http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-police-assault-rifles,0,2104512.story
I recently read the above article about how the Chicago police will be receiving M4 assault rifles in order to
better fight street gangs and the like. The mayor of Chicago feels that this is necessary since their police officers are often “outgunned” on the streets. Thus, they are giving assault rifles to the police, which they believe will better “protect” them.
I find this article to be disturbing, not from the standpoint of protecting the police - I am all for protecting the police. In fact, I have numerous family members who work for the Philadelphia Police Department, and the last thing I want to happen to any of them is for them to be unprotected, as it were - but it’s disturbing in sense of worldview.
Doesn’t anyone else find it odd that this worldview says that in order to reduce gun violence we must put larger guns on the streets but only now in the hands of the “good guys?” So, the battle simply comes down to - who has the bigger/better guns? If the good guys do, yes, we’re the winners! If the bad guys do, get the good guys even bigger guns! I guess the next move by the bad guys will be to say, “We should get some better guns because the cops have M4 assault rifles now. Let’s one-up them.” Where does it end?
Your move, street gangs.
evancurry
6 Comments
April 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I actually wrote about this in discussing Everything Must Change. There are a couple of “conspiracy theory” sites out on the web that discuss how police have slowly turned into a “para-military” organization, with small towns in Nebraska having SWAT teams and tasering people and all. They say the US has turned into a military state slowly and steadily so know one could tell…and now police officers have M4s.
What would Shane Claiborne do?
May 5, 2008 at 2:42 pm
True, Thom. I went on Everyday Liturgy and saw something similar. I wonder if the Spirit is moving the Church into rethinking such things.
May 19, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Hi Evan just wanted to say that buying the M4 is a perfectly logical move from the governments perspective. But it will, as you said, pressure gangs into buying bigger guns and just keep this spiral of violence going. It’s much like the Woadoni tribes in South America. They just kept killing and killing and forgot the reason, they just kill for revenge.
What the government should do identify these depressed areas. Build them up with better schools that work with kids not just push them through the system, bring in non-porfit orginizations to help tear down and rebuild ruined housing areas. Then right with this the church needs to go there and bring God to the people. A_A
But buying bigger guns is cheaper.
May 20, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Frankie,
Yes, from a government standpoint, it seems very logical, but I would have to say that from a Christian standpoint I find it detrimental. Also, you are right to say that education (and some recreational centers or something) would be more effective, albeit more expensive. It all comes back to the almighty dollar.
May 23, 2008 at 2:17 am
Detrimental, I like that word. Money is a big deal isn’t it. But it could just be unwillingness on the part of the city government to take action that will take a long period of time to complete… It’s really sad. But not every thing’s bad, take Philly I think the crime rates going down and over in Iraq and Afghanistan violence is slowing down. In Tajikistan people are slowly beginning to start their own businesses. The church movement in China is growing. South Korea is sending people to space and the church movement there is more active then here! A_A Europe is starting to become less socialist.
I just think that in order to not be depressed we should look at the big picture you know what I mean Evan? God is always moving we just have to look around for where he is! A_A
May 23, 2008 at 2:19 am
I know my examples above are a bit short but I am just coming up with these off the top of my head. My point is just that no matter how many guns are on the streets, God’s still there. I guess it’s just a matter of perspective.
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