A Biblical stance for defending oneself, or others, with firearms is not hard to establish. Most certainly, God wants an armed civil authority to maintain order:
Romans 13
13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
Some might say, that's not for Christians, but that would be incorrect, because Paul converted many of the Roman guard to Christianity, and they certainly did not leave their position, or drop their swords:
Philippians 1
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,b]">[
b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guardc]">[
c] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
And this is nothing surprising, even when John the Baptist came calling people to repentance to receive Christ, many Roman soldiers were wondering if that meant they needed to lay down their arms. John's answer clearly shows they did not have to, but rather that they would do their jobs with righteousness, not using it as a means to swindle people like so many did:
Luke 3
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—
be content with your pay.”
So right there I have established that God does not have a problem with Christians maintaining order with deadly force if necessary.
But like I said earlier, as with all things related to our walk with Jesus, He wishes that we trust in Him more than any weapon or our own ability to defend ourselves.
The truth is, extreme pacifism is simply not Biblical. And if the Word of God is true, we should not reject it. We conform to it, not the other way around.
