What Can Be Done to Stop These Tragic School Shootings?

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. So, how do we respond to the tragic, agonizing elementary school shooting? It's time for The Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on The Line of Fire.

And now, here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown. The nation is in shock once again. Families in agony. Who can imagine the pain they're going through? Unless you've lived through something similar, who can imagine the pain, the agony, the trauma?

Even the trauma of the survivors. Yet again, a mass shooting here in America. Yet again, in a school, this time in an elementary school, the most horrific shooting of its kind since the Sandy Hook massacre barely ten years ago. Friends, we really have a problem. We have a big problem. A massive problem. And a problem that is unique to America. No other country on the planet, even the most violent countries with all types of drug killings and things like that and terrible violence. No other country on the planet has this kind of problem in schools.

And think of this. The shooter yesterday, 18 years old. Less than two weeks before that, the horrific massacre in Buffalo. Those wounds, terribly fresh right now. That blood spilled, terribly fresh right now.

That shooter, also 18 years old. What in the world is happening to our society? This is Michael Brown. This is the line of fire. It's a privilege to have this time with you. It's such a painful moment in our history. Such a shameful moment to look at what's happening in our land.

Such an agonizing moment when you think of, again, it's unimaginable. All you can do is cry out to God and pray for people and weep. But what do we make of these tragedies? And how do we respond? 866-34-TRUTH. 866-348-7884.

What's the root of the problem? Now, I'm going to be very, very clear in terms of my approach, friends, as your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. As one whose ultimate allegiance is to the Lord. Not to a political party, not to a country, not to an ideology, but to the Lord. I am not going to be playing all kinds of clips from different political leaders and media leaders and ones saying this and ones saying that. That's not the issue.

My goal has zero to do with partisan politics, whether it's Democrat, Republican or anything else. Zero to do with that. And in my view, everything must be put on the table when it comes to this savage destruction of lives in a school, in an elementary school.

The grades were second, third and fourth, and all the kids and teachers killed were in one classroom. So you think in a little part of Texas, not a massive city. Right. This is community.

And so many people know each other and the kids grow up together and go to school together and play together. And I mean, you're just ripping out the heart of a community here. And without God's grace and intervention, people never heal from something like this.

It marks them, scars them for life. So to me, nothing is sacred here except the lives of these kids and the families that have been touched. The same with the massacre in Buffalo.

Of course, the day after that, the church shooting in California. Nothing is sacred. In other words, well, you can't talk about gun. No, we can talk about everything.

We can talk about everything. So here's what we know about the shooter. We know that the father is nowhere to be seen, not mentioned at all, as if, as if non-existent. Literally, as if non-existent in all the discussion and all the picture that comes up, you don't hear about the father at all. Troubled relationship with his mother. Apparently, she struggled with drugs.

He's living with his grandparents. So that's a massive element. The fatherlessness. So common in so many of these shootings. The kids. And it's all boys. It's all males. Fatherless homes.

Massive issue. Then, according to the reports, the kid was badly bullied when he was younger. So you have the kid that's that outcast, the kid that's different, the kid that gets bullied. And now he's got animosity towards schoolmates and school in that setting.

Right? Then apparently into violent video games. That factors in. You have other questions about mental health. Apparently, he'd cut himself, scar his face like the look of it.

Would chase after people with BB guns and things like that. So mental health issues. All these things factor in. And then he's able to legally purchase guns at 18. I understand that it was not too long before this that the age to legally purchase guns in Texas was 21, got dropped to 18. So he's legally able to purchase these weapons, hardcore weapons, ammunition, $5,000 worth. How he paid for it.

I don't know if that's been reported yet. So think of this. This is the world we live in today. We've got to put on the table.

What can we do to stop the school shootings? Now, many will say it's obvious. You've got the instability. You've got the problems.

You've got all that. But if he couldn't access the guns, he couldn't have done this. So we need tighter gun control laws. Then others say, no, that's not the issue. People are the issue. OK, this here's the world we live in right now. Everything.

I want to say it again. Everything must be put on the table. No one's talking about taking away all your Second Amendment rights and all guns are going to be confiscated nationally. If people are talking about it, I'm not talking about that. But I'm saying we have to ask questions about background checks, about the types of weapons that are available, about what age someone can get weapons, about what type of accountability. You have to at least talk about it.

Otherwise, to me, you're spitting on the on the graves of these kids, not buried, but on the on the lives of these kids. You say, well, that's we can't talk about that. No, you talk about everything.

