The death toll at Virginia Tech stands at 32 blameless souls.
The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, has a lot of innocent blood on his hands. But his
are not the only bloody hands.
Already, the pundits are talking about America's gun culture and calling for
tighter control on firearms. The call will only increase as politicians and
the media join in the call. There is irony here.
The irony is that the very people who claim to want to prevent such a future
tragedy are in no small part responsible for it. These are the people who
equate helplessness with security. These are the people who believe that
self-defense on your part somehow endangers them.
These are the people responsible for having Virginia Tech declared a
"gun-free zone."
Well, they got their way and 32 people who might be alive today are dead
because of their irrational beliefs.
In 2005, campus police disarmed a student who had a concealed carry permit.
Virginia Tech Spokesman Larry Hincker cheered the college's policy of
banning all firearms, including those who had valid concealed carry permits.
"I think it's fair to say that we believe guns don't belong in the
classroom." Hincker pontificated. "In an academic environment, we believe
you should be free from fear." I doubt the dead thank him.
Earlier this year, an attempt was made to correct this injustice. Lawmaker
Todd Gilbert introduced HB 1572 into the state legislature. The bill was
specifically designed to give college students and employees the right to
carry handguns on campus. Liberal forces would not even let it get out of
subcommittee, much less on the floor for open debate and a vote.
Upon hearing of the bill's demise, Hincker said, "I'm sure the university
community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this
will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
Feel safe as opposed to being safe.
Now, 32 people are dead because Hincker wanted to "feel safe."
I remember when I was a college student back in the late '60s. I attended a
small college in rural Missouri. Hunting and shooting sports were popular
among the students. I lived in a fraternity that had a weapons locker and a
number of the students had firearms in their rooms. We never had a shooting
incident. I suspect that had a gunman come onto my campus bent on massacre,
he would have lasted less than a minute before being cut down in his steps
by armed students. If I were a student today, I would not have that option.
The feel-good fascists would rather see me dead than able to defend myself.
A lot of blood was shed at Virginia Tech. Much of it is on the hands of
those who would not let the innocent defend themselves.
