Got yourself a gun
Lately I've been saddened about the tragic loss of life at Virginia Tech. These were beautiful people, each with a unique history and unique contribution to the world, gunned down in the prime of their lives. What could possess someone to do such a thing. According to news reports, Cho Seung-Hui was a disturbed loner, lost in a world of vicious narcissism, seething with hatred over perceived insults. There have been plenty like him. I think that it's a combination of nature and nurture that makes a person that way. If only his relatives or teachers or fellow students or perhaps Cho himself could have stopped him on his path of destruction. In the past people like him could be committed to a mental institution, but in today's society--for good or bad--we tend to favor personal freedom over societal good. I don't blame the university for failing to oust Cho. Legally universities are limited in the actions they can take against students; in fact, some universities have been sued for ousting students with mental problems. Likewise, the university took appropriate action after the first two students were killed. They thought that it was an isolated incident, and it's impossible to completely safeguard a sprawling campus. Enough of the blame game.
These incidents seem to be occuring with alarming frequency. A few years ago, a disgruntled former employee opened fire in a building at CWRU. It could happen anywhere. Many politicians, eager to avoid pissing off the pro-gun lobby, say that we should develop better tools for identifying and dealing with people like Cho. And then do what? subject him to useless counseling sessions? The common element in all of these crimes is the perpetrator's ready access to guns. Aside from explosives, they are a sadly effective means for taking out a lot of people in a relatively short period of time.
I grew up in southern Ohio, among people who own guns and use them for hunting hapless dear. They consider gun ownership a fundamental right. Perhaps, but that right should not include any millitary-style weapons that allow maximum kill with minimum effort. Clinton's assault weapons ban expired three years ago. According to a news report, Cho used a 15-round ammunition magazine that was prohibited under the expired ban. No one would need to gun down a dear like that. Numerous loopholes in existing laws allow easy access to guns by even the most obvious of lunatics. That these types of weapons should be available and all weapons so loosely regulated is just sick.
We need to get rid of these firearms. Hunters can use muskets instead; it would make the hunt more interesting for the hunter and fair for the dear. There should be a federal registry of muskets and musket owners. Perhaps then people like Cho will turn their muskets on themselves instead of directing their rage--and a hailstorm of bullets--at countless innocent people.
These incidents seem to be occuring with alarming frequency. A few years ago, a disgruntled former employee opened fire in a building at CWRU. It could happen anywhere. Many politicians, eager to avoid pissing off the pro-gun lobby, say that we should develop better tools for identifying and dealing with people like Cho. And then do what? subject him to useless counseling sessions? The common element in all of these crimes is the perpetrator's ready access to guns. Aside from explosives, they are a sadly effective means for taking out a lot of people in a relatively short period of time.
I grew up in southern Ohio, among people who own guns and use them for hunting hapless dear. They consider gun ownership a fundamental right. Perhaps, but that right should not include any millitary-style weapons that allow maximum kill with minimum effort. Clinton's assault weapons ban expired three years ago. According to a news report, Cho used a 15-round ammunition magazine that was prohibited under the expired ban. No one would need to gun down a dear like that. Numerous loopholes in existing laws allow easy access to guns by even the most obvious of lunatics. That these types of weapons should be available and all weapons so loosely regulated is just sick.
We need to get rid of these firearms. Hunters can use muskets instead; it would make the hunt more interesting for the hunter and fair for the dear. There should be a federal registry of muskets and musket owners. Perhaps then people like Cho will turn their muskets on themselves instead of directing their rage--and a hailstorm of bullets--at countless innocent people.