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.