The Elephant in the Room

By: demnan
Published On: 4/17/2007 9:41:14 AM

Yesterday the biggest killing spree ever that has ever taken place on an American school or University happened.  And while everyone is sorry, no one is sorry enough to look at the giant elephant in the room, certainly not George Bush, but not the good Governor Tim Kaine either.  Senator Jim Webb was silent about this elephant yesterday as well.  Senator Warner?  Not a word.  Mark Warner?  Forget about it.  Only the BBC's Justin Webb nailed it.

The elephant in the room is easy gun access.  Virginia has the distinction of having some of the most lax gun laws in the South, where gun laws are all lax. In Virginia, guns are easy to obtain and readily available anywhere in the state without much of a background check required.  Don't believe me?  Take this quiz regarding Virginia gun laws:  http://crime.about.c... 

When you buy a home in Virginia a lawyer is required to look over the legal paperwork with a fine tooth comb.  In fact, Virginia has one of the toughest real estate titling processes in the United States, but obtaining a gun, a device for killing, requires hardly any scrutiny.  Any crazy can do it.  And this is unlikely to change, for the NRA (as Justin Webb so rightly pointed out), resides in Virginia and the NRA's propaganda resides in the minds of Virginia's residents.

I have no hope that any tightening of gun laws will come from this tragedy.  But I can see the elephant in the room, and I will be surprised to see any politician owning up to this fact.  If they did, they would earn new respect from me.  As for my fellow Virginians, I suggest you write a letter to the governor and state legislature about gun control, and remove your children from Virginia schools until sanity reigns regarding Virginia's gun laws.

Comments



The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (LifetimeDem - 4/17/2007 9:53:30 AM)
Nation Again Grieves Over A Tragedy "Of Monumental Proportions"
For Immediate Release:
04-16-2007

Contact Communications:
(202) 898-0792 Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Blacksburg, VA - Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the Virginia Tech University community, and to the families of the victims of what appears to be one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

"Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to act, and how he was able to arm himself.  It is well known, however, how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country.

"Eight years ago this week, the young people in Littleton, Colorado suffered a horrible attack at Columbine High School, and almost exactly six months ago, five young people were killed at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.  Since these killings, we've done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities.  If anything, we've made it easier to access powerful weapons.

"We have now seen another horrible tragedy that will never be forgotten.  It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur."

# # #

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, working with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.



Appalachian School of Law (humanfont - 4/17/2007 2:06:17 PM)
Here is an interesting story from 2002. 
http://en.wikipedia....

I've seen this story out there on a lot of sites, so I think it is the line the NRA/Pro-gun folks are using.  The narrative they will establish is Va-Tech banned guns on campus; while Appalachian School of Law did not.  The result was a lot different.  At Appalachian School of Law 3 students went to their trucks, got their guns, and subdued the individual.  The pro-gun/NRA folks will argue that VA-Tech's liberal professors banning guns contrary to Virginia law made this whole affair a lot more tragic than it was.  It is my opinion that gun control is a losing issue in Virginia.  The overall effect on violent crime seems marginal; unless you have nationwide ban, which really isn't likely given the power of the NRA.  I'd rather we focus our efforts on health care, global warming, and ending the war in Iraq.



I agree (Pain - 4/17/2007 4:41:56 PM)
I'm a hunter and long time gun owner.  I am in favor of some gun control, but I just don't think it's going to happen with the power of the NRA and gun lobbies, unfortunately.  Eventually the general public will come around and demand something change, but until we overcome the 'they can have my gun when they pry it from my cold hands' mentality, then I think it's an uphill fight.


"Write a letter to the governor and state legislature about gun control...." (Dianne - 4/19/2007 9:10:50 AM)
Demnan, thanks for the post.  As Virginia Democrats, the tightening of gun laws in Virginia should be one of our most pressing grassroots causes and projects.  We need to educate the Virginia voters that our laws are too lax to acquire a gun here.  And yes you are right about contacting our legislators, but we also need to educate the voters about how we could make Virginia safer (since we are up against the NRA).  And since guns are so easy to get here, we could help the rest of the country if we tightened up the ability to so easily get a weapon here in the Commonwealth. 


Is it easy to purchas a gun in Virginia? (Dianne - 4/19/2007 9:21:17 AM)
Rifles and Shotguns

Permit to purchase rifles and shotguns?  No.
Registration of rifles and shotguns?  No.
Licensing of owners of rifles and shotguns? No.
Permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No.

Handguns

Permit to purchase handgun? No.
Registration of handguns? No.
Licensing of owners of handguns? No.
Permit to carry handguns? Yes. A permit is required if concealed.

Other Requirements

Is there a State waiting period? No.