The Second Amendment, as passed by the House and Senate, reads:
“ A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. ”
Should the Second Ammendment be scrapped?
The answer has to be yes. If a disturbed individual was able commit mass murder and was easily able to get hold of weapons and ammunition. What a place where there is said to be a gun for every citizen. Semi-automatic weapons and handguns have been banned in the UK since, respectively, the Hungerford and Dunblane tragedies. Anyone wanting to use a gun in an unlawful act is not, by definition, going to be concerned that it is a prohibited weapon, but the fact remains that high-powered weaponry is difficult to obtain. The US should follow suit an now make it harder for people to own and use guns.
Gun violence in the UK is also far more localised than in America - focused primarily on a few inner-city areas - and the admittedly atrocious spate of killings of schoolboys in London and elsewhere in recent months pales into insignificance in comparison with the death toll among the urban young in the US. The universal availability of guns in the US increases the risk of killings.
However gun crime, particularly handgun crime, has more than doubled in Britain since Labour came to power and there is an entrenched gun culture in some areas of society which is driven almost entirely by the imperatives of gang culture, "disrespect" and sheer, volatile youth aggression. Saying that gun homicides in the UK are still a relative rarity this could be down to our tougher laws (in comparison to US), Maybe the US should take a leaf out of our law
People own guns in the States for complex reasons of culture but the vast majority are law-abiding, however the the Virgina Tech shootings are a step to far and now the need to take action and put an end to it. None of this is of any comfort to the victims of UK & US gun culture but it is this reason why courts need to take a hard line when gun crimes are commited.
GUNS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL
Viriginia Tech
The unanswered questions
As America comes to terms with the massacre at Virginia Tech university which left 33 people dead, many questions remain about the circumstances of the attack and the response of the authorities
What was his motive?
Most of the victims were students and staff in the university's engineering block. Did the killer have a grudge against the university, department, or an individual? The first killings took place at a dormitory, suggesting the killer may have had a personal connection to his victims.
Why was he not stopped earlier?
There were two separate shooting incidents - an early morning shooting inside a dormitory that killed two people, and a rampage in another building two hours later that saw 31 killed, including the gunman. Presuming the same man was responsible for both, why was he allowed to wander the campus, heavily armed, without being stopped?
Could the college authorities have done more?
The college sent four emails to students and staff, but the first was not sent until two hours after the first shooting. By the time it warned that a gunman was on the loose, and cancelled all classes, the killer had already shot himself.
What is the connection between the two shootings?
Police considered the dormitory killings a "domestic" incident, hence their decision not to shut down the college. Why, two hours later, did he open fire again inside a teaching block?
Did he act alone?
Police said they have no suspects in custody but have interviewed a "person of interest". The assistance of someone else could help explain how the killer remained undetected between the first and second shootings.
Is America's gun culture to blame?
It is not known whether the weapons used were owned legally, but the state of Virginia and the university in particular are known to have prevalent gun cultures.
Some of the victims below
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Shazza D wrote...
The problem with gun crime in america is that americans are on the other end of them. This tragedy is a horrific event that should not happen in our supposed intelligent society today - however in america, gun crime is a daily occurance.
In EVERY documentary / book / interview / film ect i have seen, where the NRA or an american has been asked to explain why they carry arms - they have no other explanation other than some G I Joe, over ego, caveman explanation. One explanation is that it is to protect themselves. Well isnt that what taxes are for? To provide a defense team (the police) which will protect people. In Britain we are not allowed guns without good reason and our crime is much less. We are not in fear of our lives or homes and the police attempt to do a good job for us.
I dont mean to sound anti-america, but lets face it, there is no reasonable explanation as to why guns are so readily available in their country. In some states you are even given a free gun when you open a bank account!!!!! This is a typical scenario for that country and personally I think that if america got off their high horses and understood some humility then they would not have the chaos that they currently maintain and accept.
This in no way takes away the horror that this school has just seen, my heart goes out to every person affected - however isnt it time that their so called government took notice and inforced some much needed changes.
Posted by: Shazza D | April 20, 2007 12:34 PM