No Rules About Guns – Because People Ignore and Break Rules

Ed, my neighbor next door, has a few subjects that you dare not mention, or he will talk both of your ears off. One subject, I have made every effort possible to avoid is the topic of ‘Gun Control.’ Ed can talk on that subject for a week and just be getting warmed up.

The other day I came home with a new book called, “Faith Afield a Sportsman’s Devotional.” It has two impressive elk on the cover. It was sitting on the table when Ed popped over to have a coffee, and to brag about his bowling and curling. Ed spotted the book, and he wanted to know if I was reading a book about hunting.

I answered Ed with the words, “Sort of,” which did not satisfy him in the least. I tried to explain that the author is a hunter and an NRA (National Rifle Association) certified instructor for rifle, shotgun and pistol. He writes about hunting and shooting and relates it to the word of God. The more I talked the less Ed was interested in the book.

He said in skepticism, “He probably doesn’t know much about hunting if he also wants to talk about God.” So I took up Ed’s challenge and asked Ed if he knew the three primary rules for gun safety according to the NRA. When he, didn’t, I told Ed the rules as presented by Steve Scott, the author of the book. Ed didn’t disagree with the rules as they are pretty straight forward. They are, “Always point your gun in a safe direction. Always keep your gun unloaded until ready to use it. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.”

There are other elements to safe gun handling, but Scott claims that accidents where someone was hurt or killed were because all three of the safety rules were broken. Ed commented that following the three rules will prevent accidents, but rules are meant to be broken.

For once, Ed and I agreed about something. Rules are good but only if everyone always obeys them. Getting everyone to follow even one rule is impossible. Most folks do stop at a red traffic light but, not everyone always stops. There will always be certain folks who break a rule on purpose. There will always be some folks who will break a rule unintentionally. Perhaps a person may have never failed to stop for a red light, but has forgotten to signal a turn.

In the Bible, someone asked Jesus, which rules or commandments were the most important. Jesus answered that there are two rules upon which everything depends. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus understood that we cannot keep these two rules. He kept them perfectly for us. This satisfied the justice of God. He exchanged his obedience for our disobedience and died in the punishment of our sins for us that he did not deserve. Jesus aimed, fired and hit the rules of God dead-center as only the Son of God could do.

 

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