Gun Control: A Pro-Life Issue

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The Catholic Conference of Bishops label gun control as a Pro-Life issue. I agree. People using a gun to murder are as guilty as those who uphold abortion...both stop a beating heart. Stricter gun laws are needed, but gun control is a social problem as well. In addition to tighter gun regulations, the bishops have asked us to “make a serious commitment to confront the pervasive role of addiction and mental illness in crime,” and have also called on society to “provide health services and support to those who have mental illnesses and to their families and caregivers.” Stable people do not commit crimes. We can’t leave mental health care to the government. It is up to parents to admit that their child has problems that need to be addressed before that child has a chance to obtain a weapon. It’s time to actually be a parent and say no to bad behavior. It's time for parents to censor the entertainment their kids watch. It's up to parents to spend time with their children so they can be more aware of who they hang with, where they are going and the changing barometer of emotions taking place within them.

We, the people, have the right to bear arms. That doesn't mean just anyone should be allowed to own a gun. Stricter laws should and must be enforced. Along with these restrictions, parents need to be more responsible. Open dialogue on the dignity of life is way overdue. Kindness should be nurtured and bullying not tolerated. Use real-time tragedies as a learning tool by discussing the consequences of violent actions. Pray together…invoking the help and blessings of the Prince of Peace. When attention is focused on the The Lamb hearts soften and hands do good not evil.

 

Back in the day, Westerns were the rage. Receiving a pair of holstered guns was a coveted gift. Cap guns were a close runner up. Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger were heroes. The outlaw's head wasn’t blown off…nope… he just fell off his horse. That's as graphic as it got. We played “shoot ‘em up” all the time and I don’t know one friend who has been convicted of murder. The break-down of the family unit and lack of Godly men contributes to the culture of death prevalent in our society. The dismissal of God is the other factor. With no one to respect, bad behavior goes unchecked.

So factor in Hollywood’s lust for blood drenched flicks with godlessness and dysfunctional families and Here We Are.  Hollywood and video game creators contribute to gun violence and anyone who thinks they don’t should see a shrink. It’s time we admit that viewing violent movies and playing violent games have desensitized us. There is no room for the Prince of Peace in our spirit when we are bombarded with graphic violence. How can a youngster know unconditional love when his mother aborts his sibling? Grabbing a gun and killing is no different for this young person than his mother snuffing out the life of a preborn infant.  The sanctity of life is non-existent in such a home. It is time to admit that violence against our own flesh and blood, as well as viewing violence, has negative emotional, psychological and spiritual effects. It is time that our children know the security of being cherished.

Sin begins in our hearts. Hollywood pumps our hearts, worse our children’s hearts, with sewage and calls it entertainment.  Producer, Harvey Weinstein, is scheduled to produce a movie starring Meryl Streep that will make the NRA wish they never existed. His movie would “take ‘em down”. Well, well, well, Mr. Weinstein….you glorify violence and made millions by doing so. Movies can’t get much bloodier than your films: Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Gangs of New York, Scream. And you have the audacity to threaten the NRA? Viper! the Good Lord would call you. Does Harvey carry a gun? Nope. He has hired "security" to protect him. 

 

Mr. Weinstein is between a rock and a hard place. He should be reacting to the fact that viewing violence causes a person to use aggression to resolve conflicts. A steady diet of violent programs, movies and video games darkens a person’s view of the world, seeing it as a hostile environment. Put a gun in the hand of a person with this mindset and we have a real life scene out of Pulp Fiction. Statistics show that by the impressionable age of six, a child in the U.S. will have witnessed 8,000 murders and a 100,000 acts of violence on TV.  Cinema is even worse! Thank you Harvey Weinstein, another Hollywood hypocrite, acting righteous with blood on his hands. Does the word, Pharisee, come to mind? 

In the song, Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young there is this line, "Teach your children what you believe in. Make a world that we can live in". Truer words were never sung. The government may let them down...society may let them down, BUT, Godly parents will not. Parents whose hearts are filled with Christ's love and teachings will teach their children well.  Pray and foster the dignity of life so that-- a beating heart is never again stopped by gun violence.

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