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C'mon does anybody here believe that if there were more guns out there it would make things uhhh..... safer? I for one think there would be a crazy spike in second degree murders....JMO
LONDON - The Virginia Tech shootings sparked criticism of U.S. gun control laws around the world Tuesday. Editorials lashed out at the availability of weapons, and the leader of Australia one of America's closest allies declared that America's gun culture was costing lives.
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South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the government hoped Monday's shootings, allegedly carried out by a 23-year-old South Korean native, would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."
While some focused blame only on the gunman, world opinion over U.S. gun laws was almost unanimous: Access to weapons increases the probability of shootings. There was no sympathy for the view that more guns would have saved lives by enabling students to shoot the assailant.
"We took action to limit the availability of guns and we showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country," said Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who staked his political career on promoting tough gun laws after a gunman went on one of the world's deadliest killing sprees 11 years ago.
The tragedy in a Tasmanian tourist resort left 35 people dead. Afterward, Australia's gun laws were changed to prohibit automatic weapons and handguns and toughen licensing and storage restrictions.
Handguns are also banned in Britain a prohibition that forces even the country's Olympic pistol shooting team from practicing on its own soil. In Sweden, civilians can acquire firearm permits only if they have a hunting license or are members of a shooting club and have no criminal record. In Italy, people must have a valid reason for wanting one. Firearms are forbidden for private Chinese citizens.
Still, leaders from Britain, Germany, Mexico, China, Afghanistan and France stopped short of criticizing President Bush or U.S. gun laws when they offered sympathies to the families of Monday's victims.
Editorials were less diplomatic.
"Only the names change And the numbers," read a headline in the Times of London. "Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?"
The French daily Le Monde said the regularity of mass shootings across the Atlantic was a blotch on America's image.
"It would be unjust and especially false to reduce the United States to the image created, in a recurrent way, from the bursts of murderous fury that some isolated individuals succumb to. But acts like this are rare elsewhere, and tend to often disfigure the 'American dream.'"
Police started identifying the victims Tuesday. One was a Peruvian student identified as Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, according to his mother Betty Cuevas, who said her son was studying international relations.
Professors from India, Israel and Canada also were killed.
Liviu Librescu, 76, an engineering science and mathematics lecturer, tried to stop the gunman from entering his classroom by blocking the door before he was fatally shot, his son said Tuesday from Tel Aviv.
"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said. His father, a Holocaust survivor, immigrated to Israel from Romania, and was on sabbatical in Virginia.
Indian-born G.V. Loganathan, 51, a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was also among the dead, his brother G.V. Palanivel told Indian media.
"We all feel like we have had an electric shock. We do not know what to do," Palanivel said.
Canadian Jocelyn Couture-Nowak, a French instructor, also died in the shootings, said her husband Jerzy Nowak, head of the university's horticulture department. "We're mourning," Nowak said.
The killings also hit a nerve for Virginia Tech alumni abroad.
"I think if this does prompt a serious and reflective debate on gun issues and gun law in the States, then some good may come from this woeful tragedy," said British Home Office Minister Tony McNulty, who graduated in 1982.
Britain's 46 homicides involving firearms last year was the lowest since the late 1980s. New York City, with 8 million people compared to 53 million in England and Wales, recorded 590 homicides last year.
"If the guns are harder to get a hold of, fewer people will do it," said Michael Dent, a 65-year-old construction worker in London. "You can't walk up to a supermarket or shop and buy a gun like in the States."
But even in Germany, where gun-control laws are strict, a teenager in 2002 shot and killed 12 teachers, a secretary, two students and a police officer at a high school. The shooter was a gun club member licensed to own weapons. The attack led Germany to raise the age for owning recreational firearms from 18 to 21.
"The instant I saw the pictures and heard the commentary, it immediately brought back our own experience," Gutenberg high school director Christiane Alt said of the Virginia Tech killings.
The Swedish daily Goteborgs-Posten said without access to weapons, the killings at Virginia Tech may have been prevented.
"What exactly triggered the massacre in Virginia is unclear, but the fundamental reason is often the perpetrator's psychological problems in combination with access to weapons," it wrote.
The shootings drew intense media coverage in China, in part because the school has a large Chinese student body.
"This incident reflects the problem of gun control in America," Yuan Peng, an American studies expert in China, was quoted as saying by state-run China Daily.
Only 7 percent of the more than 26,000 students at Virginia Tech are foreign, according to the school Web site. But Chinese make up nearly a third of that.
