It seems like a long time ago, but it has not even been two years since the Supreme Court all but gutted state attempts to control gun permits. The Bruen decision took a radical approach toward gun licensing laws, making it possible for almost any idiot to obtain a pistol permit.
On top of that since Superior Court Judge Kevin Shanahan ruled that opening a gun shop only half a mile from an elementary school and two daycare centers did not violate borough zoning, High Caliber can start selling all sorts of murder weapons. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office reported that gun sales have soared since 2019, 95% going to new permits, not renewals.
So what was the difference between the violent society of Jesus and ours? Perhaps just scale, although the Romans were pretty good about crucifying people they considered opponents. Perhaps gun buyers could be shamed if they had their photos taken and posted on Facebook. There must be more than one way to fight gun violence.
Prayer for the Day
Alarmed by the surge in gun violence, O Lord,
We look to you for imaginative ways to end it;
Concerned and fearful of guns so close to our children,
We search for signs of hope which seem so few.
Be our help, O God, in our attempts to create a peaceful society,
For we know true peace can only come from you.
In the name of the One who eschewed violence,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
When a country with less than five percent of the world’s population has nearly half of the world’s privately owned guns and makes up nearly a third of the world’s mass shootings, it’s time to stop saying guns make us safer.
DaShanne Stokes, political scholar and teacher
We lose eight children and teenagers to gun violence every day. If a mysterious virus suddenly started killing eight of our children every day, America would mobilize teams of doctors and public health officials. We would move heaven and earth until we found a way to protect our children. But not with gun violence.
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator, Massachusetts
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5:9
It seems like a long time ago, but it has not even been two years since the Supreme Court all but gutted state attempts to control gun permits. The Bruen decision took a radical approach toward gun licensing laws, making it possible for almost any idiot to obtain a pistol permit.
On top of that since Superior Court Judge Kevin Shanahan ruled that opening a gun shop only half a mile from an elementary school and two daycare centers did not violate borough zoning, High Caliber can start selling all sorts of murder weapons. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office reported that gun sales have soared since 2019, 95% going to new permits, not renewals.
So what was the difference between the violent society of Jesus and ours? Perhaps just scale, although the Romans were pretty good about crucifying people they considered opponents. Perhaps gun buyers could be shamed if they had their photos taken and posted on Facebook. There must be more than one way to fight gun violence.
Prayer for the Day
Alarmed by the surge in gun violence, O Lord,
We look to you for imaginative ways to end it;
Concerned and fearful of guns so close to our children,
We search for signs of hope which seem so few.
Be our help, O God, in our attempts to create a peaceful society,
For we know true peace can only come from you.
In the name of the One who eschewed violence,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
When a country with less than five percent of the world’s population has nearly half of the world’s privately owned guns and makes up nearly a third of the world’s mass shootings, it’s time to stop saying guns make us safer.
DaShanne Stokes, political scholar and teacher
We lose eight children and teenagers to gun violence every day. If a mysterious virus suddenly started killing eight of our children every day, America would mobilize teams of doctors and public health officials. We would move heaven and earth until we found a way to protect our children. But not with gun violence.
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator, Massachusetts
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5:9