Do Guns Kill People?

When I was a small boy, my uncle committed suicide by shooting himself. I don't remember many of the details, but I do remember the grown up's hushed conversations - the questions - the talk of where it happened - why - how - the whispered details of the head wound -  and the spooky strangeness of the word "suicide." The memories of that time are dark and gloomy and a perfect example of a child's inability to totally comprehend the incident.

When I was a teenager, the cousin of a friend of mine disappeared one night. I stayed over that evening at my friends house. Deep in the night, when everyone was asleep, the phone rang. His mother answered the phone and as we listened from upstairs it became evident that something bad had happened. His cousin's car had been found by the police on a deserted country road. He had shot himself in the head. I remember someone mentioning the blood and brain matter that had splattered throughout the inside of the car.

May 16th, 1996, Admiral Mike Boorda drove himself home, walked into his backyard and shot himself in the chest. I was a First Class Petty Officer, Stationed aboard the USS Hoist. Admiral Boorda was the first person in the history of the Navy to to make his way through the enlisted ranks, become an officer, and be selected to the highest rank of Chief of Naval Operations. I remember his visit aboard the Hoist - a real privilege and honor for the crew of our little salvage ship. The Hoist crew was stunned by his suicide, as was the whole Navy community and many throughout the country.

A couple of weeks ago, Kansas City Chiefs player, Javon Belcher, shot his girlfriend several times with one handgun, killing her, then took another handgun with him to the Chiefs stadium and in front of his coach and the Chiefs manager, shot and killed himself. The Kansas City community is stunned. And of course, Facebook, Twitter, etc.,  has been full of heated rhetoric from both sides of the gun control/2nd amendment issue.

It's interesting to me that although many memories in my life are becoming fuzzy and there are other things that I have completely forgotten, these incidents in my life are still vivid and real and conjur up emotions unlike other remembrances. It saddens me that we as a nation have reduced this issue to one dimensional arguments. One side says get rid of all the guns, or at least outlaw  handguns. The other side says we need more guns. I am angry and sad that some would have the audacity to suggest that if Kassandra Perkins possessed her own gun, she would be alive today. Such remarks are reckless and irresponsible.

However, it is also true that guns do not kill people. People make the decision, whether rashly or premeditated, to kill with guns. There are fellow pastors who quickly offer strong words supporting a person's seemingly unfettered right to bear arms, yet at the same time, remain silent when it comes to standing for peace and nonviolence in our communities, our nation, and our world.

My hope is that we can begin to wrestle with the complexities of this issue. It won't be easy, but it must be done. Just as it is important to protect the rights of individuals, it is just as important to stand for what is right - what leads to peace and wholeness. Let us work for the peace of humanity...