The Real Pro-Life Issue is Gun Control

Where to begin today? Most everyone I am coming into contact with is quite devastated by the killing spree that once again took place in the United States.  Because the attack was on an elementary school and the bulk of the victims were small children, there has been a special poignancy to this incident. Even so, there are the voices that are rallying against gun control, insisting that the guns don't go off by themselves. Others continue the battle cry of wanting to equip more people with guns so that they can be protected. BBC news from the UK reported last night that they had gotten reports of some requesting that teachers have weapons in their desk to prevent this kind of thing from happening. They report it with the kind of incredulity that does indeed defy understanding. Why do we think MORE guns, MORE weapons, MORE access will lessen our gun problem? Of course, the related issue are the mentally ill, but in my opinion, American society seems to value the right to bear arms much more than they value providing real and effective health care to those in need. I do not understand that. Which leads me to my main point today. I really think the Christian church is majoring in the minors instead of focusing on what we really need to be about in order to create a more peaceful, loving, compassionate society, which are indeed the hallmarks of our faith. I do not understand why the central concern of the church is not going after gun control. What are we protecting? What are we accomplishing by allowing the access to guns to proliferate? Why is this not seen as the most key pro-life question of our day?

So I struggle a bit to understand why the church has been so willing to fight to the teeth to get abortion de-legalized yet remains silent on gun control.

I struggle a bit to understand why so many churches have been so willing to fight to the teeth to make sure that gay marriage stays illegal. The logic here is that somehow preventing two people who love one another to enter into an institution of commitment and care is more important to us as a society than ridding our streets of assault weapons that kill innocent people. I do not understand that.

I struggle to understand why the church is not on the forefront of fighting for fair, accessible, good health care, both physical and mental, for every citizen in our nation, seeking to ensure that those who are ill receive the medical attention they need in order to help them live as productive and safe members of our society.

I struggle to understand why keeping Christ in Christmas has been reduced to pithy slogans and petty comments towards those who prefer happy holidays over Merry Christmas. Keeping Christ in Christmas requires a much greater commitment to societal change than simply posting it on Facebook or letting it roll off your tongue with a self-righteous tone in tact.

I will never accept that more guns are the answer. I will never accept that we can't reign this problem in in the United States. I will never accept that the proliferation of assault weapons, hand guns and semi-automatic weapons in the hands of citizens has anything to do with the 2nd amendment. I will continue to fight for greater gun control as a central Pro-Life issue.  You can argue with my perspective until you are blue in the face but if you are a Christian, you need to help me understand why protecting our gun laws reflects Christ's vision for his people and how it helps us create a more peaceful, loving, and compassionate, society.  And if you are "pro-life", you need to explain to me why gun control is not at the center of your fight for life in our society.