Happy Fourth of July. Or, maybe we should say, happy 250th Independence Day! Last night we gathered a bunch of youth and families to shoot clay pigeons out of the sky and finish up our high school trap shooting season with a fun night. As the kids wielded guns safely and skillfully, I could not help but wonder, “where else in the world can teens afford to own guns and own as many as they want? Where else in the world can teens join a team and enjoy shooting their guns for good pleasure, not for war and not for violence?” Gun possession is a blessing, unique to America.
As I walked the streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a few weeks ago, the only people with guns were the policemen at their stations and the military men standing in the backs of camouflaged vehicles. And the guns that they had were old and broken and often taped together. If you have kept up with the news about the DRC, you are aware that 700 miles to the east of Kinshasa, there is another group of people with guns. They are the M23 rebels and they use them to kill soldiers and civilians alike. This brings to my mind the stories of the Middle East where many youths are given guns and training, but not for sport. Instead, they are trained with their guns – and rockets – with the intent to kill Jews! And these are not isolated events. There are very few guns outside of the U.S. (about 500 million) and roughly a third (about 150 million) are used for war and crime control along with an unknown number used by terrorist groups.
But America has a different story when it comes to guns. Police forces across the U.S. and the U.S. military combined possess about 6 million firearms in the hands of about 4 million personnel. This is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the over 500 million personal firearms owned by the 340 million American citizens. Logistically, with such a large number of hands with immediate access to triggers, the American people would be a statistical force to be reckoned with by even the largest military in the world. Ironically, with this many guns, the American people use guns almost exclusively for good – shooting sports, hunting, self-defense, and
marksmanship. Only around 50,000 guns (about 0.8% of the total) are used in the U.S. for crime every year.
So, experientially, practically, and statistically, I would argue that gun possession is a blessing. But there is a more important criterion that we, as Christians, must consider. That is the Bible. What does the Bible say about gun possession? First of all, we must make the obvious observation that guns and firearms are not mentioned specifically in the Bible. This means that we must look at gun possession more generally to include possession of any weapons, including the weapons familiar in Bible times, like swords, spears, and bows. We also must be realistic and recognize that what we classify as weapons can also be used for good. For example, Ishmael became an archer (Gen 21:20, presumably for hunting in the wilderness) and swords could be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (Isa 2:4). Guns, too, can be used as weapons of war or as tools for daily sustenance. We should also notice that even as weapons, swords and spears in the hands of the people was considered a desirable thing for the sake of national security (e.g. 1 Sam 13:19-22).
More important than relying on Old Testament narratives to interpret our Christian practices would be to look at the New Testament. Many will quickly point out that Christ commanded Peter rather bluntly to put down his sword when He was arrested in the garden (Matt 26:52). But we also must recognize that just a few hours previous, Jesus told His disciples that it would be advisable to purchase a sword (Luke 22:36). On further reading of this passage, it is apparent that the apostles already had swords in their possession without any concerns from Christ (Luke 22:38). We also might recognize that earlier in Jesus’ ministry, He directed His disciples to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16). This could be readily applied to the principle of being armed like a serpent, thus keeping enemies at bay while at the same time using our arms innocently, like doves. Thus, from Jesus’ teaching, we see no concrete admonition nor prohibition regarding gun possession so long as they are used for good.
Paul had a lot to say specifically to the churches in his day, but again, he did not say anything specific about weapons possession. Perhaps the most applicable text is Romans 13:1-4 and this passage is fascinating in regard to the United States. First of all, before we mention gun possession here, notice that Paul is directing us to be subject to the governing authorities. God knew how His word by the pen of Paul would relate to the United States one day, but I imagine that Paul had no idea that there would be a nation that would be ruled by the people and for the people. The governing authority in the United States is not a king or prince, but the Constitution, which in turn gives authority directly to the people for self-governance. The preamble sums up this point perfectly. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This then leads us to several questions regarding God’s role for America’s government of the people. How will the people exercise their authority from God? How will the people bring terror to evil works? How will the people be “God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil?” The simple answer, as we see in practice today, which has its very roots in the Declaration of Independence and the first revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord, the simple answer is that this authority of God is held by the people in the guns that we the people possess.
And here we are today, nearly 2,000 years after the Bible was finished and 250 years after our country began its path of liberty blessed with the opportunities of gun ownership. Gun ownership is a blessing that has been granted to us in the United States by God through various circumstances through history. Gun ownership is a blessing that God intends for us as citizens to use responsibly. And finally, gun ownership is a blessing that only benefits the next generation when we pass it on. One of the greatest blessings of being an American is passing on both the blessings and responsibilities of gun ownership.