Wednesday Wonder
What will they think of next?
In a leisurely stroll through recent bills introduced into the Missouri House of Representatives, my eyes were drawn to this one: HB1232. The Bill proposes repealing a section of the current law on unlawful use of weapons. And what does it propose eliminating? The section that deals with churches. Here is the proposed deletion: “any church or place where people have assembled for worship.” In other words, churches are exempt from the list of places or occasions where it is unlawful to carry a firearm. You can’t carry your weapon into an election precinct or a building occupied by any agency of the state or federal government but it’s just fine to stroll into church packing your piece. I beg your pardon?
I’m amazed on several levels and none of it has to do with popular arguments pro and con for gun control.
Why single out churches? Of all the public places where it would not be appropriate to possess fire arms, why remove church from the list? Because there might be an incident and you want to be prepared? Do you really have to be armed in every single place where there might possibly be an incident? To be that secure you would have to step out of the world entirely. If the rationale is to avoid the slightest possibility of threat one would have to be armed in all places at all times. If that is the degree of fear that preoccupies a person it will necessarily accompany them to their house of worship. But should we create churches that are ruled by the same fear that has taken the rest of the world hostage?
We know that shootings have taken place in churches, often with pastors as the targets. But that’s also happened at the court house, the mortgage brokers, the post office and the Wal Mart. If security at churches becomes an issue then security personnel may be hired for protection.
Historically, churches have been places of sanctuary. In the Middle Ages even criminals, when laying their hands upon the church door, were protected within those courts. Of all the places where one should feel free from threat of harm it should be a church. That includes potential harm from armed fellow worshippers.
Most of all the idea of authorizing the carrying of weapons into houses of worship moves against the grain of what we hope to accomplish there in the first place. The primary reason we gather is to seek peace, God’s way in the world, following in the path of Jesus, forgiveness and a love that is larger than our own. Being prepared to shoot it out at the communion rail might work well in a Western. But do we really want it in our Missouri churches in 2010? Check it at the door, partner.
