More musings on Mr. Alexander's common sense approach to stopping terrorism and decreasing crime by ensuring all adult citizens are given firearms training and required to carry a firearm.
The purpose of a firearm is to kill or maim.
Our law enforcement officers and soldiers are given comprehensive psychological and emotional testing and training which they must pass prior to being issued and trained in the use of firearms.
They carry firearms in the case deadly force is necessary to protect the innocent. Fines and punishments are used as deterrents to crime and, when necessary for public safety we use incarceration.
Terrorists, criminals, and emotionally and mentally unstable people are also citizens.
If we arm and train all citizens in the use of firearms we are also arming and training terrorists, criminals, and unstable people.
It would be a colossal undertaking and expenditure to screen and train all citizens the same way we do our law enforcement officers and soldiers, but unless we do we run a very real risk of doing more harm than good to our society. Might there not be a better way to spend taxpayer's dollars to prevent crime or the seeds of violent radicalism?
I recently became aware of a very interesting crime reduction program being used in Glasgow Scotland that has seen the number homicides in the city halved in the past 10 years.
You can read about it here: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/06/glasgow-murder-rate-knife-gang-crime-police
Justifying the arming of people with deadly force by quoting (John 15:13) "Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," is off the mark.
The Bible does not say, "You have the responsibility to kill those who threaten you, your friends, or your family."
Even worse, that is precisely the rationale many terrorists use for their violence.
How likely is it that a suicide bomber who is laying down his or her life for friends, family, and what they consider the "greater good," will be deterred by an armed and trained citizenry?
Let's keep looking for the right solution to minimize or prevent crime and terrorism.
April Sheehan
Vernon