Posted on 04/16/2007 1:20:58 PM PDT by Coleus
A Virginia Tech official in 2006 praised the defeat of a proposal to allow students with state-issued concealed handgun permits to carry their handguns on college campuses in Virginia. At least 20 unarmed students were killed on the VA Tech campus Monday morning by a single gunman. Virginia House Bill 1572 was proposed in 2005 by Shenandoah County, Va., Republican Del. Todd Gilbert after a VA Tech student with a state-issued concealed handgun permit was arrested and charged only with "unlawfully" carrying a handgun on campus. The bill would have prohibited state universities in Virginia from enacting "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit ... from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun."
After the proposal died in the state's House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety, The Roanoke Times quoted VA Tech spokesman Larry Hincker as celebrating the defeat of the bill. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions," Hincker said on Jan. 31, 2006, "because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
Following Monday's multiple-victim shooting at VA Tech, Erich Pratt with Virginia-based Gun Owners of America called that philosophy "idiocy." "I think gun control advocates will say, 'See, we need more gun control,' even though this is exactly the product of gun control," Pratt said.
Currently, only Utah has a statute specifically authorizing law-abiding individuals with concealed handgun permits to possess their firearms on state university property. Most other states have explicit or implied prohibitions. "Every school campus [other than those in Utah] in this nation is a 'gun free zone,' supposedly," Pratt bemoaned. "But, isn't it amazing that criminals, bad guys never obey those laws."
Regarding Utah, Pratt adds, "Isn't it interesting that that's the one state where we haven't heard of any school shootings." At least two school shootings have been stopped by armed civilians before police arrived:
· January 9, 2002, Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va. - 43 year old Peter Odighizuwa, who had flunked out of the small law school earlier in the week killed three people and wounded three others. Two law students - Tracy Bridges and Ted Besen - retreived a handgun from Bridges' vehicle and held Odighizuwa at gun point for several minutes before police arrived. (Bridges was a reserve deputy sheriff, but was not on duty at the time of the incident.)
· October 1, 1997, Pearl High School, Pearl, Ms. - 16 year old Luke Woodham carried a rifle onto the school campus, killed his ex-girlfriend and one of her friends and wounded seven other people. Assisstant Principal Joel Myrick retreived a handgun from his truck and held Woodham for police. It was later learned that the teeneager had beaten and stabbed his own mother to death before the attack at the school.
Pratt is not optimistic, however, that lawmakers will allow public university students and faculty members to protect themselves from mass murderers like the one who struck VA Tech Monday. "The only schools and universities where these tragedies have been stopped abruptly were the places where law-abiding citizens had a gun that was accessible to them and they were able to stop the shooter," Pratt noted. "The schools and universities that had to wait for the police to arrive, those are the ones that find these high death tolls.
"It's just a real shame," he concluded, "that these guys never get it."
Welcome to the club, where've you been. ;)
>>>After the proposal died in the state’s House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety, The Roanoke Times quoted VA Tech spokesman Larry Hincker as celebrating the defeat of the bill.<<<
I caution Freepers from recommending too harsh a punishment for Hincker. I recommend we drag Hincker behind a horse for only 39 miles before hanging him.
Allah Akbar, bang! bang!
Like my Father told me, when I told him I "packed" a gun with me in my truck:
"It's better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it..."
31 students needed a gun today, and didn't have one, because they obeyed the law...
When a law restricts my ability to protect myself and my family, as far as I'm concerned, that "law" doesn't exist!
A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
An offshoot idiocy: my daughter’s 19YO boyfriend can’t shoot my semiauto AT THE RANGE without his mommy present. Explanation: if he’s under 21, he has to have his legal guardian give permission. Since when does a competent 19YO have a legal guardian? Of course, I’m perfectly okay with him watching me get a boxful of .40 shells in a 4-inch grouping...
Colonel, USAFR
Crminal empowerment zones
That is precisely what I was thinking of.
LLS
Amen, dirtbiker. One of the world's greatest test pilots described you, me, and millions of Americans in 18 words:
"I've always said that the rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own."
-- from Press On, by Chuck Yeager
Many people have been saying this today. But think about it if many students are allowed to say carry their handguns in their backpacks or where ever they please, and something like this happens guns will be pointed in all directions, ever heard of friendly fire? Then when the police get there who are they suppose to shoot, hard to tell when everyone is shooting. Then think about this, have you ever shot a handgun? It’s not what it looks like in the movies. I’ve taken handgun safety courses and obtained a licence for one but even I can still miss a target from 15 feet away sometimes. I am not for taking away the right to bear arms but I think before people go around saying let everyone who wants to bring their gun to campus should, needs to think of the consequences. Increased security of people trained to use these weapons should be looked into first.
