GUNS, FASCISM AND THE KKK I support the legitimate use of guns for hunting, sport shooting and personal protection. I have a problem with guns used for intimidation, for preparation of war with the government and for support of racist, fascist, authoritarian, Alt-Right…

GUNS, GOD AND GUTS Our pastor recently preached on the “Armor of God” text, Ephesians 6:13-17. We spoke about how the right wing conservative Christian groups often use the text to justify violence, yet how the thrust of the text is a call…

We have a GOD OF ORDER. Out of chaos in Genesis, God ordered the universe. Paul writes in I Corinthians 14:33, “…for God is a God not of disorder but of peace.” Gun violence prevention (GVP) is about order in life. On the…

AND THE GUN SAYS, “I AM….” Yes, I know people pull the trigger, that most gun owners handle their guns safely, that guns can be a source of enjoyment, hunting and target shooting, that guns can be used for protection, that the Second…

AUSTRALIAN LESSONS In April 1996, Martin Bryant entered a cafe at Port Arthur, Tasmania, pulled out a semi-automatic rifle from his bag, and began shooting, killing 35 people and injuring 23. What followed was action by the government which resulted in the 1996…

HOW LONG, O LORD? Psalm 13 is a Psalm of Lament. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?….How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?” A Psalm for gun violence prevention…

SYNOD ASSEMBLY OBSERVATIONS This spring I spent time attending to GVP (gun violence prevention) table displays at the St. Paul Area Synod and Northwest Minnesota Synod Assemblies. Many conversations later I concluded these observations. 1. People cared about gun violence (GV) and were…

PSALM 1 WISDOM Psalm 1 is a Wisdom Psalm, written to teach the community. It is also an Instructional Psalm that focuses on God’s Law. (LSB-Lutheran Study Bible) The Psalm can inform us of how the faithful can approach gun violence prevention (GVP).…

GUNS AND TYRANNY Although we do not have guns in our home and I gave away my .22 rifle 43 years ago, I can understand guns used for hunting, sport shooting and reasonable personal protection. I do take pause, however, with gun misuse…

RESOLUTION POWER The St. Paul Area Synod passed a GVP (gun violence prevention) resolution with over 300 YES votes and only four NO votes. If time would have allowed in the tight assembly, here is the speech I would have given. Gun lethality…