In Italy, there are three types of licenses for gun ownership: for personal safety, target practice and skeet shooting, and hunting. Authorization is granted by the police. To obtain a gun for personal safety, the owner must be an adult and have a "valid" reason.
Italy's leading daily Corriere della Sera's main story on the shootings was an opinion piece entitled "Guns at the Supermarket" a critical view of the U.S. gun lobby and the ease with which guns can be purchased. State-run RAI radio also discussed at length what it said were lax standards for gun ownership in the United States.
"The latest attack on a U.S. campus will shake up America, maybe it will provoke more vigorous reactions than in the past, but it won't change the culture of a country that has the notion of self-defense imprinted on its DNA and which considers the right of having guns inalienable," Corriere wrote in its front-page story.
Several Italian graduate students at Virginia Tech recounted how they barricaded themselves inside a geology department building not far from the scene of the shooting.
In Mexico, radio commentators criticized the availability of firearms in the U.S. Others renewed Mexico's complaint that most guns in Mexico are smuggled in from the United States.
The killings led newspapers' front pages, with Mexico City's Dario Monitor reporting: "Terror returns to the U.S.: 32 assassinated on university campus." The tabloid Metro compared Mexico's death toll Monday from drug violence to the number of people killed at Virginia Tech, in a front-page headline that read: "U.S. 33, Mexico 20."
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Associated Press Writers Charles Hutzler, Alexandru Alexe, Raphael Satter, Robert Barr, Karl Ritter, Nicole Winfield, Gavin Rabinowitz, Alex Braun, Courtney French and Traci Carl contributed to this report.
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
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Britain's 46 homicides involving firearms last year was the lowest since the late 1980s. New York City, with 8 million people compared to 53 million in England and Wales, recorded 590 homicides last year.
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
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When you get a chance....IF YOU WANT, Listen to the song by KRS 1 "100 gun 200 clip". He explains the whole process in what he considers Urban Poetry....LOL
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
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As a matter of fact "coincidentlly", over here when growing up, Virginia license plates were always a red flag in certain neighborhoods... Carolinas too.
Call it code of the street if you will...or profiling
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
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I carry my .38 every place that I go. And I think ALL law abiding citizens should do the same. If a criminal knows that you are carrying....he will probably pass you by.
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ya know, this could be taken wrong, since I do kid around...but what about "Kevlar-wear" for peeps who might be attacked in groups: schools, churches, etc...?
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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Oh, yeah, I see. Pardon me for thinking we all are alike.
When it is me or someone other than you, it is "prejudice or stereotyping or bigotry", narrow minded, partisan. When it is you it is just a personal and acceptable "feeling".
I see your point. You have rights we don't and we have responsibilities you don't.
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Yeah, we figured something was upsetting your stomach and causing you to bark at everyone.
Whem I was maybe 6 or 7 grandaddy gave me a chaw and whomped me on the back about 5 minutes into the thing, causing me to gasp and swaller the cud......I was a real irratable pain in the butt for a couple of days.....sicker'n a dog that had et lye soap. He just grinned all the while and finally, about a week later, asked, "Did ya learn from it?"
Dang right I did: DON'T TRUST GRANDADDY'S TEACHING TECAHNIQUES AND BE SUSPECIOUS OF HIS GENEROUSITIES!
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Ummmmm just heard this on Bill Maher and dont really understand...explanation?...Texans?...ANYBODY!!?
New bill for blind Texas hunters
Hunting is hugely popular in Texas Blind hunters would be able to use laser-sighted rifles to hunt animals in Texas, if a bill introduced in the state's legislature is successful. Republican Edmund Kuempel proposed an amendment to existing law that would permit "legally blind" people to use a laser-sighting device when hunting.
Current Texas law prohibits the use of laser sights, spotlights and headlights for hunting purposes.
A sighted person would be legally required to accompany the blind hunter.
"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," said Mr Kuempel.
Sighted guide
Blind hunters are not a new phenomenon in Texas.
Under current procedures, a sighted guide can assist a visually-impaired hunter by peering over the hunter's shoulders and advising where to aim the gun and when to pull the trigger.
However, hunters say that without a laser pointer it is difficult to time the shot.
Laser sights, spotlights and headlights are banned in hunting in Texas, because they can make the animals freeze in their tracks.
If the bill is passed in when the state legislature reconvenes in January, it will probably not become law until 2008.
Mr Kuempel's bill would give the state until 1 January 2008, to come up with a definition of legally blind so the law could be enforced.
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
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Wrong thread is excusable. It's a common blunder.....passing on that embarrassing private family bit of matter to the public when that is really none of their concern or business or yours, though....
