[whitecree]

I'm not pro-gun or anti-gun, but I am most definitely pro-responsibility. It is far too easy these days - even with recent crackdowns - for disturbed people to get a handgun.

I feel bad for the families that are suffering from this idiocy, and I just have to ask - If the authorities are so concerned, then why don't they do something about the root cause; i.e.; easy availability of handguns?

I'm not talking about rifles and shotguns. Those are useful for the hunter who - on average - are responsible gun owners. I'm talking about the handguns which only have one purpose - shooting people.

Gaaahh... I feel a rant coming on. Think I'll go carve something until I calm down.

[Ron Davidson]

Here in Kansas we just passed a conceal nd carry law that permits you to carry a handgun. I thought about applying just to see how they really screened the applicants. I think that no matter how tough the laws are if a person wants one bad enough there will always be a way. It's just too bad these nuts don't just take their own lives before taking the lives of innocent people. It's just such a tragic loss for no good reason and I feel so bad for the survivors and families of the victims. When I hear the names and what they looked forward to in their futures I think what a loss. It's getting to be a sad world and I hope the students and families can go on with their lives as much as possible but it will take time. My thoughts and prayers will be with them for along time.

Ron

[stickman]

whitecree, on average handgun owners are RESPONSIBLE gun owners.
statistically speaking the number of crimes committed with a gun compared to the total number of gun owners is very small.

another purpose for handguns is protection from people who hurt or shoot other people.If you think the police will be there when you need protection just look at this weeks events.not only were they not there to protect anyone when they got there they didn't even warn people and then pursued the wrong person . many mistakes were made.

unfortunately the price of living in the most free country in the world is putting up with the ugliness that comes along with being free!

In no way am I taking lightly what happened at va tech. It was very sad almost indescribable .My prayers goes out to each and every one of the victims and there family.

before people start blaming poor gun laws they should research some on both sides of the issue .It is very difficult to get good info with all the lobbyist out there putting there spin on it to sway people into believing their agenda.

I being a hunter and a shooter and a protector would not be in favor of stricter gun laws .people that do this kind of act will find another way of killing if that's what they want .

PLEASE I am not trying to anger anyone .this is my thoughts on the subject and I understand that some or many may have different views .I hope through calm positive discussion we can hear each others views so may be we can understand things better.

[Lightningbolt]

Most of all I join the rest of the nation with utmost condolences for the families of this cowardly crime committed by what appears to be nothing more than an evil nut case. I hesitate to enter into a gun control debate at this early moment since those families of the victims deserve our full focus upon their loss and hopefully their eventual ability to process then somehow continue their lives. Each morning I lead our school with the Pledge of Allegiance as the kid's raise the flag and as President Bush ordered all of the flags on federal buildings be lowered to half-mast until April 22nd, we are also doing the same to show respect and to process our emotions too.

With that said, I am a very proud lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and have been a responsible handgun owner since the day I turned 21 years old back in the 1970"s. In North Carolina a handgun applicant is required to take a 12 hour gun safety and gun laws course by a certified instructor, submit to a thorough FBI background check complete with fingerprinting in the basement of the local sheriff's office, then complete a mental health background check... all at several hundreds of dollars cost to the applicant, including additional background and mental health checks every five years thereafter. In my opinion this is WAY too much while on the other hand, perhaps Virginia's gun laws are WAY too little.

I know that it's easy to call for more gun control (and yes, some reasonable control is necessary) but after working at an alternative school for troubled kids and their families for almost 26 years I am convinced that a solution to this kind of violence is a bit more complex than just passing another gun law as more than 40,000 such laws already exist on the federal, state, and local level.

In looking for a solution I believe that we must dig deeper into the "root" causes and ask tough questions like what has caused the deterioration of the family unit which went into high-gear during the 1960's. If we want a more stable America then perhaps we should look at crafting social policy that is geared toward finding ways to encourage strong families. Every kid deserves to come home every day to a mom and a dad who think that they're the most important thing in their lives. Black kids really have it tough with more than 70% born out of wedlock. As harsh as it might sound, THAT is the real national tragedy.

