David Griswold, Sharon's article is just another misguided attempt to assign blame to the wrong target and offer an already failed solution to the problem of violence. What I find troubling is that so many Christians fail to grasp that, and waste their time tilting at windmills. As Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a former West Point Psychology Professor and expert on human aggression and the roots of violence explained so very well, the problem isn't guns – and more gun-control won't solve the problem. Listen to his interview on the Glenn Beck program (The Blaze TV) and perhaps you'll come to understand the root cause of the recent massacres: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/glenn-beck-and-west-point-psyc hology-professor-discuss-social-impact-of-violent-video-games/

Sharon Hodde Miller's article is a thoughtful and necessary contribution to the Christian conversation about assault weapons regulation, and the hostile response of some who automatically equate enhanced regulation of firearms with a threat to constitutionally-bestowed "freedoms" is deeply troubling. This subject deserves more prominent coverage in the magazine. What about our divinely-bestowed freedoms and responsibilities to allow God's kingdom to flourish on earth?

robert puhric, there are between 80 million and 129 million American citizens who own guns. Compare that with only about 3 million active and reserve soldiers in our military. If the military went door-to-door confiscating weapons and each gun owner killed just one attacker, the military would run out of soldiers very quickly. Add to that the fact that many soldiers really do respect their oath to obey and defend the U.S. Constitution and would fight on the people's side if such an illegal and UnConstitutional order were ever given. You also forget that during the Revolutionary War, we were fighting the then most powerful military force in the world. We could have lost, but our militia and soldiers thought that freedom was worth fighting for, and if necessary worth dying for. I agree. And you're wrong about guns – they DO defend freedom. “Criminologists have found that citizens use firearms as often as 2.5 million times every year in self-defense.”

I fail to see how civilian weapons defend freedom. This is not 1787. Weapons technology has destroyed the relevance of the 2nd amendment. No armed citizenry can defeat a modern, well trained and well equipped army. And how many citizens have to die each year before we realize guns COST freedom, they don't DEFEND it.

Thank you, Sharon, for a truly Christian perspective on gun control. I'm grateful.

Rob Turk, Amen! I loved your pro-freedom post. It's quite true that “It is unarmed people who are brutalized by repressive governments and criminals and psychopaths.” Our Founding Fathers included the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights to protect us from being brutalized by a despotic future government, which ours is quickly becoming.

Jon Trott, you need to better educate yourself because you really don't have a clue. You stated that semi-automatic rifles are “weapons of mass destruction” and that's TOTALLY wrong! Here's the dictionary definition of WMD: World English Dictionary Weapons of mass destruction: “nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons that can cause indiscriminate death or injury on a large scale” And you are dead wrong to think that the 2nd Amendment is no longer needed, because it was put in the Constitution so that we could defend ourselves from an out-of-control, despotic government, which ours is quickly becoming. Our Founding Fathers certainly intended that as weapons improved, the American people would be able to own them, including semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons. The Second Amendment is “Freedom's Teeth,” because it protects all our other freedoms.

I guess I must not be a Christian by your definition, because I believe in the rights of people to protect themselves from evil and harm. I will gladly lay down my arms when someone can prove to me that every other person on earth is similarly disarmed and unable to hurt me or my family. I stand for freedom, morality, ethics, and justice - all of which are the result of good people making sacrifices and fighting for those things with guns. The 2nd Amendment is the one which guarantees all the others, and all of our rights. It is unarmed people who are brutalized by repressive governments and criminals and psychopaths. If I have to endure the stigma of having some blogger think I'm not a Christian so that I can retain my right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness so be it. How dare you suggest that all Christians should do anything or feel a certain way about a political matter?

American history does not trump either Scripture or common sense. While I profoundly admire and am glad for the vast majority of laws and ideals conceptualized by our founding fathers, I do not think the Second Amendment has aged well. I've seen (and at one time owned) a black powder pistol (built by a close relative and fantastic woodsman). The colonists used flintlocks! To think our forefathers' ideas of "a well-armed militia" coincide neatly with a no-holds-barred ownership of weapons of mass destruction such as semi-automatic rifles and massive clips of armor-piercing bullets is ludicrous. The white male Evangelical must ask himself just why he over and over again supports repressive and violent aspects of amoral corporations... over and against the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. I live in the inner city, where young men and those around them are in deep trouble due in part to NRA-driven policies. Thank you, CT, for publishing this article and offering a voice of sanity

Alex, I am familiar with some of Mr. Gossman's work, and although I agree with some of his thinking, we come to drastically different action steps. I don't believe I'll have time to formulate a coherent post this week due to work constraints, but if you are interested in continuing this conversation later, feel free to email me at lydia17019@msn.com.