I’ve shot someone, and it wasn’t during my military service.
That might come as a surprise to my family and friends, but it’s true.
Often, I had accomplices, but sometimes I acted alone. And there were numerous victims.
They included Nazi German soldiers, Civil War confederates, cowboys, Indians, bad guys, and even some good guys.
To make matters worse, my father used to take me hunting, first with my bow and arrow and then with a .410 shotgun I earned by selling flower seeds.
Except for the hunting, I’m obviously referring to playtime make-believe when I was a youngster. But it involved “violence” nonetheless.
Moreover, I saw lots of killings in movies and on TV. I really liked the 1960s shows “Combat,” about America’s W.W. II fight against the Germans, and “The Untouchables,” featuring Eliot Ness’ campaign against gangsters. More violence!
Having experienced all of that as a youth, how is it I didn’t grow up to become a gun-toting crook or a ruthless killer?
Probably the biggest reason is I had a mother and father who shaped my conscience by teaching me about God, the Golden Rule, and right from wrong.
Their guidance was reinforced by what I learned at Sunday school, vacation bible school, and Boy Scouts.
If I ever strayed from the straight and narrow, my parents were quick with the discipline to get me back on track.
Now, compare all of that with what seems to be happening today in America.
How many gun offenders come from broken homes or dysfunctional families? How many parents don’t attend religious services regularly and take their children with them? How often do mothers and fathers (if the latter are even around) fail to instill wholesome values in their children? How often are school teachers expected to do what parents should be doing?
Rising crime in many large cities, rampant drug abuse, declining church attendance in some denominations, moral relativism, Hollywood depravity, online incivility, the “me” culture. The list could go on. But is it any wonder some people have lost their way and sometimes use guns to threaten or harm others?
When gun violence occurs, especially a mass shooting, some politicians quickly clamor for better controls, including a prohibition on possessing certain military-style weapons.
I’m not sure America’s new national gun law is the answer, but down the road there may indeed be some solutions that can be implemented without infringing on our constitutional right “to keep and bear arms,” whether for self-defense or protection against tyranny.
Imposing maximum jail time for lawbreakers, particularly repeat offenders, and curbing the influx of illegal drugs into our nation might also help reduce gun violence.
But what I’d really like to hear from our political leaders – and these messages need repeating to be effective – is (1) encourage people to live in accordance with a higher spiritual model of probity, love, kindness, and generosity (for some that would be the teachings of Jesus Christ) and (2) ask parents to, as a hit song once urged, “teach your children well.”
Doing those two things just might help solve our gun-violence problem, and possibly improve other aspects of American life as well.
Jeff L. Reed
Ashland, Ohio
