There are many sad aspects to the Virginia Tech massacre that are worthy of comment and prayer. I want to mention but one here. I believe that gun control laws are in part to blame for the tragedy. Yes, you read that right. I know that every “expert” on the TV that I am not watching is saying precisely the opposite.
Gun control laws keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding people. Consequently, only the police and one vigilante had a gun at school the other day. But the police were nowhere around and so there was no one to stop the murders. One armed student or teacher could have stopped the killings and saved many lives.
Ah, but if there were more gun control laws, then that would have prevented the murderer from having a gun. Sure…just like drug laws make cocaine impossible to buy. Just like immigration laws keep illegals out of the country. The reality is that guns exist, and no law will ever get rid of all of them. Therefore, criminals will always have access. And to stop them when they decide to go on a rampage, law-abiding citizens must have guns. Monday’s tragedy is yet another illustration of the truth that you cannot expect the police to protect you. They simply cannot be everywhere at the same time.
Virginia Tech does not allow guns on campus. What would have happened if faculty and students were given the choice to carry a gun? It’s not difficult to figure out, as a similar situation occurred 5 years ago at another Virginia school, the Appalachian School of Law, where guns are not outlawed. Best of the Web (Wall Street Journal) describes how the gunman killed three before he was stopped.
Students ended the rampage by confronting and then tackling the gunman, officials said.
“We saw the shooter, stopped at my vehicle and got out my handgun and started to approach Peter,” Tracy Bridges, who helped subdue the shooter with other students, said Thursday on NBC’s “Today” show. “At that time, Peter threw up his hands and threw his weapon down. Ted was the first person to have contact with Peter, and Peter hit him one time in the face, so there was a little bit of a struggle there.”
Last year there was an attempt to pass a law so that guns would not be outlawed on campuses, but the law was defeated. Ironically…
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. “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.
They weren’t feeling safe on Monday.
This is not a conservative/liberal issue. It’s not an NRA issue. It’s logic. Simple logic.
Amen.
Unfortunately it is against Texas state law to have a gun on school grounds too. DTSPD is your only hope.
:-)
Thanks for your insight, Todd, and wise thoughts on this issue. My parents have been saying this exact same thing for many years and it’s sad to see what has resulted from gun control. My cousin goes to Viriginia Tech and we are thanking the Lord for His protection over him.
Have a great day and continue to blog. I enjoy reading them. :)
Ashley
If it’s not a conservative/liberal issue, than why do the Democrat Party leaders (mostly) call for more gun control laws, while Republican Party leaders and small govt libertarians (generally) agree with you?
Unfortunately, almost every significant issue these days seems to settle into a political divide.
I’m on the side of the second amendment.
Thom
Thom – the same is true with partial birth abortion, which was ruled illegal today by the Supreme Court. All the Democratic candidates are calling it a horrible ruling and the Republicans the opposite. I firmly believe that candidates speak the party line (in order to get/keep support), regardless of what they think or feel is true. It’s hard to picture John Edwards saying that he could not disagree more strongly with those who want to stop the crushing of a baby’s skull outside the womb. I wish they would come out and say it: there are times when it is acceptable to crush a baby’s skull after birth.
Ah… but the truth is not always palatable. Euphemize “baby” into “fetus” and you’ve created a loophole relieving yourself of guilt. If it’s not a person yet, it doesn’t have rights, and the act can’t be called murder.
Much has been made of the gunman’s possible motives. One word has continually popped up in my mind. Sin. Every heart, apart from Christ, is desperately wicked and beyond cure. Every person– Fallen, wicked, and full of darkness– is capable of the vilest atrocity, apart from Christ. I wish more people knew the reality of humankind’s condition, and the only relief from our just reward of eternal damnation. Perhaps one positive result from this tragedy might be an increased zeal among believers to share the Gospel, hunker down next to the Cross, and gaze fixedly at Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Yeshua HaMashiach.
Yep, I saw the Court decision — unfortunately, the Court really ducked the basic issue and ruled only on legal fine print. But sooner or later, I think the basics of Roe v. Wade will be up for review by this court. And a long-term mistake will finally be corrected!
Thom
I have a lot of appreciation for the thoroughness with which you present your view on this issue. I agree with you. I don’t get TV at my house, but it saddens me that I can be sure that most TV networks (except maybe FOX News) aren’t going to come anywhere close to discussing this problem on a principled, rational level. Instead, I expect an emotive outpouring of “concern” which eventually will be manipulated into some sort of additional law that puts greater restriction on the rights of law-abiding citizens. Boy, I’m sure glad my citizenship is in heaven.
Todd –
Allowing teachers to carry firearms is a bad idea. I may work at the most violent school in the area, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be carrying a gun and certainly wouldn’t want a number of my colleagues carrying one either.
Simply put, there are some teachers who would abuse it. There are some teachers who might fit the “vigilante” title if the mood hit them (let me just say there are some days the the students here push teachers to the edge). And, there are a number of teachers who aren’t very cautious when it comes to putting things down and walking away. Students have stolen cell phones left on teacher’s desks, invaded the purses of the female teachers, and so on. The school installed cell phones in the rooms, as emergency phones, and those have been stolen. Our students have sticky fingers and if a student got hold of one — LOCKDOWN!!!
The solution to most of this is for schools to be proactive. The Va Tech shootings wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had the university immediately went into lockdown mode after the dorm shootings. I don’t think any classes were even in session yet. And, no shooting would have occured had the student been dismissed. Had a student with this severe of problem been at TMC, the student likely would have been expelled.
We had a situation yesterday, where the school was threatened. A proactive response by police and administrators allowed the campus to remain secure without locking down. The boy (from another school) made in on campus, was quickly apprehended, and arrested. Fortunately no gun or any weapons were found.
Most of all, school districts need to be more proactive in fostering positive relationships. The media needs to accentuate the goodness in people, not the negative — which only breeds more hostility and copycats.
That’s not to say I agree with gun control laws — though I feel more caution needs to be exercised in selling them. Background checks aren’t a bad idea and any red flags, no matter how small, should be enough to bar someone from legally obtaining a weapon.
Todd, i agree with you wholeheartedly and as a teacher i wouldn’t mind being able to at least keep a gun in the trunk of my car on campus.