It’s the Guns, Stupid
From my former colleagues on the Editorial Board of the Philadelphia Daily News:
The innocent young people who were slaughtered were not even finished being identified, and their families notified, before gun- rights advocates were broadcasting their specious argument, the same argument they used after the shooting of 10 students in an Amish school in Lancaster just six months ago:
Forget controls on gun ownership, this argument goes: If only the teacher or bystanders had been carrying guns, they could have prevented the tragedy by shooting the gunman. The only thing more offensive than that logic is how frequently gun advocates use the word “freedoms.”
If the only way to be safe from people with guns is to carry your own, then the country must become an armed camp. That’s not our idea of freedom. Controlling the easy availability of guns is as important – and probably as difficult – as elevating the discussion about guns to one that’s concerned with protecting human life.
21 Responses to “It’s the Guns, Stupid”
As much as I’d like there to be laws against the types of guns one can carry (basically, anything smaller than a rifle or anything that is automatic) I think the cat’s out of the bag.
How sad that this is what we have come to. I am convinced our country is in decline- morally, spiritually, culturally. I heard a distraught mother on C-span asking if she should send a gun and ammo to college with her 18-y-o daughter-just in case.
Even if you prevented an incident like this one that way, how many more would occur if 18-22 y-o’s who can be impulsive and live in fraternities and sororities where a lot of binge drinking goes on, were to arm themselves? How many dorm room arguments would end in gunfire? How many depressed co-eds might take the easy way out if they had a loaded gun at school? This is not a solution its a recipe for more violence in a population that would be vulnerable to it. What’s next sending your high school student to school with an AK47 in case there’s another Columbine???? LUNACY
And the gun-control advocates were silent, you say? Acting out of respect? I think not. They were on the airwaves while the news was breaking claiming this was proof of the need for tougher gun laws.
Absolutely correct, AR. Do the submitters to this website actually believe the flip-side to their views are not just a google away?
Why is MVdG the only hope of seeing something teed up that isn’t automatically setting up the same predictable side of things?
Definition of “Moderate Voice”: 1 semi-conservative + 9 liberals = moderate.
casualobserver:
How sad that you failed to grasp the crux ofthe editorial: The inability of our society to elevate the discussion about guns to one that’s concerned with protecting human life.
They have Shaun, its just that both sides disagree in the method of protecting that life. Some people feel that getting rid of guns achieves that goal, others say having one for self defense achieves that goal. I think there needs to be some hard studies on the different states comparing gun laws and violent crime stats. From what I’ve read in the last few days there seems to be a lot of evidence that points both ways, each done by its own respective proponents.
Personally I like to shoot guns, I like to hunt, and in the event of a stalker, intruder, natural disaster that puts the police out of action, I like to know I have one to deter and if necessary deal with those situations. I feel not being able to do that because of the actions of a crazy person is rediculous and unfair to citizenry at large, who don’t deserve to be punished on that account.
Yeah its all the guns fault , I say ban them all. There won’t be any underground weapons manufacturing or guns won’t come across the border to be sold next to the crack on the local street corner. Considering the number of deaths caused by drunk driving we should ban alcohol also.
I’m baffled about this. I’ve encountered innumerable liberal/libertarian arguments that illegal drugs are impossible to ban- that as long as there is a demand, there will be a supply. Yet, some of the same people believe in the effectiveness of banning firearms. What evidence do we have to suggest that The War on Guns will be any more effective than the War on Drugs?
tell you what….institute mandatory military service for everyone in the states….let everyone keep and carry their own m-16 and write laws like they have in israel that if that gun is lost or stolen, you go right to prison
then i would have no prob with everyone carrying weapons
the fact that an untrained individual is allowed to purchase a gun bugs me to no end
Shaun,
I seem to remember conservatives and Republicans, in the wake of 9/11, ramming the USA PATRIOT Act through congress and then criticizing those who spoke out against the USA PATRIOT Act on the basis that it violates our civil liberties.
Now I hear progressive and Democrats, in the wake of the VT massacre, agitating for stricter gun control laws and criticizing those who speak out against such laws on the basis that it violates our civil liberties.
I don’t want to see progressives or conservatives exploiting national tragedies in order to curtail our civil liberties.
If this country falls one day, it won’t be because of Islamist terrorists halfway across the globe or to mentally deranged college students on a shooting rampage. No, it’ll be because Americans decided to ignore liberty for the false promise of security.
I don’t want to see progressives or conservatives exploiting national tragedies in order to curtail our civil liberties.
