I don’t usually post on such grave matters, however I just read several online posting about gun control in response to the recent horrible event at Virgina Tech.
One such post had this quote:
When will we learn that freedom and guns do not play well together?
The students at Virgina Tech were killed by a deranged lunatic. Jack the Ripper used knives, Hitler used gas chambers, Jim Jones used poison, Cho used a gun – Guns are not evil, Cho was.
If the students were allowed to carry guns on campus maybe this could have been stopped before 32 people were killed — remember the Appalachian school shooting in 2002? Two students went to their cars, got their guns, and stopped a killer just like this one.
Criminalize guns – and only the criminals will have guns.
3 replies on “School Shootings”
Hmmmm. Whoever wrote that comment about freedom and guns must be very smart, Dale. I’d like to meet him someday.
I know that guns are not evil – they are spiritually neutral, just like quantum mechanics and violin strings. Cho was deeply disturbed and should not have had access to guns and so many bullets. It is totally beyond my comprehension how well meaning and smart people can suggest that there were too few guns on the Virginia Tech campus when it is so clear to me that there were two guns too many there.
Here is something that I found in a blog on the guns issue in the last week…
Let’s picture two big boxes, really big boxes. One is full of handguns. The other is empty. A person standing by one of the boxes is asking passersby to please take a gun from the box. At the other box stands a person asking people to please put their guns into the box. Where would Jesus be standing?
Regarding Jim Jones, I think that poison was a minor player in what has been referred to as the Jonestown Massacre. His real weapon was brainwashing people, manipulation of their sense of personal desparation. I think the poison was just the final stroke – they were dead already.
And one more thing, since the tragedy at Virginia Tech three people have responded to things I have written with exactly the same slogun – word for word: Criminalze guns – and only the criminals will have guns. Is there a club of people, perhaps rifle owners, who all read the same magazine or something? I love clubs and I think I’d like to join that one.
Go in peace
I think the difference between David’s view of more gun control, and my view of more guns period, is a simple one – I believe that crazies like Cho (willing to murder people in cold blood) are not detered by gun laws and will purchase or steal a gun illegally if a legal way is not available (many crazies choose this route even when a legal way is available). David seems to believe (and please correct me if I’m wrong here David) that crazies would not be able to obtain guns if they were illegal.
I do not believe more gun laws will keep crazy people of getting guns. Most gun crimes are committed with guns that are already illegal – and gun crimes are always commited by criminals (people who break laws!) – so another law to restrict guns doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me.
Dale is right. I just saw a documentary on this last week, covering all of the above issues. In states that allow people to carry a concealed weapon, the gun crime rate is lower. In states that do NOT allow people to carry a concealed weapon, the gun crime rate is higher. This a fact . Criminals carry guns regardless of law, thus earning their title. Despite my view, I am not comfortable with guns. My main concern would be accidents. My husband has a rifle for hunting and I have to say when I am all alone and hear strange sounds at night I am glad it is there.