My prayers go out to everyone involved in the massacre at Virginia Tech.
Politics have no place in this horrific tragedy and ghastly crime (As a personal aside; the shooter is reportedly dead. I sincerely hope it was a cop that fired that last fatal bullet. I’m sick of these mass-murdering animals destroying dozens of lives and then checking out on their own).
But amid the shock, horror and (soon) grief, it’s worth noting that, according to the school’s policies and procedures guide, Virginia Tech is a safe zone for mass murderers “gun-free” school (emphasis added):
2.2 Prohibition of Weapons
The university’s employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or other third party attending a sporting, entertainment, or educational event, or visiting an academic or administrative office building or residence hall, are further prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the owner has a valid permit, when it is not required by the individual’s job, or in accordance with the relevant University Student Life Policies.
Any such individual who is reported or discovered to possess a firearm or weapon on university property will ked to remove it immediately. Failure to comply may result in a student judicial referral and/or arrest, or an employee disciplinary action and/or arrest.
As Joel Rosenberg notes, a bill to allow law abiding permit-holders to carry guns on Virginia university campuses died in committee.
It’d be the depth of tastelessness to try to capitalize on this horror for political gain. But when the shock wears off, it might be worth noting that disarming the law abiding doesn’t protect anyone.
One professor with a gun in his desk, one girl with a .38 in her purse, one student with a legal, permitted handgun, and this tragedy could have turned out very different. Goodness knows obeying the University’s rules didn’t do anyone a damn bit of good.
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