From first reports of at least 32 killed to "reporters' searching questions" about gun control at White House Press Briefing in less than 90 minutes. They didn't even wait for the professional grief counselors to be deployed from their secure locations. Way to go, oh guardians of public morality, health, and thinking the one true way!
A friend emails: "Of course, it's a Bush / Gonzales trick to deflect attention from the scandals. Wolfowitz probably involved too. I question the timing!"
That would be darkly funny if it was not already being advanced by the comment bizarros at Huffington Post. If the story itself has not induced rage and nausea, these comments will.
But not the "deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history." (So far) That would be "The Bath School disaster ... a series of bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, USA, on May 18, 1927, which killed 45 people and injured 58."
The killer, Andrew Kehoe, used a bomb and then a car bomb. Victims aged from 7 to 74.
Posted by Vanderleun at April 16, 2006 10:24 AM | TrackBackThe simple fact is that if the students were allowed to "Open Carry" as the rest of Virginia, this would not have happened......at least not to this extent.
Posted by: Brock Townsend at April 16, 2007 2:59 PMIf the students were allowed to "Open carry" as in the rest of Virginia, (there are exceptions) then either this would not have happened or not to this extent.
Posted by: Brock Townsend at April 16, 2007 3:04 PMYou were right about the Hufpo comments...hard to stomach.
Posted by: Mary*Ann at April 16, 2007 3:37 PMAs I read the reports of students lining up as commanded by the killer -- and then predictably executed -- I can't help but wonder how things might have played out if any one of the students had been armed.
Or if they had rushed the gunman; although an act of tremendous bravery, a culture that inculcated its youth to aggressively confront evil would produce men and women that understood that he wouldn't be able to shoot them all before he was overcome.
The real tragedy is that we've trained our kids to go to their deaths like lambs to slaughter. I'd have hoped that Flight 93 -- Let's roll! -- would provide the blueprint for future confrontations with madmen.
Posted by: Mike Lief at April 16, 2007 3:53 PMYou know, I'm a pretty pro-gun mofo. But if I had to make an argument for 'open carry', this wouldn't be it.
I realize that both the anti-gun and pro-gun sides are looking to exploit and capitalize on this situation but let's try to keep it reasonable.
But if I had to make an argument for 'open carry', this wouldn't be it.
I still believe that if this was allowed, the knowledge would be a deterrent, and this man would have been killed long before he finished. Would the actually increase of the number of weapons on campus lead to more shootings? Impossible to say, as there are always kooks out there, but I think that the average person in college should be mature enough to handle them properly. We know full well how bad DC is where guns aren't allowed, though it has been overturned for the present. DC would be a place of preference if one decided to live a life of crime. Also no sane person would attempt to rob a farmhouse, as they know full well what awaits them.
Posted by: Brock Townsend at April 17, 2007 9:51 AMOnly one problem with open carry - the perp gets to know who is armed. Concealed carry worsens the position of the scumbag. Disarmament laws only give the advantage to the lawbreaker.
Posted by: RKV at April 18, 2007 8:32 AMAgain our Second Amendment rights will be under assault "for our own good" because this sick person didn't get the help he needed or be removed from those that he could harm. Over 3000 people died on 9/11/01 indirectly by the illegal use of a few box cutters. The New Thought Police know this but they need to disarm the populace as quickly as possible so they can get on with the rest of their plans.
Posted by: JD at April 18, 2007 9:39 AMI think it interesting that almost half of the people Cho shot are still alive.
The truth is that it is devilishly hard to kill a man, even with excellent technology.
Given the survivor ratio, you have a slightly less than even chance of living after an encounter with a random gunman.
A tip, should it ever be needed; turn and present your ribcage to the shooter. You are armored, designed to deflect perforation. Your vitals are encased in a protective structure. Use it.
Yeah, it would be very convenient to be carrying return fire on your person, but even permitted to do so, that's not the way to bet. Most likely an encounter with a madman shooter will occur with no recourse to superior ordnance.
The first duty of the outlaw is to remain at large. The first duty of a target is to elude the capital stroke. Most people brandishing lethal weapons skipped the training step. Exploit this weakness.
Posted by: Alan Chamberlain at April 21, 2007 9:43 PM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.