A Change of Heart...

 

 

This week we saw yet another child harmed by gunfire in Minneapolis. It was, just like the ones before it, an unmitigated tragedy. The response by some in the community was predictable - don't blame the perpetrator - blame the legislature for not passing harsher gun laws which would punish the law abiding gun owners.

Just speaking for myself, this type of response makes it difficult to do what needs to be done in the moment - grieve and or support the victim's family. Instead I need to have my guard up, ready to fend off another attack on my Second Amendment rights. I did not shoot anybody. I am VERY law abiding in how I store and use my guns. When at the range, I practice good range discipline. In fact, I don't think I speak just for myself, I speak for the vast majority of gun owners.

The man I took my Carry Class from said there is no such thing as an accidental discharge - only a negligent discharge. In other words, if you are not negligent, the only way your gun can go off is if you make it go off. A gun is just a tool to be used by the operator. If the operator has hate in the heart, or if the operator wants to commit a crime with the gun, it will not matter if we have 10 million gun laws on the books. Outlaws are called outlaws because they live OUTSIDE the law.

So what do we do to stem the violence which seems to plague most of our large cities these days? What laws can we change, or what new laws can be pass that will help mitigate this trend? Nothing. We need to change the heart. Most Navy SEALS will tell you if need be, they can kill using just about anything. People with evil intentions have killed for thousands of years using numerous kinds of weapons or devices. This goes all the way back to Cain and Able. A hundred years from now, we might not even use guns anymore. We might have laser or particle beam weapons instead.

My point is simple. If your heart needs changing, ask for help in making the change. Ask God, ask family, ask friends. The old saying of "It is not guns that kill people" is true. Guns used for evil purposes are only instruments of people with a troubled hearts. However, know this - if you have obtained a gun, and plan to use it for other than the right reasons, law abiding citizens like me will come after you like a hungry dog after a bone. Your improper use of a firearm does a disservice to me and countless others like me.

A change in heart by most of us would result in a society which needs very few laws. Our heart is our moral compass. It works much better than anything a legislature could come up with.