Virginia Tech – America Pulls Together in Times of Tragedy – Again!

As horrendous as it was, the senseless deaths at Virginia Tech serve only to illustrate how much trouble we – as a society – are in. I can’t help but glare at my TV screen and notice (revisit) some of the same type of things that I saw right after 9/11 – for instance:

• Incessant news coverage – they just cannot stop talking about the “Massacre at Virginia Tech”
• Finger pointing and blame – someone has to be blamed. No, not the dead guy, we can’t get anything from him, it has to be someone who’s alive and we can ream!
• The pulling together of our society (globally) – just as the world came together in support of the U.S. right after 9/11, so have many diverse peoples and cultures both in the U.S. and abroad come together with VT in their grief and time of need

So, what is wrong with all or any of the above, you ask? Well, it’s not that there’s anything wrong – it’s just that we shouldn’t have to face a crisis or a dilemma of this magnitude in order for us as a nation – and the rest of the world as members in good standing of the global communiy – to come together in such a unified manner.

Of course, for every unification, there’s always something or someone who’s willing to try to push a wedge and cause separation. Take, for example, Rosie O’Donnell. Now, I used to be a fan of hers – up until she railroaded Tom Selleck on her now defunct talk show. After that, her desire to become an activist overwhelmed my acknowledgement of whatever little talent she had in the first place.

When Ms. O’Donnell starts to banter about gun control – one of her biggest pet peaves – I wonder just how much people really know about the subject. The statistics, (which are not readily available nor are they often published by the mainstream media) show that in those states where citizens are allowed to carry weapons (i.e.; Texas and Alaska), crime is much lower – especially crimes where a handgun or rifle is used – than in states such as California. When you look, unscientifically speaking, at the disparity of Washington, D.C. vs. Austin, Texas, you begin to understand why gun control policies as we know them don’t work.

I hate to have to use VT as an example, but for all the best intentions of the College’s policies with regards to gun control – specifically, the ban on campus irrespective of the person’s capacity, license status, or position – only served to help whom? The shooter and only the shooter, that’s who! Think about it people – if YOU are a potential SHOOTER, and you KNOW for a fact that a college campus is a GUN FREE zone, then you also can deduce that if you show up with a gun, there will be NO ONE to STOP you, will there?

The old saying is more true than ever – in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Same holds true for the guy (or gal – let’s give equal rights here) who shows up with a weapon in an area where weapons are prohibited. Gun control advocates claim that the VT shooter (I refuse to use his name here – he won’t get any more fame or infamy from me) purchased his handguns legally. Be that as it may, there are thousands of people who purchase handguns legally on a daily basis, and they do NOT go out on a shooting spree. If the VT shooter would not have been able to purchase his handguns legally, does anyone really think that would have stopped or deterred him if this was his definiteness of purpose?

Come on, let’s face it, when strong anti-gun laws are enacted, the only people who obey and respect these laws are law-abiding citizens – not some guy who ultimately plans to shoot his brains out. He’s not going to have any fear or worries about reprisals under the current gun control laws, is he?

So, there you have it – another rash of senseless deaths. So many young – and probably gifted/talented – individuals, gunned down at the start of their lives. Would it have been any less painful if the killer had used a machete? How about a club? I can see it now – let’s ban clubs and machetes because they kill – not the people wielding the club or machete, oh no, it’s the actual club or machete that did the killing. I can also picture the NCMA fighting for our constitutional rights – that’s the National Club and Machete Association.

I would love to hear from people throughout the country to find out what their local statistics are vs. what type of gun control laws they have to live with. It is sad that we have to experience this situation, and I certainly understand why some people think that gun control would be a good thing – we all want to make it as difficult as possible for killers to obtain weapons, but unfortunately, greed in our society always seems to trump magnanimity toward the greater good.

As long as there are people, sadly, there will always be killers. If our government were to make all weapons illegal, then the killers would eventually be the only ones left with any.

Thanks for reading!

Ed Martinez – Regular Guy