I
am sure that I am not the only one out there writing his or her reflections on
the incredible act of violence that transpired at the elementary school in
Connecticut Friday. Like so many people, I am contemplating how to understand
what has transpired. Because of my background, how I have been contemplating
such events is a real mixed baggage. If you are interested and willing, please
continue reading as I list some of my thoughts. Just be warned, I tend to be
upfront with my faith and beliefs, and at times very blunt.
First
and foremost, this was a very evil act. To me, purposely going after people who
are unable to defend themselves is something that should be very harshly
punished. But, to me at least, why did he do it? How could a 20-year-old man
consider doing something as cruel as going through a school? Being angry at
one's parents, former teacher, etc., is one thing. Whether justifiable because
of things in the past or not, one adult seeking to kill another adult is one
thing. But, to go around and slaughter children?! That is something totally
different. My faith informs me that all of us are imperfect and sinful beings.
That is, our natures are corrupt since birth, seeking to gratify our felt
desires. Through training, we can manage this to some extent, be we will always
have this sinful nature. When we look around, we see some people who go to
great lengths to disciple themselves so as to indulge their sinful desires
less. But, we also see those who go out of their way to gratify them. Though
many do not seek out ways so horrific as what happened on Friday, they still
seek to gratify them.
For
someone to choose to commit such a crime as shooting innocent children in a
school, it seems that such a person would have had to harbor a very deep kind
of bitterness for a very long time. In Ephesians 4:26, we read: "26
"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your
wrath," There is something very important to take away from this passage,
I believe. When we allow anger to continue to fester in our hearts, it turns to
bitterness. As this bitterness grows, it pushes out things like love,
forgiveness, compassion, etc. As these things are pushed aside, out of one's
life, it becomes more and more easy to consider things like taking one's anger
out on anyone who is available, to just lash out. All of us feel angry at some
point of time. That is a natural, God given emotion. It tells us that something
is wrong (or at least feels wrong) and that something needs to be done. So,
feeling angry is not bad, in and of itself. It's what a person does in
expressing and/or deal with that anger that is either constructive or
destructive.
From
what little I have read, two of the victims appear to be his parents. It makes
me wonder what his parents had done to enrage him so much. Or, a more likely
issue is, what made this young man interpret things in such a way as to become
so bitter. In a recent Fox News article, I read that some are speculating that
mental illness might have something to do with his rampage. While in college, I
took several psychology courses. One of the things that I learned from that is
that reasons are never totally clear. Though there can be many influences, it's
rarely clear as to what is a 'definite why.' My experiences and training inform
me that we all have three facets, the physical, the emotional/psychological,
and the spiritual. All three facets are interrelated and what happens to one
directly impacts the other two.
On
Facebook, I have read many posts about how angry people are about the man's
actions in Connecticut. Some people blame guns, some blame education, others
are just angry. Many people are struggling with wondering the "why did
he?!?!" Others are asking how we could have protected the children.
I've
worked corrections and military law enforcement. I am definitely not alone in
wishing I could have done something. Being what my background is, I know that I
could have done something. But, I often wonder if it would have been good
enough? That is not a question I can really answer. Because of how many state
and/or local laws are written, if I am not a law enforcement officer then I
would not have been able to legally carry a weapon onto school grounds. That
means, if I had been nearby and had the means to respond, I wonder if it would
have been something that I could have done legally? I know that there are many
out there that agree with me in that, were I there and had the means to have
use whatever force necessary to stop this young man, I should have. However, I
know that there are many out there who take the position that anything that,
because I am not a civilian law enforcement officer, any use of a weapon on
school property would be considered breaking the law. That is, I would be just
as guilty of using a weapon on school grounds as the man shooting the children,
teachers, etc.
When
such events as this happen, we all struggle with how to understand it. We all
struggle with how it could have been prevented and how to prevent future things
from happening. There are no easy answers. There are no easy solutions, either.
There are some things that are better than others, though. One of the things that I read in the above-mentioned
article was that the car and guns used in the rampage were all stolen. The car,
the rifle, and the pistols were all owned by his mother, Nancy Lanza. Whether
or not the young man suffered from any mental illness, it is clear that he
stole weapons from someone else to use in his crimes. So, trying to justify
more weapons control/bans is unfounded. He didn't buy them, he stole them. So
far I have not read if he used the weapons to kill his mother or if he killed
her by other means and then obtained the rifle and pistols. And to me, it
doesn't really matter.
Although
I am a military police officer with the Nebraska National Guard that does not
mean that I can carry a firearm onto school grounds, with or without a CCW
(concealed carry weapons) permit. There are so many people and places that are
anti-gun that for those who choose to go through the training and application
process for a CCW, it's difficult to be legally able to use that training. To
me, that's sad. It also angers me. Many of us not only have a passion to help
and protect others, even if that is not our primary job in life but have the
training and experience to do so.
I
don't know about others, but I would be very, very angry if any person who
choose to risk their own life to stop someone like this shooter and were they
prosecuted as a criminal because they also brought a firearm onto a school.
Unfortunately, heroes like that are victimized because, in order to stop
someone from committing a crime, they had to break a law. Instead of thanking
the person for doing so, they are put in jail. It doesn't make any sense to me.
Which is worse, carrying a firearm onto school grounds to stop an active
shooter or the actions of the shooter? What is really justifiable? Which is a
greater evil? We have Good Samaritan laws to protect those who try to save the
lives of others. Why don't we have similar laws to protect citizen who would be
willing to risk their own lives to protect others in a shooting situation?
I've
been deployed to Iraq many times. I've studied Scripture for years and
prayerfully seek God's help in applying it to my life. I have worked with
convicted felons in a state prison, having to deal with some people who
genuinely do not care about others, but only want to gratify their own selfish,
even perverted, desires. I have also worked military law enforcement. I have
been on a use of force team on numerous occasions because an inmate refused to follow
the rules and force was necessary to correct the situation. I have had to
spontaneously use force on a few occasions in order to protect myself or
someone else. I have sat at the bedside of someone who was so distraught with
life that they tried to commit suicide and had not succeeded. I have talked
with friends and family members of someone who had suffered serious injure or
had died because of a bad decision that they had made or because of someone
else had. In some ways, all of these experiences help me to personally deal
with such events. But, only so much.
All
in all, I still struggle with such events. I am angry with the person who did
such things. I am angry that people want to punish law abiding citizens who
have not committed crimes just because someone else has. I am angry that there
are those who would want to punish a person who would be willing to do anything
and everything they possible could to protect the innocent because of how they
stopped a criminal. I am saddened that young children were murdered by someone
who, for whatever reasons, took his anger and bitterness out on them. I also
want to understand how such a thing happened or how to prevent such a thing
from happening in the future.
Many
ask how a loving God could allow such a thing to happen. I do not know why.
But, I do know that God is in control. What happened was evil. But, I do know
that God can bring blessings out of it.
I know that many people will be very angry with the statement that I
just made. That is fine with me. Looking back at my life, I know that I have
made many bad decisions. We all have. But, God has shown me grace and helped me
to learn from such mistakes. I know that God has done that in other people's
lives. I also know that God can bring good out of this situation, too. For me,
the big question is, are we going to seek to punish others for the
sins/mistakes of one person, or are we going to seek how God wants to show us
His Grace? Are we going to be willing to accept what God wants to give us or teach
us? I don't have the answer for that either. I just hope and pray that whatever
God wants to do with this event in my life, that I will be obedient. I pray
that you, the reader, will do so as well.
RC