You talk about all the related issues. And ultimately, it's a sign of the spiritual sickness of our nation. It really is, as titled in my book from October, revival or we die. A great awakening is our only hope that that's really the situation in which we find ourselves today here in America. We are very, very sick and in need of God's grace and mercy and intervention.

Again, I could play all types of volatile clips and who said this and who said that and Republicans being attacked by Democrats and Democrats being attacked by Republicans. I'm not going there. That to me is to demean the loss of life here. I'm not going there. There's too much pain. This is too horrific.

This is too big a problem. But I was being driven around on one of my trips somewhere in the south. And the gentleman driving me around said when he was a kid in high school, that he would bring his shotgun to school with him through the back of his truck. That there was a locker where you got to school and all the kids put their guns.

And then afterwards they go out hunting. And of course, they never had the gun violence. You see, see guns, not the problem, but it's a different world now. Could you imagine that today where all the kids just pull up to school with their rifles in the back of their trucks?

And here's one locker where they all put them in and they go out hunting afterwards. There's no gun violence in the school. It's a different world. And and the instability in the homes is different. And so many kids with mental health issues that never had them before for whatever reasons and on and on. And whatever social media contributes to this.

These are massive problems. And therefore, to honor God and to honor the lives of those lost. Most recently, the massive, gaping, agonizing hold the slaughter of children and teachers involved in Texas. Less than two weeks before that, the massacre in Buffalo in a market. And the day after that shooting in a church to honor these who have lost their lives. We must put every subject on the table and prayerfully talk it through and think it through. It's what we must do as a nation.

And if it's all a matter of getting on our faces and crying out for mercy, if there are other practical steps that can be taken, we need to take whatever steps we can. Eight, six, six, three, four, truth. You get to weigh in today. I wrote an article about this last night. You can read it on my website.

Dr. Brown dot org. And I talk about, you know, the Columbine massacre, April 20th, ninety nine, twenty three killed within 20 wounded killers were 18, 17. I mean, think of the shock of that now. Horrifically, this is almost commonplace with the little children. It's jarred us even more and be surprised if you weren't in tears here in the news yesterday.

But think of this. I'm going to skip ahead to Sandy Hook, but that means skipping over the Virginia Tech campus massacre in Blacksburg, Virginia. The 32 dead, 17 injured. So December 14th, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School is still just hard to even think about these 27 dead, two injured shooter was 20 years old. Next, Marysville Pilchuck High School, October 24th, 2014, four dead, one injured shooter, 17 years old. Umpqua Community College, October 1st, 2015, nine dead, nine injured shooter, 26 years old. North Park Elementary School, April 10th, 2017, three dead, one injured shooter was 53 years old. Aztec High School, December 7th, 2017, two killed shooter, 21 years old. Marjory Stoneman Douglas Parkland, February 14th, 2018, 17 dead, 17 injured shooter was 19 years old.

These are all schools, these are all campuses. Santa Fe High School, May 18th, 2018, 10 dead, 12 injured shooter, 17 years old. Saugus High School, November 14th, 2019, two dead, three injured shooter was 16 years old. Oxford High School, November 30th, 2021, four dead, seven injured shooter is 15 years old.

And then May 24th, yesterday, 2022, 19 dead, 21 dead, 19 children, two adults, grades two to four, more than 12 injured shooter, 18 years old. No other country on the planet has this problem. Something is deeply wrong. What can we do about it? What must we do about it? We're going to talk a little bit more about that today.

866-348-7884. If you were in a position of influence in America, if you were in the political realm, in the law enforcement realm, pastor leader, what would you be saying? What would you be suggesting? What must happen?

What steps can be taken on a practical level? 866-344. We'll be right back. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-344.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us. We're here to infuse you with faith and truth and courage to help you stand strong for the Lord. We're here also to be a voice of comfort, to be a voice of encouragement, to be a voice of faith. I have written recently, even this week, about how much egg there is on the face of the American church. Sexual scandals, financial scandals, political scandals, so much disappointment, so many ways that we have failed the Lord in our witness. And yet, this is a time when we can get low.

This is a time when we get on our faces. And then we see horrific tragedies like this, and it reminds us we need the Lord. We need the Lord. We need the Lord.

866-348-7884. He will hear our cry. He will respond to our pleas for mercy.

