Now for the finger-pointing that always follows tragedy. Within hours after the Virginia Tech shootings, before anybody knew the shooter’s identity, motives or methods, I was receiving emails from both sides of the political fence.
Of course, the Brady Group blames the “widespread availability and increased power” of modern arms for the massacre. Never mind that the weapons used were 9mm and .22lr handguns, both of which have been in existence for a century, and neither of which would generally be the choice of someone intent on mass murder. It’s easier to blame an inanimate object than it is a system that saw Hui’s mental problems and failed to act. The senseless deaths of 33 people are just another political springboard for these people, and it’s disgusting.
I fall on the side that believes the opposite view: had anyone on the scene been armed, this would have been prevented, or at least ameliorated. Of course, Virginia state law bans firearms on university campuses, a measure that simply ensures a zone of unarmed victims for would-be shooters like Hui.
It’s grimly ironic that a bill has been on the table of the Virginia legislature to allow the law-abiding to carry on public campuses, but that the bill was largely defeated through the support of the Virginia Tech administration. Per a GOA alert: “VT spokesman Larry Hincker put it this way after it became obvious that the bill would not pass: ‘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.'” Good job, Larry.
Bear this simple fact in mind: every public shooting in this country has taken place in an area where it is illegal for civilians to carry weapons. That cute little “no guns” sign in your local bank? That doesn’t keep you safe, it simply tells criminals that everyone but them is disarmed. Same goes for courthouses, churches and schools, all of which have been host to some of the bloodiest violence this country has seen in the last few decades.
Of course, there’s the notion that “the police will protect us.” If you want to believe that, be my guest. Your average two-legged predator doesn’t wait for a police presence before striking. In fact, he waits until they’re not around. The courts have ruled several times that the police have no duty to protect us, and that they face no liability in failing to do so.
In fact, it took them over 35 minutes to respond to a shots-fired call at the VT campus. They arrived just in time to console the survivors and investigate, but not enough to save anybody, or to stop Hui. In fact, why wasn’t an APB issued for Hui after the initial shooting earlier that morning? He had plenty of time to go to the post office and mail his manifesto to NBC.
For that matter, why wasn’t the campus shut down after the residence-hall shootings? We had a double murder, and the suspect was still at large. He was known to be a student, so anybody with half a brain would have assumed he was likely to return. I really hope the families of the victims pursue the VT administration for negligence in this case. People died because “the system” failed to recognize and act on obvious warning signs.
And, as we all know, if we can’t trust the system, who can we trust? Obviously not ourselves these days. None of the students put up any sort of fight. He sauntered into a crowded classroom, lined everybody up against the wall and started shooting, and nobody thought to rush him? Is this what we are now? Is this how we’re raising our children?
In fact, the only person to take any sort of action was Liviu Lebrescu, a Romaninan-Israeli professor who was killed holding the door shut so his students could escape out the window. It’s telling that a man from a race accustomed to suffering and opression was the only one to put up any sort of fight, while the Americans hightailed it to safety. The Israelis are a proud people armed to the teeth and unwilling to accept this sort of thing, while our future leaders are taught to run or play dead.
Lovely.
Let me give you a piece of advice here. If anyone tries to force you into a car, a backroom or up against a wall, you need to fight. People don’t survive these situations. One of the cardinal rules of self-defense is that, if someone tries to move you from the scene, you are going to die. It may not help, but at least fighting guarantees going out quickly and on your own terms, and not to the satisfaction of a sadist like Hui.
Personally, I expect to be given a choice in the first place. That means having the means to defend myself. I despise violence and those who would use it as a means of coercion or satisfaction. Whenever possible, I will bow out and walk away. But I will not “play dead.” I will not beg for my life, and I will not be gunned down like a head of cattle. I will not run while others are placed in mortal danger.
We are human beings, and we have rights, first of which is the right to life. Question vigorously a government that tries to deprive us of the means to defend that.