Welcome to the progressive state of Wisconsin.
On June 21, the Wisconsin State Assembly approved by a wide margin a bill allowing people to carry concealed weapons. The State Senate had previously voted in favor of it. If Gov. Walker signs it (and there’s every indication he will), the law will go into effect this fall.
If there’s any consolation, it’s the provision that carriers of concealed weapons must apply for a permit, attend weapons training classes, and not be a felon, a chronic drug abuser, or mentally ill. These provisions were added in part because of concerns expressed by law enforcement officials. Cold comfort, though. We can now look forward to large numbers of people out in public being armed.
Only a few places are named in the bill as being “weapon-free zones”: police stations, prisons, jails, courthouses, mental health facilities, school grounds, and airports past security checkpoints.
Left off the list were city halls, parks, zoos, the State Capitol (don’t even think it), AND CHURCHES. Yes, we can now look forward to church landscapes littered with “no weapons” signs. A sad commentary on a nation with “In God We Trust” on its currency.
What really discouraged me was the rhetoric I found online. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I found very little in opposition to this change. Most of the comments were from gun rights advocates who referenced the Second Amendment. A few of them responded specifically to a question about guns in church. Some were a bit uneasy about the idea, but many others seemed to have no problem with it.
What was missing from their comments (including those who identified themselves as Christians) was any reference to words like “love one another as I have loved you,” “love your enemies and pray for them”—you know, words of Jesus. He told us explicitly to abandon “eye for an eye” thinking and rather become agents of reconciliation and peace. Hard to do when you’re packing heat.
Another verse I could quote is one that appears dozens of times in the Bible, sometimes in specific circumstances, other times more generally: “Don’t be afraid.” Behind some of the rhetoric in this issue is fear. This is perhaps a byproduct of both the news and popular entertainment that gives the impression that there’s danger lurking around every corner. Certainly, there are things to be concerned about. Certainly, we’ve all heard of instances when people were attacked, even in church. But I refuse to believe that those events wouldn’t have happened, that we’d be safer, if we’re all armed. I believe we’ll be LESS safe with everyone armed.
I’ve never owned a firearm and probably never will. That doesn’t mean I oppose guns categorically. I don’t. There are a number of legitimate uses for them, and every gun owner I know is careful and responsible. But our state has now opened the door to a much larger presence of weapons in public. I contend that this makes us all more vulnerable. But even more, I oppose it because it goes against the core of what I believe in: the call of Jesus to be peacemakers, to be agents of reconciliation, to love one another.
If we all lived according to that philosophy, it would be a very progressive place indeed.
