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Who Is to Blame for the Virginia Tech Shootings? Alan
Scholl Speaking of the Global War on Terror (GWOT, as administration insiders call it), President Bush has suggested that Islamic terrorists hate us because of our freedoms. That's probably not quite accurate — middle eastern terrorists have other, pragmatic, reasons for hating us. Instead, it is really the European intellectual "elite" that hate us because of our freedoms. That much has been revealed in the European reaction to Monday's horrible shootings at Virginia Tech. The German publication Der Spiegel has helpfully catalogued the worst bile spewing from the British press in reaction to the shootings. "With a view to Monday's deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, European newspapers are blaming the lack of gun control measures in the United States and implying that Charlton Heston is indirectly responsible for the scope of the killings," Der Spiegel summarized. In fact, according to the report in the magazine, "German cable news broadcaster NTV flashed an image of the former head of the National Rifle Association, the US gun lobby: In other words, blame rifle-wielding Charlton Heston for the 33 dead." The reaction in the rest of the press on the continent amply demonstrated the European predilection to blame the U.S. first rather than place most of the blame (more on that in a moment) on the criminal where it rightfully belongs: • From the French Le Monde: "This new tragedy presents a new opportunity for American public opinion to interrogate itself about a society which, as one of the students who survived Columbine said at the time, is very much responsible for what has happened." • From the French Le Figaro: "Here is a country that represents the vanguard of development and democracy while it is legal to carry a gun in 45 of 50 states, as long as the gun is not loaded." • According to the Spanish paper El Pais, no doubt the premier European expert on the intent of the Founding Fathers, America's gun control "measures are decided by the individual states and are constantly side-stepped by means of an exaggerated interpretation of the US constitution." What part of the 2nd Amendment (which is part of the Constitution), "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed," is "an exaggerated interpretation"? Unfortunately, the European knee jerk reaction that the crime was caused by lax gun control laws will almost certainly be repeated by left-wing activists here in the U.S. as well. But the fact remains that gun control measures only ensure that law-abiding citizens are prevented from defending themselves. All such measures do is ensure that the only people who remained armed are the criminals and the police. As a result of gun control laws, law abiding citizens are at the mercy of criminals. Among the European press, it was only at the German daily paper Bild that this realization seemed to occur. "[W]e have little reason to point an accusing finger at the Americans," Bild commented. "Despite strict gun legislation, we (in Germany) have experienced the school shootings in Erfurt and Emsdetten." In fact, legislation that might have allowed armed, law-abiding citizens on the Virginia Tech campus to defend themselves and stop the slaughter was defeated one year ago, according to Roanoake's newspaper Roanoke.com. "A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly," reported the January 31, 2006 edition. Those who utilized the law to prevent students from being able to protect themselves also bear some of that blame. The paper continued by quoting Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker, who "was happy to hear the bill was defeated." "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus," commented Hincker. Do those parents, students, faculty and visitors now feel the campus was safer because "the bill was defeated?" Whether in Germany or in the U.S., gun control laws put law abiding citizens at the mercy of criminals. America's Founding Fathers understood that each person has a fundamental, inalienable right to his or her life and that, as a consequence, each person has a right to defend his or her life against criminal depredations from any quarter. If these fundamental rights would have been respected by Virginia law, then perhaps yesterday's violent rampage could have been prevented, or much lessened. Since it is now too late for that, it is time for the nation to give freedom a chance — no matter what Europe's statist "intellectuals" say — and overturn the foolish and dangerous gun control laws that prevent good, law abiding Americans from defending themselves. If not, the latest rampage at Virginia Tech will only be another bloody chapter in the book of civilian disarmament, and will certainly be followed by many others. ---------------------------------------------------
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