He will help us repent more deeply. Even if you say, I don't know what to do, all I can do is pray. Well, prayer is a powerful weapon. Prayer is a very powerful weapon. Crying out to God, seeking his face, engaging in intercession.

Things do happen in answer to prayer because God himself responds. 866-344-TRUTH. Let's go to Daniel in Rome, Georgia. Welcome to the line of fire. Yeah, thank you so much for taking my call.

I started listening to you a couple months ago and have been reading your book, Revival or We Die, and I love it. So I have a question. I have a question about kids' ability to make a decision to be saved. I've got three kids that are elementary age. We read the Bible and pray regular with them and go to church. But we've never led them through the sinner's prayer because we don't want salvation to be based on a single prayer but on taking up the cross daily. We haven't talked to them about baptism because they're still so young, and I just want to make sure that they understand the commitment they're making. But at what age do we start, or how do we know that they're saved? We're just telling them about Jesus.

Is that enough? Daniel, let me ask this. As a father with elementary school children, how do you feel when you hear news about a massacre at an elementary school yesterday?

It was terrible. I hugged my kids before they went to school this morning and just thought about it. I kissed them and just hugged them. I thought about what if this were the last time I would have seen them. As a father, I can't imagine. I don't even want to think about it, to be honest with you. Fully understood, sir.

Fully, fully understood. I say that just to underscore the preciousness of each of these lives and how real this is to families across America. Daniel, I would never encourage a parent to prematurely try to lead a child to Jesus because I believe that it could just be words that they say, or now they think something official happened. To me, it's a matter of either as you see their development that they're starting to really understand and wanting to know that they really have a relationship with God, or they talk about wanting to make a commitment, or wanting to be baptized.

That's when you really have that discussion. Our daughters were baptized when they were fairly young. I'm thinking maybe somewhere around 10 years old, something like that.

I have to check the exact, it wasn't the same for each of them, you know, so one was a little bit younger. But if I had to do it again, I would wait until they were a little older for them to be baptized so it would be a more real thing in their lives. They may have even been slightly younger, but our pastor thought it was a great idea and so on. So I would deal with them as if they were believers. In other words, they're little children, we're going to pray to God, we're going to pray to our Father, he loves us, et cetera, and help them realize where they fall short, how they need Jesus. So I would treat them as if they were believers until they got to the point of understanding conviction of sin and their need for salvation. Because I do believe God receives these children as his own until there's a certain point of accountability that Scripture speaks of in different ways, knowing the difference between good and evil. And then when they are old enough to really understand, then at that point I would say let's really press this through, where here's a divine moment. Now I know others that have prayed with their kids at five years old and they said, you know, Johnny just got born again today and it's real, you know, but that's not the pattern that I would follow or the example that I would set. So I'm going to treat them as if they're children of God from their earliest days relating to God a certain way as opposed to you're just a lost sinner now until you get to a certain age and can get saved, right? And then when it's that right time, you'll know as a father that they understand the issues now. They understand what it means to be saved or forgiven or to come into the right relationship with God or they're conscious of their sin. Then at that point, it's going to be different age for each kid.

God will give you wisdom at that, but don't feel that you have to do anything in a premature way. And I know plenty of people raised in the faith, they cannot point to a single time when they, quote, prayed the sinner's prayer. Or it's just I always believed and then as I got older, I came into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

That can be the case with many, okay? Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate that. Yeah, and grace to your family, Daniel. And may we see that revival for which we cry. 866-34-TRUTH. Let's go to Brett in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thanks for calling the line of fire.

Oh yeah, thanks for having me. Sure. My question is, you know, I know the knee-jerk reaction is, let's look at laws. But what kind of law can be passed that would deter somebody who's already committed to breaking the law? There's laws against murder.

There's, I mean, clearly this person had lost their sense. What kind of law could possibly be passed, you know, that would deter this kind of thing? And there's a lot of what-ifs, and I just don't, and it's something that the politicians are taking advantage of, and I just don't like the narrative. Yeah, so, Brent, let me start here. To me, we just have to say, let's talk about everything.

You know what I'm saying? In other words, there can't be a knee-jerk reaction on either side. We know the Democrat reaction is automatically going to be this gun control, gun control, gun control.

We know it. I mean, example after example, if I wanted to make this a political show, I could just play clips all day from Democratic voices. And we know many on the Republican side, the knee-jerk is, we're not going to talk about gun control. To me, all I'm saying is, let's talk about everything. In other words, let's have this very conversation, okay? Let's be willing to put everything on the table.

