I was completely shocked to hear the news about yesterday's tragic episode on the campus of Virginia Tech. That tremendous amount of life, so many of them just starting out their lives at college, is beyond words. My heart goes out their families and friends, not to mention the students that will live with a slight edge of terror at was once their safe school. Politics has no reason to pop it's ugly head up here but somehow a few Republican pundits and bloggers managed to do just that.
From Media Matters:
In the wake of a deadly shooting rampage that killed over 30 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University, host John Gibson asked on the April 16 edition of Fox News' The Big Story: "So, theoretically, in this lecture hall where all 31 were killed, there could have been someone with a carry permit carrying their gun to shoot the shooter?" Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano replied: "No," adding, "Virginia lets you carry a gun at a gas station or a bank or a stadium, but not on a college campus, where you may protect kids."
Napolitano and Gibson's comments echo those of right-wing pundit Michelle Malkin, who, citing an op-ed written by a Virginia Tech spokesperson, noted on her weblog that the university prohibits handguns. She then quoted a weblog post from "Andrew's Dad," who wrote: "Just imagine if students were armed. We no longer need to imag[in]e what will happen when they are not armed." Malkin also quoted an email from "[r]eader Kevin" who claimed: "Imagine if sensible CCW [Concealed Carry Weapon] laws allowed people to defend themselves, this tragedy could have been avoided."
To bring up handgun laws and attack those who fight to keep guns out of the hands of criminals in this matter is atrocious. They don't seem to get the fact that Virginia's lenient laws helped aid this mass murderer. Of course it is true that people kill people and the guns are merely the tool, but making it easier for nut jobs like yesterday's murderer to access them and use them is just plain crazy. Besides that, it is just insane to think that a college student would carry a concealed weapon to class even if they were allowed to. College is for learning (and partying too), not for protecting yourself against mass murderers.
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