As a parent and grandparent, I can honestly say that I am horrified by the thought of even one child dying in any sort of violence while at school. We have always thought of America’s schools as a safe harbor for our children, a place we could send them for the day without worrying about their safety or comfort. Sadly, those may be halcyon days that we will never know again.
But just because those times are apparently past does not mean that the narrative being promoted is entirely accurate, either. When the speakers at the “March for Our Lives” rally declared that all schoolchildren are targets now and that they are now fighting for their lives, I believe they were engaging in more than a little hyperbole. The sheer facts confirm that they were.
What the Statistics Show
According to such a reputable source as The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a school child is far more likely to lose his or her life on the way to school or on the way home than they are while at school. In fact, a student is hundreds of times more likely to lose his or her life by suicide than by a school shooting. According to the CDC, in 2015, almost 40,000 young people under the age of 24 lost their lives. By far, the largest percentage of deaths were in accidents, many of which were caused by drug or alcohol-impaired driving or by distracted driving from things like texting.
Unbelievably, the second leading cause of death among young people is suicide. The CDC says that an average of 4,600 young people (aged 10-24) commit suicide every year. According to the CDC,
- In 2015, almost 40,000 young people died in the United States. That same year, 18 students died in school shootings.
- In 2016, five students died in school shootings.
- In 2017, seven students died.
- So far in 2018, because of Parkland, the number is higher, 23.
Don’t misunderstand me. The five dead in 2016 were five too many. No one, neither students nor teachers, should be shot at school. But they shouldn’t FEAR being shot, either. In the big picture, school shootings kill very, very few young people.
School shootings are tragic and alarming, but, in reality, they are minuscule compared to even suicides among the young!
I don’t intend to demean the students who marched or those who fear they may be shot at school. I am simply trying to put those fears into perspective — for both students and parents. Danger lurks in more places than just our schools. In truth, our schools still remain one of the safest places for our children to be.
The CDC statistics emphasize that we all need to be more aware of what is going on in our children’s lives. What are they watching on TV? What games are they playing? What are their friends urging them to do? What are their other influences?
Nearly 40,000 young people die every year. Each one is precious. Each one is important. Not just the few who die in tragic school shootings, but all of them.
The Gun Control Debate
The gun control debate illustrates a conundrum of our day. When many of us were young, we rarely locked the doors of our cars or our houses. Today, many children must pass through metal detectors just to get into school.
The real problem, though, is that people are out of control. We live in an age of intensifying lawlessness, just as the Bible predicted.
Today, the quest for “safety” pushes some to call for stricter gun laws — or the confiscation of all guns. At the same time, it pushes others to buy more guns.
Are there some commonsense gun laws that can help make us safer? I’m sure. But, in fact, most of those laws already exist. The problem is that many of them are not uniformly or rigorously enforced (as Parkland glaringly illustrates).
Another problem is that various advocacy groups cherry-pick the information to press their point. Though we all understand that the abolition of the Second Amendment is the ultimate goal of the “gun control” advocates, the poster child of their complaints is the “assault rifle.” That is a nebulous term that is almost universally misunderstood and misused. In most cases, true “assault rifles” are already illegal for consumer purchase.
The impression they give is that “assault rifles” are used to slaughter thousands of Americans every year. But the truth is that
five times more victims are murdered by knives and machetes than by rifles of any sort. Almost twice as many people are killed by fists and feet — being beaten to death — than by rifles in the U.S.
But no amount of government restriction will solve the real problem. That problem is something the Bible calls “sin.” People cannot be controlled completely. If a killer can’t find a gun, he will use a knife, a club, even his fists and feet. The only hope against rampant sin is a return to the message of Jesus Christ.
The search for peace and safety grows more desperate every day. A few days ago, children marched in the streets. They said they were marching for their very lives. One day, that same desperation will fuel the rise of the coming, ultimate archvillain, the Antichrist.
Now don’t roll your eyes when I say this. It seems far-fetched now, but the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, just may have some prophetic significance. I believe it has given those who want to deprive all Americans of their individual means of self-defense an extraordinary impetus for action. And though many anti-gun activists may be absolutely genuine in their concerns and goals, the sad truth is that it all plays into the plans of those who want to enable government to rule our lives without opposition.
The Bible prophets describe a coming government that will have unprecedented, unfettered control over every aspect of life.
Most of us already have a credit score. In the future, people may also have a productivity score, a loyalty score, and a sanity score. China is implementing an early version of such a system right now.
For the Antichrist to succeed in his quest to control the world, he must be able to control all individuals. That means he must eliminate all means of opposition and have methods available for eliminating people who don’t cooperate. Anything that diminishes our individual liberty and autonomy today, will make it easier for him tomorrow.
transmitted by Hal Lindsey – 4/6/18
Editor’s note – sub-headings, boldface, and bullets have been added to this article to enhance readability; nothing has been done to alter the message or meaning.
