We’re fortunate to have a participatory system of government. Anyone can take part in some way, even if they’re unable to vote for whatever reason. That’s not always a great thing, but I prefer the downsides of greater participation than the alternatives.
The thing that far too few seem to get, though, is that while you have a right to express your opinions, no one has an obligation to listen. More than that, though, even if they want to, everyone in this country falls under the Constitution of the United States of America to some degree or another.
That means governments can’t curtail civil liberties just because a lot of people there want them to.
It’s something that some Minnesota faith leaders might need to understand, as a recent report suggested they think their petition for gun control trumps everything else.
Last Wednesday, 70 of us gathered in person at the State Capitol to deliver a letter that has now been signed by over 950 faith leaders — pastors, deacons, rabbis, imams, chaplains and clergy elders. The letter, addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and members of the Minnesota Legislature, calls for a special legislative session to enact a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Written in response to recent school shootings, it asks our elected leaders to act — to turn our collective heartbreak into laws that protect our children and communities and to lead with the courage our public life so desperately needs.
That list of 950 faith leaders continues to grow, and each leader is deeply engaged in communities across 69 counties, ranging from Hermantown to Bemidji to Brainerd to St. Cloud to Avon to Annandale to Afton to Blooming Prairie to Austin to Albert Lea to Blue Earth to Montevideo to Barnesville to Bricelyn to Alexandria. This letter is not signed because of partisan politics or social optics, but out of shared grief and moral urgency. We believe there is a new story unfolding — a prophetic, pastoral witness emerging from our communities. It calls all of us, including those in power, into deeper solidarity with one another and all who suffer.
…
This is bigger than partisan politics; it is a call to mutual accountability for the sake of our children and the well-being of our communities. It is a prophetic, collective cry born of pastoral concern: our communities are in pain, and our leaders must respond with courage, integrity and urgency. When we met with government officials, we told them that as leaders of diverse communities — with as many opinions as people — we know how difficult it is to decide and act. But we also told them: We are here to support you in brave action. We, too, hope to create and realize the world we long to live in.
The piece, headlined “Minnesota faith leaders: Our gun petition is bigger than partisan politics,” is more or less supported by the text. They think their petition should lead to at least a special session to discuss gun control, and they think the fact that they have a petition from so many members of the clergy should carry the day.
Well, it’s funny that so many of these same people are likely to scream about the separation of church and state, yet think their meddling in politics should somehow carry more weight than any other group.
Regardless, while they might feel the petition is greater than partisan politics, it’s not greater than the Second Amendment, which clearly says that “the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It trumps any petition. It trumps any pastor or priest’s desire to restrict weapons in any way.
Our Founding Fathers understood something that these people either forgot or never learned.
They understood that bad people will do bad things, but the value of the Second Amendment was that it could prevent far worse things from happening. It’s terrible that we can’t just snap our fingers and make the evil in our society go away forever, but the physics of this universe preclude anything of the sort from happening.
And considering the differing ideas of just who is evil, that’s probably a good thing.
Because we can’t, though, we need the means to meet evil head-to-head, and that means guns.
Your petition cannot change that. It will not change that.
Walz might capitulate because of the petition, but anything passed will be blatantly unconstitutional, and we all know it. That petition won’t matter when the Supreme Court bounces those laws into oblivion.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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