A 28-year-old assailant walked into The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, a private elementary school on the grounds of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The assailant, Aubrey Hale, unloaded her weapons on unsuspecting children and school employees.
During Hale’s murderous and heinous rampage, the former student killed three children and three adults. Let’s say their names so that we might never forget.
Evelyn Dieckhaus, age 9, was a third-grader at The Covenant School, and her sister was a fifth-grader, according to The Tennessean. At a vigil, Evelyn’s sister cried as she said, “I don’t want to be an only child.”
Hallie Scruggs, age 9, was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
William Kinney, age 9, was described as “quick to laugh” and “unfailingly kind.”
Cynthia Peak, age 61, was a substitute teacher.
Katherine Koonce, age 60, was identified on the school’s website as head of The Covenant School.
Mike Hill, age 61, worked the custodian at the school.
According to the Associated Press, “If a mass shooting is defined as resulting in the death of four or more people, not including the perpetrator, 175 people have died in 15 such events connected to U.S. schools and colleges — from 1999′s Columbine High School massacre to Monday’s shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.”
The Washington Post noted, “There have been 376 school shootings since Columbine,” noting shootings involving the death of one or more persons.
The Gun Violence Archive tweeted that there have been 131 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023.
As the United States once again lowers flags to half-mast, growing anger is bubbling over from frustrated parents, educators and concerned citizens.
During a live Fox News broadcast, Ashbey Beasley, a survivor of a 2022 mass shooting during a Fourth of July parade in Chicago, asked, “Aren’t you guys tired of covering this? Aren’t you guys tired of being here and having to cover all of these mass shootings?”
She continued, criticizing lawmakers: “These mass shootings will continue to happen until our lawmakers step up and pass gun safety legislation. We can’t even pass safe storage laws to protect kids from getting a hold of weapons that they shoot each other with.”
Beasley is correct. Unfortunately, federal lawmakers have no interest in passing legislation that would “regulate” gun ownership.
The situation has grown so absurd that Senate Chaplain Barry Black offered the following prayer after the Nashville shooting in the Senate chamber: “Eternal God, we stand in awe of you. Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers. Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’”
And “nothing” has been precisely what we’ve been doing, as child after child has been gunned down while we keep sending thoughts and prayers. Sending thoughts and prayers are good, but we need action.
The U.S. Congress needs to send sensible gun legislation to the president to be signed if this epidemic of gun violence will ever cease.
The Constitution demands it. The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
While citizens have the right to own and bear arms, the Second Amendment allows Congress to regulate weapon ownership and the use of weapons. There are current laws prohibiting the ownership of certain classes of weapons. Consequently, lawmakers thwart their constitutional responsibility when they choose to do nothing.
Theologically, Christians can point to Jesus as an example of regulating the use of weapons. As his impending arrest and death drew closer, Jesus flirted with the idea of using weapons to defend himself and his cause.
With the plot to kill Jesus quickening in Luke 22, Jesus tells his disciples, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They replied, “No, not a thing.”
He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless,’ and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.”
They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.”
From the text, readers could surmise that Jesus was contemplating the use of force to defend himself. However, moments later, he concluded that worshiping and living by the sword was futile.
With soldiers ready to arrest him, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” Peter did not wait for a response. He lashed out, striking someone in the crowd and cutting off their ear.
Jesus put an end to this approach by declaring, “No more of this!”
The Gospel of Matthew provides an alternative phrasing: “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword” (26:52).
Therefore, with the legal, moral and theological arguments squarely supporting sensible weapons regulations, the time for the U.S. Congress to act now.
The blind and unreasonable worship of a flawed interpretation of the Second Amendment by some of our fellow citizens has failed our nation.
We need a different path forward. If one more precious child is killed without Congress enacting significant and sensible gun legislation, then blood will be on their hands.
I return to Ashbey Beasley’s haunting question, “Are you tired of this?”
Apparently, at this point, we are not.