Yesterday our local news carried the tragic story of the fatal shooting of two West Memphis law enforcement officers during a "routine" traffic stop on I-40, followed by the serious wounding of two others as they were in pursuit of the perpetrators. The two shooters were themselves killed in the subsequent gun battle. One of them, it turned out, was 16 years old. And yes, apparently assault weapons were used in the attack, and it now emerges that the out-of-state tagged van belonged to some Aryan-White Supremacist "church" in Ohio.
The community of West Memphis is in mourning today for this tragic loss -- a story sadly repeated in one form or another on a day-by-day basis around this country. Police, state troopers, fire and emergency responders are in constant danger, not to mention the public, due to the rabid fantaticism of some, the drug trafficking of others, the sociopathology of still more.
The gospel of Christ is non-violent. It is a way of life that seeks peace and reconciliation. It is sometimes even ridiculed for its non-retaliation perspective: turn the other cheek. The realities of contemporary life force the awareness that the world is a dangerous place. Personal security, though often taken for granted, is sketchy at best. One can understand the rush of many to purchase firearms as a means of self-protection. Yet the proliferation of every conceivable form of weapon is far out of bounds, since not only law-abiding citizens but all others have access to them. So I can't help wondering which is more ridiculous: a doctrine of peace and non-violence, or a doctrine that puts assault weapons in the hands of teenagers?
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