Virginia Tech Shootings
The world was stunned yesterday following a shooting at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is the worst campus shooting in American history, with the number of deaths recorded at 33 (including the shooter, who took his own life).
At the present time all that is know about the gunman is that he is a 23 year old male, his name is Cho Seung-hui and that he originates from South Korea. There has also be little information about the circumstances that lead to this horrific incident, as there appears to be no motive.
At the present time all that is know about the gunman is that he is a 23 year old male, his name is Cho Seung-hui and that he originates from South Korea. There has also be little information about the circumstances that lead to this horrific incident, as there appears to be no motive.
It is a shocking event, as all shootings are, however what will be done, if anything, to stop this sort of thing happening in the future? I ask because this episode is just the latest in a long series of seemingly motiveless mass murders in the US.
It appears that gun laws in America really need to change. I know that there are some restrictions in place, that background checks are carried out and that the gun owners are registered and linked to their gun. However that doesn’t stop someone who is suicidal, as many of these mass murders are. It’s does nothing to prevent someone from killing people if they know that they won’t be alive to face the consequences.
Although the people who carry out these ghastly acts of violence are in a very small minority and most of the arms bearing American population are responsible and only use their personal weapons for sport or self defence, the deaths of innocent civilians cannot be ignored.
And while 33 people may not seem like many amongst the billions that live on this planet, they are still enough to warrant tougher restrictions on firearms ownership in the United States.
There are always the people who fight change in America by waving the constitution in peoples faces. The problem with the rights granted by the constitution, is the date in which they were granted.
The “right to keep and bear arms” was part of the Second Amendment which was ratified in 1791. At that time the most advanced weapon on the planet was the musket. A muzzle-loaded smoothbore long gun. Even a highly skilled unit of musketeers could only fire three shots per minute, now we have guns that can do that in less that a second.
So it makes sense that the rules should be updated, because the men who made the rules in the first place could never have imaged the weapons and technology that we have today.
And it is important to remember also that the victims of these school shootings are children and teenagers. They are not soldiers, they are young people. I am no fan of George Bush, but I think that what he said shortly after the attack sums up my thoughts exactly “schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning”.
I don’t know what drives these people to carry out mass slaughter, but whatever the reason, I doubt it justifies the lives that are taken.
It appears that gun laws in America really need to change. I know that there are some restrictions in place, that background checks are carried out and that the gun owners are registered and linked to their gun. However that doesn’t stop someone who is suicidal, as many of these mass murders are. It’s does nothing to prevent someone from killing people if they know that they won’t be alive to face the consequences.
Although the people who carry out these ghastly acts of violence are in a very small minority and most of the arms bearing American population are responsible and only use their personal weapons for sport or self defence, the deaths of innocent civilians cannot be ignored.
And while 33 people may not seem like many amongst the billions that live on this planet, they are still enough to warrant tougher restrictions on firearms ownership in the United States.
There are always the people who fight change in America by waving the constitution in peoples faces. The problem with the rights granted by the constitution, is the date in which they were granted.
The “right to keep and bear arms” was part of the Second Amendment which was ratified in 1791. At that time the most advanced weapon on the planet was the musket. A muzzle-loaded smoothbore long gun. Even a highly skilled unit of musketeers could only fire three shots per minute, now we have guns that can do that in less that a second.
So it makes sense that the rules should be updated, because the men who made the rules in the first place could never have imaged the weapons and technology that we have today.
And it is important to remember also that the victims of these school shootings are children and teenagers. They are not soldiers, they are young people. I am no fan of George Bush, but I think that what he said shortly after the attack sums up my thoughts exactly “schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning”.
I don’t know what drives these people to carry out mass slaughter, but whatever the reason, I doubt it justifies the lives that are taken.
1 comment:
"However that doesn’t stop someone who is suicidal, as many of these mass murders are. It’s does nothing to prevent someone from killing people if they know that they won’t be alive to face the consequences."
You are right, and more gun laws (even making all guns illegal) will not stop people from buying them on the black market. Last time I checked criminals do not obey civilization's petty laws. The problem with your thought is that as a European, you believe that the problem to fixing everything can be done through laws and courts. The problem with gun crime in America is poverty, and horrible mental health care. Not guns. If it was guns then Canada and Switzerland would be right up there with us. Oh, and last time I checked people in Europe kill each other quite easily without guns. Sure no mass murders like this, but death is death.
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