This is something you won’t hear from too many politicians. On his Facebook page, Tennessee’s Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey wrote yesterday about the recent shootings in both Oregon and South Carolina, and advised Christians that they may want to get loaded. With weapons.
Here is the text of the post:
As I scroll through the news this morning I am saddened to read the details of the horrible tragedy in Oregon. My heart goes out to the citizens of Roseburg — especially the families and loved ones of those murdered.
The recent spike in mass shootings across the nation is truly troubling. Whether the perpetrators are motivated by aggressive secularism, jihadist extremism or racial supremacy, their targets remain the same: Christians and defenders of the West.
While this is not the time for widespread panic, it is a time to prepare. I would encourage my fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to think about getting a handgun carry permit. I have always believed that it is better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it.
Our enemies are armed. We must do likewise.
That last line is surely going to be the one to gin up the most outrage from the usual suspects. The Christian-hating left will say he is inciting violence, rather than responding to it, spreading fear rather than caution, and of course, somehow, being racist.
In fact, we don’t even have to wait, they’re already doing that, as Bearing Arms points out:
Lt. Governor Ramsey also provided a link on how to obtain a handgun permit in Tennessee at the end of his post. The Tennessean reports that he also posted a link to a New York Post article with the headline “Oregon gunman singled out Christian during rampage.”
While Ramsey’s statement was welcome to some, it also prompted a written statement from TN Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, who said Ramsey’s comments “reek of fear-mongering and religious crusading.”
Yep, you read that right. “Crusading.” I guess in a way that fits. Since the first Crusades were a response to violence rather than the provocation of it, advising Christians to respond to violence by being prepared for it does sort of match.
h/t Jenn Jacques