang.  Three dead.  One second.

Hope there were no innocent bystanders.

I just can't see Jesus "packin' heat."