Are the mass shootings we see rising caused by a gun or a heart issue? On the weekend of December 13-14, there were mass shootings using guns at Brown University and an anti-semitic attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. Many people believe removing guns from the equation stops the killing, but does it? Let’s take a look.
Mass Shootings
The shootings this last weekend are part of what has become an all too common event in the United States. Globally, mass shootings remain concentrated in a few regions. Over the past five years (2021–2025), the United States accounts for roughly 30–35% of all public mass shootings worldwide, far exceeding its share of the global population. Other countries with notable incidents include Russia, Serbia, Sweden, France, and Australia, though their numbers are far lower. Here are some of the worst mass shootings over the past 5 years:
Schools are one of the more common targets. Authorities are not doing enough to secure the schools and keep the kids safe. This must be a priority, but it doesn’t seem to be for either Congress or the White House. The cycle repeats: a mass shooting erupts, leaders offer thoughts and prayers, the world condemns the violence, and officials fail to act or communicate change. Committees and legislative bodies at both the federal and state levels focus on addressing mass shootings. In the U.S., Congress, state legislatures, and local governments have created committees and task forces to study causes, propose reforms, and coordinate prevention strategies. Yet these preventable tragedies continue.
Are Guns The Problem?
Are they the root cause of the problem? No. They are an “end to a means.” The bigger issue is what lies in the hearts of the people committing these crimes. More structure needs to be in place to ensure guns do not get into the wrong hands. That said, make no mistake, this is an issue of the heart. People are “disposable” in society today. Discretionary abortions are the vast majority of abortions (95-96%). The death penalty is making a comeback in many states. Now, many states are offering suicide assistance under the moniker, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). What is the expression? You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. The pandemic has been a significant contributor to mental health problems in society today.
Gun Control
Gun control is one of the most polarizing topics in the public square today. On one side, we have the U.S. Constitution that guarantees us the right to bear arms. On the other side, we have some countries that have and/or plan to remove as many guns from society as possible. If history is an indication, “gun control,” including confiscation of guns, does not work for the following reasons:
- Criminals Do Not Obtain Guns Through Legal Channels – A 2016 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of prison inmates found only about 10.1% of offenders obtained their firearms from a retail source (store, pawn shop, etc.).
- Background Checks Often Fail to Stop First‑Time Offenders – Many mass shooters or violent offenders had no prior disqualifying record, meaning a background check would not have stopped them. Background checks cannot screen for intent; they can only screen for prior record.
- Gun Control Does Not Address the Main Driver of Gun Deaths: Suicide – Roughly two‑thirds of U.S. gun deaths are suicides, not homicides. Mental-health factors, not weapon type, drive suicide.
- 4.4 Million Guns Already Exist in the U.S. – With hundreds of millions of guns already in circulation, plus the ease of self‑manufacturing (“ghost guns”), the U.S. is already a high‑supply environment. Enforcement of strict gun laws often requires civil liberty tradeoffs, e.g., broad surveillance, stop and frisk, and home inspections. Due to the high volume of mass shootings, we may need to make some trade-offs in this space.
- Scientific Evidence for Many Gun Laws Is Inconclusive or Mixed – RAND’s massive multi‑year review of gun‑policy research found:
- For many commonly proposed gun laws, the evidence is inconclusive, limited, or mixed.
- Only a few policies (e.g., child‑access prevention laws) have strong evidence of effectiveness.
- For others—assault‑weapon bans, stand‑your‑ground laws, background checks—the evidence is not strong enough to claim apparent causal effects.
The Catholic View
Jesus consistently taught that violence begins internally. Laws may restrain behavior, but only transformed hearts prevent violence.
Jesus acknowledged the disciples carried swords (Luke 22:38). He allowed them to have one, but He rebuked Peter for using it to escalate violence. Weapons must never become a substitute for trust in God.
At this point, we need a serious effort to combat the large number of mass murders. To date, very little has been done. The heart problem will not be solved quickly, so we must put in place other provisions to protect as many people as possible. These may include:
- Deployment of the National Guard and/or the Military – to protect schools, universities, and places of religious worship.
- Consistent background checks across the U.S. – that won’t address the issue with first-time offenders, but it will stop guns from being bought in states with loose requirements, and then brought into densely populated states to kill.
- Gun registration – requiring people to register guns, similar to registering cars, provides insight into who may have access to guns that are not securely stored. Registering guns is a contentious issue that stomps on some civil liberties, but at this point, we may need to do so to stop or significantly reduce mass murders.
- Annual safety training – requiring gun owners to complete an annual safety test and/or inspection may help ensure that if someone’s situation changes, the gun is secure.
The reality is that if we focus on guns, those intent to kill will find a way to do so. The hope is that reducing the number of mass murders buys us time to reach the hearts of those who wish to do evil to others. Please pray that common sense prevails and that our governments will make this a priority.
Please share your thoughts on this article in the “Comments” section.
Peace
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