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I have read the arguments, or society is changing from a frontier mentality, the only thing that is not changing as fast is our gun laws.
If you want to keep having these shootings in a ever more stress full society just keep every thing as is, cow tow to the gun lobbiest. The manufacturers don't care who dies they just want to make there product with no restrictions and let us live with the aftermath.
So let the mentally deranged get all the guns they want and the criminals as long as we get to keep our machine gun. LOL America
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Whack jobs can--and have--killed way more folks with McVeigh-type supplies than with guns. Take away legal weapons, and you've got thugs with bats ruling the night.
It was a savage land when the bow 'n arrow was the precision weapon, and nothing has changed. Leave it To Beaver was just a TV show...
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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Tex you get over your Thang or what ever thang means.
You can sit there and tell everyone because people die in other ways. To bad they were able to buy a gun and kill your children just get over it
crazy people that blow up buildings, car crashes, areoplanes going down by any means. All these things justifies sick mental cases,felons, under age drug addicts being able to buy fire arms to kill our childern with.
That is what I read in your stupid post every one of these crazies that so far has shot a school up has done so by getting fire arms very easy by irresponseible parents or merchants.
I am not saying taking away your little toys that you most likely don't use well. But making reasonable laws with safe guards to make sure that people like this guy in Virginia does not find it so easy to get his hands on the weapons that kill 30 students.
I also think that people that by a gun if they are not a responsable owner should be held with partial responsabilty on how thoes firearms are used.
I don't know how you were raised but after a post like that I think you owe the victims of Virgina Tech. a good I am sorry.
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bond? irresponsible people shouldn't have kids either...
or drive cars. the list goes on...
had the girls who filed a stalking complaint on the shooter followed thru? this wouldna happened or maybe it would have with illegally obtained firearms.....
i don't like to say that but you made me spit it out..
i have encouraged many female victims to fight back using the system..some have, and been successful. some have and not gained justice..some have NOT fought back enough....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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I really don't care what you spit out it does make sense that they should have followed through with there peeping tom complaint but this sounds to me like people are looking for ways to justify certian things that have to change.
If you are not a criminal and I know criminals what do you have to fear of better background checks and more restrictions or longer waiting periods
Hunting rifles I own a lot of them psitols I use them in my line of work since I was 18 years old.
People killers m14 and 16 since I was 18 guns have been part of my life.
the fact of life our laws about firearms have to change and we don't need anymore of this crap to deal with. I don't say take them awayI say safe guards more of them are needed. excuses are like A holes everybody has one
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i guess what i'm saying is the we ALREADY have the laws...
it's people not doing their jobs that's causing the problems... those girls were afraid enough to go to the cops, but didn't feel a civic duty to follow thru...
my reference to "spitting it out" is that i don't realy feel that good about criticizing the girls that didn't press the charges...
the English professor did go thru the process, but his writings weren't enough to convict him of anything....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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I believe anyone (who doesn't fail current background checks) should be able to purchase any type of gun they want to buy. You want to own an assault weapon? Fine with me.
But here's my twist on it.
If it's a recognized hunting weapon, keep it at home.
If it is a single hand gun purchased (after background checks, training, and registration) for self defense, keep it at home.
Anything else...you want it, go ahead and apply/ go thru the system to get it. However, the weapon won't be delivered to you, it'll be delivered to the closest armory.
I think any weapons beyond a single gun for defense or hunting should be required to be stored at the local armory.
Think about it. If we get invaded and you don't have an hour to get to the armory then, I'm sorry but, your area is going to be overrun and classified as enemy territory very soon and your weapon will likely end up in enemy hands (and you dead or captive.) Having it at the armory makes it more likely it will be evacuated or destroyed if things get real bad before the wrong hands can grab it.
Secondly, have a shooting range at each armory where folks can use their weapons and there is no difference than taking your weapon to any other shooting range. In fact, you have army boys around to swap stories and give tips which will make you a better shooter.
Thirdly, it gives the army boys an extra reason to stay sharp on guard duty if the armory is stocked with civilian weapons and visited by civilians.
Fourthly, military spending counts for near half our tax dollars. Makes sense to have the military getting the bucks from weapons storage and gallery use for those that have an interest in munitions and save everybody a buck or two on the 1040.
(One other thing here, if you sell your gun I think you should have to do the same type of paperwork as when you sell your car. Gun resale is where a lot of weapons get lost and end up on the streets. This needs to be cleaned up IMO)
Dat's a my thoughts.
BF
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