Once again, the United States has experienced a terrible school shooting. Small children were slaughtered by 20-year old Adam Lanza, whose mother had taught him to love weapons. We need to pray for the victims’ families and that these awful events will stop once and for all, in the US and elsewhere.
In the American debate, there seem to be two contradictory suggestions how to do this. Either, basically all people carry guns so that they can kill a gun murderer wherever s/he shows up. Or, basically no one carries guns so that people don’t become gun murderers in the first place. Even if the former would decrease school shootings, we know that the latter does as well (my country, Sweden, has a very strong gun control and has during this time never experienced a school shooting or another type of massacre). This of course clearly speaks in favour for gun control, since we get the sought result without spending billions on handing out killer tools to everyone.
But what debunks the violent solution even more is the fact that increased gun prevalence increases gun violence. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The US has most guns per person in the whole world (88 per 100), while having 5% of the world’s population it has 50% of the world’s guns, and they even got the “right to be armed” in their constitution! Yet they are not experiencing peace and security but rather the Wild West with numerous school shootings and massacres. Some are arguing that these would have happened even if guns were not available, but as mentioned gun prevalence increases gun violence, and it surely makes the attacks more deadly. Coincidentally, a Chinese madman attacked children at a school with a knife three days ago, the same day as the American school shooting. Although he stabbed 22 kids, none of them died. In the American case, 20 kids died.
What disturbs me is that some American Christians still support the “guns for all” policy. I have a Charismatic friend who is passionate about sharing testimonies of miraculous healing. After the Connecticut School Shooting, he started to lobby for more guns. How is this consistent with his usual healing message? After all, when Peter cut of the ear of his enemy, Jesus shouted “Stop!” and put the guy’s ear back again, healing him (Luke 22). When Paul the persecutor had become blind, God did not call Ananias to kill him but to heal him, converting him into an apostle (Acts 9).
The Christian response to these horrible massacres should be healing, and also forgiveness. Many of you have probably heard about the Amish response after they had been victims of a school shooting in 2006, but it deserves to be repeated again and again. Being Jesus-loving pacifists,they forgave the transgressor immediately. Donald Kraybill writes:
The most remarkable thing about Amish forgiveness was its speed. I talked with some of the Amish people who, six hours after the shooting, spoke words of grace and forgiveness to the widow of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the gunman who had subsequently killed himself in the schoolhouse. Later that same day, other Amish people went to the home of Charles Roberts’s parents to express forgiveness and support. During the next two days, on television, several Amish people spoke words of forgiveness.
This forgiveness was put into practice in a wonderful way. The Amish families of the girls who were killed and injured gave a portion of the money they recieved from donors, to Roberts’ widow and children. Some sent food and flowers to them. At Christmas, Amish children sang Christmas carols outside their home. And at the funeral of Roberts, half of the ones attending were Amish.
This reminds me of the good old verse “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). We don’t need more guns, we need more love, healing and forgiveness. Holy Spirit, give us an abundance of that.
Charismactivism 
I hope people should come to God before it is too late.
I am an Indian mother working in Oman, having two children of Adam’s and Ryan’s age. This incident shook me. Throughout the past one week, I was so much worried and was thinking as to why he did so. Adam was a genius. True, he had some problems moving in the society. But the society at large is to be blamed for this incident.
In US, people divorce for small Issues (?, I don’t know exactly),which affect the children too much. Also, enough support will not be there from anybody for upbringing the children after divorce. And for small mental problems, you start giving medicines to children, which we do not do. Those
medicines, finally cause severe mental problems.
And nobody cares the persons, who are mentally upset. The lack of love, recognition, care, etc. to a person who are socially introvert worsens the situation.
Even though Peter left the family as early as 2001, Adam would have had a hope that he will come back one day. His withdrawal to himself after 2009 reveals that the divorce shook him too much.
You can get another husband after divorce, but you will not get a father.
And when Peter remarried, the remote hope of his father’s coming back might have been completely lost. May be that’s why he did’t speak to his father afterwards.
He showed his interest to join army, but Nancy did not allow. (I don’t know whether I would also have allowed him if I were in her position).
Her plans to send him for mental treatment would have made him upset. He would have felt the deteriorating after effects of the medicine he was using. See how smart and good looking he was when he was around ten. See the difference when he grew up. The physical change in his appearance also might have been attributed by the medicines he took. Being a genius, interested
in computers, history etc, he would have understood the after effects of the medicine which he was taking and would have understood that the next treatment proposed to him would worsen his situation. He could not have been able to accommodate this.
Nancy had gone for vacation for 2-3 days leaving Adam alone, when she herself felt that his condition was poor. She used to go like that earlier also.
I think, the divorce, the medicines (Fanapt) taken by Adam, the don’t care attitudes of the society and the over pampering by Nancy (she might have done this thinking that it is good for him), remarriage of his father, Nancy not allowing him to join the army, Nancy’s intentions to send him for mental treatment and her short vacations leaving him alone in the house, allthese together might have led to such a crisis.
It is high time to rethink about how the family bondage can be made stronger. The parents should be mentally healthy enough to look after the children rather than giving medicines to mentally affected children because of separation of parents. Parents should be treated rather than the children.
Rather than blaming Adam Lanza for doing this, this incident should give a light to think of what is wrong with the present society, how it can be corrected. He was a victim of the society’s drawbacks. Our society also is becoming like that of yours.
Let this incident be a stepping stone for a renovation.
Apply the “Glasnost” (openness) and “Perestroika” (restructuring) applied by Mikhail Gorbachev in Russiawhen Russia underwent an economic crisis.
Nothing happens without the knowledge of GOD. GOD allowed this tohappen for the good of the future generations.
I convey my condolences and prayers to all those who got affected because of this incident. I also pray for the souls of all who died including Nancy and Adam (of course. He was a victim of the present US society). I do not want to blame anybody, but pray that a conscious move to eradicate such incidents in future may be taken by all people around the world including
myself.
This can be achieved only by loving each other. Let it start from home, the spouse, the children, the parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and the society. Nothing is impossible for man, if he wants, with the grace of GOD. Let it be revolution, a revolution of love. I have started the revolution. Join me.
Thank you so much for your reflections, Mettilda! I totally agree.
God bless you!
Thank you for the response. God bless you. Let the revolution of love start from our side.
It is happy to know that some people who are in the right path are there to guide others.
An awesome article, thank you!
Deb
I’m glad you liked it! I also hope that more and more discovers how wonderful God is.
The Amish is a group not governed by the American Constitution. For those who believe in their constitution, they believe it is their freedom to possess guns and don’t want to have their liberty taken away.
I live in a city with a gun control law and I appreciate the liberty it has given me.
Love for guns is really in the heart and minds of people, taking guns away doesn’t mean they will love those equipment any less. I know because a friend lives in the UK and loves his guns as his prized possessions regardless of whether there is a law.
Hi!
We need defenitely to stop people’s love for guns, but the difference between a gun-loving person without a gun and a gun-loving person with it is that the latter is a potential killer. This is why guns also has to be very controlled, if not forbidden.
Blessings!
Very good article!
Bless you.
Thank you so much, Karen! Blessings!
There are two people who gave the Sandy Hook gunman: Robbie Parker and Daniel Ray. There are good Lanzas: Mario Lanza (the singer) and Walter Lanza (later Lantz), the Woody Woodpecker guy!
There are two people who forgave the Sandy Hook gunman: Robbie Parker and Daniel Ray. There are good Lanzas: Mario Lanza (the singer) and Walter Lanza (later Lantz), the Woody Woodpecker guy! (the last entry was a typo).