So, just a question for you. Do you think that if you could not legally purchase weapons until you were 21, and this kid was able to legally purchase them at 18, do you think that might have helped prevent a horrific crime like this, because he did get the guns legally? Absolutely not. Why not? There are plenty of go-arounds for this, whether they be straw purchases, or illegal purchases, or purchasing a stolen gun from somebody on the street.

The availability is there. There's just no thwarting the will of somebody who has it in their mind to do this. Okay, so, fair answer. What if, if you have to jump through ten hoops, you don't do the thing, but if you had to jump through two hoops, you do? In other words, maybe he'd go as far as buying guns legally, because that was easy. But if he had to find someone on the street and buy, or maybe harder to get ammunition, you just put up a few more barriers. In other words, isn't that part of what you try to do?

And then the other question is, is why do we have this problem in America, where we have certain access to guns that no other country in the world has the way we have? Again, I'm not challenging. I'm having the conversation. So, back to you. Sure. And you know what?

I appreciate it. But know that there's no shortage of regulations. In fact, probably the opposite of that. And anybody who goes to purchase a gun will see that it's not as easy as what some would like you to believe.

And you know what? Right now, I think, more than getting rid of guns, if we got rid of politicians who were trying to get rid of guns, this problem would go away. Say that again. You believe that if we got rid of politicians trying to get rid of guns, the problem would go away?

The shootings would stop? Yes. Explain that. I believe there is a link between the agenda of limiting Americans' right to firearms with the politicians who it's sort of the pillar of their liberal base. And it's just something that they're being spoon-fed right from the media, who picks this up before they even know the whole details of the story, which arguably has lost their credibility in many areas. So I just don't like the narrative.

You know, Beto O'Rourke came out today. I mean, this thing hasn't even settled all the details, and they're lining up. So I see a trend that speaks volumes about, I don't know, deception. Yeah, well, let me just say this, because we've got a break coming up. The reason we have open lines for you to call in is to have this very discussion.

Okay, so Brent, you did exactly what I'm asking for. I just have to say that absolutely not. I absolutely reject the idea that if we got rid of politicians who were trying to enforce gun laws, that the shootings would stop.

I don't believe that for a split second. But thank you for weighing in. That's why the phone lines are open. And again, everything we're talking about is because of the bloodbath. This is not a political discussion here. It's because of the bloodbath. It's because of the loss of lives. What can we do about it?

If it's all a matter of repenting, praying, if it's a matter of restructuring homes, if it's a matter of laws, what can we do? Thank you for calling. We'll be right back. It's The Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on The Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on The Line of Fire.

866-34-TRUTH. We are talking about responses to the terrible tragedy yesterday in Texas. Another elementary school shooting. The shock, the grief, the pain. I can't imagine, cannot imagine what families are living with right now, what kids are living with right now. What people are going to live with for years and years.

Can't imagine. But here's what we're doing today. We are putting everything on the table for discussion in terms of what can be done to change things. By the way, I am not advocating a particular position with gun laws.

I'm not advocating a particular position in terms of restrictions or liberties. I'm simply saying it is incumbent on us to be willing to have a discussion. And I call on political leaders from all backgrounds, not that they're listening to me or would listen to me if they were listening to the show, but I call political leaders from all backgrounds to be willing to put everything on the table. So let's talk these things through.

866-34-TRUTH. Hey, all of our friends listening again in the DFW area on KDKR, there's new programming that's going to be taking the place of this broadcast that you get the second half hour of. If you want to listen, though, and this is a whole hour at 11 at night if you're a late night person, 11 at night starting, I think, 1st of June on this station. Otherwise, just follow us online. You can watch the entire show, 2-3 Central Time on YouTube or Facebook, Ask Dr. Brown, ASKDR Brown, or download the Line of Fire app.

This way you won't miss a single broadcast. Again, I believe that we have a big, big problem in America that goes far beyond guns, far beyond gun violence. I believe it's massively a heart issue. It's massively an issue of the sickness of America spiritually. It's massively an issue of breakdown in the homes and all kinds of other things. But given the state of volatility, are there any things that need to be done differently, protecting schools, restricting certain people from having weapons?

We have to have the discussion. What can be done, holistically, practically? To repeat, what I'm advocating is getting on our faces and praying and crying out to God and repenting and earnestly seeking God for revival like we've never done in our lifetimes. As my book title says, revival or we die. That's not hyperbole. That's for the nation.

