By Brad Bianchi
I heard one of my more conservative free-thinking friends speak out in defense of an American’s right to bear arms, to amass as many weapons as he or she may choose, without the obtrusive regulations of the Socialist American Government. He was a little heated. Perhaps he believed he had a right to be. After all, here was Obama, coming to get his guns. At the end of his diatribe, I clearly smiled when he said, “After all, it’s my God-given right to bear arms.”
Needless to say, it was the end of the conversation. How can you argue with that? At least on his level. I wasn’t aware that God had given this man, or any man, the right to bear arms. But, not wanting to be ignorant of the subject, I sought out the history of the firearm. I wanted to see, first, if God invented or even placed the gun here with Adam and Eve–for hunting or protection.
If I could find no evidence of that, I wanted to see what the Bible says about gun ownership. If I could find no mention of that, I wanted to see who invented the gun. Perhaps, whoever invented the gun, had the direct hand of God leading him. After roughly forty five minutes of searching, I came up with none of that. The nearest I could find was that the Chinese invented the firearm in the 10th century AD (after inventing gunpowder in the 9th century AD). But, the article does not mention God’s involvement or His sanctioning of such weapons.
Then a word popped into my mind. I thought I had coined a new word. I was so excited. The word I came up with was “Hypochristian.” I thought to myself, “This man calls himself a Christian. But, is he a Christian? Or is he a hypocrite?
So, here again, I turned to the internet. And there it was, the word “Hypochristian.” Darn, I thought that was MY word! But, no, clear as day, written in the Urban Dictionary is the term “hypochristian.” Here is the official Urban Dictionary definition of the word Hypochristian: “Contraction of the words ‘hypocrite’ and ‘Christian’. Any Christian who claims to follow the teaching of Christ but whose belief structure, values and/or actions directly contradict such a claim.”
“Typically, hypochristians support things such as the death penalty, engage heavily in proselytizing and judgment of others whose beliefs differ from theirs. Additionally, they often oppose things that go against their beliefs such as gay marriage, evolution, and other scientific law amidst wide amounts of ethical, scientific, moral, and logical arguments (even within their own supposed claim of beliefs) that would prove otherwise. Hypochristians are best categorized as individuals so stubbornly and fanatically devoted to their beliefs that they border on sheer stupidity.” Well, there it was. And, I couldn’t have said it better.
I have long been perplexed by America’s obsession with guns. And, let’s be honest, we are statistically to the point now where we have to admit that America has an “obsession” with guns. A recent Pew Research Center survey indicates roughly one third of households report having a gun in the home. That includes 34% of families with children younger than age 12.
There is an estimated range of 270 to 310 million guns in the United States. That is close to one firearm for every man, woman and child. The US ranks #1 in private gun ownership out of a list of 178 countries. On average, roughly 30,000 people die from firearms each year through homicide, suicide or accidental death. But, I digress, let’s get back to the issue of God and guns.
I consider myself a Christian. And, sometimes, when my way forward seems unclear, I say to myself, “What would Jesus do?” I find that, if I ask myself that simple question, I often find the most simple, kind hearted answer.
And so, to my open minded friends who claim that the Lord, the Government or the Constitution gives American’s the right to continue on our unfettered path forward in gun ownership, I would simply say, “What would Jesus do?” Were Jesus to walk the earth today, would he sit with the NRA at a congressional hearing and make the argument that the NRA makes to the American people? Would he call for an elimination, reduction or control of guns in our society? Or, as my friend suggests, would he protect every man’s right to wage war on every man who wages war on him?
I would suggest that we all take a cold-hard look at who really is dictating the conversation American’s are having about gun control today. If you find that those who really control the issue today are not in keeping with your own beliefs, you owe it to your own dignity to make your voice heard so that upon America’s next senseless killing you can be one who can honestly say, “I tried to stop that from happening.”
Brad Bianchi has been a financial planner for more than 19 years. He has a degree in Broadcasting and Journalism from Montclair University and lives in San Diego with his wife and three of his four children.
Editor Note: Mr Bianchi’s article has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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One can only wonder which (totally non-existant) God he (the so called “friend”) was referring to: Odin, Zeus, Muhammad, Buddha, Thor, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Beelzebub, Money, W, Trinity of 3 forms, or some other delusion figment of the imagination! I don’t ever remember reading, being taught, or dreaming that any or all of the above (even those that might be non-mentioned) giving humans the right to have a gun, more or less condoning any of us to shoot another human with it.
