California Conservative

The death toll at Virginia Tech stands at 32 blameless souls. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, has a lot of innocent blood on his hands. But his are not the only bloody hands.

Already, the pundits are talking about America’s gun culture and calling for tighter control on firearms. The call will only increase as politicians and the media join in the call.

There is irony here.

The irony is that the very people who claim to want to prevent such a future tragedy are in no small part responsible for it. These are the people who equate helplessness with security. These are the people who believe that self-defense on your part somehow endangers them.

These are the people responsible for having Virginia Tech declared a “gun-free zone.”

Well, they got their way and 32 people who might be alive today are dead because of their irrational beliefs.

In 2005, campus police disarmed a student who had a concealed carry permit. Virginia Tech Spokesman Larry Hincker cheered the college’s policy of banning all firearms, including those who had valid concealed carry permits.

“I think it’s fair to say that we believe guns don’t belong in the classroom.” Hincker pontificated. “In an academic environment, we believe you should be free from fear.”

I doubt the dead thank him.

Earlier this year, an attempt was made to correct this injustice. Lawmaker Todd Gilbert introduced HB 1572 into the state legislature. The bill was specifically designed to give college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus. Liberal forces would not even let it get out of subcommittee, much less on the floor for open debate and a vote. (more…)