Sunday, April 22, 2007

Virgnia Tech - "most horrific shootout till now"?

This is how TV reporters are describing what happened at VT. Other facts - there have 19 cases of shootouts in places of learning in the last 10 years (source: BBC). I'm sorry, but what will it take for the American Public to wake up and smell the gunpowder?
It is really only the public that can take a stand for gun control, because the American politician's sure ain't gonna do anything - the gun lobby is too damn powerful.
If you need guns for your protection, then what is your Police really doing? If the world's (only) superpower's citizens feel the need for owning guns because they need them for their protection, then one really needs to think if this is a sane line of thinking. Just because you have a history of owning guns (and doing so proudly) is not justification enough for continuing to sell firearms to the public.

This incident was not because that it was that guy at that place - it was just a guy who was nuts and had EASY access to guns. The most troubling thought is that this combination is frighteningly common in a country like the US (in other countries, it would just be "a guy who was nuts and threatened to jump of a building").
So all it takes is a simple sequence of events - "weird" or mad guy has enough of his employer or teacher, decides to take some revenge for the wrongdoings he is suffering.

Sad to say but unless there is a drastic change in gun control laws in the US, incidents like this will continue to take place (I wish I'm wrong).

2 comments:

Avi said...

Hey Sameer,

I just read your blog about Gun Control. You have covered many good points. One thing I must add though is that, whereever in the world--be in Japan or India or the US, when a person really wanted to shoot someone, he has found a way to get hold of a gun. The thing is, even with gun control, its easy to get a weapon. Just an offhand point i wanted to make, i totally agree with gun control though. Hows it in japan? hows your mom--give my regards to her.

Avinash

Sameer said...

hi Avinash
That is true, a psychotic person can get a gun when he wants one, maybe by killing a man who owns it, but gun control is to make it harder for these guys to get hold of a gun. You can never have a water proof solution without infringing on people's privacy (searching houses, frisking people), but it shouldn't be as easy as going to a store and buying a gun.

Life in Japan is good. Mom is recovering from a fracture - she had broken her thigh bone and had to undergo surgery. She is doing fine now. :)