The post on the Virginia Tech rampage drew thousands of visitors from Canada and the UK and a few from Australia yesterday, thanks to Google listing my blog among two others for searches on “Virginia Tech.”
Some of those visitors expressed condolences, while others used the tragedy as an opportunity to rant about gun ownership and possession in the U.S. and how banning guns would solve the problem of violent crime. Not only is that untrue, but it sounds downright un-American to me, no offense to the foreigners.
I just don’t understand that kind of thinking. Like locks on doors, gun control works for honest, law-abiding people. Just ask D.C. residents. But the nature of a criminal is to commit crimes, that is, break laws, and laws against possessing and owning guns will prevent honest and law-abiding people from possessing and owning guns, not criminals. The logic is so simple a child can follow it. What’s wrong with so-called adults?
I don’t need fancy studies and statistics to tell me that gun-toting thugs would think twice about mugging or attacking someone if they believe the person might be armed. In a state with concealed carry laws, the chances probably are greater that a random person might be packing.
In her latest column, Michelle Malkin draws a parallel between universities disarming students physically and intellectually. She’s right on the money, especially on the intellectual issue. American universities were once places where students could engage in rigorous debate, no matter how controversial the subject matter. College is supposed to teach people how to construct sound arguments and defend their views.
But these days, if you look at somebody funny, you’re in trouble. Because of the oversensitivity of so-called minorities, spirited debate and discussion are essentially muzzled. That is, unless you’re trashing America, Western Civilization, and the “dead white males” who built it. Pampered saps just can’t dig the irony.
Anyway, Michelle begins:
There’s no polite way or time to say it: American colleges and universities have become coddle industries. Big Nanny administrators oversee speech codes, segregated dorms, politically correct academic departments and designated “safe spaces” to protect students selectively from hurtful (conservative) opinions — while allowing mob rule for approved leftist positions
Instead of teaching students to defend their beliefs, American educators shield them from vigorous intellectual debate. Instead of encouraging autonomy, our higher institutions of learning stoke passivity and conflict-avoidance…And as the erosion of intellectual self-defense goes, so goes the erosion of physical self-defense.
Indeed. I don’t know if our foreign visitors will return, but I’m opening this post to a “debate” on gun control. If you don’t care either way, feel free to discuss “debate control,” the dumbing down of America’s universities so minorities won’t get their feelings hurt. The juxtaposition may seem strange, but I see similarities.
Update: I like this from “mlfoley’s journal” – “I often disagree with her (but read her anyway to get news tidbits, information and a look at “the other side”) but La Shawn Barber hits the nail on the head about the cries for gun control after the Va Tech tragedy.”
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t need to be surrounded by admiring people who agree with me. Civility is my only requirement. I hear from people who disagree with most of my work, yet, they’re compelled to read for various reasons. If you want to express disagreement in the comment section with something I wrote, pretend you’re speaking to me face-to-face in my living room.
Resources:
- Google News on VA Tech and gun control
- The Failure of British Gun Control (PDF), by Clayton Cramer
- GunCite – links pro and con
- Gun Control Debate – Yahoo! Full Coverage
- People don’t stop killers. People with guns do