Along with that, are there other things we can do? We may agree, we may disagree. And I'm not putting forth a particular position. What I am putting forth is we must be willing to look at all options. Everyone on each side of the political divide has to put down their agenda, put down their thought about votes, put down their thought about scoring partisan political points, put that all down.

And then say, let's talk, let's put all issues on the table and let's make rational decisions in the best interest of the schools, the kids, Americans as a whole. All right, let us go back to the phones with Mike in Durham, North Carolina. Welcome to the broadcast. Good afternoon, sir. Thanks for taking my call.

Sure. So ultimately, the solution to make this stop is Jesus. We get Jesus on the hearts, minds and tongues of this nation. This will stop. However, there is a certain party that is never ending, continuously pushing. You can't pray in school.

You can't talk about Jesus in school. So I think that is the root of the problem. Now, I was thinking about this. I remember one time I had to go downtown to the courthouse for a speeding ticket and you couldn't just walk in. There isn't their armed officers. I have to walk through a metal detector, empty my pockets. I'm not walking in there with a gun. They're protected. Now, this school, how easy was it for this perp to just walk in there and start shooting the place up? It is the responsibility of these schools to protect the children. Why is there not armed officers on site? Why is there not single points of entry with metal detectors and armed guards? These children, until Jesus comes back, must be protected. So they have to start hardening the safety and security of the schools to prevent this from happening. Additional gun laws making it more difficult for legal gun owners to own a weapon to protect themselves is not going to stop this. In the realm of purchasing weapons, I have a concealed carry. I had to have a background check.

They do a background check on your mental health. You know, this is necessary. But ultimately, Jesus is the answer. We've got to bring Jesus back into the forefront on everybody's hearts and minds. That is what will stop people from doing this. But until we reach that point, the schools must be made impervious to people simply walking in. Yeah, Mike, loud amen to Jesus being the answer, of course, absolutely, for every problem on the planet.

But when you have a sick nation like America, national repentance turning to him, masses of people doing that will make a massive difference. The challenge with what you're saying in terms of protecting the schools better, and I'm not shooting down things, just interacting honestly. In this case, two policemen arrived as the shooter was there, and they were both wounded, and then he got into the school. So the question is, how much armory do you need? You know, if you just have a local security officer or something like that.

Let's say you can find the budget to do that. You have a local security officer there. He may be outgunned.

How many do you have? So those are challenges. Obviously, whatever we can do to protect the schools without turning into a police state, let's do it. But challenges with all of this. Thank you, sir, for weighing in. 866-34-TRUTH. Let's go to Minnie in Ohio. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi.

I'm so glad to be on. I think, first of all, that kids need family, and if they don't have family, you've got to get a family put together through the church or through a neighborhood so the kids aren't lonely. And I think that bullying should be completely not allowed in schools. People should be expelled for that kind of stuff so that it stops because kids can't handle it. And the video games, they should stop selling those violent video games to kids because they can't take it. It just breeds more anger. They can't take that.

And they should put the tag communities back in the school. I think mothers should become sweet to their neighborhood kids and touch them for God so that God gets put into their lives because they don't have it otherwise. Don't move away. I'm a good family. My husband moved me 1,200 miles away from home and left me. My dad moved us 500 miles away from our family when I was only seven, and he got worse instead of better.

More violent, more alcoholism. It was just kids need to stay near their families. If they try to move them away, say no way. We're staying by our families.

My kids need their family. Many of what you're saying has so much truth to it in terms of root problems, the breakdown of the family, the bullying in schools, violent video games, and things like that. Of course, the video makers will say no one's ever proven there's a connection between the two, but again, you look at logic, you look at history, you look at the commonality in a lot of these, and obviously people get desensitized. Let's just say the unstable can now do more horrific things. The challenge is implementation. For example, we know the kids that get savagely bullied and then they end up violent or suicidal or things like that. The challenge is how do you stop it? These are all points I agree with and things that are valid.

How do you stop families from breaking up? But these are big issues. You have these common themes over and over. I remember many, I was in England and a serial killer had just been caught and his first name was Bob. So he's an older man at this point, but he would kidnap girls and then abuse them and then say, now I have to kill you because of what I did. And so horrific, horrific, unspeakable crimes. And when I was reading his story, he was bullied as a kid, he was rejected.

