God and guns.
After a string of mass shootings nationwide, conversations with people of faith inevitably turn to that subject.
Ken Factor and Lawson Vaughn are friends and fellow Christians. I met both while in Tulsa this past weekend to report on their church mourning the massacre of four people.
I asked Factor and Vaughn about possible solutions following the recent attacks at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, an Uvalde, Texas, school and a medical office in their own community.
Factor stressed that he has been a registered Republican for nearly 40 years.
But he said, “I think we need some kind of restrictions on guns. I don’t know that the Second Amendment applies to things like me deciding, ‘I’m going to go get an AR-15 today.’”
In Vaughn’s view, though, firearms aren’t the real problem.
“I think there’s something to be said just for the erosion of the home, the family,” he said. “I mean, it starts with raising kids to respect others and having families that go to church.”
As The Associated Press’ Deepa Bharath and Holly Meyer report, the recent shootings have exposed divisions on the gun issue in faith communities and raised this question: “Are you pro-life if you are pro-gun?”
At The Oklahoman, Carla Hinton offers in-depth coverage of religious views on gun control — including a letter signed by more than 50 leaders that was recently delivered to Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee.
Related coverage:
• ‘We must pray with actions’: Latino church leaders offer more than prayers after Uvalde shooting (by Hamil R. Harris, ReligionUnplugged.com).
• ‘What other studies do we need to do of dead bodies?’ Catholic leaders lament inaction on gun control (by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America).
• Are fatherlessness and societal breakdown to blame for mass shootings? (by Lois M. Collins, Deseret News).
• Meet the first minister of gun violence prevention (by Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service).
• Pastor shot at by Uvalde gunman recounts terror in sermon (by Jay Reeves, AP)
• Minister issues apology for words at gun debate; Methodist officials turned off mic, tried to hide video (by Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Think piece: This love of guns: It’s way beyond our understanding (by Matthew Soerens, Christianity Today)
• Think piece: Abortion, guns and the ‘throwaway culture’ (by Timothy Dolan, Wall Street Journal)
CONTINUE READING: “God And Guns: People Of Faith Debate Solutions To America's String Of Mass Shootings” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.