The cries are louder than ever for gun control. President Biden says that the Second Amendment is not sacrosanct. But is limiting the access to firearms going to solve the real problem? Gun violence may mean the end of America as we know it. Now that I’ve gotten your attention with that provocative statement, let me explain. This blog isn’t about the politics of gun control per se. There are legitimate issues to be addressed with the recent carnage in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. We could endlessly debate so-called ghost guns and whether the public should possess AR-15 rifles. An online ad for the AR-15 says that this gun is “America’s most popular rifle.” The reason? It is “reliable, rugged, and accurate making it a go-to choice for home defense.” That statement likely has Biden and the Beto in a lather. But my calling as a deliverance minister isn’t to legislate but to litigate against demons. And, despite many reasons for the epidemic of mass murders, there is a common theme to the killers.
First, let’s explode the myth that it is mostly mentally ill people pulling the triggers, and if we can keep them from guns, we’ll all be safe. Here are the facts. Research shows that less than 5% of violent acts are linked to mental illness. If you doubt me, check out an article in the Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2022. According to psychologists and epidemiologists, most acts of violence are not committed by people with a diagnosed mental illness. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association states that, “The overwhelming majority of people with mental illness are not violent and are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators thereof.”
A study of discharged psychiatric patients found that only 12% of violent incidents were preceded by a psychotic episode. It gets more interesting. A study by the justice department found that only 17% of prison inmates were mentally ill.
Here is where it gets interesting and is more to my point. The MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study of mentally ill people found that violent acts were more likely because of, and I quote directly from the study, “a history of violent acts, childhood physical abuse, antisocial behavior and a father who abused substances.” Now do you get my point? In the words of the progressive left, “Follow the science.” Well, if we are to do that, the most important answer to stopping gun violence is in the home. I’m going to make two bold statements:
- First, people raised in two parent, Christian families, where a godly father is giving guidance don’t go on killing sprees. My wife and I have three children. What are the chances one of them will be consumed by racial hatred and walk into a Buffalo supermarket? ZERO! What is the possibility that one of them will post online their murderous intentions and then invade a Texas schoolroom with mass murder? ZERO! I understand that there are some single moms doing their best after a good-for-nothing father abandoned the family. But we need to focus on fatherhood and the value of a sustainable home of love and acceptance. To paraphrase a popular pro-gun phrase (Guns don’t kill, people kill.), “Guns don’t kill, but individuals raised in violent, sexually abusive, and drug addicted families do kill.” Abandonment, rejection, and parental absence are the real killers stalking our land.
- My second point is that the moral demise of America will not be about whether a minor child can possess a rapid-fire rifle but will depend on the spiritual qualities of our American families. By throwing away the rights of decent, god-fearing people we are treating a symptom, not the real problem. Perhaps a background check on mental illness could be a deciding factor in purchasing a high-caliber, magazine weapon. But what about a background check on abuse, alcoholism, and abandonment in the home? That is where demons do their dirty work turning kids into killers in Buffalo and Uvalde.
The end of the stable, loving, nuclear family that made our nation great is becoming a thing of the past. Let’s restore the family first, and then talk about REAL common-sense ideas concerning the role of firearms in our culture. And let’s add to that a theologically serious conversation about getting demons out of those who didn’t come from good families. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Every child coming from a broken, addicted, or dysfunctional family needs some serious counseling before they are provoked to wrathful violence. They also need Jesus, and they most likely need an exorcism.