They used to call him Smelly Bob and so on and so forth. And obviously he is guilty for what he did, but then you wonder the cruelty of others, how that affected him negatively and helped turn him into the monster that he became. But a lot of bullying you don't even see. And now it happens incessantly on social media, but at least parents, families, whatever we can do to be aware of these things and to work against them. Let's all do what we can to produce better kids, better world, better society, to at least reduce some of the horrors going on. But still, this is the world. This is what happens in this world. Thank you, Minnie, for weighing in. I appreciate it.

866-344-TRUTH will go to Sean in Nightdale, North Carolina. You're on the line of fire. OK, so my my my thing is I think that there is a lack of reflection, self reflection in general, like I hear a lot of they do this and they do that as far as like politics. All this stuff is cool, games and all this stuff. But what about just inside?

OK, it's going to be it's going to take a long time, just like the conditioning of video games, TV, different things like that. But self reflection in the household first should happen before we look at what politicians are doing, what video games are doing. Like we have to purchase those things in order for them to happen.

I mean, you can I mean, even cell phones and tablets, you have to purchase those things for them to get on them to begin with. So me personally, I just think that there's just a lack of self reflection in each and every household first before we focus on the outside external thing. And that's just me personally.

Of course, you weigh, you know, they'll be more spiritual healing. I mean, all that is cool, too, but we really, really, really have to look at each individual household and fix what we can fix first before we look at all these external things, because these are some things cannot mess with us so much if we're looking at what we have going on personally. And that's just me. Hey, Sean, I don't disagree with the word you said. It's not an either or conversation. In other words, we either self reflect or talk about the wider world. But by all means, by all means, let's self reflect our own lives, our own families, our own kids, grandkids, our own conduct, our own habits. Absolutely.

Even our own burden for revival, our own hunger for revival. Hey, thank you for weighing in. I appreciate it. We'll get back to your calls on the other side of the break. Stay right here. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Hey, friends, if you're watching on YouTube right now, click on the thumbs up button. Just a second to do that. Click on the thumbs up button that will help us get this broadcast to many more people.

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Just sign up for the emails. We go back to the phones. Josh in Michigan, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown.

I just want to give a quick background because it's relevant. I used to be a federal firearms license holder. I could legally sell firearms. Now I'm a pastor. So I want to speak to kind of back you up, even though I know you don't need me to back you up.

Please go ahead. As far as the background checks, what you're talking about, should there be more hoops? I once had someone come in, wanted to buy a firearm, and they smelled like marijuana. Well, on their background check, they filled out that no, they didn't smell like marijuana, which if you use marijuana, you cannot legally own a firearm in the United States. Well, they wrote no, but me being able to smell it on them, I was able to deny them. And that's, you know, that's just an example of a hoop to go through the in my opinion.

And by the way, I 100% agree that jeans is the true answer. But in my opinion, I think that having some more hoops could be beneficial. Now, the biggest problem I see with that is most people don't know the law. So I've dealt with a lot of people who are like, you know, I bought this gun from so and so. And I'm like, well, did you fill out the proper paperwork? And they're like, I didn't know I had to. So I just kind of want to throw some of that information out there to add into the discussion.

Yeah, Josh, let me ask you a question. Obviously, we always hear that most of the gun crimes take place in the cities with the most strict anti gun laws in like a city like Chicago, or DC, or that shooters go into gun free zones, and that's where they carry out their acts. And if, if more people had weapons with them, then they wouldn't go to those places. So I understand that.

And again, I'm not advocating for position, I'm advocating for a discussion of all relevant issues here that nothing is off limits. But when you said someone fill out a form, are you relying as a as a gun dealer on a form or on a database that is then knows there's there's an automated background check that goes on a federal level that can spot okay, the person was going to lie, you know, they smoke smoke around. Oh, no, do you do that?

No, no, no. Anyone can fill out a form. But do you then enter that data into a national database that then does it processes a background check with it takes an hour or a day? Is that the process? So I'm 100% with you and what you just said, don't please don't misunderstand me.

Actually, no. And that's part of that's part of what is kind of the problem is, the form is completely separate from when I run the background check. So the background check doesn't have you input, it just says, did they answer properly and all the questions? Well, if, if I'm just going by what they said, the background checks never going to show those things of, you know, well, this person smoking marijuana or other things. So the background check is just is asking how the person filled out the form as opposed to checking the accuracy of what they filled out. Yep. And then when you send in all the information, it does check a database to see if they've been convicted of a crime. And, you know, I've had the FBI call and be like, wait, so and so tried to buy a firearm. And, you know, that's, that's a whole nother thing. So it's not that there's no system, but the system could be better, personally.

