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I was saddened to hear the news of the terrible massacre at Virginia Tech. in the US. But the news that was really infuriating was that the College had wanted to ban weapons from its campus, but had not been allowed to do so by the State government, no doubt as a result of lobbying by the NRA.
The American attitude towards the regulation of firearms is just breath-taking in its stupidity. So another 22 people have died, just in order to preserve citizens' Second Amendment rights.
Rocker
And theyll run that old line;
"Guns dont kill people, people kill people." :rolleyes:
Last I heard it was 30 or 31 dead & 15 wounded.
Terrorists, just the same but different. :(
Just read in one of the o/seas papers that the number of victims has risen to 33!
Agree with your sentiments.
And I bet it will turn out to be some nice kid with no prior criminal history who was struggling with his grades and the pressure of performing and just snapped. :(
I agree too, horrendous and evil act, and my heart goes out to the families affected.
But how does a ban by that particular college control people carrying concealed weapons onto campus, when that is quite legal in the state? Everyone frisked or x-rayed?? Certainly wouldn't work on an honour basis, esp. if the perpetrator has intent to kill.
The problem is nation-wide, and given their insistence on personal freedoms, nothing will change. They (and us outside observors) simply have to accept the inevitable costs, that is 32,000 US citzens a year killed by fire arms...so I just heard on a Radio National interview...with no idea of the numbers maimed.
There is speculation about the weapon/s involved in this incident, but even if a paramilitary firearm was used and in the unlikely event these become banned, similar damage could be inflicted with a pair of concealable automatic pistols. I doubt whether the US people will accept a total ban on weapons in the same meek way Australians have...outlaw motorcycle gangs excepted.
Regards,
Heard on the news this morning that the police had attended a shooting a couple of hours earlier but were uncertain now if the two were connected. They're being criticised for not shutting the school down after the first shooting.
According to the SMH, the shooter was "looking for his girlfriend".
I must say, the Second Amendment has created a somewhat strange view of what is 'normal' behaviour in relation to guns. This view also shows up in the much higher incidence of 'friendly fire' incidents involving US troops (to the extent that many nations' armed forces prefer to stay away from US troops because of the ir tendancy to shoot first and then think.Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzler
So amybe the line should be "Guns don't kill people, but Yanks with guns do every hour of every day".
They haven't topped Martin Bryant's effort yet...
A sad event, to be sure. My SIL is a VT graduate and I have been on the campus several times. The early criticism is directed at the police, but there are 26,000 students at VT, so it is a small city. One cannot shut it down like an office building.
This will raise again, I am sure, the debate over gun control. But the pro-gun lobby is very strong and nothing will come of it, I suspect. :(
Andy,Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Mac
While I agree with your argument that a campus ban on weapons would probably not have prevented this particular incident, the refusal to allow the ban is symptomatic of the prevalent community attitude about where it is appropriate for firearms to be allowed. I wonder if the state would also prevent a church from banning its congregation from bringing weapons into the building. Even if this incident would not have been prevented, it is likely that a general ban on weapons on a campus might help to prevent some deaths by making it less likely that a mentally unbalanced student would have ready access to a firearm when overcome by suicidal depression.
It seems to be an intractible problem that will require the shedding of much more blood before the community comes to feel that enough is enough.
Rocker
todays fun facts:
Did you know that the NRA was formed in 1871 in New York, the same year that the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 was introduced which virtually destroyed the clan.........chew on that one!
More than 50 troops were killed in Iraq today........
First, in a news conference on CNN about an hour ago, the campus chief of
police stated that weapons are, in fact, forbidden on the campus.
Second, there seems to be some ambiguity about the timing of the warnings. In the news conference the president of the university stated that the full broadcast was deferred until the situation of the first shooting was better defined. But, a student, one Lesley Gerrard of Queensland, reports that she received an e-mail shortly after the first shooting:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...9-1702,00.html
Some time is needed for this situation to be clarified before we declare the "facts."
Joe
I agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by joe greiner
I've been following this development with heightened interest. I took my BSCE and MSCE at VPI, and taught structural engineering in Norris Hall during my graduate studies ("teaching assistant", but was given full charge of the course.) CNN also showed a cell phone video captured by Jamal Bargouti (sp?), a civil engineering student. It appears to show the SW corner of Norris Hall, and taken from slightly NW of Burruss Hall. NOT YET A FACT: It looks like one of the classrooms of the carnage is next to my old office.
Joe