Until recently, defensive firearms[1] were heavily regulated in the United States. Private weapon ownership was limited to the few with the money, connections, or determination or some combination of all three.
In 2008, the United States Supreme Court’s Heller decision (07–290, 2008) ruled that the “Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.” This assertion of the Second Amendment as an individual right had enormous consequences, and soon the majority of states had eliminated hundreds of statutes and regulations that had severely limited private weapon purchases and carrying.
The result was over 70 million firearms sold to individuals who were not law enforcement or military.[2]
In 2016 firearm sales remain brisk, with tens of thousands of citizens acquiring concealed carry permits. In 2015 the FBI conducted 23,141,970 NICS Firearm background checks, making 2015 the busiest year on record (by comparison, in 1999 the FBI conducted 9,138,123 checks).
The emergence of general and specific threats in formerly safe cities and neighborhoods and the concomitant rise in the availability of defensive weapons has created a new set of problems for the church and believers.
In 2008, the United States Supreme Court’s Heller decision (07–290, 2008) ruled that the “Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.” This assertion of the Second Amendment as an individual right had enormous consequences, and soon the majority of states had eliminated hundreds of statutes and regulations that had severely limited private weapon purchases and carrying.
The result was over 70 million firearms sold to individuals who were not law enforcement or military.[2]
In 2016 firearm sales remain brisk, with tens of thousands of citizens acquiring concealed carry permits. In 2015 the FBI conducted 23,141,970 NICS Firearm background checks, making 2015 the busiest year on record (by comparison, in 1999 the FBI conducted 9,138,123 checks).
The emergence of general and specific threats in formerly safe cities and neighborhoods and the concomitant rise in the availability of defensive weapons has created a new set of problems for the church and believers.
How are we to react? Can we own and carry a defensive firearm or incapacitating sprays, electronic shock devices, knives, or strobe flashlights? Should we?
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