Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, this July (2010), signed the so called “gun-in-church” law. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune the governor signed House Bill 1272 which allows Louisiana citizens, holding concealed weapons permits, to carry loaded weapons into churches, mosques and synagogues. No doubt this will help them reflect upon peace, love and the teachings of their faith.
Jesus Shoot © Michael Maurer Smith 2010
The next thing you know, they’ll be singing Bringing in the Shivs.
I just don’t know. I stopped having quite so much trouble with guns when I lived in rural south Texas. Those folks – men and women – know how to handle them, use them to hunt, engage in competitions like skeet shooting and teach their kids how to respect them. On the other hand, none of them carried to church – there was no need.
On the other other hand, given what’s going on not only on our border but up into our cities, it’s a real question: if the government isn’t going to protect us, who is? I don’t think we should simply regard ourselves as targets in a shooting gallery. It’s a hard, hard situation.
I love the line–Bringing in the Shivs. Brings back memories of singing the old hymn (Bringing in the Sheaves) when I was a boy attending the Salvation Army–my grandmother thought I need a moral upbringing and she needed some free time. So I was sent to church on Sundays.
The photo in the illustration is one I took. It’s a friend of mine holding the 45. He’s a big time supporter of the NRA and has a sizable gun collection. The irony is that I was a small weapons specialist in the Marines but have never owned a firearm of my own. Which is not say I never will. I live in a neighborhood that is considered safe, yet less than two blocks away we recently had a double homicide. It was drug related and one of the two young men murdered was the boyfriend of the mayor’s daughter. Moreover the mayor, Virg Bernero, is now the Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan.