Campus Killings Will Renew Gun-Violence Debate: The killings at Virginia
Tech university on Monday will stir fresh U.S. debate over gun control
and what drives people to go on shooting rampages through schools and
colleges...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/4/16/211826.shtml?s=lh
---
Here's A Switch (Or Is It?): Sen. John McCain says the shooting rampage
at Virginia Tech does not change his view that the Constitution
guarantees everyone the right to carry a weapon. "We have to look at
what happened here, but it doesn't change my views on the Second
Amendment, except to make sure that these kinds of weapons don't fall
into the hands of bad people," McCain said Monday in response to a question.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OI1GEO0&show_article=1&catnum=3
---
Virginia Rejected Campus CCW In 2006: More than one year before today's
unprecedented shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, the state's General
Assembly quashed a bill that would have given qualified college students
and employees the right to carry handguns on campus. At the time,
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said he was happy to hear of the
bill's defeat, according to The Roanoke Times.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55226
Related Article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55220
Related Commentary:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55239
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55227
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=/Commentary/archive/200704/COM20070417a.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts204.html
..And, From Carolyn McCarthy: ...It has been more than a decade since
meaningful legislation that would prevent gun violence has been signed
into law. This pattern must change. For too long Congress has stood
idle while gun violence continues to take its toll. The unfortunate
situation in Virginia could have been avoided if Congressional leaders
stood up to the gun lobby...(McCarthy is the author of the bill to renew
and expand the federal ban on "assault weapons.")
http://carolynmccarthy.house.gov/?sectionid=155§iontree=155&itemid=613
---
From VCDL: As most of you know VCDL has been pushing hard to change
Virginia law to allow college and university students with concealed handgun
permits to be able to carry a gun on campus for self-defense...But the
university and college lobbyists swore that crime was not an issue and
that the schools did not want students and visitors to be able to defend
themselves with a gun or other weapon. They argued that the schools had
little boxes with lights that had a button
someone could press if they needed the police.
http://www2.vcdl.org/webapps/vcdl/vadetail.html?RECID=1702146
http://www2.vcdl.org/webapps/vcdl/vadetail.html?RECID=1702625
---
From The Firearms Coalition:
Thirty three dead after shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. All of the
victims were unarmed. The murderer killed himself.
Virginia Tech forbids students and faculty from possessing firearms on
campus, even when they have valid concealed weapons permits.
News is still sketchy but it appears that a lunatic went on a rampage at
Virginia Tech University this morning killing some 32 people before
killing himself. Early reports indicate that the shooting started
shortly after 7:00 this morning in a co-ed dormitory housing some 800
students. The gunman avoided apprehension after that incident and it is
speculated that the same gunman then walked into a classroom building
two hours later and began shooting students in classrooms. Reports
indicate that the gunman first chained the doors to the building from
the inside and was wearing a vest with numerous magazines attached to
it. The only firearms mentioned in any of the reports were two 9mm
handguns supposedly carried by the gunman, but those reports are so far
unsubstantiated.
The campus Police Chief says that officers entered the buildings
immediately upon arrival but that there was never any exchange of
gunfire between the gunman and police.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League has sponsored legislation in the
last two sessions of the Virginia legislature aimed at forcing state
schools like Virginia Tech to abandon their policy of forbidding
students and faculty from possessing guns on campus. Representatives of
the colleges argued that their campuses were safe and have little crime...
As always happens in incidents like this, the media is casting about for
someone or something to blame for this tragedy other than the criminal.
Most of the criticism so far has been pointed toward the schools
response to the first shootings. They are asking questions like, "Why
wasn't the campus locked down at that time?" and "Why weren't students
notified not to go to classes?". So far no one in the mainstream media
has asked the question we want answered: "Why do you force law-abiding
students to disarm when on campus?"
When asked what could be done to avert a tragedy like this, the
president of the University responded that, "We obviously can't have an
armed guard in front of every classroom every day." To which the
Firearms Coalition responds: If you admit that you can't protect people,
why do you insist on taking away people's ability to protect themselves?
Eyewitness accounts of the shooting suggest that the shooter was firing
very rapidly, precluding any opportunity for students to overwhelm him
with force and numbers. The only thing that could have mitigated this
tragedy would have been one or more persons armed with firearms within
close proximity when the shooting started.
Instead of pointing out this simple, practical truth, it won't be long
until the media takes up the cries that have already begun from the
anti-gun forces and start blaming the tools and using this tragedy as an
excuse to pursue more restrictions on firearms. It is up to the pro-gun
majority to bring this back to the facts of personal protection - that
an individual's security is that individual's responsibility and it is
inexcusable for anyone to ever take away anyone else's right to their
chosen means of affecting that protection.
We will keep you posted as this story develops.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Jeff Knox
Director of Operations
The Firearms Coalition
From John Farnam:
16 Apr 07
Incident in VA:
As details of today's murder spree (no, it not a "tragedy" It's a
crime!) in VA slowly trickle out, several facts are not in dispute:
(1) The perpetrator carried firearms onto a college campus in flagrant
and contemptuous defiance of existing "rules" prohibiting guns on
campus. Such rules were obviously a "deterrent" only to those who don't
commit crimes anyway.
(2) Every innocent person who was shot was, at the time, unarmed and
defenseless. There were no armed, good people physically present as
murders were being committed. No one in a position to stop these crimes
had the ability to confront the perpetrator with lethal force. And,
nothing less was, or would have been, effective!
(3) Armed police responded aggressively, courageously, and about as fast
as they're ever going to. Nonetheless, all murders had already been
completed by the time they arrived. They did not get there in time to
prevent a single one. They never fired a shot!
(4) With all recent, similar incidents, the foregoing has been the pattern.
The usual "solutions" are predictably being regurgitated by leftist
politicians and media socialists, ranging from airport-like security at
the entrance to all educational buildings, to a camera on every
corner! No one dares mention the only solution that can work, or has
ever worked: good people, armed. To naive grasseaters, such a thing is
beyond imagination!
Real Americans, however, are not waiting for assorted political gasbags
to, once again, make their tired case for a Soviet-style police-state.
I just talked with a friend who is a large gun retailer in CO. Today
was his busiest, single sales day in several years. People flooded his
store and carried away nearly every gun and round of ammunition he had
in stock! Americans are weary of hearing about government "security
plans." They are putting together their own, personal "security plan!"
Our Second Amendment, the original "Homeland Security," is alive and
well, except in designated "Criminal Empowerment Zones," like college
campuses!
/John
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
