The massacre in New Zealand was a terrible thing. It is despicable to murder. It is beyond description to murder those engaged in peaceful practice of their religion. It’s hard to imagine what sort of person goes through what perverse moral gymnastics to arrive at an internal justification for such an act. And yet, it is all too common.
As in much of the Western world, the solution was apparently obvious. Someone murdered people with a particular type of firearm. Ergo, all such firearms must be taken away from those who didn’t commit the crime. Motivations? Irrelevant when one believes evil can be stopped by taking away the material cause of evil. However, it was superficially attributed (by some) to the apparent source of all evil, Donald Trump. Even Jordan Peterson was held accountable in some way, as his book is no longer for sale in a large NZ bookstore subsequent to the attack. In reality? It turns out that the perpetrator is an eco-fascist who admires the Chinese Communists.
This is standard fare. It is what the elites of the world see as only logical. It is so clear to the media and academia. Of course! Ban! Never mind that murder is, itself, illegal. The only solution is removal of the ‘device’ used to kill. Witness the attempt to remove knives from English kitchens because of violence on the streets in increasingly bloody England.
And yet, I have read about the escalating murders of Christians in Nigeria. A growing, modernizing country with an exploding population, Nigeria has something like the 27th largest economy in the world. And in that very important country, thousands of Christian farmers are being systematically murdered by Islamic herdsmen, and by Islamic groups like Boko Haram (They’re the group the kidnapped hundreds of young women a few years ago, most of whom have never been seen again by their loved ones.)
Images of angry men brandishing AK-47s can be seen in association with these stories. It must be the case that they simply go to the local gun show or gun shop and buy them, and then murder the innocent. Right? Wrong.
In Nigeria, private ownership of handguns of any sort is illegal. Individuals can purchase single or double barrel shotguns for hunting or for ‘celebratory gunfire’ for which blanks can also be purchased. ‘Self-defense’ is not an acceptable reason for firearms purchase.
Where do all of those military weapons come from? Wherever they are obtained, they are used to kill the innocent and the defenseless. Hundreds, thousands, murdered by firearms and other means, despite the fact that firearms are all but illegal.
How do we explain this? It is either 1) a mystery or 2) a fact of life that evil men and women will find ways to obtain weapons to achieve their ends. And that disarming the innocent, banning them from the means of self-defense, the means of self-determination, the means of protecting their families and livelihoods, is cruel and thoughtless. It does, however, make many enlightened people feel good about the fact that the world is, in their eyes and in their secure enclaves, a little safer.
But in point of fact, it only makes the world more dangerous to those who just want to be left alone but who have no means of enforcing their own freedom and their own safety.
The police? The military? Those who are allegedly the only ones who should be empowered and armed to engage evil with force?
They’re never more than a blood-bath away. But when they arrive en-masse with their own weapons, they certainly look imposing as they guard the bodies of the fallen.
We can argue theology, but the church I attend has armed security. And even if all they did (all we did, since I’m on the team) was slow the attacker long enough for police, then it would be far better than watching as a murderer strolled the aisles killing without any thought of his or her own safety, assured of the fame attached to the body count.
Humans have the right to defend themselves. And it is ideologically driven, sugar coated cruelty to suggest that the right to do so be taken from them.
You nailed it. I am a Progressive Democrat in NM. A friend came over valentine’s Day, and he had seizures. We immediately called 911, and told them we live on the southeast corner. The FD is 0.5 miles from the house. It took them 35 minutes to get here, and I had to chase them down the street. I waved when they rounded the corner. In rural areas it can take hours for a first responder. I would like the current federal laws enforced, which means adequate funding for the agencies. About 6 years ago, the police were waiting about… Read more »
Thank you for the comment! It seems to me that everyone, all across the political spectrum, should value the ability to defend themselves and their families. And also to prevent a tyranny of ideology from any direction. One of my earliest memories is of my dad, a Vietnam vet, sitting in our front room with a revolver in his lap because some sketchy men kept coming to the door and leaving. I’m glad you and your son weren’t severely injured by your intruder. Have a great evening, Edwin
I hate to see these stories develop. I remember being in the back of a pickup truck in the woods. I was a kid and my dad was hunting. We made a bed in the back of the pickup with a cab over the top of us, and slept for the night. We heard a couple of guys approaching, probably drunk. They found our truck and I remember hearing them say, if somebody is in the back of the truck they’ll hit us over the head. My dad sprang up from the bed and got out a hand pistol. A… Read more »
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You nailed it. I am a Progressive Democrat in NM. A friend came over valentine’s Day, and he had seizures. We immediately called 911, and told them we live on the southeast corner. The FD is 0.5 miles from the house. It took them 35 minutes to get here, and I had to chase them down the street. I waved when they rounded the corner. In rural areas it can take hours for a first responder. I would like the current federal laws enforced, which means adequate funding for the agencies. About 6 years ago, the police were waiting about… Read more »
Thank you for the comment! It seems to me that everyone, all across the political spectrum, should value the ability to defend themselves and their families. And also to prevent a tyranny of ideology from any direction. One of my earliest memories is of my dad, a Vietnam vet, sitting in our front room with a revolver in his lap because some sketchy men kept coming to the door and leaving. I’m glad you and your son weren’t severely injured by your intruder. Have a great evening, Edwin
I hate to see these stories develop. I remember being in the back of a pickup truck in the woods. I was a kid and my dad was hunting. We made a bed in the back of the pickup with a cab over the top of us, and slept for the night. We heard a couple of guys approaching, probably drunk. They found our truck and I remember hearing them say, if somebody is in the back of the truck they’ll hit us over the head. My dad sprang up from the bed and got out a hand pistol. A… Read more »