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Floyd's Opinion
Virginia Tech ShootingsDear Sirs, I had hoped to wait before offering my views on the tragic murders at Virginia Tech, but alas, there are those who have already sought to politicize the occasion. I write out of anger and frustration. I am sickened by the senseless loss of so many innocent lives. I cannot help but wonder how many people could have been saved if only one professor, or student of legal age, had been legally armed. Our government, whose primary function is to protect our rights and safety, has effectively disarmed the law-abiding among us, leaving the lawless in control. Criminals do not obey the law, thus leaving those who do defenseless. Has anyone else heard the media report on the fact that all Virginia schools are "Gun Free Zones?" This law was an attempt by our elected heroes to assuage the anti-gun crowd, and provide the illusion of safety. Why was the madman who perpetrated this crime able to bring weapons onto a college campus if such a law is in place? Could it be that criminals do not obey the law? The students and faculty obeyed the law, and now there are thirty-three needlessly snuffed-out lives as a result. Could an armed faculty member have stopped this deadly attack? There are no guarantees that an armed professor could have saved lives. The only guarantee that I can assure you of is that the victims had no chance to respond, as they were all unarmed, according to State law. Can someone explain to me how further gun control will prevent another such occurrence? The police did all they could, knowing what they knew at the time. However, as we know all too well, the police cannot be everywhere at once. This destroys the theories, by the gun-control crowd, that we should all just call the police and await their arrival to deal with the scofflaw. The only two people who are at the scene of a crime when it is committed are the perpetrator and his victim(s). Of course, whether the target of the crime becomes a dead victim or not, depends on one's ability to defend oneself. If the government cannot provide that protection then we must provide it for ourselves. This becomes more difficult to do when the very government that creates "Gun Free Zones" prevents the law-abiding from having the tools at their disposal to do so. Sincerely, Floyd C. Bayne
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