Las Vegas

Following the horrific attack in Vegas, the issue of gun control has of course been pushed to the forefront of our public discourse. The left labours under the delusion that increasing gun laws, perhaps even turning our entire country into a single massive gun-free zone, will decrease gun crime. Nevermind that gun-control fails to deliver the promised safety, even the good people on the left want to do something to prevent violence and will gladly cede more power and authority to the state if it promises to do that.

We could of course talk about empirical evidence of how, rather than safe-guarding against attacks, gun-free zones are sites of choice for killers; we could talk about how cities like London and Chicago that have tried and are still trying to ban guns have consistently failed.

But I think there's a broader philosophical issue underlying this debate. The right are largely, though by no means exclusively, Christians. We believe in a supreme Creator, objective moral Law, and in the eternal struggle, the dichotomy of good versus evil.

The left, conversely, are predominantly atheists. They believe in nothing beyond the obvious subjects and evidence's of creation readily perceived by our six senses (sometimes not even that). In the absence of an Almighty determinator of good and evil, they are left with the belief that man himself is the ultimate, and consequently that man's greatest creation, government, is the ultimate tool.

In the face of this, how could they not believe that, if only given enough power, government can solve all problems?

If only it were that simple. But the problem of evil transcends mankind and can never be “solved” by him. Every person on the face of the planet has a choice between good and evil. So long as free will exists, so to will the potential for evil. The means to that evil, be it a gun, a car, a plane, a knife, poison, or public authority, are mere detail. If a man wishes to cause harm or kill, he has defied the Law of God, and has no cause to heed the law of man.

Now don't get me wrong. I approve of law and believe in the rule of law. Human laws are about the best means we have to protect ourselves from the evil of our fellow man. But when all is said and done, the only way to absolute security is through absolute control. Once the state ascends to such a level of absolute power, it has become no longer a servant of the people but a veritable Frankenstein's monster that destroys it's erstwhile masters (reference communism). Some would gladly accept such dominion over them. America will not.

As regards the Vegas attack, this massive murder could never have been perpetrated without extensive aid and preparation. ISIS claims credit for the attack, but that cannot be the whole story. Paddock was reporedly on no one's radar, and there is no way a man stockpiles dozens of guns without attracting attention, let alone stores those guns in a first-rate hotel for five days without being discovered. There is no doubt in my mind that we are looking at the biggest inside job since 9/11.

The solution is not to disarm the law-abiding populace. In the immediate, the goal should be to root out every dirty murderous crook and accomplice that had part in this attack, neutralize the traitors at home, and destroy the enemy in the middle-east. In the long term, the only way to prevent murders like this is to foster and cultivate a mentally healthy and morally sound culture, one that produces a populace that is armed, honest, and God-fearing, one that has respect for their fellow man, and is prepared at all times to defend the innocent with lethal force.

Peace be with the dead and strength with the living. May God bless and guide the USA.