vbloke
17th April 2007, 11:47 AM
Now, I know this is going to be a highly charged and emotive topic, but I am saddened by some of the news I see filtering out of the US in response to this latest incident.
"I think the middle ground is to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry just like they can anywhere else in Virginia," he said. "You provide extra safety to the student body that way." (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200209%5 CNAT20020917a.html)
"I am a firm believer that if Virginia Tech students were allowed to conceal carry, this situation could have ended sooner." (http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/the-internet-thinks-its-me/2007/04/17/1176696821109.html?s_cid=rss_age)
I also heard an interview on the BBC Breakfast show with an American radio pundit who as much as said that if the students were allowed to carry guns, then this tragedy could have been avoided.
Now, I grew up around guns - my father had lots of guns, from heavy duty shotguns to air pistols and I grew up learning to fire them all. However, I have never been comfortable around guns and the power they wield. I disagree with the right for citizens to carry weapons freely on display or concealed. The more people carry guns, the more chances you have of situations like this occurring, it's simple statistics.
Can you imagine what may have happened if the student body was armed? The moment word got out that there was a gunman on the campus, several armed students would more than likely have drawn their weapons and gone hunting for the gunman, leading to the possibility of more loss of innocent life, both in the police not knowing who the true gunman is and the possibility of the students shooting each other believing they were "taking out the gunman".
The answer here, in my opinion, is greater gun control, not less. If people want to be able to own weapons, they should be licensed, vetted and locked away, not carried concealed on your person.
So far, 33 people have been killed in this incident. How many is too many before the legislators begin to tighten up on gun ownership? Semi-automatic weaponry is simply not needed in a legitimate family home.
"I think the middle ground is to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry just like they can anywhere else in Virginia," he said. "You provide extra safety to the student body that way." (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200209%5 CNAT20020917a.html)
"I am a firm believer that if Virginia Tech students were allowed to conceal carry, this situation could have ended sooner." (http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/the-internet-thinks-its-me/2007/04/17/1176696821109.html?s_cid=rss_age)
I also heard an interview on the BBC Breakfast show with an American radio pundit who as much as said that if the students were allowed to carry guns, then this tragedy could have been avoided.
Now, I grew up around guns - my father had lots of guns, from heavy duty shotguns to air pistols and I grew up learning to fire them all. However, I have never been comfortable around guns and the power they wield. I disagree with the right for citizens to carry weapons freely on display or concealed. The more people carry guns, the more chances you have of situations like this occurring, it's simple statistics.
Can you imagine what may have happened if the student body was armed? The moment word got out that there was a gunman on the campus, several armed students would more than likely have drawn their weapons and gone hunting for the gunman, leading to the possibility of more loss of innocent life, both in the police not knowing who the true gunman is and the possibility of the students shooting each other believing they were "taking out the gunman".
The answer here, in my opinion, is greater gun control, not less. If people want to be able to own weapons, they should be licensed, vetted and locked away, not carried concealed on your person.
So far, 33 people have been killed in this incident. How many is too many before the legislators begin to tighten up on gun ownership? Semi-automatic weaponry is simply not needed in a legitimate family home.