Always makes me smile when people conflate democracy with diety. Even those rights that ARE progressive — freedom of speech, assembly, religion — were gained over a long time my people claiming and fighting for them. They weren’t given by ANY one or thing.
How ironic that the sickness of contemporary American society is exemplified by the fact that mass murders by “deranged” individuals are functionally indistinguishable from terrorist attacks. The proliferation of guns gives both types of insanity equal access to carrying out their missions and now society is bringing out the big guns to protect the rest of us. In almost every case, there is no prior criminal record so these stealth attacks are virtually indefensible. A society devoted to militarism abroad has to face the chickens coming home to roost. What you sow you also shall reap.
Guns in the hands of lunatics, children (and bad cops) along with fringe politicians who encourage gun sales are going to lead to great advances in civil rights. Enough white people will be killed by stray and random bullets that they’ll finally (though only probably) come to understand what people of color long ago learned; lives are being lost for no good reason, and kids are not safe, no matter what their color.
We are truly a nation under God gunners.
The 300 million estimate of guns in the US is abased on a 25 year useful life of a gun, when a more reasonable gun useful life is used the estimate is more like 700 million.
Second, the basic human right of self protection is part of every religion even part of the beliefs of people that claim no religion. Part of self defense is having the tools (e.g. arms) to accomplish that duty. Today, the correct tools for self defense includes guns, usually handguns. At some future time “arms” may mean something more advanced, like thought projectors or force fields.
So, the author’s friends are correct and the author is way off base.
Statistically, the most common forms of everyday self-defense are knives & handy heavy & sharp objects, along with fists, feet, etc. Only the police & military seem to see guns as the “correct tools for self defense.” The so-called right of self-defense is an animal instinct, heavily regulated for humane purpose. Whether 300 or 700 million, the important fact is how few guns are ever actually used for self-defense, so even more guns cannot be the “correct tools.”
Guns have become toys for overweight boys who can neither outrun nor kick the asses of stronger males. Guns also are religious and patriotic articles, and lately some numbers of women have taken the oath to serve and protect themselves. Very few guns go unused; not many fearful people put them in a drawer and then forget they have them. I imagine they take them out of those drawers regularly, love them, rub oils on them, pat them dry and, hopefully, put them back in the drawer.
I can understand hunting — most of us love meat– but you won’t see hunters using AK 47s and Kalishnakovs. Those are for warfare, for killing great numbers of people.
Gun lovers always tell themselves that they shouldn’t carry guns unless they’re willing to use them. Asks the cops about that. That ethic is why so many people are dying from gunshot wounds in the United States.
You seem to be STRONGLY projecting your own inadequacies onto the gun owning public of America.
Low blow.
Of course, Christianity supports pacifism and gun control. Any arm of imperialism – like Christianity – pacifies the people. As long as we deal in fantasies like the material world isn’t real by pointing to a dead man on a cross or that you can stop the destruction of the world without violence by pointing to that same dead man on a cross, we’re going to keep getting our ass kicked.
Belief in gun control hinges on the same faith-based view of the world as Christianity. God’s love will save us without the need to defend ourselves or humanity’s love will save us without the need to defend ourselves. These are the same argument.
Christianity went from crucifixion to imperial conversion in about 300 years by turning the other cheek. Only after Imperial Rome under Constantine declared it the official church of the Empire did it begin to drift away from pacifism. Your history is a little backwards, & your apparent atheism underscores that possession of weapons is a civil right granted by law, not God. Without God, there are no natural rights, leaving only civil rights that can be given & taken away.
As an Ordained Christian Minister of almost 50 years, I would like to answer Mr. Bianchi’s question “What would Jesus do?” And by the way Mr. Blanchi, I notice that none of your stated qualifications include “Theologian.” But, as to “what would Jesus do,” if you’ll look at Luke 22:36, Jesus tells His disciples “….the one who has no sword must sell his coat and buy one.”— This is for defence clearly. This parable of the sword says this to us: “In the world you will have conflict. You will want your sword (or gun). Better lack a garment than lack a sword.” And that Sir, is your answer!