Confederate Sharpshooter

Imagine that- a murderer ignoring the rules! Who would have expected such a thing? Sadly, another young woman with a promising future has been added to the death toll of good intentions. If you have not read the news accounts yet, do so first, I’ll wait:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_slaying

I’d like to point out a few things that are very common in news stories these days. First, they reference the horrible mass killing that occurred in 2007. The mass killing was referenced again and again in the closing paragraphs.

Question: what do the two murderers have in common, other than the location?
Answer: Absolutely nothing. Well, if you really wanted to find a common thread, you could point out both murderers were of the same ethnic group. But no mention is made of banning scary looking Asian men from campus, so I’m assuming that isn’t why the story mentions the other murders. Nope, we all know why this story made news. It’s another chance to bring up the scary gun killings, and remind everyone that we can’t be safe unless we stay scared and let more of our freedoms be taken so the police can protect us.

As is almost always the case, the police- or campus security in this case- did not arrive in time to prevent the crime, they arrived in time to collect the evidence. Luckily this time they were able to affect an arrest in short order. That is good, and not at all a criticism of law enforcement. They can’t be everywhere, and criminals do not commit crimes when they know they will be stopped or caught. They simply wait until the cops aren’t around, and then have at it.

But, Joy of Joys, at least Virginia Tech got to try out the feel-good don’t you feel safer wunder-tech notification system. Don’t you know the kids in the dorm felt safer knowing that in case of another murderous rampage, they’d be sure and get text messages via cell phone? Boy, I know that makes me feel really safe. I have to wonder how many calls 9-1-1 got after the notification, and how much those calls delayed any response.

Several groups tried to get Virginia Tech to change its anti self defense policies prior to the Cho shootings, and the pencil pushers in charge predictably went into panic mode. One famous memo brought to light after that senseless tragedy read thus:

Last year, Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear that a gun rights bill was defeated. The bill would have allowed legal citizens with legal concealed weapons licenses to be able to defend themselves on campus if a shooter was going to go on a rampage.
"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."
(source: http://www.donsausa.com/2007/04/why-virginia-techs-gun-policy-failed.html)

Yeah, our old friend “feelings” again. Feelings of safety got a bunch of nice kids killed back then, feelings of fear got more stupid laws passed, and once again the propaganda news media drags those same feelings into a news story repeatedly, when the story has not a single thread in common with the earlier tragedy.

One last thought for you: How would this story have been reported, if concealed carry had been legalized after the Cho shootings, and this horrible death had been prevented by a nearby student or teacher legally carrying a concealed weapon? (99% of all situations like this end instantly with the mere display of a firearm, without violence) You know the answer. It would not have been reported at all, just like the 2 million- yes, MILLION other instances of legal self defense reported each year. And millions more that are not reported.

It is high time we stopped allowing laws to be written based on feelings. It is way past time we stopped labeling entire college campuses as ‘disarmed victim zones.’ It is time for people to stop expecting someone else to take care of protecting them, and take that responsibility on themselves.

Perhaps then young women can 'feel' safer eating in a cafeteria, and fellow students can do more than just stand back and watch helplessly as a human being is beheaded in front of them.

(Edited to reflect updated news story)