With The Perrys - Picking Preston's Brain About Guns

Episode Date: August 22, 2022

Guns aren't foreign to the American way of life and neither is the misuse, murder, and destructive violence that's caused by them. Jackie isn't the biggest fan of guns for that reason. Preston owns them and believes them to be a useful tool in protecting your family. Listen in as Jackie picks Preston's brain about guns and how to make sense of a complex subject.  Subscribe to the Perrys' newsletter: https://withtheperrys.myflodesk.com/zhfus4jx1s Join Preston's discipleship community for men: https://www.patreon.com/PrestonPerry/membership To support the work of the Perrys, donate via PayPal: https://paypal.me/withtheperrys Shop BOLD Apparel: boldapparel.shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, Saints and Names. Welcome to another episode of 30 Minutes with the Perry. What's good with y'all? How are you today? Chilling, man. You're sleepy. Barry. Why?

Because I've been trying to get, like, these little sermons and these little messages ready for these events, and I just been up all night thinking about it. That makes you tired? Yeah, and then. The Bible makes you tired, studying the Bible. It's exhausting. Why you got to take it there? Like, why you got to, like,

Like, no, like, no, I'm just, I'm, I'm a procrastinator, and so I've been procrastinating on a lot of my, my deadlines and stuff like that. Okay, so what are you studying for? I have to preach in Dallas, and that's the main thing. I got to preach in Dallas. What are you preaching? Oh, in Matthew 28, making disciples of all nations. Tell me about that. I'm helping you prep.

I hope you see it. Yeah, I'm preparing a sermon about, about discipleship making, but I'm chatting. challenging people about the goal part in that, asking people, where do they, what does your goal look like? Yeah, shed they be kshed shedda they be kushai. So I think a lot of times in, you so extra, I think a lot of times in, especially Western civilization, yeah, yeah, yeah. We could think like our goal looks like, you know, going on a mission trips or starting

programs in a local community. And that's all good. But I think that we have to understand that Jesus actually made disciples as he went. And so, like, I think that we have to learn how to make disciples as we go. And so that's how I became a disciple. Yeah. You know, somebody, Gary, he took me in his wing. And as he went, he just took me with him.

Teach the text. Yeah. And so that's not the whole text. Crazy thing is, this episode ain't got nothing to do with that. It never does. You know, we always start off with something totally random. It has nothing to do with them. We straight talking about guns.

We are. It rhymes with, it has a go, go gun. Right? You try to force that one. No, I did force it But I own that I don't care What do you feel about guns back?

You just went straight there Yeah, I just went straight there You see how I did that? I don't know how to feel So on one end I think They are deadly little creatures You know, like they kill people On another end

I am empathetic of them Because they also protect people So Yeah Yeah. Like people, like most gun owners, well, a lot of gun owners in America, I don't know about abroad, but in America say that a gun is a shield in the hands of the right person. Interesting. Not a weapon. Yeah.

So you, did you want guns when we lived in Chicago? I wanted guns ever since I was married to you. And you was like, no, no guns. No guns at all. Not in my house. Not around my kids. I can't even bring my voice to that kind of. I don't know why I get.

tone. I don't know why I gave you that voice. It was odd. No, Edith's not going to find a gun when you're going to go pow. So anyway. And when you finally let me get a gun, I was like, whoa. And then I just started getting them. I'm trying to dialogue about the process.

So you, Preston kept wanting to have a gun or whatnot. And when I was in like first or second grade, like, we watched this program about this, you know, you probably don't remember because you were a hood baby. I don't know how much y'all was watching HBO. First of all, I'm sorry to people coming to my DM's like, hey, hood, hood, because of you. I'll probably call them Preston. My name's Preston.

So we watched this little special about safety. And it was like this little reenacted thing where these two kids was in the house and one of the kids found their dad's gun and shot the other little boy. And when you were second grade, that's mad traumatizing. So that's always just kind of been in my spirit that like I don't want a gun in a house, especially considering the fact that we have children until we moved into a home in Georgia. then it felt like, huh. I want a gun up in here.

