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Article Specs
Article ID: 8108
VoxAcct: 164239
Section: protection
Age Group: Adult
Days Up: 2,158
Times Read: 11,044
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Gun-Totin' Pagans
Author: David Nelson
Posted: December 28th. 2003
Times Viewed: 11,044
The Witches' Voice published in 2002 a series of "Pagan Protection Tips from Professionals." One such commentary was written by the Rev. Tim "Nightbird" Cranford, H.P., and titled "Better Safe Than Sorry."
In his commentary, Cranford described most Pagans as "mostly nonviolent" but warned his readers correctly that "when your life is on the line it is important to know what to do, even if you have to harm the attacker." He suggested the self-defense use of weapons, among other ways for us to protect ourselves.
Another such commentary was written by Steve McManus and titled "Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance: The Six-P Rule." In it, he asked his readers to consider several hypothetical situations which would require their self-defense including: "How outrageous would it have to be for someone to actually undertake the expenditure of energy, time and possibly money to target you for an untoward, overt act? Pretty outrageous, right? That is exactly my point."
Both writers advised readers to learn well how to defend themselves.
Other Pagans have taken up the charge for self defense, too. The Yahoo! Inc. groups ArmedPagan and pagan2a offer places where we may share ideas and information about a topic that many have avoided.
Even the syndicated "Oh My Gods!" comic series by Shivian Montar Balaris commented in August on the idea of Pagans arming themselves against "fundie" opponents, albeit with concealed Hammers of Thor.
True, hostilities against Pagans continue to make many of us conscious that too many others act as outrageously as McManus described, but, fearing that a proportional response to outrage would increase violence against us, not decrease it, many Pagans appear to seek comfort in the moral superiority of remaining defenseless.
But defenselessness seems counter-intuitive to all things Pagan. The various Pagan paths with which I'm familiar all revere the divinity of collective inclusion and the sacred nature of synergy; either among people or the universe. Some call this Communion, the Tao or the Unity among many other names. To most, this reverence includes a commitment to protect these things from harm. If we honor this commitment, we must include protecting ourselves, as we are integral to our revered inclusion and synergy.
Indeed, our self defense is the most personal of our expressions of this commitment. To let ourselves be harmed, we're letting our divinity be harmed. The "harm none" Redes demand that we include ourselves as well.
Our self defense is also one of our most basic rights; one that, in the United States at least, is recognized and guaranteed by our Constitution.
We're told that those who support more gun control want legal, safe and responsible firearm ownership and use, but want to preclude those who'd do so criminally. We're also told that those who support more gun rights also want legal, safe and responsible firearm ownership and use, and also want to punish those who'd do so criminally. Is the difference without distinction?
The stereotype suggests that gun-control supporters are liberals while gun- rights supporters are conservatives; Democrats and Republicans -- Pagans and our opponents -- respectively. As someone with almost 24 years of experience as a gay Democrat, and more recently as a Pantheist, I accepted the stereotype early.
The truth is, much of my enthusiasm with Democratic and Pantheist ideas was formed by living them. I'm the adult product of safe and well-funded public schools and colleges of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and health care which prevented most diseases which would have otherwise derailed much of my childhood.
As a gay adult, I learned firsthand why the lack of protection from discrimination and violence wasn't only economically and socially detrimental, but raised whole generations of Americans who, because of who they were, wouldn't feel allowed or compelled to shape their own future.
So, if my experience proved the validity of these politically and religiously traditional ideas, I supposed that even those ideas with which I had no experience would no doubt benefit others. Having had no real experience with firearms, for example, I trusted nonetheless that some were right about their work for more gun control.
If our federal Constitution let anyone own and use "arms," gun-control supporters reasoned, they'd simply redefine what arms were. They'd do the same with that other niggling word, "militia." While the First Amendment grew, they tried to convince people that the Second Amendment was a relic of the revolution, undeserving of growth and even jeopardizing the First Amendment. Lives were at stake, they said. I believed them.
Then, in a 2000 commentary, gay writer Jonathan Rauch challenged that conventional wisdom. Despite the advent of hate-crime laws, law-enforcement leaders of both political parties showed us year after year that violence continued. While encouraging the adoption of more effective policies to fight this kind of crime, Rauch also described the obvious: Firearms save lives and prevent many more violent crimes than they aggravate, and should be embraced by Americans for their legal, safe and responsible protection.
For almost a year, I researched Rauch's claims. Academic and governmental studies confirmed his ideas and continue to do so. In fact, these studies show that legal firearm use prevents or reduces up to 2.5 million crimes every year, that such use increases the survival rate of violent-crime victims by up to four times, and that the legal ability to carry a concealed firearm reduces overall violent crime. A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows that there's no proof that gun-control policies even work. Nations including Australia, England and Wales where gun control is universal have more violence now than before they adopted such policies.
As these studies become known, other traditional gun-control supporters, especially Democrats and other liberals, will continue to join their gun-freedom leaders including U.S. presidents Jefferson and Kennedy, vice presidents Humphrey and Mondale, and, now, presidential candidate Gov. Howard Dean, D-VT, among many others. We enjoy all the Bill of Rights; not picking and choosing among them, and deeming a few unworthy of expression.
But gender- and sexual-minority Americans aren't the first non-traditional groups to support gun rights. Women, seniors, people with disabilities, young adults, racial- and religious-minority Americans, and, yes, even Pagans are joining history's leaders from Thomas Paine to Malcolm X and The Dalai Lama. They agree with Jefferson's claim that "No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
One thing's for sure: When it comes to the ideas of gun control and gun rights, some Americans, and many Pagans, will look at the facts and history, and move beyond simple party -- and religious -- lines.
David Nelson
Bio: David Nelson continues his work as a Pantheist, a gay Utah Democratic leader and the founder of Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah for gender- and sexual-minority Utahans.
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David Nelson
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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