Sheila Dougal

Something has to change!

Let’s do a social experiment.  Let’s set a limit on the ability of folks to purchase weapons. Let’s start with a limit of no more than 1 weapon per eligible, background-checked, and vetted (tested for major mental health issues) person.  And le’ts completely prohibit the sale of weaponry attachments that turn single-fire weapons into automatic weapons as well as completely prohibit the sale of assault style weapons to the public.

I’m all for people having guns.  Even as a hobby.  I have zero problem with that.  I have zero problem with people wanting to own a fire arm for self-defense and have the right to bear those arms.  What I have a problem with is the notion that limiting the sales of certain kinds and amounts of weapons is taking away a persons rights.  I also have a problem with the idea that says until we can solve the reason behind why these mass shootings seem to be happening more and more we can’t really do anything.  And beyond that I have a problem with the thought that trying to limit weapons purchases or prohibiting certain weapons is somehow an ignorant blaming of these atrocities on the weapon.

It’s not the weapon’s fault.  I get that.

It’s the messed-up person’s fault.  I get that.

The messed-up person with evil intent will find a way, even with one weapon, to carry out his/her horrific plot.  I get that.

Good-intentioned people need to have the right to defend themselves against crazy people like mass-shooters.  I get that.

But not one of those ideas is a good reason to NOT limit the sale of certain types of weapons or the amount of weapons a private citizen can own.

The only people who need to own 36 weapons are police departments (not even individual officers) and military personnel in certain positions in the military.   No one needs 36 weapons.  There’s a reason this man in Las Vegas bought so many weapons.

As a Christian, I know that the heart of this problem is just that, the heart of man.  But while I can’t change the heart of man, I can put restraints in place that hold back the evil that wants to kill.  God hates a heart that devises wicked plans (Proverbs 6:18).  And He holds those in authority accountable for restraining people who carry out their wickedness (1 Samuel 3:13).  Keeping the general public from having an accumulation of weapons seems like a perfectly reasonable option for a start in the direction of restraining the evil in the heart of men like the man who terrorized Las Vegas with his wicked plans.

What’s your thought about what we should do as a society about the problem of mass shootings?