Yeah, because before we was in apartments. So it's like, y'all got options of places you're going to break into. Now that I got this house, like, if you just want to come to my house, like, you hear. And then what I'm a do, like, I'm going to stab you. I got to get real close to you to stab you. I'm going to throw the knife. My aim ain't got that great. I ain't got no bow and arrows.

What am I going to do? I could pray, but like we need to pray and, like, do a thing. And so I felt like guns would be helpful to protect me and my children when you're gone. That's it. Yeah, yeah. And so I think, yeah, having guns is, I wouldn't say it's for everybody, but I don't think that they're all the way wrong when you are educated about the gun that you have, when you are responsible and making sure that guns stay secure,

not just to protect people, you know, in your home and children, but also I think that America should do a better job of making sure everybody has safes in their home because a lot of the crimes or a lot of the, you know, stuff that happen around the country is happening because people steal guns and then go do crimes with them. And so because it's not easily traceable back to them. And so, yeah, I think that. So to this statement, and even into my own experience, I felt a pushback in my spirit. Yeah.

Okay. Because what somebody would say and what people have said is, why do you need a gun when God can protect you? Same reason why you like your doors at night? explain because I think to say that you know God is going to protect us is such a it's an obvious statement but at the same time it's like we still take preventative measures to make sure we're safe it's like we wear sea belts and so we lock our doors at night you know we call the police we don't say oh go come Jesus is here you know what I'm saying like you know we do things you know

and so I think that in the same way a cop has a gun, I think that if I'm a responsible citizen, I can have one too. That's just my, my, you know, I don't feel convicted about having a gun. And also, too, I think, yeah, in light of what we are going through in America with all of these mass shootings, I would love to see, and maybe I'm taking it somewhere else, but I would love to see this country like a London, a place where, you know, guns are not such a thing. But unfortunately, you know, this country was built on guns. And so me personally, if I'm in a grocery store with my family and somebody comes in

shooting, I personally feel more secure with my gun and Jesus. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's just me. That's the new shirt. You know what I'm saying. And I know that kind of sounds like probably like a, you know, a right ring Republican, you know what I'm really not trying to sound like that but I do think that there has to be a balance you know I'm saying so we both know of a prominent teacher who has said that if someone were to break into his home and you know threatening him and his wife that he would not shoot or own a gun because he feels like this is one way to turn the other cheek and lay your life down for the gospel even though it's not a martyr situation they just probably yeah steal your PS5.

But, you know, like, how do you respond to men who would say, like, killing an individual is not the way that I want to protect myself and my family? Yeah, about that. I can't go. Why not? If somebody comes in my crib and seeks to harm my family, I feel like I have a moral obligation to protect. them at all cause and I don't my my heart is never to kill somebody who comes in my house

without my permission but I do want you to stop moving this is what I mean I'm not necessarily why you pointed me for so long because I meant there with all my heart go it this is what I mean I want you to to I want to eliminate the threat of anybody in my family meaning the goal would not be to kill but to I don't want you to move I don't want you to move in my house. I want you to stay still. And so if I have the opportunity, right, to say, don't move and you listen, and I can keep my own on you. But if I don't have the-

Into the police show up. But if I don't have the opportunity. Because here's the thing. It's the difference with me. So what does this mean you aim it for the angles? What are you doing? How do they not? Hopefully I don't have to aim for anything.

If I can assess them before they make me out in the house and see why I am, if I can assess them and see that they don't have a gun. but if they have a gun in their hand, I'm not going to say anything. I'm going to shoot. I'm not going to hesitate because I have kids in here and a wife that I love very much. I appreciate that. You know what I'm saying?

And so I'm not going to like, oh, maybe I should shoot. I'm going to shoot until you stop moving. That's just me. Okay. You know what I'm saying? And so I know that might make some people feel uncomfortable, but that's just, yeah.

At what point, okay, how do you, I'm only anticipating objection. So somebody would say the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not kill. Yeah. Have you sinned against God by killing that person? No. Well, I think that killing in that context is murder, killing without justifiable cause. Yeah, if that's the case, like God wanted to told David to, you know, kill Goliath.

