Friday night at the Adair’s I heard folks, around the fire, talking about protecting the congregation. I heard comments about guns and euphemisms for killing.
How do you rationalize those discussions with what Jesus told Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
Or his Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
and with the behavior of some missionaries in Ecuador in 1956?
Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries to bring Christianity to the people of the rainforest of Ecuador. The Auca were an isolated tribe known for their violence, against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. Their efforts came to an end on January 8, 1956..
Even though they knew that to face the Aucas was to face danger, the men decided not to use weapons if confronted with violence. When the missionaries finally met the fierce tribe, all five missionaries were killed. Not one of the missionaries drew their guns to fire in self-defense.
Looking back we see that like Tombstone, Deadwood, and Dodge -- actually had the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation.
Guns were obviously widespread on the frontier. Out in the untamed wilderness, you needed a gun to be safe from bandits, natives, and wildlife. In the cities and towns of the West, however, the law often prohibited people from toting their guns around. A visitor arriving in Wichita, Kansas in 1873, the heart of the Wild West era, would have seen signs declaring, "Leave Your Revolvers At Police Headquarters, and Get a Check." When you entered a frontier town, you were legally required to leave your guns at the stables on the outskirts of town or drop them off with the sheriff who would give you a token in exchange. You checked your guns then like you'd check your overcoat today at a restaurant. Visitors were welcome, but their guns were not.
In a photograph taken in Dodge City in 1879, everything looks exactly as you'd imagine: wide, dusty road; clapboard and brick buildings; horse ties in front of the saloon. Yet right in the middle of the street is something you'd never expect. There's a huge wooden billboard announcing, "The Carrying of Firearms Strictly Prohibited."
While people were allowed to have guns at home for self-protection, frontier towns usually barred anyone but law enforcement from carrying guns in public.
When Dodge City residents organized their municipal government, the first law the passed was a gun control law. They declared that "any person or persons found carrying concealed weapons in the city of Dodge or violating the laws of the State shall be dealt with according to law." Many frontier towns, including Tombstone, Arizona also barred the carrying of guns openly.
Like any law regulating things that are small and easy to conceal, the gun control of the Wild West wasn't always perfectly enforced. But statistics show that, next to drunk and disorderly conduct, the most common cause of arrest was illegally carrying a firearm. Sheriffs and marshals took gun control seriously.
I wonder what Bryan’s friend thought.
John Jenkins
865-803-8179 cell
Gatlinburg, TN
Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
http://alumcave.blogspot.com/
“Having spent considerable time with good people, I can understand why Jesus liked to be with tax collectors and reprobate sinners."
Mark Twain
No comments:
Post a Comment