Denying God = death

I recently read an article on the state government's attempts to curb gun violence in the Aug. 15 edition of the L.A. Times. Here is the first paragraph:

"A proposed state bill requiring all new handguns to be stamped with microscopic identification tags could significantly decrease violence and shut down the illegal gun market if passed, proponents said in a news conference Tuesday."

Laughing yet? I was, by this point in the article. Those who refuse to acknowledge that people are basically depraved and sinful--not basically good--never give up on this idea that making guns more difficult to obtain or risky to use in crimes will not change the hearts of criminals. People will always kill other people, no matter what kind of technology tries to deter them, and whether or not guns are available to do the job.

Read the entire article here.

To me, this isn't a gun-rights issue, even though I feel passionate about the right to own and use firearms. It is, first and foremost, an issue of the gross misgivings that stem from denying that everyone is fallen and needs a Savior. That denial is dangerous--in this case, it means that a bunch of misguided politicians are trying to attack a spiritual problem with a physical solution, while folks continue to kill each other. It's a Band-Aid on a broken heart.

I am all about reducing gun violence. And war. But while the true solution escapes these decision-makers--or, more accurately, while they avoid it--people keep dying. We should be angry about the consequences of their denying God, not about guns and bullets.