And no civilized nation would be enabling psychotic super-predators. And no civilized nation would condone cowardice as some twisted form of virtue.
Commentary on the "gun culture" from the "coward culture"...
Posted on 05/13/2007 9:54:30 PM PDT by neverdem
April 16, the day the worst peacetime shooting in American history took place at Virginia Tech, will not be soon forgotten. But normalcy is slowly returning. The prayers and condolences have ended, the tragedy is no longer Page One news, classes have been resumed and the flag at the headquarters of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Virginia no longer flies at half mast.
The issue of gun control in our country will apparently again be glossed over. The presidential candidates, chiefly interested in votes, have mostly avoided the subject, and Virginia continues to allow the purchase of only one gun per month -- no deterrent for Seung-hui Cho.
Ours is a country, unique among industrialized societies, that has become insensitive to murder. How else to explain the "American gun culture" that tolerates some 14,000 firearm murders, including 400 children, in 2005 -- the last year statistics are available? Guns are easily purchased despite laws about waiting periods and background checks. The Seung-hui Cho story indicates the restrictions posed by the 1968 Gun Control Act are enforced only in the breach. Firearm murder rates 100 times higher in the United States than, for example, in Britain or Japan, are stark evidence our gun control laws are a joke.
What is not a joke is the absurd contention of the NRA gunslingers that if the Virginia Tech students had been armed there would have been far fewer victims. When would this powerful gun lobby have our students start arming themselves -- at the high school or college level or in kindergarten? No civilized nation legitimizes packing a pistol while attending school.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Quite a number of people do just that.
........just as it is not practical to carry a gun to the classroom for that one in a million chance that some wacko will randomly gun down 30 people."
A good friend of mine worked at a major university. She carried EVERY DAY.
" A random act of terror by someone who is willing to die is near impossible to prevent. The alternative is for everyone to be armed and on the lookout all the time."
You obviously don't understand the concept of "deterrence". Criminals are deterred by the uncertainty that they will be able to carry out their crime(s). Allowing CCW increases that uncertainty, and thereby deters at least SOME of them. And "some" chance of self defense is infinitely better than NO chance of self defense.
Let those who decide to qualify for CCW carry anywhere they want to. Eliminate ALL "gun-free" zones. Gun owners with CCW have proven their reliability in multiple states over years of time.
Great focus points for recruiting egomaniacs, slackers, mindless robots, actors, whiners and cowards.
That picture doesn’t look right to me. The P239 is 9mm, 40 or .357. Those look like .22 holes.
I know you got the picx fron Wiki. What do you think?
From what I can tell, the actual "American Gun Culture" consists of law-abiding people who, by and large, understand the dangers and responsibility of gun ownership as well as its privileges.
This irony should not be overlooked.
And no civilized nation would be enabling psychotic super-predators. And no civilized nation would condone cowardice as some twisted form of virtue.
Commentary on the "gun culture" from the "coward culture"...
Molon labe.
Yes they did. They just called them something else, like hostile Indians and road bandits. Later on, there were Scalawags, Jayhawkers, and Bushwackers. But in those days when they caught them, they strung them up, quick.
But first came the Lobster-backs, Hessians, Tories and murderous Indian tribes allied with the British. Before that were the French and their bloodthirsty Indian allies. Before them were the dozens of smaller, pagan Indian tribes which often roamed our frontiers looking for easy loot and captives.
One can go back to the beginning of our history and see America has always been a dangerous place. Living in a lot of parts of this country, it still is!
“What would be the defense against that ? Carry a loaded weapon every time you leave the house ? Its not practical, “
Actually....it’s quite practical. S&W J-Frame fits quite comfortably in a pocket.
You are correct. Several of my ancestors were either killed or captured by Indians back in Colonial days. It was also common for Colonial travelers to take out life insurance when they traveled between towns because of the danger of road agents and bandits. Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) was believed to have been killed by bandits at a tavern in 1809.
14,000 firearm deaths, versus the number of firearms in private hands comes out much safer than an automobile.
I suppose wagonloads of rival tobacco planters...clip clop bang, clip clop bang...just a 'weed' related drive by, colonial style.
I don't recall hearing much about students shooting other students when I was in school, that is something which has hit the news since I graduated college, with the exception of the Texas tower sniper.
This type of slaughter did not really become a common thing until the High School shooting teams had been done away with and the schools made into 'gun free' target zones.
Failed policy continues to fail. Whoodathunkit?
Answer: as soon as they're old enough to legally obtain a CCW permit -- 21 years old. That would obviously exclude most college students and all students in high/elementary schools. And even for those that meet both the age and the other requirements it would be their choice to arm themselves -- they wouldn't be forced to be armed. ....yet another point the author misses. Of course all teachers would have this choice as well. .....though I doubt many would exercise it.
And our press will not report the over 2 million crimes stopped each year by gun owners. America had been put to sleep.
True, perhaps, but 20 years ago the suggestion you carry a phone everywhere you went would have been greeted with similar skepticism--in case your car broke down, you saw a fire, or an accident, or needed help, just to mention a few reasons. Now it is commonplace.
It is a matter of culture, habit, and percieved need.
While the odds are that you might never be confronted with a homicidal maniac, it is nearly a given that somewhere, someone will be.
Stopping them before they injure or kill anyone is unlikely, they have the element of surprise. Stopping them before they kill everyone available and thus reducing their impact is the realistic and attainable goal, but it will require a shift in the national 'percieved need'.
Coming on the heels of the '80s mentality of 'not getting involved' and 'leaving it to the professionals', that will be a long cultural climb, not to mention the lingering effects of the 'guns are eeevil' set.
I think the scramble to pass more gun control is on while the knees are still jerked, but common sense is beginning to prevail.
The attitude that I will not be any more inclined to misuse a concealed weapon because I cross a property line, a state line, or a municipal boundary is beginning to take hold.
The idea that the police will get there in time to take pictures and fill out paperwork and investigate events after the fact, while those on the scene at the time of the event are the ones who might prevail against an armed assailant, given the opportunity, ability, and equipment to do so is also taking hold.
I think there is a significant portion of our society who is sick of people being herded into corners like sheep, helpless, to be slaughtered. People want the ability to strike back, and hopefully that will prevail.
If we ever face armed jihad on our shores, like the party of surrender seems determined to have happen, we had better retain the right, ability, and practical capability to respond as individuals. If that means my wife, my high school age children, and even younger kids and grandkids learinig early to use and maintain a firearm, so be it. They'll adapt, which is better than waking up dead in the morning.
“Kids” often includes 19 year olds or some such nonsense. Most people who are shot to death in this country are gangbangers I assume. Cho’s crime was rare, though one wouldn’t think by the press coverage.
Good post, Part of the problem is people want life to be risk free. The outrage over shootings has to do with people feeling powerless. Politicians, though, think they have the power, by enacting more bans.
It also doesn’t hurt that 911 calls are oftem played on TV and the internet, with the anguished sounds of people pleading for help.
DUH! When I was a senior at a large southern university in the late 1970's, nearly all the members of our senior class in Army ROTC who had chosen one of the combat arms (Infantry, Artillery, Armor, or Air Defense Artillery) had a valid state concealed weapons permit and we regularly carried a concealed firearm on campus. Never a single problem. NOT EVEN ONE! Had it happened at my school...then...there wouldn't even have been time for the cops to be called much less time for them to arrive and "handle" the problem. Their only chore would have been what's most appropriate to their job description anyway: Take statements and clean up the mess -- consisting of one bullet riddled bad guy.
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