I think killing is warranted in some situations. You know what I'm saying? I think that killing someone without like a, like a reason, I think that's murder. You know, like when Kane killed Abel merely because he was jealous that he was giving good gifts unto the Lord. Like, that's murder. And so I think protecting your family, I think that God calls us to protect our family. And I think it's a difference. Like you brought up the pastor who thinks, you know, that if somebody breaks in their house, you know, they should die for the gospel.

I think it's a complete difference in somebody saying, Preston, deny Jesus or die. Yeah. And somebody come and saying, you know what, I just want to, you know, I want to kill your wife and your children. I want to murky off. Yeah. That's complete. Okay. So about AR-15s.

AR-15s. Why, like, why is that a thing, I guess, in America that we would have these weapons that should exist on, you know, in wars and stuff? Like, why is that, like, in regular people houses? So here's the thing. So that's kind of troubling to me. So my view on guns, I feel like I'll be having like people on the right sometimes say, amen, Preston. And people on the left say, amen, Preston.

You know, because I think everything that I just said, a lot of gun owners and a lot of, you know, people who, you know, their gun rights protected in this country, probably love what I just said a couple of seconds ago. But when it comes to AR-15s, I'm completely in agreement with people who want to see criminal background checks. I'm completely in agreement with people who feel like the person who went into their grocery store and shot those people up in Buffalo, New York, or the incident that happened in the school in Texas. Like, I think that it's irrational and it's irresponsible for us to allow an 18-year-old person

who doesn't even know who they are yet to go inside of a store and buy AR-15 with military rounds. It doesn't make sense. Yeah, I was reading, I told you this morning, I was reading like a scholarly article about mass shootings, but really it was like a psychological and sociological profile of mass shooters and how the large majority of them are between 18 to 25. Mostly all of them have been abandoned, rejected, isolated. They might have some type of mild disability that makes them different from the majority culture in their school. And also just kind of, the word isn't effeminate, but not treated as manly enough.

Yeah. So when they get introduced to guns and artillery and weapons and all of that type of stuff, like that is the one place where they feel powerful and feel masculine. And at the point that they go inside of places and shoot up schools or whatever the case may be, it's usually when they've reached the peak

of not being able to take it anymore. But there's always a warning. almost always they sent somebody a letter they didn't say it some on social media they then made some kind of post that a this is where i am this is what i'm about to do um but they rarely stopped yeah because i thought about the guy who unfortunately you know murder those children in that school and i put this on social media like i was in bed one night and i like literally was in tears like i was because as a father you think about what those kids went through. And then I begin to think about him. And I began to like hear all the arguments on

social media and on the news about gun control and all of that. And I think about my 18 year old self who had all that anger inside of me. You know what I'm saying? Who had, I was confused. My hormones are raging. And so I heard, you know, that that guy was picked on. And unfortunately, he wanted to take it out on third graders and other people who picked on them. I don't understand that. But, yeah, Like, why would you allow someone who doesn't even know who they are yet? To own a gun? Not even a gun. Because what you just said about the study is that I have an AR-15.

And I've shot AR-15s. I've shot AR-15s a whole bunch of times. And so it's a completely difference between you shooting a handgun and the AR-15. What's the difference? You feel powerful. It's a heavy machine, right? And so I think that when you, I think psychologically, when you put something so powerful in the hands of somebody who has so much anger and studies show that we as boys, we don't mature until like 25. And so he's dealing with all of that rejection, all of that hurt, all of that pain, all of the people talking about him.

And it's like, okay, while you're trying to figure out who you are, come get an AR-15 with military rounds. It's so stupid. You know what I'm saying? And so, like, I think for the people who are just asking people who are trying so hard to protect, and I know I might sound like I'm, like being hypocritical here, but I'm not. I think it has to have balance. I think that for people in this country who are saying, like, no, we should have mental background checks for people who want to own these type of weapons. I don't think that they should be 18 years old.

