(NaturalNews) The mainstream media is having a heyday with some off-the-cuff comments made by an Arizona lawmaker during a recent hearing on Second Amendment gun rights. Republican Senator Sylvia Allen, attempting to make a point about what she sees as a great moral decay in American society, suggested that mandatory Sunday church attendance might address the underlying societal problems underpinning why people want to carry guns in the first place.

Sen. Allen's comments, which some misconstrued as an actual proposition for mandatory church attendance legislation, were merely intended to make a statement about her personal views on the issue. Sen. Allen wasn't actually suggesting that people be forced to attend Sunday service -- rather, she was highlighting during the hearing, which is what lawmakers typically do, her ideas about how to address the moral ills of today's popular culture.

"We are slowly eroding religion at every opportunity that we have," stated Sen. Allen. "We should probably be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth."

The issue at hand, of course, was gun violence and how to appropriately deal with it. Carrying a gun is how some law-abiding folks choose to combat it and protect themselves, and they have every right to do so under the U.S. Constitution. But Sen. Allen, attempting to shine a light on what she sees as the heart of the issue, painted a much broader brush-stroke.

"It is the soul that is corrupt and how we get back to a moral rebirth in this country, I don't know," she added during the hearing. "People prayed, people went to church," she solemnized. "I remember on Sundays the stores were closed."

Sen. Allen's statements more nostalgic than juridical; legislating morality doesn't work

Sen. Allen says she made these statements in support of legislation allowing individuals who possess concealed carry permits to bring weapons into public buildings. She also emphasized how she doesn't understand how anyone could be in opposition to these proposals, which support what our nation's founders envisioned in defense of a free society.

But Sen. Allen quickly became the fodder of ridicule and mockery for expressing her opinions, which were taken completely out of context by many an enemy of free speech. Some mainstream media outlets falsely accused her of trying to legislate mandatory religious attendance simply for identifying with a time long past when the moral pulse of America was significantly stronger than it is today.

Whether or not you personally agree with Sen. Allen's sentiments is beside the issue. Her statements were made from a position of personal conviction, and in no way represent an attempt at mandating that people go to church every week wearing their Sunday best -- though it's clear she personally believes this would help improve our decaying society.

If Sen. Allen or anyone else ever tried to actually legislate this type of moral obligation, they would quickly be shut down. Forcing people to abide by another's personal moral convictions has never worked -- true moral convictions and corresponding behaviors come from the heart, not from government.

But let's not misconstrue the intent of Sen. Allen's feelings on the matter, which are more nostalgic than juridical.

"While I can appreciate her concern over ... our country's apparent loss of a moral compass, even God Himself doesn't force human beings to follow his ways," wrote one NY Daily News commenter. "You can't legislate morality because morality is based on unselfish love, compassion and concern for those around you."

Sources:

http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com

http://www.cnn.com

http://www.nydailynews.com

http://azcapitoltimes.com