I asked a question on my FACEBOOK page inviting comments about home gun safety.

A lawyer did not grow up with guns in the home. She married someone who liked to hunt and thereby provided food for the freezer! He taught their boys how to shoot and be responsible around guns, keeping them from having unregulated, unsupervised curiosity. They took hunter safety classes. They had a small safe for handguns and ammo. Her husband was in law enforcement and always put handguns away every time he got home from work. She has a gun for home protection which she keeps in a locked safe. She quizzes her five year old about what to do if she ever finds a gun, what to do if she is at a friend’s house and finds one sitting out, and what to do if a friend suggests going and looking at it, touching and playing with a gun. Her answer is don’t touch it and go and tell an adult, then tell me or her dad. She says there can be a place for responsible gun use and ownership. There is much that can still be done and should be done to regulate them. But there are no easy answers.

A teacher says there will never be handguns in their house and all hunting guns have locks and are never loaded. She says we do not have mental health issues and if we had we would have removed all guns. Her son has access to guns through Scout training and safety programs. As a high school teacher she would never want to be required to carry a gun, but is happy they have a caring and trained SRO in the building. She wishes her district would provide doors that would be locked from the inside.

A woman who grew up in Texas hill country says guns were as common as bread and most often used to put food on the table. In several of our homes we had built a locked gun safe. The bottom line is personal accountability and responsibility. Where there were mental health issues the guns were hidden elsewhere. But with mental health issues, their brute force and kitchen utensils and anything in the house can be as deadly as guns. Guns are a huge part of some of the BEST stewards of God’s creation, safety guardians/teachers and caring conservationists.

A man spoke of his uncle who had a .22 caliber hunting rifle and kept it in a locked case. No ammunition on site. When he hunted he bought just enough ammo and when it was gone he was done. No other relatives had guns in their homes.

A  teacher in Australia says guns just aren’t a thing at school. She visited Port Arthur last year and it was very moving. Particularly in the city, it is not likely students would be interested in gun ownership. There would be a bit more of that in country schools perhaps. Absolutely no possibility here of teachers carrying guns. Thankfully!! We have emergency drills which take into account any possible event, but the active shooter scenario seems so remote here–more of a thing on TV that we imagine is always somewhere else like in the US which isn’t always the case, but it is the perception. I was really horrified at the shift I noticed last time I was in the States. Seeing signs on buildings where guns are not allowed really shocked me. This was now the exception, not the rule.

I turn to the Psalms. “Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” (Ps. 16.1), “…protect me from those who rise up against me.” (Ps. 59.1), “…protect me from those who are violent….” (Ps. 140.1)

I pray the prayers of the Psalmist stir our passion for protection.

Peace!

Ron Letnes