I am not an advocate, generally speaking, of “gun rights.” I don’t understand someone’s desire to have a gun. That being said, I am not opposed to responsible gun ownership, under the umbrella of reasonable laws that uphold the common good.

I do not believe there are currently reasonable laws that uphold the common good in effect in our country. School shootings are happening at an increasing rate. This week at a private Christian school in Nashville, The Covenant School. Gun violence is the number one killer of children. That is horrifying. I do not understand why anyone–any private citizen–needs an assault weapon.

David French, who is an advocate of gun rights, wrote this: “I’ve grown appalled as parts of the gun rights movement have veered into embracing a form of gun idolatry or gun fetish that treats a gun as a quasi-sacred object. Indeed, Representative Andy Ogles, the congressman for Covenant’s district, sent out a Christmas card featuring him, his wife and two of his kids holding AR-style rifles. Gun fetishists delight in “triggering” and intimidating fellow citizens with open displays of firepower.”