DOES THE BIBLE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT ARMS CONTROL?
DOES THE SECOND AMENDMENT NEED LOOKING INTO?
“And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan:”—1 Sam. 13:19-22
Does the Bible have anything to say about Arms Control? Yes, it does. One example, by way of warning, is that of Israel. One of the first things the Philistines did in subjecting Israel to their tyranny was to confiscate as many weapons of self defense from the Israelite people as they possible could. “Philistines” have done this throughout history. We have such “Philistines” with us in America today. And they’re just as disingenuous and dangerous as ever.
The Second Amendment of the United States is clear: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Commenting on this, Dr. Robert Conttrol, a professor of Legal Studies at George Washington University has written, “If the Bill of Rights is to continue, we must apply its spirit even as conditions change. That is the nub of the Second Amendment controversy: Modern intellectuals who tend to feel self-defense is barbaric—that government should have a monopoly of arms with the people being dependent on it for protection—have difficulty accepting the Founders’ diametrically opposite views.”
In a radio interview in the immediate aftermath of the Las Vegas shootings, House Speaker Paul Ryan said, "What I don't think you want your government to do is to lurch toward reactions before even having all the facts … Bad people are going to do bad things." The very next day, in a television interview, he did what is characteristic and predictable of politicians: he said, “Congress needs to look into "bump stocks, Fully automatic weapons have been banned for a long time … Apparently, this allows you to take a semiautomatic and turn it into a fully automatic. So clearly that’s something we need to look into."
No, Senator Ryan, violating the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of Americans to keep and bear arms isn’t something you or any other congressman needs to “look into,” it is something government needs to stay out of. Government’s job is to protect and abide by law and safeguard our liberty. Congress needs to devote its energies to areas in which they have lawful authority to act. Reducing government, taxes, illegal immigration, political corruption and the size of the central government is one of these areas. Another one involves restoring and respecting the sovereignty and rights of each individual state in the Union..
Ryan was right when he said “Bad people are going to do bad things.” People who want to kill people can and do kill them, individually or in mass with knives, bombs, motor vehicles, anthrax poison, etc., etc., etc. It is a matter of either complete dishonesty or unmitigated ignorance for a congressman to suggest that gun regulations and restrictions are seriously significant as a solution to occurrences such as 9-11, the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013, or the recent massacre of church attendees in Texas. How will government keep airliners, motor vehicles and fertilizer and pressure cookers out of the hands of people who want to kill people?
Be very afraid of a killer with any blunt or sharp object, of one in an airplane or a truck, or one whose killing method is to visit retail drugstores and insert poisoned capsules into packages of over-the-counter medicine, as has happened recently. Be afraid of those who have the ability to steal a gun (which includes almost everybody). But be especially afraid of those in government who are determined to either create or capitalize on any situation they can to strip Americans of their God-given and constitutionally affirmed rights – especially the right to keep and bear arms. It is a matter of historical documentation that wherever people have been disarmed by government the worst tendencies of totalitarianism and tyranny begin to be acted out.
Americans need to consider and confront the arguments for gun restrictions advocated by the “smart people” in government and media with an intelligence, integrity and common sense that the federal government and mainstream media obviously lack. Thomas Jefferson spoke the mind of our Founding Fathers when he said, “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to be able to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” There’s a biblical position for supporting the right to keep and bear arms. Christians need to be familiar with it.