In the wake of the horrendous school shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, I'm sure we'll all hear the familiar hue and cry for additional gun control laws.
The Drudge Report is already linking to similar thoughts in the foreign press.
In all honesty I don't see where the current gun laws failed. Speaking only with the knowledge gleamed from the (often chaotic) reports of the day, the shooter was armed with handguns, not assault rifles or machine guns. And this was no stereotypical redneck kook or drooling madman. By the accounts I've read, Cho Seung Hui was an upstanding 4th year English major at a major university and had no criminal history.
Moreover, he made his first purchase on March 13th, meaning this was no spur of the moment/crime of passion that a waiting period would have prevented.
So how do you justify preventing the transaction, unless you believe (as some do) that all guns, no matter what kind, need to be kept from the public, whoever the individual might be?
To me, you forget about the predictable political speeches on gun control.
Instead, you mourn the victims. You question why we continue to produce folks that enjoy hurting others, apparently for sport. You wonder about the emergency procedures in place at Virginia Tech. You applaud the heroes of the day, like Liviu Librescu who blocked his classroom door to allow his students to escape, even at the cost of his own life.
And you continue to wonder why ba**ards like Cho Seung Hui don't turn the gun on themselves before they even leave their house in the morning.
Tags: Virginia Tech, Cho Seung Hui
I agree with you.... the gun laws did NOT fail. If you take the guns away from 'everyone' then the only people with guns will be the criminals. I don't think a law against guns would prevent any one with a criminal intent from getting a gun. I personally do not hunt, nor do I own a gun.... but that doesn't mean that I think others shouldn't be allowed to do those things!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you... we should mourn the losses, look at what could have been done differently, and celebrate the heroes. This should not become an issue of "If the gun laws had been stricter..." BUT, I am sure it will <sigh>
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i mourn the losses. gun laws did not fail us. i just can't get over all the innocence and extinguished talent this has produced. i picked up my 2 year old son and just cried as this story unfolded. it completely breaks my heart that humankind ever has to try to realize these situations.
ReplyDeleteHe had prior mental health issues seeking help & that should have been something they flag & don't allow to purchase. This was a loophole. It is being talked about now in the media...have you heard?
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