Many Will Use Charleston Tragedy For Political Gain

By Shane Kastler

What happened at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC was an unspeakable tragedy. It's hard to imagine many things worse than people gathered to pray, study the Bible, and fellowship gunned down by a deranged lunatic. Nine people dead, others traumatized, and still others mourning the loss of loved ones and friends. What Dylann Roof did last Wednesday night is inexcusable. But what others will do WITH the tragedy is inexcusable as well.

Many will use this horrific event for political purposes and have already begun to do so. Barack Obama used his bully pulpit to call for stricter gun laws, but a lack of gun laws is not the problem. America has many problems. Murderous loons is one. Opportunist politicians is another. And this tragedy has so many facets for liberals to lick their chops over, it's frightening to consider what many leftists will try to do as a result.


To start with, some will try to present the Charleston shooter as “the norm.” Some will say he is just a typical white, Southern, gun-toting racist. As if all white, Southern, gun owners typically stroll in to black churches and shoot the place up. Dylann Roof is not the norm. He is the exception. Most aren't like him. Most wouldn't dream of doing what he did. Most white people aren't longing to kill black people. Most Southerners aren't racist. And most gun owners have no desire to shoot anyone while they worship. But many in the media seem to be salivating at the idea of this dopey, little white boy with a bad haircut having ties to white supremacy. They claim this incident exposes the racist nation that we truly are. Yet one has to wonder, if we are so racist how did we manage to elect a black man to the highest office in the land? How is it that even South Carolina manages to elect so many people of color to represent it? Is it by black votes only? It can't be. Obviously the nation isn't quite as racist as some would have us think. The lunatic of Charleston was not the norm, he was a deranged exception and most of the white, Southern, gun-owners I know are hoping he is executed for his deeds. So much for the racist angle. Yet race-baiters will have a field day ramping up vitriol and raising funds for their “cause.” But what about gun control?

Some will see this as a prime opportunity to pass stricter gun laws. Obama has already shamelessly used the tragedy for those ends. But is that the answer? To the contrary, one has to think that if there had been at least one congregant in that church carrying a gun, then Dylann the Deranged would have got off far fewer shots than he did. How much different might this story have ended if the assailant fires ONE SHOT, then an honest church member fires the SECOND SHOT, thus ending the rampage? You might have one or two funerals next week. But you wouldn't have nine. Of course, an irrational fear of guns and an overbearing government that seeks to take them away makes this scenario nearly impossible. A gun is a tool, no better or worse than the person holding it. It can be used to save a life or to take a life. Or it can be used to do both with one shot.

Furthermore, an increase in gun control vigilance does nothing to stop a criminal from committing a crime such as this. Honest men buy guns. Murderers can simply steal them. In fact, stealing a gun would be much cheaper for a criminal than buying one anyway. Go ahead and pass stricter gun laws, and watch how the black market explodes. Watch how gun theft increases. And watch how honest citizens will be hamstrung even more than they are now. The poor people in the Charleston church were like sitting ducks for a psycho. Stricter gun laws would make them even more so, by taking away an honest person's ability to defend themselves adequately. While politicians like Obama claim to act in the best interest of the people, his policies do nothing but increase government power (thus making the citizens at his mercy); and tie the hands of those who otherwise might be able to protect themselves.

You will also see the “hate crime” crowd use this evil act to their advantage. As I aready stated, what this young man did was horrible. And if he had shot up a “white” church it would still be horrible. And if he was a black man who shot up a Chinese church it would be equally horrible. And if he was an Indian who shot up a Mosque it would be equally horrible. And if he murdered a group of Atheists it would be equally horrible. My point is this. Black lives matter. But so do white lives. So do red lives. So do “bi-racial” lives. Hate crimes legistation elevates some group's lives above others; and seeks to criminalize thoughts rather than deeds. Motivation doesn't matter. Murder is wrong. Period. Don't use this slaughter to elevate one group above another. Prosecute the murderer for murder. What he may or may not have been thinking is irrelevant. Thoughts are not crimes. Acts against innocent people are.

Finally, you can expect an all-out blitzkrieg on all things “Southern” as a result of this tragedy. How many times have you already seen the media show images of the Confederate flag flying over the South Carolina capital? As if that has anything to do with a wing nut shooting up a church. Thousands of Southerners own Confederate flags and the vast majority of them aren't murderers. Yet, this symbol of the South will be tarred and feathered as the epitome of racism and slavery. Never mind the fact that slavery existed far more years under the regime of the “Stars and Stripes” than it did the “Stars and Bars.” Never mind the fact that slavery was introduced in the North, not the South. And never mind the fact that Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the Southern states. Northern slave owners (yes, they existed) were allowed to keep their slaves because they were loyal to the Federal government. These inconvenient facts are unknown to most people, yet do a little research and you'll find them to be true. But it doesn't matter. This tragedy will be used by some to fuel the fire of Southern hatred and this itself is also a tragedy.

Let me close by saying this: the Charleston tragedy should be a time for Americans to unite and mourn together. But many will use it as a time to further divide. After all, political gain is accomplished by keeping people at odds and agitated. Government is able to seize more control when they can scare you and convince you that they are the only ones who can protect you. Historical facts will be ignored, relevant statistics and common sense will be cast aside. And anti-liberty policies will be pushed forth as though society itself depends upon it. Don't be fooled. Don't fall for the political spinsters. And don't let government powers turn a catastrophic tragedy into an even bigger tragedy by using others people's pain for their political gain.

Shane Kastler is Pastor at the Heritage Baptist Church, Lake Charles, LA and Co-Host; "Church & State" KELB Radio, 100.5 FM. He blogs at The Narrow Road.