Blog

by David Odegard

Violent predator preys on the weak; community shocked by bloody massacre. Commonplace headlines no longer shock us as outrageous acts of evil overlap one another, each more wicked than the last. Perhaps you had never heard of Christchurch, New Zealand, until Brenton Tarrant entered a mosque and opened fire, killing many.

As a Christian, I weep with those who have suffered this latest act of violence.

Oh, that the swords were plowshares! The first reaction of reasonable people is to cry out for someone to stop the carnage, to bring order. Usually this means an outcry for government to make new laws restricting gun ownership. Yet with all the actions taken by government to limit guns, the violence never stops.

Independent Minds (April 27, 2018), a UK media outlet, asked why knife violence is rising so rapidly even among the very young. The UK has been very progressive with laws restricting weapons, like a complete gun ban. Scot Mann, a Tory MP, last week tweeted that all knives should be fitted with a GPS tracker (you’ve got to read it here). The UK continues to restrict freedoms at a rate that would have blown the minds of the founders of the American Republic.

The Washington Post observes, “As Britain cracks down on weapons, criminals turn to acid attacks” (Aug. 26, 2017). No knives, then acid. No acid, then bamboo spears, or fishing line, or bricks. As Bob Dylan sang in Jokerman, “Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks, Molotov cocktails and rocks.” The murderous are among the most resourceful persons on the planet; there is no shortage of violence in the human heart.

The liberals seem to want to make a prison out of the entire society. More guards with more guns, more rules, more video cameras, more of big brother—but never freedom, privacy, or independent thought. George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm as cautionary fiction, not how-to manuals! That point is lost on liberals, as I believe are so many points.

Would-be shooters target schools, mosques, concerts, and other gun-free zones, but never police precincts and shooting ranges. They prey on the weak—not the strong. Chicago is a gun-free zone, but it boasts one of the highest murder rates in the nation. In fact, liberal policies always fail. This is bound to happen when people lead with the heart to the exclusion of the mind.

The answer is to strengthen the weak, not to weaken everyone else. Violence will not disappear until bullies are afraid to act out on their violence. As the old American proverb goes, “God created men, and Samuel Colt made them equal.”

Even if the world was as secure as a prison (though prisons are far from secure), violence would remain in the hearts of men. Strengthen the feeble, do not enfeeble the strong. There is a reason that bullies do not pick a fight with someone stronger than themselves—they are cowards. Stand up to them!

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.