First off, I’d like to take a moment to say that what has happened today at Virginia Tech is absolutely horrendous and deplorable. The families and loved ones of those involved will be in my thoughts and prayers. I’ve been offline for the most part the last 2-3 days due to festivities, so I didn’t hear about the shootings until Teresa called me around lunchtime. I switched the TV from Animal Planet to Fox News (much to Jessie’s chagrin, of course), and have been watching the coverage off and on all afternoon.
Some are already calling it the “College Columbine.” Many parents are already pointing fingers — mainly at the need for students to have the ability to defend themselves. Who’s to say that maybe some of these deaths could have been avoided if students were given the means to arm themselves? A bill was passed around a little over a year ago that would have allowed such a thing to be possible, but it was shot down (if you’ll excuse the unfortunate turn of phrase) with little effort. (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)
When I was in school, this sort of thing was unheard of … never in my wildest imaginings would I ever dream of having to endure an event such as this. What gets me is that I’ve learned that many schools don’t even let students carry mace or pepper spray — for example, a quick Google resulted in Allen College in the top 10 results listing those two forbidden items in its Student Handbook. How many other schools won’t allow its students to arm themselves in ANY means in the interest of self-defense?
In doing this, what the Hell are they teaching our children?!!?
While VT did eventually do the “right thing” and emailed its students asking them to stay inside — what about the kids that didn’t/don’t check email or were already out and about around campus? It has long been my opinion that we (as a country) cannot continue to take the “stay inside and draw the blinds” stance; we have GOT to start standing up for ourselves and FIGHT! Fight to protect our loved ones. Fight to protect our homes. Fight to protect ourselves.
Again … I can’t help but wonder if today had turned out differently if someone had done just that.
Virginia Tech: Deadliest Campus Shooting In U.S. History. : “7.62mm Justice” â„¢
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Dave C.
I have to disagree with you. Just because some maniac decides to shoot up a college, that means we need to arm our students with mace or pepper spray? I don’t think pepper spray was going to stop this guy from killing people. You would just annoy him and then probably get shot.
If you intend that students should be able to carry guns, that’s a whole other ball game. Imagine if some student who carries a gun in order to protect himself suddenly feels threatened for unmitigated reasons and brandishes his weapon? Should the other student have the right to shoot him? What if a girl got angry at her boyfriend for cheating and instead of arguing and maybe a slap in the face, she pulled out her .38, that was meant for her protection, and shot him. What if she just maced him?
I’m as upset about this tragedy as anyone, but I don’t think armed students is the answer to the problem. I believe a weaponized student body just complicates things.
As far as things like this not happening when you were in school, this was probably way before your time, but I give you Charles Whitman and Kent State.
Nicki
“Just because some maniac decides to shoot up a college, that means we need to arm our students with mace or pepper spray?”
No, I’ve always felt that student, particularly young women, should be armed with at LEAST mace or pepper spray. My daughter when she’s old enough to go off to the school of her choice will be armed with this and more.
“Imagine if some student who carries a gun in order to protect himself suddenly feels threatened for unmitigated reasons and brandishes his weapon? Should the other student have the right to shoot him?”
This already happens, and has happened here before … just not on campus. These kids can easily carry a weapon legally outside of the campus, so why not allow them to carry ON the campus as well?
We have the right to bear arms, but this comes with responsibility. Anyone who is irresponsible with this right is understandably at risk of having it taken away (or worse). It doesn’t take a PhD to know this.
“I’m as upset about this tragedy as anyone, but I don’t think armed students is the answer to the problem.”
I do, but not just arming them with weapons. They must also be armed with the knowledge of how and when to use the weapon (and when NOT to).
This young man (the shooter) was not even a citizen of this country, yet he was easily able to gain ample ammunition and firepower to cause this catastrophe. I say let the kids who want to do so, arm themselves in the name of defense.
“As far as things like this not happening when you were in school, this was probably way before your time, but I give you Charles Whitman and Kent State.”
I remember reading about them, but yes, those were before my college days.
