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 ...
Unknown in Colonial days were rival gangs engaged in drive-by shootings, drug-related homicide, road rage gunfire and, certainly, students shooting other students.
I haven't heard much about road rage gunfire, and the first two categories are due to the profits of drug prohibition. Would the doc want to return to alcohol prohibition? Did he work for Clinton or Carter?
GWB said he would have signed a renewed, but misnamed assault weapond ban. Does anyone see this Congress passing a new ban?
Actually the lead sentence should read...
April 16, the day the worst peacetime shooting in American history took place at Virginia Tech...
A GUN FREE ZONE,
YES, A ZONE PROCLAIMED TO BE GUN FREE,
WHERE ONLY THE PERP HAD A GUN BECAUSE HE VIOLATED THE LAW,
AND WERE ALL DISARMED VICTIMS WERE COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS,
IN THIS GUN FREE ZONE...
...will not be soon forgotten.
I guess we'll never know, but with the situation the way it stands now the result is assured. Lots of dead students.
Great slogan. Goes into my retort bag. I'm really disappointed that this article appears in the Washington Times. It won't increase their circulation by one iota.
I have something more permanent in mind. That's the only thing they'll understand, even if it's the last thing they'll ever understand.
There is a bit more of a risk when one projects absurdities on real entities such as the NRA, who have not, to my knowledge, suggested that the answer to situations such as that at Virginia Tech is to arm students. It is revealing the the professor feels free to cast this particular slur - it isn't any more honest than his other asseverations and its target has been demonized enough for him to get away with it. But here, unfortunately, once again rhetoric displaces a respect for the truth.
There were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year.source. Where is the complaint about the "alcohol" culture or calls for more "alcohol control"?
1. "The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%). Other actual causes of death were microbial agents (75,000), toxic agents (55,000), motor vehicle crashes (43,000), incidents involving firearms (29,000), sexual behaviors (20,000), and illicit use of drugs (17,000)." (Note: According to a correction published by the Journal on Jan. 19, 2005, "On page 1240, in Table 2, '400,000 (16.6)' deaths for 'poor diet and physical inactivity' in 2000 should be '365,000 (15.2).' A dagger symbol should be added to 'alcohol consumption' in the body of the table and a dagger footnote should be added with 'in 1990 data, deaths from alcohol-related crashes are included in alcohol consumption deaths, but not in motor vehicle deaths. In 2000 data, 16,653 deaths from alcohol-related crashes are included in both alcohol consumption and motor vehicle death categories." Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No. 3, p. 298.) source
Sloppy medical practices kill 195,000 people each year. I think we need more "doctor control". source. Dare we tolerate such behavior from doctors?
This guy has his facts all wrong. Just a few years ago 13 kids a day were killed with guns.
Thanks for the links.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The real truth of the matter is, practically speaking, an incident like this cannot be avoided. This was pure and simple an act of random terrorism by a suicide shooter. This guy could have struck anywhere— at a mall, a supermarket, a parking lot — just wherever , and caused dozens of casualties. What would be the defense against that ? Carry a loaded weapon every time you leave the house ? Its not practical, 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 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.
This dear lefty dolts is YOUR gun-less society, where ordinary people are forcibly prevented from the means to defend themselves, when crazies and criminals who circumvent your nannystate laws reign unhindered.
So, what's wrong with that? I carry.
At what age does this idiot begin this illusive children age?
18? 19? 20? 21?
Somehow gun deaths only include the Evil Republicans
and never DemocRATS. Blame Republicans /Bush.
And then they never include the real statistics, it's all bunched together
for maximum effect in the media.
/Biased Idiots
This is in the Wash Times?
The second amendment is about power... the people with the guns, have the power. The founders intended that those people be us, the civilian population.
Either we rule our government, or we'll have to learn to life with it ruling us.
Confirm the link. I don't violate rules if I can help or know it. I've been suspended because I forgot to include the URL, even though the whole article wasn't posted, just the 300 word limit.
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.