Some thoughts on the Virginia Tech tragedy.
We are at war, both abroad and AT HOME, with an enemy who has sworn to kill as many of us as possible. This enemy DOES NOT recognize conventional rules of war such as the Geneva Convention. They do not wear recognizable uniforms. This enemy DOES NOT distinguish between military and civilian targets. At present civilian targets in the United States are NOT ARMED and have very little means by which to counter an attack. And because civilian targets are NOT armed, they are a softer, easier, less dangerous target than a heavily armed soldier. For that reason, this enemy PREFERS civilian targets.
As of this writing, we have yet to learn whether the deaths of 32 Americans at Virginia Tech was the work of a disgruntled, deranged student or former university employee.
It’s entirely possible that this killer was, in fact, a member of some radical muslin sect who took it upon himself to conduct what is now being called “instant jihad” against a very soft target, obeying the utterances of one of the more radical Muslim mullahs and randomly killing as many Americans as possible. At least one Muslim cleric has specifically called for the killing of our children. Given the PC environment in this country – which is at its zenith on college campuses – we may NEVER learn that fact from the authorities in charge of this investigation AND IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THE DEFENSELESS VICTIMS ARE JUST AS DEAD!
Israel has been at war with these folks for more than half a century. The Israeli’s know that it is NOT possible to have enough police out there to protect their civilian population. For that reason, it is common to see Israeli citizens – admittedly former military (as most Israelis are) going about their daily lives – with an Uzi slung under their arm! Most Israeli citizens carry smaller weapons not so easily seen. Because they ARE at war, they are an ARMED society. Yes, they ARE attacked. But –with the exception of suicide bombers — the attackers know that they will either be killed BEFORE the body count mounts or will certainly die before fleeing the scene.
The Israeli’s REFUSE to live as prisoners. Many of them had experienced that in Europe. They KNEW what they had to do and did it: THEY GRASPED THE SIMPLE FACT THAT WHEN IT CAME TO IMMEDIATE PERSONAL SECURITY, A CITIZEN IS ON HIS OWN AND ALLOW THEIR CITIZENS THE GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES!
Any guesses when American “authorities” will begin to connect the dots? Can you say “never?” Without SERIOUS public pressure on these “authorities,” we will continue to die needlessly while waiting for the SWAT boys to show up.
What amazes me is that more of this sort of thing hasn’t happened in OTHER soft targets like public and private schools, shopping malls, theaters, sports bars (most states currently prohibit even CCW permit holders from carrying in bars), restaurants, etc.
The enemy is NOT stupid. This is just the beginning.
And if you think you and yours will NOT be in the cross-hairs, think again.
“Lawsuits are gonna be flying”
Anybody gotta liability theory on who’s gonna be “responsible”?
Another irony. A lot of the students shown on TV seem to be in military uniform. I don’t suppose they can be trusted to shoot straight and safely/ sarc
Of course. It will be the gun manufacturer, don'cha know.
The occurrence at Virgina Tech will not be the last. As long as schools prevent the right to carry on their campuses they will be a target rich environment for anyone who wants to kill without having to worry about the consequences.
Once again, unfortunately, liberal stupidity (I know, it’s an oxymoron) has resulted in actions having undesired and brutal consequences.
Very true. More to the point is the infamous Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing in 1995. Although government and the MSM never told us the truth about that one, McVeigh and Nichols were agents and fronts for a much wider conspiracy masterminded by Iraqis who had gotten into the US after the Gulf War. (Reference: Jayna Davis, The Third Terrorist (Nashville, TN: WND Books, 2004)).
Time to turn the tables and say that gun-grabbers like Schumer and his cohorts in the state aided and abetted the murderer and demand they resign - now.
DUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Yesssssssss, In fact I have a CC for Nevada, I have fired every caliber of weapon from .22 up to a 20mm and 50 calibur.....Let me get this straight, you would rather the police not have to sort things out because if there were a lot of people with a weapon it might get messy...we I think that if there was a gunman and 30 students with a gun, then the majority of those 30 studenst would be aiming at the gunman.... get a grip
Meadow Muffin
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