{"id":13113,"date":"2013-01-21T08:49:13","date_gmt":"2013-01-21T13:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/?p=13113"},"modified":"2013-01-21T01:42:50","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T06:42:50","slug":"too-long-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/","title":{"rendered":"Too long gone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>\u201cIf we\u2019re going to be the Christian nation many gun worshipers claim us to be, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.religionnews.com\/2013\/01\/03\/the-christian-answer-to-gun-violence-eliminate-guns\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">then we have to get rid of our guns<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI recently visited some Latin American countries that mesh with the N.R.A.\u2019s vision of the promised land, where guards with guns grace every office lobby, storefront, A.T.M., restaurant and gas station. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/01\/06\/sunday-review\/more-guns-more-killing.html?_r=0\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">It has not made those countries safer or saner<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cAmerica has seen an astounding 11 mass shootings\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2013\/01\/07\/gabby-giffords-mark-kelly-tucson-shooting-gun-control\/1816383\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">since a madman used a semiautomatic pistol with an extended ammunition clip to shoot me<\/a>\u00a0and kill six others.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI love guns. Grew up with \u2018em. \u2026\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/townhall.com\/columnists\/mattbarber\/2013\/01\/14\/civil-wars-abrewin-n1488490\/page\/full\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">I plan to buy more \u2013 a bunch more<\/a>. In fact, who\u2019s to say I don\u2019t already have a veritable arsenal?\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThey are used to defend our property and our families and our faith and our freedom, and they are absolutely <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2013\/01\/18\/tim-donnelly-god-guns-essential-republican_n_2505537.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">essential to living the way God intended for us to live<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI guess we need armed guards for the police. And\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.seeingtheforest.com\/archives\/2013\/01\/need_armed_guar.htm#.UPs5giZGJ5Q\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">when they start getting shot we will need armed guards for the armed guards<\/a>\u00a0for the police. And when they start getting shot \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThere is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.desmoinesregister.com\/article\/20121225\/OPINION04\/312250068\/Letter-editor-God-forgiveness-isn-t-terrorist?nclick_check=1\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">no statistical correlation between the exercise of prayer<\/a>, or respect for the Ten Commandments, and some immunity to mass shootings.\u201d<\/p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2013\/01\/firearms-children-afghanistan.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13114\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/52\/2013\/01\/firearsmschild3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"570\" height=\"337\"><\/a>\u201cPolice said the two were sitting across from each other in a booth \u2026 when the man reached into his front pants pocket and accidentally\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2013\/01\/09\/guns-are-dangerous-for-everyone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">discharged a small pistol, striking his wife in the leg just above the knee<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/justice\/2013\/01\/19\/1473881\/two-people-accidentally-shot-at-a-gun-show-safety-checkpoint-on-gun-appreciation-day\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">5 People Shot at 3 Different Gun Shows on Gun Appreciation Day<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThere ought to be <a href=\"http:\/\/brucegarrett.com\/brucelog\/6813\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">some big national organization out there that provides firearm safety courses<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cA <a href=\"http:\/\/thenewcivilrightsmovement.com\/gun-appreciation-day-so-how-many-people-in-america-were-shot-and-killed-today\/news\/2013\/01\/19\/58774\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">quick search on Google news for \u2018shooting\u2019<\/a> on late Saturday night, Gun Appreciation Day, offered these headlines. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe true source of the NRA\u2019s political power \u00a0\u2014 lobbying and fundraising \u2014 is <a href=\"http:\/\/paulbibeau.blogspot.com\/2013\/01\/youll-shoot-your-eye-out-kid-by-joe.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the perfect demonstration of how irrelevant their cause really is<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cSo I guess it\u2019s true that blacks wouldn\u2019t have been slaves if they had guns,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2013\/01\/martin-luther-king-makes-everything-better\/267103\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">much like it\u2019s true that blacks wouldn\u2019t have been slaves if there was no such thing as American slavery<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cEventually, any conversation about gun control in America ends with someone, somewhere opposed to new gun regulations\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com\/2013\/01\/obama-hitler-gun-control.php\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">comparing the proponents to Adolf Hitler<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t blow this guy away for something he could change later in life.