DualDenz
first, my condolences to all the famillies that are left behind! this is a horrible occurence.
second, i feel the urge to really dicsuss “the right to bare arms”, but lack the time (and honestly, i think the discussion is futile).
perhaps sinagle statement from my part will show how i feel about it “guns don’t kill people, people WITH GUNS kill people”
the reason why such a thing doesn’t happen here in Holland is because we are not allowed to carry firearms (sure i can get them if i want, but it’ll be hard and very expensive).
hmm, perhaps this IS a good time to discuss this afterall, as one question rises at this point.
Why do you feel that arming yourself will solve this? wouldn’t DISarming be a beter sollution? guns are for police and army, not civilians.
T
I agree with you Nicki!
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family!
I will tell give you my opinion on the bearing firearms, if one student knew that the other had a gun or if the whole school was armed with something I think they would second guess knowing that something would happen to them right off the bat, but since they know that noone has anything it is easy to go in and shoot kids, so arm yourself and like we all say eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Secondly SHUT THE BOARDERS DOWN AND QUIT LETTING THESE PEOPLE OVER HERE!
Nicki
@DualDenz
“Why do you feel that arming yourself will solve this? wouldn’t DISarming be a beter sollution? guns are for police and army, not civilians.”
Because no matter what the gun laws are, criminals are ALWAYS going to be able to have access to weapons.
Personally, if given the choice in the interest of defending myself: I prefer to be armed and NOT have to wait on the police to come and rescue me. That’s what the kids were yesterday, and we see what having NO means of defense got them.
@T – I agree with you on the borders, but this kid was here legally. He was on a student visa through China. Sadly, this is sounding like a case of jealousy gone wrong.
American citizens have the right to arm and defend themselves, this kid was NOT a citizen. What *I* would like to know is where the hell did he get that kind of firepower and ammunition?
DualDenz
[quote]
Because no matter what the gun laws are, criminals are ALWAYS going to be able to have access to weapons.
[/quote]
granted, but the cullprit here wasn’t a criminal. don’t you agree that if gun laws weren’t so lax, this guy wouldn’t have had a gun? as said, if i really want to, i can get a gun here, but the shooting at virginia tech doesn’t strike me a a well planned scheme (even though the guy was very smart in the way he went about his business).
Nicki
“don’t you agree that if gun laws weren’t so lax, this guy wouldn’t have had a gun?”
Not necessarily. The UK has some pretty strict gun laws as I understand it, and they have crimes involving guns every day.
As Jo said, “We don’t ban musical instruments when the music is bad.”
When someone is hell-bent on killing, he/she will kill with any means possible. All “gun control” does is prevent us from defending ourselves IMO.
Nicki
I remember reading this before, but hadn’t found the original article until now … “After two armed southwest Virginia law students stopped a campus shooting rampage in January 2002, a Second Amendment group at a northern Virginia law school decided it was time to change their own school’s ban on guns.”
Were someone armed, yesterday’s headlines COULD have been something akin to that.
Rocket City Bloggers Highlights : “7.62mm Justice” â„¢
[…] round up of yesterday’s Virginia Tech tragedy can be found here, here, here, here, and here. I’m sure there will me more to come on this topic, and I just […]
Doc
You already know I’m going to agree with you here. But then I’m probably one of the few pacifists left who is also a gun owner.
It amazes me that schools take away such a basic concept as self-defense from people who are most in need of it. Campus security forces are often more inept than they should be.
My niece has been taking weapons lessons since she was 12. She’s not going to be anyone’s victim. No way.
T
RE: @T – I agree with you on the borders, but this kid was here legally. He was on a student visa through China. Sadly, this is sounding like a case of jealousy gone wrong.
I think he was from Korea! They maybe mad at us on the Nuclear thing!
Nicki
Yeah, since my initial post, there have been a LOT more details released about the shooter.
Authorities are saying there are no terrorist ties and he’s basically just a screwed up kid that went ape-shit. Apparently he’d had violent tendencies in the past and was showing some very alarming warning signs …
T
I just don’t see my life being that screwed up to shoot a bunch of innocent people.