Friday, Lafayette, Indiana

I am not a gun owner…um…yet.
I say that because I have seriously considered getting a gun for a couple of very specific purposes in my life. One is that I am starting to spend more time taking photographs in some areas where there is a possibility I could encounter a critter that intends to do me harm. Although I believe the odds are quite low, and I’m not eager to start blasting away, I am considering it for my own peace of mind.

The other reason is that in our city we do have an encroaching problem with crime. Our neighborhood is great and safe, so far, but we are not far from areas where I know some bad guys live. Perhaps my awareness has been heightened because of the time I am spending with the police as their chaplain. And I might feel better for those times when I am not at home and my wife is alone in the house. So I’m thinking about it.

It seems that the decision has been made easier with the ruling of the United States Supreme Court yesterday affirming that the Second Amendment means that individual citizens have a right to be armed. It is not necessary that we belong to a local “militia.”

I asked several of my friends at the police department for their point of view about this issue. And overwhelmingly the opinion is agreement with this interpretation. What the police tell me is that their main issue is concealment and excessive firepower. The possibility of somebody they approach concealing a weapon is what elevates the danger to their life. And when it does happen that there’s an exchange of gunfire, being out matched by the criminal is a legitimate worry. But freedom to have and use a weapon is a right they believe we should have. In fact, many of the police officers I know are avid outdoor enthusiasts who hunt and fish. On the job, however, uncontrolled availability of concealed weapons changes the chemistry of all their encounters.

I did find it reassuring that the majority opinion of the court emphasized that this decision does not eradicate the ability of the government to make sensible laws for the public good. Not being a lawyer I don’t know exactly what this decision changes for people like me, for hunters or for criminal gang bangers. But I know that I will be paying attention.