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theroot.com\/buzz\/hate-crime-victim-had-gun-didnt-shoot-attacker\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">I\u2019m not going to decide this man\u2019s fate<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cAccording to a survey from the National Association of Evangelicals, <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/justice\/2013\/01\/11\/1435561\/73-percent-of-evangelical-leaders-support-increased-gun-regulations\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">nearly three-quarters of evangelical leaders support increasing restrictions on guns<\/a> as a way to curb America\u2019s gun violence epidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe point is: <a href=\"http:\/\/azspot.net\/post\/40881592417\/a-sea-change-in-the-firearms-debate\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Things change. Goliaths fall. It happens<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cUltimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) <a href=\"http:\/\/brianzahnd.com\/2013\/01\/why-i-dont-own-a-gun\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">I choose to live gently in a violent world<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cWhen Isaiah and Micah spoke of swords into plowshares they were most likely quoting an ancient song. \u2026 <a href=\"http:\/\/shelovesmagazine.com\/2013\/sheponders-swords-into-plowshares\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The song haunted these holy men<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Too long gone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Too long gone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"slacktivist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-21T13:49:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-01-21T06:42:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/files\/2013\/01\/firearsmschild3.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fred Clark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fred Clark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/\",\"name\":\"Too long gone\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-21T13:49:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-21T06:42:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#\/schema\/person\/32666545e535b697afb93d9848dcfc47\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world.\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Too long gone\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/\",\"name\":\"slacktivist\",\"description\":\""Test everything; 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A former managing editor of Prism magazine, Fred worked in the parachurch nonprofit world for a decade and then for a decade in the newspaper biz. He began blogging in 2002. In 2003 he began writing a review of the best-selling Left Behind series. Eight years later he still hasn\u2019t finished reviewing the second book of that series and the experience has left him a broken shell of a man. Fred knows the difference between the possessive \u201cits\u201d and the contraction \u201cit\u2019s,\u201d and he is acutely bothered when others mistakenly confuse the two, yet he himself just kind of instinctively types the apostrophe whether or not it belongs there. Some feel this is his greatest hypocrisy, but those who know him better know better. He\u2019s guilty of much greater hypocrisies. Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. You can reach him via email at slacktivist at hotmail dot com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/author\/fredclark1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Too long gone","description":"\"Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world.\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Too long gone","og_description":"\"Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/","og_site_name":"slacktivist","article_published_time":"2013-01-21T13:49:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-01-21T06:42:50+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/files\/2013\/01\/firearsmschild3.jpg"}],"author":"Fred Clark","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fred Clark","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/","name":"Too long gone","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-01-21T13:49:13+00:00","dateModified":"2013-01-21T06:42:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#\/schema\/person\/32666545e535b697afb93d9848dcfc47"},"description":"\"Ultimately I choose to live without guns because, a) I don\u2019t hunt, b) I\u2019m not a police officer, c) I choose to live gently in a violent world.\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2013\/01\/21\/too-long-gone\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Too long gone"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/","name":"slacktivist","description":""Test everything; hold fast to what is good."","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#\/schema\/person\/32666545e535b697afb93d9848dcfc47","name":"Fred Clark","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7083ccd514d4fb8d5043041756d766a0?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7083ccd514d4fb8d5043041756d766a0?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"Fred Clark"},"description":"Fred Clark is a graduate of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now called Palmer Seminary), of Eastern College (now called Eastern University) and of the fundamentalist Timothy Christian High School (still fundamentalist and still called Timothy Christian High School, but not really thrilled to have a snarky, liberal, tree-hugging, pro-choice, pro-GLBT, peacenik, commie, evolutionist as such a vocal alumnus). A former managing editor of Prism magazine, Fred worked in the parachurch nonprofit world for a decade and then for a decade in the newspaper biz. He began blogging in 2002. In 2003 he began writing a review of the best-selling Left Behind series. Eight years later he still hasn\u2019t finished reviewing the second book of that series and the experience has left him a broken shell of a man. Fred knows the difference between the possessive \u201cits\u201d and the contraction \u201cit\u2019s,\u201d and he is acutely bothered when others mistakenly confuse the two, yet he himself just kind of instinctively types the apostrophe whether or not it belongs there. Some feel this is his greatest hypocrisy, but those who know him better know better. He\u2019s guilty of much greater hypocrisies. Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. You can reach him via email at slacktivist at hotmail dot com.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/author\/fredclark1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}