What would Moses say?
Well, regarding the gun violence in the United States, the actor who played the delivering-agent of God on film once uttered this verbiage: “You can have my guns when you take them from my cold, dead hands.” Charlton Heston wasn’t speaking in character, of course. Or was he?
Sometimes we assume the role of the righteous, and the damage we do in playing this role couldn’t be more profound and contagious than if we read the part of Satan in Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” You see, at least the good ol’ Beelzebub, as portrayed in the 1667 classic, had misgivings about the terrific fall he was about to instigate: “Sometimes towards Eden which now in his view // Lay pleasant, his grieved look he fixes sad…”
And shall we now introduce into this mythic scene the weaponry of one’s choice? Yes, by all means [he says, with a bitter sarcasm]. A gun might keep us from hesitating. A gun might ennoble our most impulsive thoughts. A gun might even provide that enunciation that words alone can’t muster. Again, you’re the actor. You’re the most infamous president of the NRA. The eager reader awaits your lines with bated breath: “Here’s my credo. There are no good guns, There are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone, except bad people.”
Fade to black.
Now, setting aside the exclusive language for the moment, let’s approach the logic of this convenient credo as if it were a bomb, and let’s assume that if we mishandle one clause, or even one syllable, the smithereens themselves will be blown to smithereens. And dare I make mention of this caveat; as my starting point I will adopt the persona of the average movie-goer from Aurora, Colo., or from Lafayette, La, or from Antioch, Tenn. [and perhaps, as added motivation, I will channel the above-average student at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who aspires to be an actor on par with Charlton Heston]. Here goes!
First, there’s the matter of abstraction. Mr. Heston and others posit the notion of the Good as if it could exist in Ideal Form like the Monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001 Space Odyssey.” Mr. Heston, deceased as of 2008, then awaits some Ideal Person to defend the cause of this Ideal Form. The Good Personified Kills the Bad Personified—it’s that simple!
And yet, nothing in our Judeo-Christian heritage and nothing in traditions of the Deistic Founders and nothing in the Postmodern Smorgasbord of Atheism would countenance that simplicity. Moreover, from what I understand of Buddhism, the very dualism of good and evil itself is illusory; it’s a veneer to be seen through, not to be endorsed as reality. And likewise, with Hinduism, the Atman [individual self] dissolves into the Brahman [the universal Self]. And as far as Islam goes, the Koran’s complexity would at least give the most militant believer a reason to pause. And my point?
My point is, stop with the abstractions. They’re boring in film, and they’re often deadly when imbibed by the mentally unstable. Instead, consider the nuanced nature of relationships. Consider the specific, unrepeatable experiences of individuals who may be equipped to stand back from a cinematic image and say, “Yes! I identify with that character. I can appreciate her complex emotions. I can relate to the inner struggle that follow his poor decision-making…”, and yet who say, with profound self-differentiation, “That’s not me.”
The second thing to dissect with regard to the Charlton Heston quote, however, is flippant way he dismisses any restriction to gun usage. Really, Moses? Thou shalt not call any gun bad? And neither shalt thou call them good? I can’t imagine offering these hypothetical commandments to anyone of the countless victims who actually knew and who, in some cases, loved those who took their lives or maimed them for the remainder. I can’t imagine, and maybe that’s my failing. Maybe I didn’t get enough Dirty Harry or Rambo when I was young. Maybe I should give more credit to the creative genius embodied in Clint Eastwood’s early .44 Magnum work, or Sly Stallone’s capacity to snarl as he takes out the bad guys with his AK 47… Whatever… The crises on the screen, however, have everything to do with the dearth of inner resources that we observe, by inverse relationship, to the outer resources with which we equip ourselves.
Forget the statistics. Gun sales are up. They’re always up. And assorted gun manufacturers, whole sales and retailers have no inhibitions when it comes to boosting the economy with their product. Is there a Christian in the group? Is there a human being who hesitates, even for a moment, in contemplation of “Turn the other cheek,” or “Love your enemies,” or “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword”?
Let’s do this. Let’s do the hard thing. Let’s talk about the proliferation of gun violence and how it is possible to thwart it.
And let’s not hide beneath a blanket abstraction like Freedom or Second Amendment Rights.
And let’s not avoid the specific men, women and children who give us reason to think and to feel deeply: Someone I knew bought a gun and I wish someone in a position of power would have said NO. I wish someone would have said, No, you can’t have one. You’re not well. You’re not well. You’re not well… And yes, we’re going to make this judgment. We’re going to judge you: You’re not well, and we don’t trust what you’re going to do with this weapon. Why own this thing, which is neither good, nor bad? Are you free? Yes, you’re free. You’re free of the need to own a gun… Let’s invest in something else.
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