Rick Warren’s Son Used Unregistered Gun In Suicide
Pastor Rick Warren’s son used an unregistered gun he bought online to commit suicide last week. Warren tweeted the news on Thursday, adding that he forgives whoever sold his son the weapon.
Matthew Warren, 27, died last week of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He suffered from depression before his tragic death.
No one in the Warren family is registered to carry a concealed weapon in Orange County, according to the sheriff’s department records. Authorities have been struggling to find out where Matthew obtained the shotgun.
Supervising Deputy Coroner Dan Aikin stated that the death at Rick Warren’s son’s house was reported to authorities around 5:25 pm local time on Friday.
Warren is pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. The mega church was founded by Warren in 1980 and regularly sees over 20,000 attendees on Sunday. The pastor is also the author of The Purpose-Driven Life and gave the invocation at President Obama’s 2008 inauguration.
Pastor Warren has updated Twitter frequently since announcing his son’s suicide last week. He released a statement to his congregation, saying that “only those closest knew that [Matthew] struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, even suicidal thoughts.”
He added that his son was a “kind, gentle and compassionate man” who was sensitive to the needs of those around him. The family announced this week that they would honor Matthew Warren in a private funeral. Warren announced his son’s gun purchase on Thursday, tweeting:
Someone on the internet sold Matthew an unregistered gun.I pray he seeks God’s forgiveness. I forgive him. #MATTHEW 6:15
— Rick Warren (@RickWarren) April 11, 2013
“If you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you don’t…” Matt.6:14-15
— Rick Warren (@RickWarren) April 11, 2013
It is illegal in California to purchase a gun without a background check. Purchasers are also required to register their firearms. Authorities will likely investigate to see who sold the weapon to Matthew Warren.
Rick Warren and his family have set up a mental health fund in Matthew’s memory.
