Honoring the lives of UCC
Oregon shooting was not a political gun law issue but a religious freedom issue
When a mass shooting occurred at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon resulting in the deaths of nine students, little time passed before the attention turned to gun laws in the U.S.
Solidarity — People around the nation held up “I am a Christian” signs after the UCC shooting. Google Images
Before anyone had pieced together what had happened Oct. 1, media pundits, politicians and activists all began demanding stricter gun laws.
President Obama wasted no time calling for stricter gun laws in a statement given that Thursday evening, even going as far as to ridicule pro-gun activists.
“And what’s become routine, of course, is the response of those who oppose any kind of common-sense gun legislation,” Obama said. “Right now, I can imagine the press releases being cranked out: ‘We need more guns,’ they’ll argue. ‘Fewer gun safety laws.’”
Whether or not the country should impose stricter gun laws is not the issue. Rather, there is a much more pressing matter that arose out of the events that occurred at UCC.
According to reports, when the 26-year-old shooter stormed into a classroom he specifically asked for all Christians to stand up. While not every student who was killed identified as a Christian, there were likely anti-Christian motivations for some of the killings.
Yet when the news broke that the man had killed nine students and injured nine more, the media and politicians were quick to advocate for more gun control. Little, if anything, was said about the obvious religious persecution that had taken place.
After Obama gave his statement, he took the time to visit Roseburg, where he came face to face with pro-gun protesters. After visiting with families of the UCC victims, Obama spoke again about the events that occurred.
“There are gonna be moments as we go forward where we’re gonna have to come together and figure out how do we stop things like this from happening,” Obama said.
Obama was careful to leave politics out of his visit; however, he did allude to his desire to see gun control in effect. Nothing was mentioned about the victims’ religious beliefs.
The mainstream media was also quiet on the issue of religious persecution.
A few days after the events unfolded at UCC, the news was still uncovering new information. However, a cursory glance and a Google search of all news affiliated with the UCC shooting revealed little to do with Christians having been targeted.
What would have occurred in the mainstream media and politics if the UCC victims had been members of another demographic? If they had been of another religious or racial affiliation, it is likely that a greater outcry would have been heard from the media and the general public.
The American public has become talented at protesting what they believe to be racially or religiously motivated crimes, but when Christians are targeted, the outcry is whisper.
Some have spoken out about the crime committed at UCC. Most notably, Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson took a photograph holding a sign that read “I am a Christian.” Carson stood courageously with the “I am a Christian” movement that began via social media shortly after the UCC shooting. However, Carson was criticized for doing so.
The tragedy that occurred at UCC was not the result of relaxed gun laws. It was a hate crime and must be discussed as such. If mass shootings are to be stopped, guns cannot be the sole focus. Whether it is racially or religiously motivated or the act of a mentally unstable individual, a shooting is not the result of a gun alone. The heart of the issue must be examined.
YOUNG is an opinion writer.