2007 17
When Will The US Government Make The Connection?
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in USA with No Comments
Between the widespread availbility of firearms and mass murders.
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Prolific Programmer on April 17, 2007 ·
Not only are they not making the connection, the US seems (oddly, enough) to be making the diametrically opposite connection — that guns on campus would actually have prevented this tragedy.
Thomas Crampton on April 18, 2007 ·
There are now people arguing that Va Tech shows why universities should further LOOSEN the gun restrictions on campus. (VA Tech apparently recently enforced rules saying that concealed weapons are not allowed on campus)
The logic for more guns is that the killer would have been stopped much sooner if some of the other students had guns, not just the police.
So much for the pen being mightier than the sword.
Roberto on April 18, 2007 ·
I know what happened at VT is a tragedy. Still, in my opinion its not the availability of firearms that causes these incidents. Take a look at Switzerland: Nearly every household has firearms (lots of them posses automatic weapons as well) – every former soldier. Statistically Switzerland does not show any more firearms related crimes than any other European country.
I guess the problems start somewhere else: Its education and awareness, not availability. Make sure you educate people about firearms. You will never stop sale of firearms – In Germany, where gun laws are very strict, police said illegal guns are twice as high as legal guns. And half as expensive.
So the ban of all firearms in the US will not help. It will just make it more difficult to track the possession of guns. Ban the automatic weapons and implement a gun holders licence that can be restricted or denied. Make sure you need to visit gun education classes before obtaining the licence. Educate children in school. And people in general.
Ariel on April 18, 2007 ·
Guns are also widespread in Israel. And in Switzerland, when every citizen keeps a assault rifle at home. There is certainly something else to explain these shoowting rampages in the US. I am for the right to bear arms. Any time.
anonymous on April 18, 2007 ·
Don’t be naive Martin, this is not about making a connection, it is about the power of the NRA…
euronerd on April 18, 2007 ·
As long FEAR is the basic building block of US society, psychotic behavior will be the standard.
Don’t expect anything from US government, that is mostly busy maintaining balanced levels of anxiety and fear to keep the capitalistic fire burning.
There are other ways…even for capitalism.
Martin Varsavsky on April 18, 2007 ·
Prolific Programmer,
When I lived in the States they had a bumber sticker that promoted vigilantism that went like this “if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”. The concept here is that everyone should be allowed to fight outlaws. In the meantime USA has the biggest police forces of any industrialized nation. In any case without knowing the facts but having read that it was a foreign student who did all this, a Korean, I think it´s very interesting to study why did he not commit the same massacre in Korea. What is it about America that these things happen more frequently over there? He moved and did it. Was it planned? Was it a coincidence?
Martin Varsavsky on April 18, 2007 ·
Really Thomas? Imagine what campus would have looked like if everyone else had started shooting.
Rick on April 19, 2007 ·
can’t wait for the movie (sarcasm)
Boyd R. Jones on April 19, 2007 ·
Guns don’t kill people, but they sure do help. Make it more difficult to buy and own guns, gun deaths will fall in number. Controlling guns might not completely eliminate gun deaths in the USA, but it will reduce the number.
sylvan butler on April 21, 2007 ·
gun deaths have increased in cities and countries where legal gun ownership has become more difficult. Guns are not possible to control, any more than illegal narcotics can be controlled.
tiberiofonero on April 21, 2007 ·
Guns don’t kill people. People do. 🙁
Nikolaj on April 22, 2007 ·
To Compare:
In Switzerland, for example, every male person has to do military service (something around 15 weeks). And after it’s done, every person gets a gun in perlonal possession, with ammunition of course. It’s not just a gun, it’s very fast and modern killing weapon. So that in case of war every man has a gun nearby. This method is very questionable also, but anyway, we have a fact that almost each household in Switzerland has a fireweapon. Evenmore, every year after service men have do a week training, and show on aims that they can shoot well. 8)
Here I see, that it’s not about guns, it’s about people. In the US in some states to buy a pack of cigarettes is the same as too buy a gun. Sometimes without background check, or with a very simle one. Now we can see, that an additional checkup by a mental institution or psychotrist is absolutely nessesary. Which is definetely the case for men in Swiss Army as well.
Martin Varsavsky on April 23, 2007 ·
Sylvan,
They are very well controlled and much less available in the European Union.
Now one thing that maybe truth is that American loves guns, and Europe hates them regardless of the regulations.
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jovialiste on April 17, 2007 ·
The 23-year-old crazed killer was in his last year of studying English at the university!!!
He was a student and he was armed with two 9mm pistols!!!
Why?
The newspaper says: “It is believed that the killer had flown into a jealous rage when his girlfriend jilted him, and had gone to the campus to wreak revenge on her and her new boyfriend.”