But, to be fair, after a tragedy like this each side wants to do something to prevent it from happening again. Its frustrating no end, for us just to accept that because its considered our inalienable rights, a crazed 23 year old can walk in and pick up a semi-automatic and let loose on a population of college kids. Other countries think we’re just nuts because of the gun culture here.
Believe me, with the NRA and its allies, no one who is running in a district that is not 100% safe will seriously bring up gun control. It won’t happen. Which means to me this will happen- again and again. Can’t we get beyond the fear and look at sensible gun laws? I don’t mean those that take away guns- but those that have waiting periods and background checks. Ones that disallow assault weapons- why do private citizens need to own them?
Nic:
Slam dunk!
What I notice about this tragic incident isn’t “wow, if guns were illegal it wouldn’t of happened”, but rather how troubled he seems in retrospect and how little attention seems to have generated about it before the shooting. Mind you I’m not blaming anyone, I just think he couldn’t of thrown up more warning signs unless he went around saying “I’m killing 30 people next Tuesday”
Kritter said
In other words, honest law abiding citizens should have their Constitutional liberties curtailed because some people can’t handle them? Brilliant!
I find it interesting that Kritter cares how other countries view our notion of freedom. What other values that are essentally American would you like to give up to placate the tastes of other nations? I’ll keep the constitution thank you very much.
As for the debate concerning guns, like many other arguments there is no absolute answer that suits each situation. Having owned and carried guns for years I know that I have been able to prevent a couple of attempted robberies. How they would have played out otherwise is anybody’s guess. I feel reasonably sure that one would have ended in my death. To have another person make the determination as to what will make me and my family safer is simply unacceptable.
Once we agree to disagree we are faced with one obvious difference. One side wants to the other to give up a right they feel is essential. Yet I would never consider forcing people who are uncomfortable with guns to own or carry them.
Look at the cost to society, broken homes, auto accidents, disease, homelessness, suicide, ruined lives. At a death rate of approximately 75000 deaths per year alcohol kills more than twice the number of people than killed by guns. Who “needs� it, you don’t have to have alcohol to survive, there is no reason to have it around. Ban it. To paraphrase Shaun, “It’s the booze, moron�. First we ban alcohol, then guns.
It amazes me that a hand full of students get murdered by a wack-job in Virginia and we give it 24/7 wall to wall media coverage, people crying, every angle covered, discussed, dissected, every possible person with the remotest of connection interviewed. Flags lowered half staff nation wide, 10 states reports copy cat threats, every political candidate has a comment said or ready to say, heroes are instantly overblown and lack of action blamed on everyone.
But without the slightest exaggeration what-so-ever, this happens in Iraq every single day…..for weeks……months……and years.
Come on Virginia Tech, move forward and shut up. Isn’t that what republicans say?
Mike F- The reason I brought up the rest of the world, is because they manage quite nicely to survive without passing out AK47′s to everyone. Americans seem to have this sense of American exceptionalism- but face it we’re better on some things, not as good on others and about equal when we are compared to other countries.
I didn’t say all guns should be taken away- but I don’t think they should be sold willy nilly to any nut that wants one. Then after the idiot shoots someone- we say – guns don’t shoot people- people shoot people. But thanks for your very predictable knee-jerk response.
I don’t know what the ‘fair and common sense’ answer is at this point. But I do know this.
I don’t want to be in crowd of armed people when a fight erupts and the bullets start flying. I don’t want to find myself sitting next to a couple who decide to end their romantic spat with a bullet.
What those who demand the liberty to carry weapons whenever and whereever don’t seem to realize is that their liberty infringes on my freedom to live in a weapons’ free zone.
I recognize the need to compromise. I would probably want a gun myself if I lived alone in the country or on a farm. But when I go to the mall, I don’t want to worry about getting caught in cross fire.
I know laws will be broken. But between broken laws and open season at the KO Corral, I want a space for myself and mine. My liberty should count, too.
Argue what you want, but just stop with the ‘Constitutional rights’ business.
We all know, that the 2nd Amendment can be read two ways, but going on and on about one particular interpretation won’t make it any more true.
Doma- is right- maybe gun owners have certain rights- but so do the rest of us-not to live in the Wild, Wild West.
the issue should be settled in a balanced way- and with rights come responsibilities- I hear the first part but not the second in these comments.
Well said all you 2nd amendment supporters. And kritter, you don’t have the RIGHT not to live in the wild, wild west, you have the desire. Quit making up rights that don’t exist. For goodness sake, at least our right to bear arms is actually recorded in the Constitution.
It’s the people, not the guns . . . stupid.