You know what I'm saying? I own guns at 35. I don't think that I should have owned those guns at 18. Yeah. Also, too, I think that we need to do a better job of making sure every state and city has criminal background checks, that everybody has safes, you know what I'm saying, in their homes to protect their guns and keep them locked up. And so I just think that this country is backwards in this way. And that's the reason why I want to have guns is because. because I live in the country that allows stuff like that. So earlier you mentioned London,

and when you mentioned London, I thought about Scotland, because our friend Kerry used to, she grew up there. And I remember the first time I had a conversation with Carrie. That's when we were living in Chicago. And, you know, the crime rate and murder rate in Chicago is just always high.

And so it was always on the forefront of my mind. And I asked her, I said, how many murders were there in Scotland, like last year or something? and she was like seven wow and she was like but they were all by stabbing

which was like I was like how she was like because we can't have weapons and guns even though you've got to be the different type of crazy but that's what I'm saying like if if if

people are dying because of stabbing you've already reached into a different niche of a person yeah right come here and so it's like but I think that weekend Chicago maybe had 36 murders for her to only have experience

seven and just on Friday there was 36 that was deep to me yeah you know what I'm saying so I guess my question is is it is it even this is idealistic but it is it even a possibility that America can just kind of do away with guns is that a thing so here's the thing man I know we got the Constitution and what's that man what's the one of the things that all the people the second amendment right yeah yeah um I'm not one of those gun owners that's saying like I love guns and I love my second amendment right so much. I'm not one of them.

I'm just not. You know what I'm saying? I appreciate guns. The dialect you used was very, yeah. Yeah. I knew who you were talking to. Right, yeah. Because I'd be at the gun range with a lot of them and they're cool people.

You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, brother, shoot your AR-15. And I'm like, okay. You know, but I'm not one of those people, but I do feel like, as far as America, getting rid of guns, I feel like America, and this is just my own personal opinion, and I could be wrong, I feel like we'll get rid of the hamburger before we get rid of guns. It's so American. And I think, when you think about America, this country is so much about power. You have to understand one of the ways in which America came into power is because of guns. Yeah. You know what I'm said? We would,

we would straight killing the Native Americans because they didn't have guns, you know? And so, And I say we, that wasn't us. But I'm just saying, like America. I get it. So I think that to let go of something so much that contribute to them having us, having power, I just don't never see it happening. You know what I'm saying? Unfortunately.

And I think that for the church, to put it on us, I think that we have to pray. Because I think in some ways we have to understand that God will judge us for all the blood that was shared because of guns. you know what I'm saying but as for me in my house I just would have made sure I know for a fact if I live in a society with so many guns out here I want to be able to protect my family

I know for a fact that Hobby Lobby got a rug that says that what as for me in my house we gonna have guns I know it's at Michaels or somewhere home goods marshals T.J because I heard I heard a guy he's a

a white guy that I became really cool with going to the gun range. And he always wears his shirt that says a gun is a shield in the hands of the right person. And I do think that there's a lot of truth to that because I think that you can hate guns and I think that you can be equally grateful for a gun if it's used to save your life. And so I think that it has to be a balance. But I think that this country is so political that we'll do what we have to do. to keep the hands

to keep guns in the hands of the right people at the expense of endangering so many others. I think that's the problem. To close, I would like to hear your thoughts on. So like every time there's a mass shooting and people talk about it, people always bring up Chicago. Like, why are we talking about the mass shootings

when people are dying in Chicago all the time? And it rubs me the wrong way because it's a deflection. It is a deflection. Oftentimes. It's like, yeah, I feel you. There is a lot going on to Chicago, but about this mass shooting. Like, that's the topic at hand.

But secondly, y'all don't even live there, ain't live there, don't know the pastors on the ground, don't know the organizations that's doing work. I was a part of one of them. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, to me, it's like you're using Chicago as a scapego to talk about another issue. But I guess you as a Chicago native who has seen the corruption that, has actually like cultivated this kind of violent atmosphere in Chicago. Like what's, I don't know, what's your thoughts?

