Posted on 04/20/2007 4:04:44 AM PDT by Neville72
Signs of Intelligence?
One of the things that's got to be going through a lot of peoples' minds now is how one man with two handguns, that he had to reload time and time again, could go from classroom to classroom on the Virginia Tech campus without being stopped. Much of the answer can be found in policies put in place by the university itself.
Virginia, like 39 other states, allows citizens with training and legal permits to carry concealed weapons. That means that Virginians regularly sit in movie theaters and eat in restaurants among armed citizens. They walk, joke and rub shoulders everyday with people who responsibly carry firearms -- and are far safer than they would be in San Francisco, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, New York City, or Washington, D.C., where such permits are difficult or impossible to obtain.
The statistics are clear. Communities that recognize and grant Second Amendment rights to responsible adults have a significantly lower incidence of violent crime than those that do not. More to the point, incarcerated criminals tell criminologists that they consider local gun laws when they decide what sort of crime they will commit, and where they will do so.
Still, there are a lot of people who are just offended by the notion that people can carry guns around. They view everybody, or at least many of us, as potential murderers prevented only by the lack of a convenient weapon. Virginia Tech administrators overrode Virginia state law and threatened to expel or fire anybody who brings a weapon onto campus.
In recent years, however, armed Americans -- not on-duty police officers -- have successfully prevented a number of attempted mass murders. Evidence from Israel, where many teachers have weapons and have stopped serious terror attacks, has been documented. Supporting, though contrary, evidence from Great Britain, where strict gun controls have led to violent crime rates far higher than ours, is also common knowledge.
So Virginians asked their legislators to change the university's "concealed carry" policy to exempt people 21 years of age or older who have passed background checks and taken training classes. The university, however, lobbied against that bill, and a top administrator subsequently praised the legislature for blocking the measure.
The logic behind this attitude baffles me, but I suspect it has to do with a basic difference in worldviews. Some people think that power should exist only at the top, and everybody else should rely on "the authorities" for protection.
Despite such attitudes, average Americans have always made up the front line against crime. Through programs like Neighborhood Watch and Amber Alert, we are stopping and catching criminals daily. Normal people tackled "shoe bomber" Richard Reid as he was trying to blow up an airliner. It was a truck driver who found the D.C. snipers. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that civilians use firearms to prevent at least a half million crimes annually.
When people capable of performing acts of heroism are discouraged or denied the opportunity, our society is all the poorer. And from the selfless examples of the passengers on Flight 93 on 9/11 to Virginia Tech professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor who sacrificed himself to save his students earlier this week, we know what extraordinary acts of heroism ordinary citizens are capable of.
Many other universities have been swayed by an anti-gun, anti-self defense ideology. I respect their right to hold those views, but I challenge their decision to deny Americans the right to protect themselves on their campuses -- and then proudly advertise that fact to any and all.
Whenever I've seen one of those "Gun-free Zone" signs, especially outside of a school filled with our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, I've always wondered exactly who these signs are directed at. Obviously, they don't mean much to the sort of man who murdered 32 people just a few days ago.
That video in online somewhere.
Best regards,
You would be thinking of Suzanna Gratia Hupp - Check wikipedia.com for a profile on her.
What a great article! Can you provide me with the source, please?
This is a very important, profound difference in Liberal vs. Conservative thinking.
This dude really, really gets it. If he doesn't run, I'll barf.
Great to hear! Jellybean and Howlin have a great ping list if you're interested in joining.
I have explained that CCW permit holders go through a lot of instruction, a majority of it in the law and how it affects them. That plus the cost deter a lot of people from even applying for the permit.
Once they understand this, most of them realize that there are a LOT of us carrying or have the opportunity to carry. It is a revelation when they realize I am standing next to them, armed, trained, and willing.
Fred hits it right on the head with the 'Gun-Free Zones', as in no weapons within 1000 yards of a school. People I know that live across the street from a school and are collecters and shooters had to get a special waiver to live in thier own homes.
My nightmare is how vulnerable every school has become, elementary, middle, high school.
ping
Understood, and agreed. However, I believe this instance of imprecision falls into the "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" category.
Yea budday!!!! Fred gets it....Why doesn’t everyone???
G.Gordon Liddy is reading this article on Radio America right now! GO FRED!!!!
Welcome aboard.
Suzanne GRATIA! That was her. Truly, it was the most poweful Congressional testimony I’ve ever seen. I understand she later went on to run for Congress, is that right?
Bump.
Run Fred, Run!
Contrast this to weasel-worded and inconsistent gun stances of current candidates. It is beyond fantastic to see a concise, persuasive argument on RKBA rather than one that attempts to pander to all sides.
Run, Fred!
“Whenever I’ve seen one of those “Gun-free Zone” signs, especially outside of a school filled with our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, I’ve always wondered exactly who these signs are directed at. Obviously, they don’t mean much to the sort of man who murdered 32 people just a few days ago.”
Pure common sense!!
BUMP
Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.