I WISH PEOPLE FULL OF HATE would please stop shooting to death people in my church.
Pastor’s daughter shot in head
This time, one of the pastor’s daughters—shot in the head last Friday by a stray bullet fired from a hundred yards away.
An 18-year-old man who had just been in a fight is accused of firing the gun into a crowd.
That decision was no more stupid than Kansas gun laws are.
The shooting took place at a popular outdoor arts event in downtown Kansas City. Date night with the boyfriend.
Dead is Erin Langhofer, 25-year-old daughter of Rev. Tom Langhofer, our pastor of Recovery Ministries.
Ironic. How can a pastor of recovery possibly recover from this?
Grandpa and 14-year-old grandson shot dead
Five years ago, a 73-year-old Ku Klux Klan leader who hated Jews and hailed Hitler drove onto the property of the Jewish Community Center and shotgunned two Christians: a grandpa and his grandson, both from my church.
Dead are retired Dr. William Lewis Corporon and 14-year-old Reat Griffin Underwood. The grandpa had taken his son there for try-outs in a musical contest.
I ask you in God’s name…
What in God’s name, asking I believe on God’s behalf, are we doing? Why are we allowing any guns, let alone military-weaponry, to see the light of day in public places?
I was walking Buddy the Dog a few weeks ago down a wooded path. I came upon three women and a little dog. The women looked Asian. I wouldn’t mention that except that a man who looked Asian walked about 20 paces behind them. I presumed they were together. It looked like he didn’t feel comfortable on the wooded trail.
When I saw him, I didn’t either.
He carried a handgun. Not in a holster. Not tucked in his belt. It was in his hand, hanging by his side.
All he had to do was raise the handgun, point, and fire.
As I approached him, I saw the gun. It wasn’t more than 10 feet away. It’s a narrow path.
I politely said “Hello.”
He said, “Hello.”
I reached for my Buck Pocket Knife, with its blade half the length of my little finger. And I thought, “Don’t take a knife to a gunfight.”
That was an unnerving walk.
I’ve been looking for that guy ever since.
If I see him again, I intend on asking why he’s carrying a handgun in such a dangerous and intimidating way.
If I survive that, I intend on calling the police.
I didn’t call them the first time because I figured it’s legal to carry guns in Kansas, a state infamous for making harmful political decisions over most of the past decade.
These laws are insane.
Leave your guns at home, Bill
What has become of us?
What will become of us?
We’re going to make that choice.
There’s a line in a Johnny Cash song:
“Don’t take your guns to town, son. Leave your guns at home, Bill. Don’t take your guns to town.”
Bill died.
He was just a name in a song.
William died.
Reat died.
Now Erin has died.
Pardon me for thinking this, but does someone in America’s elite one percent have to die in a shooting like this before our elite-funded political leaders write some reasonable laws.
This isn’t a request to shoot someone for the greater good. It’s an honest question about whether or not our leaders think the dead were people of value.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece. Our society in the modern age do not need to have these kind of assault weapons with magazines as big as washing machines attached. I wish they would ban all guns, but sadly, this will not solve the problem. People are so despondent, hopeless, and so dissatisfied with their politicians who do nothing that they gravitate to Social media to fill the void. Something needs to be done about the hateful sites that spout this crap from the left, the right, and whatever ism is out there including White Nationalism. For people who are worried about their “freedoms” — do you actually think you can get back your government with these warlike weapons? The more the social media and our President stir things up, the desperation of sick deranged people go on rampages.
I am a 60 year old disabled man who takes care of my mother on Hospice. I look forward when my friends pick me up on the weekends to go to Starbucks and a nice steak dinner at our favorite road house. To our horror, people walk in with holsters of guns — I kid you not, it’s perfectly legal in Knoxville, TN and the restaurant condones it! I talked to the manager and asked, “In our society of today, why would you allow this? What if someone is upset that you overcooked their steak and decided to shoot the chef? This is not the wild west!” If people are concerned about their safety, why not hire an armed guard at the door rather than letting people carry fire arms in your restaurant? They basically told me this was their policy and now I don’t patronize that Texas style road house.
Frankly, I’m tired of all this violence, depraved society and government and I thank God every day for my salvation and the hope of heaven….not too far off…it’s closer every day as it says in Scripture. My time is not yet as I found out. Last week, I was almost killed while crossing a parking lot driveway, by a Passenger truck making a right turn without stopping — I jumped in the street to save my life (and thank God no cars were coming) — all that flashed in my mind was who would take care of mom.
It’s crazy the way we’ve digressed as a nation instead of progressing. We slip back into the Wild West on guns. And we slip back to the 1950s on racism, bigotry, and grabbing women. All of this is our choice. People who think we’re headed in the wrong direction, and have already arrived, need to vote or sit and take it with a smile. Them be the choices.
You and I don’t agree a lot on things so I wont try changing your mind other than to say it’s a bad heart thing not a gun thing.
I fear the loss of our gun rights more than I fear being shot.
You’re right. We don’t agree. I don’t give a rat’s rear end about gun rights. I care about not getting shot by one in the crowd of strangers surrounding me who is carrying a gun.
I have no problem with hunters putting meat on the table. I have a big problem with people carrying guns to ihop. It’s unnerving, and I’ll vote against anyone who says otherwise. But that’s just Jesus talking while I type. He may not have actually said “rat’s rear end.” I think he said “flying fig.” But that metaphor doesn’t work as well these days.
I had a similar experience in a restaurant where I took the family for breakfast. A fat little guy was wearing a gun on his belt and I thought, “Oh, dear God.” I had no idea who he was except he looked like I thought a reject would look. And, he was armed. There were probably others there as well, but if there were they were carrying them concealed. I did just what you did, I got out my pocket-knife and slipped it inside my shirt sleeve, then I sat as close to him as I could. I devised a way to kill him if he freaked out. My only advantage was that I knew he had a gun, he did not know I had a knife. We got out without incident, and as I thought about it, I was appalled at what I had planned for him. I’m bothered by that to this day.
The people who think this should make us feel safer are woefully misinformed. Yeah, that’s better than calling them idiots because some of them are friends and relatives. At least we are pretty sure they’re not going to shoot us, if we do what they say and keep our mouth shut.
Good message about our present times in America. I can’t wait to vote. Much of this is coming from the President who talks tough and mistaken about immigrants who are low income and who are in danger at home and want to migrate to the USA because it is supposedly safer for them and their families.
Just watched “Northwest Passage “ video. I love your work and creative products. And I love ya as a friend I’ll probably never meet this side of crossing the river Jordan. Reading your perspective on guns in our current culture after watching the video admittedly reminds me that we can disagree and given the opportunity to further explore an issue can hopefully learn and understand how to live together in peace without demeaning or disparaging the other person. I’m not particularly afraid of citizens legally wearing a firearm and I hope I’m in their company if by chance I find myself with others under assault by a deranged individual intent on doing harm to others for his warped ideological ends. We disagree apparently and will vote accordingly but love ya anyway 😉