Post by Woody Williams on Apr 18, 2007 6:40:08 GMT -5
FROM YESTERDAY
Thirty three dead after shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.
All of the victims were unarmed. The murderer killed
himself.
Virginia Tech forbids students and faculty from possessing
firearms on campus, even when they have valid concealed
weapons permits.
News is still sketchy but it appears that a lunatic went
on a rampage at Virginia Tech University this morning
killing some 32 people before killing himself. Early
reports indicate that the shooting started shortly after
7:00 this morning in a co-ed dormitory housing some 800
students. The gunman avoided apprehension after that
incident and it is speculated that the same gunman then
walked into a classroom building two hours later and began
shooting students in classrooms. Reports indicate that
the gunman first chained the doors to the building from
the inside and was wearing a vest with numerous magazines
attached to it. The only firearms mentioned in any of
the reports were two 9mm handguns supposedly carried by
the gunman, but those reports are so far unsubstantiated.
The campus Police Chief says that officers entered the
buildings immediately upon arrival but that there was
never any exchange of gunfire between the gunman and
police.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League has sponsored
legislation in the last two sessions of the Virginia
legislature aimed at forcing state schools like Virginia
Tech to abandon their policy of forbidding students and
faculty from possessing guns on campus. Representatives
of the colleges argued that their campuses were safe and
have little crime...
As always happens in incidents like this, the media is
casting about for someone or something to blame for this
tragedy other than the criminal. Most of the criticism
so far has been pointed toward the schools response to
the first shootings. They are asking questions like,
"Why wasn't the campus locked down at that time?" and
"Why weren't students notified not to go to classes?".
So far no one in the mainstream media has asked the
question we want answered: "Why do you force law-abiding
students to disarm when on campus?"
When asked what could be done to avert a tragedy like
this, the president of the University responded that, "We
obviously can't have an armed guard in front of every
classroom every day." To which the Firearms Coalition
responds: If you admit that you can't protect people, why
do you insist on taking away people's ability to protect
themselves?
Eyewitness accounts of the shooting suggest that the
shooter was firing very rapidly, precluding any opportunity
for students to overwhelm him with force and numbers.
The only thing that could have mitigated this tragedy
would have been one or more persons armed with firearms
within close proximity when the shooting started.
Instead of pointing out this simple, practical truth, it
won't be long until the media takes up the cries that
have already begun from the anti-gun forces and start
blaming the tools and using this tragedy as an excuse to
pursue more restrictions on firearms. It is up to the
pro-gun majority to bring this back to the facts of
personal protection - that an individual's security is
that individual's responsibility and it is inexcusable
for anyone to ever take away anyone else's right to their
chosen means of affecting that protection.
We will keep you posted as this story develops.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Jeff Knox
Director of Operations
> The Firearms Coalition
Thirty three dead after shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.
All of the victims were unarmed. The murderer killed
himself.
Virginia Tech forbids students and faculty from possessing
firearms on campus, even when they have valid concealed
weapons permits.
News is still sketchy but it appears that a lunatic went
on a rampage at Virginia Tech University this morning
killing some 32 people before killing himself. Early
reports indicate that the shooting started shortly after
7:00 this morning in a co-ed dormitory housing some 800
students. The gunman avoided apprehension after that
incident and it is speculated that the same gunman then
walked into a classroom building two hours later and began
shooting students in classrooms. Reports indicate that
the gunman first chained the doors to the building from
the inside and was wearing a vest with numerous magazines
attached to it. The only firearms mentioned in any of
the reports were two 9mm handguns supposedly carried by
the gunman, but those reports are so far unsubstantiated.
The campus Police Chief says that officers entered the
buildings immediately upon arrival but that there was
never any exchange of gunfire between the gunman and
police.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League has sponsored
legislation in the last two sessions of the Virginia
legislature aimed at forcing state schools like Virginia
Tech to abandon their policy of forbidding students and
faculty from possessing guns on campus. Representatives
of the colleges argued that their campuses were safe and
have little crime...
As always happens in incidents like this, the media is
casting about for someone or something to blame for this
tragedy other than the criminal. Most of the criticism
so far has been pointed toward the schools response to
the first shootings. They are asking questions like,
"Why wasn't the campus locked down at that time?" and
"Why weren't students notified not to go to classes?".
So far no one in the mainstream media has asked the
question we want answered: "Why do you force law-abiding
students to disarm when on campus?"
When asked what could be done to avert a tragedy like
this, the president of the University responded that, "We
obviously can't have an armed guard in front of every
classroom every day." To which the Firearms Coalition
responds: If you admit that you can't protect people, why
do you insist on taking away people's ability to protect
themselves?
Eyewitness accounts of the shooting suggest that the
shooter was firing very rapidly, precluding any opportunity
for students to overwhelm him with force and numbers.
The only thing that could have mitigated this tragedy
would have been one or more persons armed with firearms
within close proximity when the shooting started.
Instead of pointing out this simple, practical truth, it
won't be long until the media takes up the cries that
have already begun from the anti-gun forces and start
blaming the tools and using this tragedy as an excuse to
pursue more restrictions on firearms. It is up to the
pro-gun majority to bring this back to the facts of
personal protection - that an individual's security is
that individual's responsibility and it is inexcusable
for anyone to ever take away anyone else's right to their
chosen means of affecting that protection.
We will keep you posted as this story develops.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Jeff Knox
Director of Operations
> The Firearms Coalition
