Once again the mainstream media is off and running.  Covering the tragic loss of life at Virginia Tech and pointing out that guns caused this.  Once again they are all over telling the people that the gun banning crowd is hard at work trying to get more legislation passed to stop this kind of tragedy from happening.  Once again the heritage of firearms in this country is being spattered with mud as if it were the problem.

Headlines like the FoxNews article http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266686,00.html

MILD TASTE ON CAPITOL HILL FOR NEW GUN CONTROL LAW AFTER VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTING

WASHINGTON — A flurry of activity on Capitol Hill about gun control has already begun in the wake of the high-profile gun crime committed at Virginia Tech this week. Some advocates are using the shooting spree as an example of an urgent need for action despite the fact shooter Cho Seung-Hui obtained the guns legally.
However, there appears to be little appetite for action in the new Democratic-controlled Senate.

<snip – click the link to read the whole thing if you want>

Headlines like the above make it seem as if we need new legislation because Cho obtained his firearms legally.  OK great!  He however BROKE the law when he brought them on campus.  He BROKE the law when he decided to murder people.  He BROKE a book full of existing laws.

The people he shot were NOT breaking the law.  Hence they could not defend themselves.  Virginia has concealed carry.  Like in every other instance violent crime has fallen drastically in Virginia.  Concealed carry is a HUGE crime deterrent, every place but “victim disarmament” zones.

The irony is legislation was attempted to insure that Virginia carry permit holders could be armed on the University campus was introduced and shot down with the assistance of VA Tech’s management.

From the Gun Owners of America site http://gunowners.org/a041707.htm

Aftermath of Tragedy: GOA Defending Freedom

Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Our hearts and prayers truly go out to all of those affected by Cho Seung-Hui's evil actions. But not even senseless, brutal murder justifies taking away the God-given rights of the law-abiding.
It is also worthwhile to note that Virginia Tech is -- because of deliberate policies set by its administration -- a victim disarmament zone, where even those with a state-issued concealed carry permit are denied their right of self-defense.

In fact, pro-gun forces just last year tried to get the Virginia legislature to address the problem. The bill to allow permit holders to carry on state-supported college campuses died, due in no small part to rabid opposition from Virginia Tech itself. VT spokesman Larry Hincker put it this way after it became obvious that the bill would not pass: "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

The unfortunate irony continues when one recalls that not long ago, two students at nearby Appalachian School of Law managed to stop a gunman at that institution. Happily, they were able to dash off-campus to retrieve their guns from their vehicles.

Four GOA spokesmen (one based in downtown D.C. and three at our Springfield, VA office just outside the Beltway) are working non-stop -- doing literally interview after interview -- making certain that the above points reach the public. 

GOA has appeared on Fox News, ABC, CNN, BBC -- lots of alphabet soup networks -- as well as countless talk shows like Michael Reagan and Lars Larson. GOA spokesmen have been heard in every major radio market around the country and have done interviews with large print media outlets, such as the Associated Press and U.S. News & World Report.

The overall message that GOA is delivering is that gun prohibitions are part of the problem, not the solution.
We can expect some forms of new gun control to be pushed in the U.S. Congress. The Democrats control Congress, but more importantly, anti-gun politicians control the Democrat party. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- certainly no friend of gun owners -- gives free rein to virulently anti-gun House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), literally anything can make it to the floor of the full House.

Conyers' counterpart in the Senate is Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), whose GOA rating of "F" is well-deserved. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has also earned F. Gun owners will have to be especially vigilant in the coming weeks to block any new attempts to infringe upon the Second Amendment. And whereas the predictable media stampede to give voice to the possibility of such new gun control is certainly there, it does not seem to have the same "this simply must happen now" tone that it did after the Columbine tragedy in 1999. Indeed, the idea of firearms for self-defense in schools is gaining serious traction. Which should not be all that surprising, given a Research 2000 poll which showed that 85% of Americans find it appropriate for a principal or teacher to use "a gun at school to defend the lives of students" in stopping a massacre.

Pay special attention to “VT spokesman Larry Hincker put it this way after it became obvious that the bill would not pass: "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." “

Yes, I bet they were appreciative as they were lined up and shot like lemmings.  That may sound callous, but oh well.  Had students that had gone through the back ground check and training process to become permit holders been allowed to be armed vs. contained in an area that was known to be gun free, I am certain that SOMEONE would have been armed and put an end to the spree long before it came to the conclusion that it did.

Not only that it likely would have come to a conclusion while the police were outside cowering behind their car doors waiting for the SWAT teams to show up, decide what to do, and take some action.  Keep in mind numerous court rulings now support that there is no obligation on the police or governments to protect the citizens.  Yet, you are robbed of the ability to protect yourself in these environments.

Not only are Fox, CNN, and MSNBC not telling to whole story, they are playing into the anti-gun hysteria, sensationalizing it.  The VA Tech administrators that refused to support allowing permit holders to be armed on campus have blood on their hands.  Pure and simple.

As for the rest of you that think guns are the problem, that think guns are bad, go shoot one.  Get some instruction at a range near you.  Go do some research about the DROP in crime rates everywhere that concealed carry laws have gone into place.  Pay attention to the fact that the only places these mass shootings take place is schools and other areas where there is a mass of disarmed people.  Go do some research on the crime trend in the UK and Australia since disarming victims.  Educate yourself on the truth.  Realize that the police are not obligated to protect.  Realize that if you have a family it is YOUR obligation to protect and defend them. 

In short, just educate yourself.