Yeah, one, I think that people have to understand that these, it's easier to get a gun in some parts of Chicago than it is to get candy for some kids, which is sad, right? I've talked about in the past when I was young, growing up, and my whole family is from this city called Roseland. We used to see cops literally drop bags of guns off. in the alley way like with the serial number scratched off of them so they won't be traced like i've seen things like that at you know 11 and 10 years old um and so one i think for people who

say things like that um really do not like they don't understand the corruption that happens happens in a place like chicago there's no reason why the city of new york has clinked up their streets in such a way and chicago can't do the same and when i tell people all the time is that that corruption can be easily hidden in chaos. Right? And so you have to understand that. And so the more chaotic a neighborhood is the more corruption can be hidden. When it's clinked up, corruption is exposed.

And so when you see a city that is heavily corrupted, you are not only supposed to look at the citizens that are there. You have to look at the leadership. black people in the hoods I'm not the leadership so that's that's one thing secondly I do think it's a legitimate argument for people who have AR 15s and say you know

yeah like majority of the of the murders that happen around this country are not are not taking place with AR 15s it's with handguns which is the true thing you can't conceal an AR 15 which you can conceal a handguns so most criminals you use use handguns.

Right. And so a lot of the murders that's happened in Chicago, most of them are happened with, you know, with handguns. But I think for people, you have to understand that, like, when you look at all the murders in Chicago and you see like 800 murders in one year and you say, well, why don't you guys care about the murders that's happening in Chicago? It's like, do you really think we don't? it's like it's so it's so offensive like I grew up on the south side of Chicago and we had way more

stop-to-shoot rallies than police brutality rallies or AR-15 rallies or whatever it's like but but I think sometimes the far left they don't promote that because it doesn't support their agenda right no I think the left oh okay I think I think when you see when you see because I'm not I'm not a fan of the right or the left I'm just going to be a hundred with you because because because the right that means honest. Yeah, honest. I think sometimes people say, man, let's focus on what's happening with these AR-15s, but I think sometimes the left, they don't put a lot of emphasis on, you know, black people really caring about the murders that happen in our city. Chicago has, don't shoot rallies every year, and you don't see it on mainstream news. And so this is the reason

why so many people who don't live in the hood are so misinformed about how we deeply care about black men and women dying every year. And so they look at us and say, oh, you guys don't really care. It's like, no, we have way more stop the violence and don't shoot rallies than we have police brutality and all of this stuff, but it's not promoted on the left. And I think the right, I think they always want to use murders in Chicago as a cop-out and things like that when they want to protect their agenda. And so I think the, and that's the reason why I don't really like the political conversation as much, even though it is political, I think that we need to just start having human conversations and talking to people and learning from people who don't come from our worlds.

Because if you talk to somebody from like me, a person who came from the hood, who's been redeemed, who loves Jesus, you will see that no, people from my community, we do care about the murders that happen in Chicago. go and yeah and we also said about the the killings that happened with AR-15s and so I think it has to be balanced and I think that we have to learn from people who don't look like us well there we go you did a good job because I have nothing to add to this conversation other than questions and I'll say this okay get off your chest and I'll say this uh-huh P-S AR-15s do not stand for assault rifle right right and so I think a lot of times when people think about AR-15s, they think about, you know, a gun that can kill 20 people in five seconds. A handgun and an AR-15 are both semi-automatic weapons, meaning you have to pull the trigger each time for a bullet to shoot out. What makes an AR-15 deadly is not that it can kill people faster, is that the round is stronger, and then any time the longer a gun is, the more accurate it is.

And so most people who shoot in handguns are going to miss, especially if they don't know how to shoot. You can get somebody who do not out of shooting and it can aim a little bit and hit their target with the AR-15. And so that's the difference. And so I think that if we really want to keep guns in this country, I think that we have to do a better job at teaching people how to operate these guns, teaching people how to be responsible with these guns, and making sure they don't end up in the hands of people who are mentally ill and who are mad at the world without mental background checks yet. Because if we don't, I believe that God will judge us. You know what I'm saying? And so that's it.

That's all I'll say. All right. Bye y'all. 30 Minutes with the Perry's is a production of Ivy Media podcast. Edited by Angie Elkins. Video recording and audio production by Tim Powell. Artwork by Hop and Music by Swoop. Join us on Patreon for early access to With the Perry's episodes and other exclusives.

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