Got it. And what about what about the age limits? So it is, according to law, a 18 year old can buy a rifle, you have to be 21 years old to buy a pistol. But that changes in that you can buy from a private person when you're 18, either.

And, and so there's a little bit of discrepancy there, there's a little bit of you know, there's a little bit of just kind of honesty. And that's where you really get into the problem is I go into a gun store, I get the mental health check, you know, I go through the background check, and I'm all good. But then I privately sell a gun to someone else. Well, I don't have to go through that background check anymore.

I don't have to write right. And then obviously, you know, the old write the old adage that if you outlook guns, the only ones who have guns, so the only ones who have guns, so the only ones who have guns are the ones who have guns. The outlaws, etc. And again, I understand that there have been times in our culture where guns were just everywhere.

And you didn't have the same level of gun violence or, or teens killing and things like that. And I've got family that's, you know, lifelong hunters and kids grow up with guns and understand responsible management and all of that. So I'm not making guns to focus. My focus is everything has to be talked about prayerfully, openly. And we have these kind of discussions. Yes, we agree. Ultimately, we need God, we need God, we need God, it starts and ends there. And along the way, we must be willing to talk openly, and to say no one's in this for political gain.

I mean, people are but we're not we're not right. We're in this to save lives. Hey, Josh, thanks for weighing in.

Let's go over to Greensboro, North Carolina fail. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey there.

Hi, Dr. Brown, I'm going to be very quick. First of all, I think it is time for us to call it what it really is, and it's sin. And it's a hard problem, because there are other people out there, teenagers, men and women to have the same opportunity as this young guy did, but they chose not to. And so the all all the side effects, the gun, it doesn't matter whether it was a gun, a knife, a bow, an arrow, it doesn't matter. It is sin. And then we got to go back to what does the Bible say?

So look in the Bible, it says that in the end time, that people are going to go back to the days of Noah, even in the days of the judges, when people were doing what they want to do, what they thought was right in their own eyes. So it's spiritual. So when we get out of this physical thing, and evangelists, teachers, preachers, pastors get out there, and do what they're supposed to do, I keep saying to myself, why can't the born again believers get a national TV station to have on quality time, and not late at night, and just like ABC, NBC, and tell people what's going on spiritually.

And that is the issue. Somebody mentioned, well, why America? Well, don't you realize that America is basically supposed to be a Christian nation? Why would the devil worry about the nation that he already had?

It doesn't make sense. So he's gonna spend his time with these spiritual fights with the country that's supposed to be or is more or less a born again believing atmosphere. So what do you think about that, Dr. Brown? Well, Fael, for sure we agree that sin is the root and that turning to God is the answer. And what I say that we must have, and I know there are different attempts, Fael, to get different messages out to the world as a whole, you know, how can you do it, and when the world is watching, and what ways can you get the message out.

I would say this. There must be greater urgency in our lives. There must be greater urgency. The tragedies that we're witnessing from a distance, and once again, cannot imagine the agony of those touched directly. And we don't forget about less than two weeks ago, massacre in Buffalo, then shooting in a church. This is the way of life now in America.

The way of life is the way of death. But this is a reminder of how urgent the hour is, of how great the need is, of how much pain and suffering there is, which should drive us to our knees like never before. Hey, I know we're flooded with calls, and I know many of you want to weigh in. I wish we had more time to take your calls. Feel free to post on our Facebook page or on our YouTube channel. You can catch the whole broadcast there. Ask Dr. Brown, A.S.K. D.R.

Brown, on Facebook or YouTube. Feel free to weigh in. Let your voice be heard, and let's join together in prayer. Let the repentance start with us. We're relevant if we're indifferent, if our hearts are hard, if we have not been earnestly seeking God for the good of the nation, if we've not engaged in community outreach, if we've neglected those who are the marginalized and the outcast. May God help us to represent him on this earth here in America, whatever country you live in as you're listening and watching. May God help us to be his holy people, shining light in the darkness. And may God have mercy and heal the wounds of this nation. Friends, together with God's help, we can make a difference. The hour is urgent. It really is revival or we die. Back with you tomorrow, friends. Another program powered by the Truth Network.