The tragic incident at VA Tech inevitably raises gun control questions. However, Bush, rather tastelessly in my opinion, was quick to follow his condolences with assurances that the 2nd amendment would remain safely enshrined. By including such remarks in his statement he brings gun control to the forefront of the tragedy. Although questions will arise, the initial statement should have been confined to the usual "thoughts and prayers".
The 2nd amendment is often reduced to five simple words, "the right to bear arms". But to fully understand the amendment and our forefathers intent, you have to read it in its entirety, "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." This was written at a time of great uncertainty for our fledgling country. We had just declared ourselves independent of tyranny and were not sure when tyranny may present itself again. I may be wary of Bush, but I'm confident he won't impose a dictatorship.
So what is the case for keeping a gun today? Some would argue that if students had been able to carry one that maybe the degree of horror could have been lessened. I don't buy that. It sounds just as logical as arguing that with guns the number of incidents would have been greater and that the death toll from the sum of those incidents could have reached or exceeded this one event.
Other countries have had great success with tight gun restrictions. Britain, a country of 53 million and where guns are outlawed, had just 46 gun-related murders last year. New York City, a city of 8 million, had 579. These statistics also dent the argument that criminals will certainly have guns and that a well armed populace is both a good defence and a good deterrent. The NRA lobbies feverishly for their love of fire arms, but is a love of guns worth such prices as the VA Tech shootings and Columbine? I love guns as well, but I'm willing to give up that right if it means we achieve statistics closer to those of Britain and Australia.
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I don't expect the powerful NRA lobby to go away (much as I'd like them to), but I do wish we could come together to ban weapons like assault rifles. They have no place in a legal gun market, have no "historical" or hunting value, and absolutely contribute to the US's high homicide count. The NRA refuses to budge an inch on the citizens "right to bear arms" and doing so only adds more gun deaths.
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