Europe is under attack again.  Islamic State (ISIS) militants have claimed responsibility for Friday’s coordinated deadly attack in the heart of Paris, with the toll from automatic weapons fire and explosives currently at 132 dead and 349 wounded.  The attacks were stopped by French security forces and notably, by no one else. Security experts had warned of such attacks on the continent since the similar Madrid train bombings in 2004, which claimed 191 lives.  The world has endured such t...

It’s time to revisit early education about firearms, given several recent news stories. Human beings’ long childhoods enable the acquisition of vast amounts of knowledge and skills. What is learned depends on parents’ priorities and experiences. A new wrinkle has appeared with the current generation, which seems to prefer to feel safe rather than acting to be safe. This is the difference between controlling others’ guns versus controlling one’s own gun as divergent routes to gun safety. (more...

When I saw this news piece and confirmed it wasn’t a satire, my next thought was “Gun porn. Hmm, is CBS News investigating those traumatizing and soul-crippling images of scantily clad women holding guns?†You know, like this one (WARNING: heavy metal music). And this one, and this one. Was it a slow news day? The truth was far more serious. CBS46, the Atlanta CBS TV affiliate, had uncovered a new and terrifying threat hiding in plain sight in, of all places, Atlanta’s neighborho...

One of my older patients killed herself a few months ago.  She had disabling chronic depression and other psychiatric issues, had abused medications and had overdosed dangerously several times, and felt unfulfilled and stressed at home.  She was a delightful person for whom family was everything but always imagined she mattered less than she really did. There was a handgun at home.  I had addressed this with her and her family.  They decided they would keep it locked up inaccessibly to he...

The growth in both types and numbers of gun owners, and the coincident drop in violent crime have not induced gun prohibitionists to reconsider their position. A rational person might look on these big-picture truths as evidence that her thinking could be wrong.  But if gun prohibitionists were rational people, civil rights activists wouldn’t be working day in and day out to defend that precious right secured by the Second Amendment. On the contrary, as more women, African-Americans, and ...

I’ve met a lot of people who like guns.  Although a large number are older, white and male, there are increasing numbers of women, a mix of ethnic and racial groups, all religious identities (or none) and all ages from all walks of life. We include all types of personalities, lifestyles and other interests.  So we are pretty much like any mix of Americans, linked because we appreciate firearms and what we can do with them along with valuing our right to keep and bear them. (more…)

[WARNING: In this entry we link images from The Trace and the Washington Post that readers may find disturbing.] As public opinion and consequently firearm policy have steadily tended toward affirming the Second Amendment, gun prohibitionists have reacted by becoming frantic. They now push the limits of decency, even in a popular culture that no longer sets many limits. (more…)

[Editor's Note:  One of our readers was thoughtful enough to share this with us.  It was originally written for fellow clergy.  We appreciate his reflections on responsibilities we all share.] Dear friends, As a pastor of 30 years, I serve people who come in every flavor. I am called to pastor flocks that are from the right and the left, and everyone in-between. I pray for those touched by gun violence. But I pray for everyone touched by all violence. For where there is violence, there is ...