Today's Scripture Reading (July 15, 2023): Jeremiah 33
In
early May 2023, two mass shootings rocked the nation of Serbia. Serbia possesses
the third most guns per capita behind the United States and Yemen. The United
States has 120.5 guns per 100 people, while Yemen possesses 52.8 guns per 100
people. In Serbia, that number is 39.1 guns per 100 people. Even if there are
no more mass shootings in the United States this calendar year, the nation has
already passed more than one mass shooting for every day of this year, 2023. These
shootings produce are always responded to with anger and prayers, but little
seems to change. After all, guns don't kill people; people kill people. And of
course, that is true, but at the same time, it is an oversimplification of the
situation because guns can't kill people alone. There is always a person at the
helm of the gun. And for most people, the possession of a gun isn't
problematic. But for the few, possessing a gun, especially one with a large
magazine and a high rate of fire, is very troublesome. And a person in
possession of a gun can kill many more people than someone with a knife.
And
so, the dance of almost every society is a dance between the idea of individual
gun ownership, what types of guns are okay to own, and the need to protect society
from the few who can cause significant damage with their guns. Kinds of weapons,
limits on magazines and fire rate, psychological evaluations, and requirements
to keep all weapons in a gun safe when they are not being used are examples of
the kinds of things many societies use to help allow gun ownership while
keeping the society safe at the same time. In the United States, these methods
are often rejected under the complaint that such regulations would interfere
with the Constitution's second amendment, which allows for private gun
ownership. Four hundred 2023 mass shootings have not moved the needle for
American gun owners.
But
in Serbia, two mass shootings that killed seventeen people were too many. Gun
owners began to turn in their guns voluntarily. A two-year moratorium on new
gun sales, a re-evaluation of recent changes in gun ownership, and an in-person
psychological evaluation for those who wish to own guns were the starting point
for their reaction to gun ownership in the nation. It seems that for Serbians,
security and the protection of society are more important than who can own a
gun.
A
bomb named Babylon is about to go off inside Jerusalem. It is a destruction
about which Jeremiah has repeatedly revealed to the people, so much so that the
authorities have taken several steps to try to stop the prophet. But God also
reveals to Jeremiah that health and healing for the nation will come after the
destruction. A remnant will live, return, and change the nation in ways even
Jeremiah can't imagine. This isn't the end; it is the interlude.
I
believe in gun ownership. But I also believe there should be common sense
restraints on who can own a gun and what kind of gun should be in citizens'
possession. I have hunted, and this I know; if you miss your target with your
first shot, you rarely get a chance at a second shot, and never a third, so a
large magazine makes little sense. However, a large magazine makes abundant
sense if you are interested in shooting many people. I know none of us like
restrictions placed on our freedom, but sometimes restrictions are necessary so
that we can keep each other safe. The answer to Cain's question in Genesis 3
might be surprising. "Am I my brother's keeper?" The answer to that
question is, "Yes, I am."
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 34
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