I think we better postpone this. I think we already have a topic on guns in the speak easy that we can talk about this but its up to the mods to merge it or whatever.

I do want to talk more on it though.

What topic? Postpone it? Now is the time to address this issue.



John Who, I had expected to be blasted by the usual "guns should be banned" sentiment, it is refreshing to see a realistic view of the problem.

Speaking of paradoxical situations, here is a community concerned enough to create a gun free zone with this campus yet Virginia has some of the most lax laws pertaining to purchasing a firearm. I simple search for a record was all that was required, he made his purchase and was out the door with his hand gun in about the same amount of time it takes to do the average persons grocery shopping. I do own firearms and believe that others should maintain that right as well, but I do believe that there should be some standardization adopted nationwide regarding the requirements for purchasing a firearm. In addition to an extensive back ground check I believe that there should be a standardized gun safety course required for each potential applicant to to show proof of having successfully passed. I also believe that similar documentation should be required for the purchase of ammunition.

While I agree that stricter guidelines need to be enacted for gun ownership, I think it should be in the hands of the individual State. If a person doesn't like the way firearm ownership is treated by that State, then move to another.

Placing that kind of control in the hands of the Federal Gov is a recipe for disaster and unnecessary control.

I own guns, and I enjoy using them for hunting and target practice. I also enjoy the security that guns provide.

And let's be honest, do we have any idea what the alternative would truly be like? It is easy to make assumptions and say, "Well, we couldn't allow college students, who have a concealed carry permit, to carry on campus. Think of the chaos!" Yet, there is no data to suggest this would be the case. We will never know if the outcome would have changed had the students been allowed to carry. Perhaps it is time we tried to gather such data.

If I or any of my friends had been allowed to pack on that campus, the moment this idiot had to reload, he would have been finished. Max handgun capacity is about 20 rounds, without having a hideously long clip. So he had to reload at least once, probably more. Properly implemented, guns would have been the solution!

Regards,
bg04

Perhaps in this situation, a well-trained gun owner could indeed have stopped the killer before so many lives were lost.

But just to throw this out: for every situation like this where a gun owner might have been needed, how many more incidents would there be on a gun-filled campus?

Also, I am not convinced that just "putting down" the assailant would have necessarily been so easy. The real world has many factors to consider. A gun-filled campus might erupt into a gun battle, bullets randomly spraying everywhere.

"Gun-filled"? Allowing those few folks who have gun permits to carry them on campus wouldn't really create a "gun-filled" environment, would it? Is the rest of the surrounding area "gun-filled"?

Which is precisely the reason for citizens to be armed and trained to defend themselves when faced with such a situation. With gun ownership comes responsibility, responsibility for the weapon and its power, as well as responsibility to use that power when necessary. Someone should have dropped him! How many could have been spared agony? I can't imagine the heartache of the students and all the parents.

There are a fair amount of people who believe that social stability would be greater if the majority of the population was "responsibly" armed. So, I was tossing out a few possibilities that might ensue if such a premise were ever put into practice.

Since colleges are almost entirely populated with legal adults, and if we were to continue with this premise in mind, a college campus might then become "gun-filled."

But we are getting at the same thing, I think. I was trying to point out that there are so many variables involved, it is difficult if not impossible to make predictions on similar situations in the future. However, I think that while 18-22 year olds are considered to be legal adults, they may not have the tools to make the best decisions when it comes to situations such as this. Thus, by having a large number of armed 20 year olds in a concentrated area, a bad situation could quickly become worse.

Yeah, possibly.

But the recent historical facts do not support that, do they? I mean, since the establishment of the country, it has been legal for virtually everyone to have a gun, and how many times have instances such as you describe ever happened, other than perhaps back in the "lawless" days of the wild, wild west?

Historical facts? What other event could we possibly compare this to? None of these type of situations are the same. As far as I know, none have happened on campuses where weapons were allowed or were present among random students. I am just saying that the more variables you introduce, the harder it is to predict the outcome of an already unpredictable situation.