Is it a good idea for Christians to carry concealed (licensed) handguns?

I carry concealed anywhere I am legally and by policy able to do so. I quibble with the poll a bit. I wouldn’t say the more Christians the better or that the good of carrying is based on NEED (in all caps no less). I wish more Christians felt the need and responsibility and that of those who rose to the challenge, more would. It’s not an absolute in my mind that “the more Christians the better” any more than we need “the more Christians the better” as Sunday school teachers. That would be disastrous. These Christians need to be called and trained first, but it’s a good thing to be called and trained.

those who do not carry but have a gun at home for protection against intruders

I agree with Shaynus. I can’t support the idea that “the more Christians who carry hand guns the better,” but I don’t think it must be based solely on a NEED to do so. That being said, I think that those who desire to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms ought to do so.

[Joeb]

As I have repeated before I have not carried since I retired. Training wise for 25 years I combat trained and qualified with my handgun and shotgun. For those who shoot handguns if you have great trigger control you will shoot better with a revolver because you can drop the hammer right when you want. If your like me and don’t have great trigger control you shoot better with a semi automatic. Anyway I choose not to carry but to me the need may exist ie cash deposits in a night drop etc. To me each Christian has to decide on his own to carry, but do you really need to. Short of someone robbing or mugging you or depositing cash at a night drop I personally don’t see the need. Usually if someone is robbing you they have the drop on you and when they are pointing the gun at you my recomendation is to smile and give them whatever they want unless you know they are going to shoot you or someone else then you go for broke. Believe me I have stared down the barrel of a gun and it’s not fun. Better to talk your way out of it then go for broke. That said I do have a couple of shotguns at home for duck hunting but I don’t get out and trappe shoot enough. Needless to say I missed two black ducks this weekend which should have been easy shots. I get my birds here and there and I just like to be out on the water. If my family had to depend on me for food we would all starve.

Protecting innocents implies “need.” I believe the old Wild West was much, much less violent compared to today. Someone should do a statistical analysis comparing these eras. During the times of Jesus, the Jews would often pick up stones (a plethora of stones were available) so they operated in an ‘armed environment’ one could almost say.

Also, a fine, argued rebuttal of pacifism (one of the best I’ve heard) is here: http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2016/01/swami-jesus.html

[alex o.]

Joeb wrote:

As I have repeated before I have not carried since I retired. Training wise for 25 years I combat trained and qualified with my handgun and shotgun. For those who shoot handguns if you have great trigger control you will shoot better with a revolver because you can drop the hammer right when you want. If your like me and don’t have great trigger control you shoot better with a semi automatic. Anyway I choose not to carry but to me the need may exist ie cash deposits in a night drop etc. To me each Christian has to decide on his own to carry, but do you really need to. Short of someone robbing or mugging you or depositing cash at a night drop I personally don’t see the need. Usually if someone is robbing you they have the drop on you and when they are pointing the gun at you my recomendation is to smile and give them whatever they want unless you know they are going to shoot you or someone else then you go for broke. Believe me I have stared down the barrel of a gun and it’s not fun. Better to talk your way out of it then go for broke. That said I do have a couple of shotguns at home for duck hunting but I don’t get out and trappe shoot enough. Needless to say I missed two black ducks this weekend which should have been easy shots. I get my birds here and there and I just like to be out on the water. If my family had to depend on me for food we would all starve.

Protecting innocents implies “need.” I believe the old Wild West was much, much less violent compared to today. Someone should do a statistical analysis comparing these eras. During the times of Jesus, the Jews would often pick up stones (a plethora of stones were available) so they operated in an ‘armed environment’ one could almost say.

Also, a fine, argued rebuttal of pacifism (one of the best I’ve heard) is here: http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2016/01/swami-jesus.html

The stats are widely available. The murder rate per capita in the US has plummeted since its inception and has never been lower than it is right now.

Maybe Obama is right, too much cable TV (or internet news for me). I had no idea. These mass shootings seemed to contrast the lesser ‘mass numbers’ of the Old West. There were few mass numbers it seems to me comparatively to the shooting numbers today. I probably didn’t realize the much lower population of the late 1800s. I personally did not look up the statistics is why the suggestion that someone do the analysis.

Still, I am going to protect my wife and self from random violence contra John Piper. The way I have looked at the biblical instruction is its reference to personal revenge. That is always wrong. Also, I am against any kind of Christian Crusading like during Medieval times of course. The military is another matter and I would have no qualms fighting for my country in lethal ways. Additionally, I cherish the separation of Church and State.

I trust God will give me the grace to die for Him (if it ever came to standing for the faith). I believe one way to prepare for this remote possibility is to die to self every day. Then, if tested, I trust to stand for Him ultimately. However, the blood of martyrs was the seed of church so the cosmic enemy instead accommodated and weakened the distinction by creating the State Church (Constantine) where everyone became a Christian without real faith.

At one time Christian Pacifism was attractive to me but upon examination, the concept lacked any real scriptural support.