Rick Warren’s Son Ended His Life With An Unregistered Gun

By now, you’ve heard the tragic news. At the tender age of 27, Matthew Warren, the son of well-known pastor, Rick Warren, committed suicide. On the day of his death, Matthew, the youngest of three children, spent the day with his parents and was seemingly in good spirits according to his parents. He returned home from the outing and took his life in his home with an unregistered handgun he purchased through the internet.

In California, purchasing a gun without a background check and buyers who do not register the guns are breaking the law. The police say it will be extremely difficult to find the seller. A spokesperson said in a statement:

We can’t tell if it’s registered or not because the serial number is scratched off. At one point in time, it may have been, but it’s going to be impossible to find out.

Rick Warren is the author of best-seller “Purpose Driven Life” and leader of Saddleback Church in Mission Valeijo, California. In a letter Pastor Warren written to the 30,000 member church he said:

You who watched Matthew grow up knew he was an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man. He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable  in a room. He’d then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them. In spite of America’s best doctors, meds, counselors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided. Today, after a fun evening together with Kay and me, in a momentary wave of despair at his home, he took his life.

Warren also discussed his son’s death via Twitter:

The Warren Family have set up a mental health fund in memory of Matthew.

[AP, CNN, Saddleback]

-@lipstickheelstv