I believe that I'll now continue carving and keep thinking...

[Ron Davidson]

I was not trying to start a debate over gun control I also owned guns up until I couldn't see where I was shooting safely. Most gun owners are safe just sometimes a nut slips through the cracks. I have said to much this is not the place to discuss this topic.

[mdallensr]

The VT and Texas shooting tragedies are different from Colombine because the college students were adults. Cho was 23. We expect the parents of high school students to be responsible and in control of their children. I don't know how much we can count on parents being in control of their adult college students while they're on campus. We probably expect too much of our colleges if we believe they are really policing the behaviour of our kids while they're on campus. My daughter is a freshman this year, living on campus 3 hours away, and it concerns me that her behaviour is basically what we were able to instill in her before she went to college. I have faith in her, and so far she's stayed out of trouble, but that doesn't protect her from others.

We seldom see or hear about the incidents that never happened. There are no statistics that show how much gun control laws have helped. It would have taken just one minor change in the series of events at Colombine to avert the entire event. The way those kids got those guns was pretty sketchy, and if just one thing had gone wrong or not happened, they may not have had the guts to make it happen. Every school has some kids who fantasize about hurting themselves or others, for revenge or just kicks, but hardly any of them actually do it. If we make it very difficult to act on those fantasies, they just remain fantasies.

From what I heard on the news, we have a system of federal and state regulations that could have kept Cho from buying those guns legally. If the court order for his psychological problems had been know by the feds, and the feds and the state had coordinated their controls, Cho would have been refused. Hopefully, that refusal would have triggered another police investigation of a lunatic trying to buy guns. As is usually the case, we have a lot of laws, but failed to use them properly. How would you like to be the judge who declared him mentally ill, a danger to himself and others, and allowed him to go untreated and uncontrolled on a college campus?

While VT is one price we pay for our freedom, it's also the price we pay for being unwilling to intervene when we know something is wrong. Cho should not have been admitted to VT. He was a nut most of his life. He should have not been allowed to intimidate others, to the point they were afraid to attend classes with him. He should have been forced to undergo treatment after the complaints were filed and he was found to be unstable. If you do any or all of those things, the guns and shooting never happen with Cho at VT.

One of the usual arguments it that he still could get guns illegally. That's easier said than done for children and a guy like Cho. He had no friends, no contacts, no ability to communicate, and was probably a coward. It only takes a little roadblock to stop some of these incidents, and that may have been more than he was willing to do. My prayers go to all of the families of the dead and injured, and I hope that we can learn from this event and be strong enough as a nation and individuals to prevent future massacres. Mike

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I am always amazed when the term "gun control" comes up, when guns are totally controlled, SO ARE YOU!, guns are the only thing that allows free people to remain free! Isn't it funny how many people are killed on our highways, when we drive by a parking lot, do we yell for "Ford Control" or Chevy Control"? Fords and Chevies kill people! The root cause is not the inert object.........it started when they took God out of schools and removed the ten commandments that said "Thou Shalt Not Kill!" Guess they thought that was too harsh? When I was in high school, if I had the money, I could have bought a Thompson Machine Gun from an ad in a magazine.....you never heard of mass killings of any schools though? Wonder why that was? So many people worship money anymore......maybe they better look at it......it says "In God We Trust" unfortunately, these days "we don't"!

[BobD]

OK guys...
I'm locking this down for a while...it's getting too heated!

This is an issue that is very complicated...and I really feel that these latest posts are moving outside the realm of the message board. When we were posting positive messages of support for the families, it was acceptable...we are a community. But we're not here to talk about gun control, or politics, or religion...This is a carving board; there are other sites to debate those things.

For me, the whole thing revolves around responsibility...and being responsible (Whether you are a parent, educator, gun owner, or in my case--right now, a forum admin.) So I've got to be responsible and shut this thread down.

In a day or so, I'll open it back up for people to express their support for the families and the college.

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor