Virginia College Gun Rampage

[trout]

If you read some of the Americans posting on the Scotsman pages re: this news story, it's very interesting to view the pro-gun lobbies points - purely as an insight into the American psyche.

 

It truely is a different world over there - which they seem to believe we "Europeans" just can't understand! The major points are their Constitutional right to bear arms as a Militia; and their right to stand against their Government with arms as their right of "Freedom".

 

I just don't follow that.

 

If you were to rise against your Government with arms - you'd be shot down and or imprisoned! You don't have any rights such as those - and most certainly don't have them in America with the latest legilsation that the Bush administration has brought in with their supposed "War on Terror". These people are deluded in archaic nonsense that has no place in a "modern" society.

 

Sherlock has it to a T. "Violence, or the threat of violence, is not an answer."

[KOYAANISQATSI]

para handy wrote:

as I understand the Swiss have no gun laws and any men between the age of 18 to 50 have to by law to keep weapons at home as part of the national service, they don’t seem to have any problems

 

"A Senate committee has taken a first step towards banning the country's 120,000-strong militia army from storing ammunition at home.

It comes at a time of increased debate in Switzerland over the long-standing tradition of keeping army guns at home, and shock at the killing of more than 30 students in the United States' worst-ever shooting.

 

It also follows a fatal shooting last week in the northern city of Baden when a 26-year-old Swiss emptied the magazine of his military rifle inside a hotel restaurant, killing one man and injuring four others.

 

Speaking after Monday's 11-1 vote in favour of an ammunition ban, Hermann Bürgi, president of the Senate committee on security policy, denied that members had been influenced by recent events and media pressure.

 

The proposal, which will now be examined by the seven-strong cabinet and parliament, would allow for around 2,000 specialist troops, such as those guarding airports and other important installations, to keep ammunition at home. The government would also be able to lift the ban in the event of a security crisis.

 

Five years ago Switzerland was stunned when a gunman shot and killed 14 people in Zug's cantonal parliament with his army rifle, before turning the gun on himself.

 

Debate on the use of firearms was further fuelled in April last year when the husband of former women's ski champion Corinne Rey-Bellet killed his wife and her brother with his army pistol."

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No problems eh ?

 

link

[Pooks]

I didn't know whether to grimace or grin when I read (BBC News website I think) that President Bush had visited the scene and thought it was terrible that a place of education had been attacked and 30ish people had been shot.

 

The man sends people to Iraq every day to be shot...what is the death toll of American soldiers in Iraq now? He may as well have walked into the University himself and popped off a few folk, it would be insignificant compared to the amount of people that have been injured and killed in his 'reign on terror'....twat.

[KOYAANISQATSI]

http://www.operative.net/gravitation/personality/manifest/bush-vampire-400.jpg

[Styles]

That picture makes me hungry

[Mcdilly-Willy]

Mass murderer's video:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6570241.stm

[Sudden Stop]

The scary thing is that even though he DID have an actual mental problem, he was smart enough to get past the vetting process by ticking the box that said 'No - I don't have any mental problems'. And that was enough!

 

What's next a box on the form that asks if you are a terrorist? Do you plan to kill a shed load of people with this weapon?

 

America gun laws are rediculous and make the country an international laughing-stock.

 

The right to bear arms? Where does that stop? A 9mm hand gun or shoulder mounted rocket launcher?

[sassermaet]

America gun laws are rediculous and make the country an international laughing-stock.

 

The right to bear arms? Where does that stop? A 9mm hand gun or shoulder mounted rocket launcher?

 

My point exactly - I don't understand how they think that having such lax gun laws makes their country a better place. Like I said, guns are designed to kill or maim. And having that monkey of a president in their office does nothing for their reputation.

[peeriebryan]

President Bush had visited the scene and thought it was terrible that a place of education had been attacked and 30ish people had been shot

He also stated that the victims were 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'. Very tactful, and I'm sure it will be a comfort to those affected by the tragedy

[Muppet]

He also stated that the victims were 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.

 

Yeh! They were in America at a time when any Tom, Dick and Harry is allowed to carry a loaded gun!

[Ghostrider]

The pros and cons of tight or lax gun control is a debate that has not a lot of relevance in issues like this guy, anyone who's state of mind allows them to pre-plan and execute something of this nature is almost certainly going to find a way to succeed, regardless. The availability of firearms simply made them his weapons of choice, had they not been so his weapons of choice would have been whatever he ajudged was the most deadly available, and they'd not necessarily been any less fatal.

 

He'd already decided he wasn't going to live, so could have as easily chosen to be a suicide bomber in a crowd of students in an enclosed space, or had a rucksack full of Molotov Cocktails and stood in a classroom doorway lobbing them in all directions, etc etc....

[Muppet]

I dont disagree with what you're saying Ghostrider, But it does make it a whole lot easier to be able to pull a loaded gun out of your pocket. It's no simple matter to strap yourself up with explosives, or to fire off enough molatov cocktails to do that damage.

 

The brutal fact is that with 30,000 odd firearms deaths a year in America, this will not even show up as a blip on statistics! It is just what you'ld expect on an average morning, just not at the same place at the same time.

 

And the pro-gun lobby still seem to saying that if more people were carrying guns, this could have been avoided!

 

Guns kill. Less guns, less killing!

[KOYAANISQATSI]

"In October 2006, heading into a conference on school safety following the shootings at an Amish school in Pennsvylvania, the White House was asked if the president might seek any new gun controls with this forum sponsored by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

 

“They will be talking about both the law enforcement and how to prevent violence, how to recognize it when it comes or recognize it before it starts,’’ Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said.

 

Had the president’s thinking about gun control “changed because of what’s happened in these incidents over the past few weeks?’’ she was asked.

 

“Not that I've heard,’’ Perino said. “The purpose of this conference is to bring together the collective thinking of America, in terms of not only how we can help recognize violence and stop it before it happens, but to look at how we can make schools safer places to be, and also a good focus on how we can help communities heal, especially children heal.’’

 

On Monday, the day of the worst mass-shooting in the history of the United States, the White House was asked again if something needs to be done about gun control and school violence.

 

“If there are changes to the president's policy we will let you know,’’ she said. “But we've had a consistent policy of ensuring that the Justice Department is enforcing all of the gun laws that we have on the books and making sure that they're prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’’

 

And today, as President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush headed for the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., for a convocation for the 32 victims, the White House suggested that the “conversation’’ about gun control will continue – but not yet.

 

“We understand that there is an ongoing national conversation about gun control We are going to be participants, the nation should ''allow the facts of the case to unfold as we talk any more about policies…The facts of this case need to unfold…We will participate in that (conversation), but today is not the day."

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Concerned American parent quote:

As a parent of a college student who has a weapons permit I would have much rather he was allowed to carry this gun to class. He could have saved the life of a great deal of people if he could have this gun on him in class and, frankly, since he has been deemed lawful by the state, he should be able to carry anywhere. What is the difference between a concealed weapon holder and a police officer? They both have been through training and background checked. After all, a police officer could go nuts and do something the same due to the access of weapons they have. There is no difference. If Virginia lawmakers would have voted the right to carry on campus the loss may not have been as great.

 

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/04/bush_on_gun_con.html

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There's a forum under this article link for an across the pond viewpoint.

[Eddie]

I dont think NBC news should have released the heinous images, sent to them by this pathetic individual who has ruined the lives of thousands of families.

[KOYAANISQATSI]

I dont think NBC news should have released the heinous images this pathetic individual who has ruined the lives of thousands of families.

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/060427/tdy_kod_bush_060425.300w.jpg ?