Texas Baptist Forum

Gun wails & propaganda

I have been dismayed at the stances taken both by Marv Knox and some of the letter writers in the Baptist Standard on the subject of guns and the "What are we to do?" wails.

The problem is not guns. We do not have a "gun problem" in the United States, but a sin problem. Guns are just tools. Unfortunately, many people unfamiliar with firearms are terrified of them and so fixate on the guns and not the sinful people misusing the guns.

According to a Texas Department of Health Services webpage—www.soup-fin.tdh.state.tx.us/death-10.htm—in 2009, we had in Texas 3,452 people die in motor vehicle accidents, 1,592 die in falls, 2,183 die in accidental poisonings and only 54 die in accidental discharge of firearms. That year, there were 994 deaths from "assault (homicide) by discharge of firearms."

So, for 2009 at least:

• The rate for being murdered with a firearm is 28.79 percent that of being killed in motor vehicle accidents.

• All deaths from firearms are 30.36 percent of those in motor vehicle accidents.

• The rate for dying from an accidental firearm discharge is 2.47 percent that of dying from accidental poisoning.

Yet we do not get editorials or letters in the Baptist Standard about what to do about motor vehicles or poisons.

No, it is not guns, cars, insecticides but sin that is the problem. Instead of fixating on these things, we need to get about the business of sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world.

John Unger

Huntsville

Since we've been out of town, I was late in reading your Aug. 6 editorial on the inconsistency of the pro-life people on abortion who are so against gun control, particularly of semi-automatic weapons.

Gee, I'll bet you didn't know you are a "left-wing propagandist and liberal journalist who lies," according to Donald N. Baker of Lampasas (Sept. 3).

On the same page is a statement concerning our upcoming elections, where Pastor Rick Warren says, "I've never seen more irresponsible personal attacks and mean-spirited slander, … and I don't expect that tone to change …." How sad to see a Christian response to a Christian editoral fitting that same description.

Dorothy Heflin

Kingwood

Baptist label

We are very proud members of Houston Baptist University's first graduating class in 1967. Armed with that wonderful education, we served in public school classrooms for more than 80 years.

We are not so proud, however, of our school's increasing turn toward fundamentalism. We can only conclude that removing "Baptist" from the name suggests we are supposed to be ashamed of the label.

Wayne Webb

Suzanne Clark Webb

Katy

What do you think? Send letters to Editor Marv Knox by mail: P.O. Box 259019, Plano 75025-9019; or by e-mail: [email protected]. Limit letters to 250 words.