VA tech

[Ken King]

Excellent point. I see that as the basic motivation for people who claim that 9/11 and TWA 800 were the work of conspiracies. They don't want to admit to themselves that sometimes, nothing can be done to prevent such tragedies.

Uh, I would say that 9/11 was a major conspiracy. Are you saying it was just coincedntal randomness?

 

[aps45819]

So the kid bursts in and starts mowing people down, it's going to take a few seconds for an armed student to react. Sure, the damage could have possibly been minimized, but not prevented.
And the killer not being sure if other students would be armed wouldn't have been a deterrent because he was going to kill himself anyway.

exactly.
NOTHING can prevent an attack, all you can do is defend yourself

 

[Ken King]

Sure, but until he actually commits a crime, there's not much you can do. We're not a society that locks up people for having a "loose screw".

Right, we're not, for the most part.

So what is the answer? Do we just standby and wait for it to happen again or is there a way to help minimize the numbers of those that get slaughtered?

 

[aps45819]

Sure, but until he actually commits a crime, there's not much you can do. We're not a society that locks up people for having a "loose screw".

Here they run for office

 

[vraiblonde]

I agree totally, if your intent is to be dead at the end of your spree, why wold it matter if someone else had a gun, saves you from having to do it yourself.

Pretty much.

I am a pro 2nd Amendment person and I think that people have a right to be armed. But that argument is inappropriate for this particular situation because it wouldn't have done much good.

 

[itsbob]

Sure, but until he actually commits a crime, there's not much you can do. We're not a society that locks up people for having a "loose screw".

We used to.. who was president when they shut down all the state and federal mental hospitals and let the patients go? Mainstreamed the younger ones back into our schools, and released the adults into halfway houses or the street? Early 70's maybe..

 

[Tonio]

Uh, I would say that 9/11 was a major conspiracy. Are you saying it was just coincedntal randomness?

I was referring to the "9/11 Truth" movement, which insists that the whole event was staged by the government:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politic...st_the_hopeless_stupidity_of_911_conspiracies

 

[Ken King]

I was referring to the "9/11 Truth" movement, which insists that the whole event was staged by the government:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politic...st_the_hopeless_stupidity_of_911_conspiracies

Okay, that clears it up a bit.

 

[Midnightrider]

Pretty much.

I am a pro 2nd Amendment person and I think that people have a right to be armed. But that argument is inappropriate for this particular situation because it wouldn't have done much good.

me too, even own a couple myself, and again i agree, pretty scary

 

[Pete]

I agree totally, if your intent is to be dead at the end of your spree, why wold it matter if someone else had a gun, saves you from having to do it yourself.

Besides, the school and state still have rules about carrying guns on campus.

The only difference is if someone with a gun killed them after they killed 2 instead of 32. Less a tragedy but a tragedy still.

 

[Midnightrider]

The only difference is if someone with a gun killed them after they killed 2 instead of 32. Less a tragedy but a tragedy still.

And if i was the king you'd all be kissing my butt, doesn't mean it will or ever would have worked out that way

 

[vraiblonde]

So what is the answer? Do we just standby and wait for it to happen again or is there a way to help minimize the numbers of those that get slaughtered?

Well, it's not like this sort of thing happens all that often. I think of arming the citizenry as more of a self-protection against common crimes, not something spectacular like this. The Israelis don't have restrictive gun laws, and while crime is fairly low there, they still fall victim to suicide bombers because there's no real way to protect yourself against that sort of thing.

But it's so rare that it happens here in the US, I'm not convinced we need laws to address it.

 

[Ken King]

Well, it's not like this sort of thing happens all that often. I think of arming the citizenry as more of a self-protection against common crimes, not something spectacular like this. The Israelis don't have restrictive gun laws, and while crime is fairly low there, they still fall victim to suicide bombers because there's no real way to protect yourself against that sort of thing.

But it's so rare that it happens here in the US, I'm not convinced we need laws to address it.

But we have laws that deter the ability to self-protect (no CCW, no guns on campus, etc.) and as such there should be a mechanism in place to fill the void that those laws have created.

 

[Pandora]

I read the plays last night that he wrote, both contained accusations of male/male sexual behavior and they were not (IMO) as graphic as the press made them out to be but they were strange. It made me wonder what the assignment criteria for the play entailed.

Anyone else read them?

 

[oldnavy]

Well I got word last night that my Co-workers daughter was killed. Just last week I was helping them shop for a car. Things change so fast.

My daughter goes to Liberty University and called last night to say she knows one of the girls that was killed. They were close friends, went to the same church (when they were home) and spent New Years Eve together at a bon-fire at the girls house.
My daughter is hurting really bad and I don't know how to help her! I can't even begin to imagine what the families of those who were lost are going through.

On the subject of students packin heat...My daughter is a very good shot with both long gun and hand gun and we go to the range often when she is home on weekends or breaks. That said, she talks a big game, but I don't know if she would have the moxy to actually use a weapon if she were allowed to carry and needed it. I like to think she could, but....

 

[vraiblonde]

But we have laws that deter the ability to self-protect (no CCW, no guns on campus, etc.) and as such there should be a mechanism in place to fill the void that those laws have created.

Okay, but how do you make a law that fills the void of not being able to protect yourself?

Rape, murder and what-have-you are already against the law. Criminals disregard laws. So our elected officials, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that the solution to this problem is to disarm the law-abiding citizens.

It's crazy.

 

[Pete]

My daughter goes to Liberty University and called last night to say she knows one of the girls that was killed. They were close friends, went to the same church (when they were home) and spent New Years Eve together at a bon-fire at the girls house.
My daughter is hurting really bad and I don't know how to help her! I can't even begin to imagine what the families of those who were lost are going through.

On the subject of students packin heat...My daughter is a very good shot with both long gun and hand gun and we go to the range often when she is home on weekends or breaks. That said, she talks a big game, but I don't know if she would have the moxy to actually use a weapon if she were allowed to carry and needed it. I like to think she could, but....

I have to admit despite retrospective, the idea of 25,000 teen age kids on a college campus packing heat gives me the heebies.

 

[Ken King]

Okay, but how do you make a law that fills the void of not being able to protect yourself?

Rape, murder and what-have-you are already against the law. Criminals disregard laws. So our elected officials, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that the solution to this problem is to disarm the law-abiding citizens.

It's crazy.

Just as was done with allowing airline pilots to be armed. Passangers cannot carry any means of a weapon but some pilots might be armed, and the same could be done with these schools. As long as weapons are completely banned the schools remain soft targets.

 

[Pandora]

Right Ken, let the teachers carry if they want.

 

[Ken King]

Right Ken, let the teachers carry if they want.

Not just carry, but trained to handle an event such as what took place.