I have been reading up a lot lately on gun control articles. Most of the media has been quick to sensationalize the mass murders that occurred on the Virginia Tech campus, seemingly trying to get people to fight for more gun control. People aren't stupid, though. A recent poll showed that over 70% of people still support the right for most Americans to bear arms. Why? Most of the murders that take place aren't mass-murders like that on the campuses of Virginia Tech or at Columbine. Most murders, that occur on a daily basis in many highly populated areas, (and sometimes in small communities) are homicides. A pizza delivery-man is ambushed while delivering a fake order. Would these gunmen be so bold as to do something like this if they thought he might have a weapon to defend himself? An elderly man is shot to death, with his pockets out-turned. You know that this was obviously done by a criminal, and someone who wouldn't stop at anything to get a hold of what was probably just a little bit of cash, if any at all. If the criminal(s) were met face to face with this man also holding a gun what a surprise it would be! I wonder how many criminals would pick on poor, innocent people if they thought there was even an inkling of a chance they might be met with their match. Guns can even out the score. No longer is an elderly person or a woman considered frail and weak.
This doesn't change anything, as far as I'm concerned. People are still getting killed, whether it's one person at a time or a majority of a classroom. The same types of people are killing. It isn't the average, law-abiding citizen. It's a criminal: who is willing to get his hands on a gun no matter what it takes, who doesn't care whether there is a law in the way or not. Why should we take away the law-abiding citizen's right to protect himself (or herself), while the criminals continue to get a hold of guns?
I like what Wayne LaPierre stated (an official in the NRA): "America's greatest treasures are in our schools. Yet we protect what's in our banks, our workplaces, our airports, even our malls more than we protect our children at school." I wonder how many kids, who were even thinking about bringing a gun to school (real or fake) would do so if they knew there were school officials with guns on their campus. I wonder how many upset parents would gun down teachers on a campus if there were administrators and teachers, and other sane parents that might be holding a gun. It does help that there are often peace officers on most campuses. It would also help if there were administrators (principals and assistant principals, maybe even teachers and parents, allowed to hold concealed weapons on campus). These types of people would have to be fairly bold to still target a school campus. It's obvious that they target gun-free zones.
Yes, these types of students usually have an ax to grind against other students - - usually the popular ones. Couldn't they just as easily find them at the mall, and why aren't they shooting out malls? Malls don't usually have signs posted, stating that they're a gun-free zone.
These types of parents usually have a complaint against a teacher or administrator, for holding their child back, or not letting their child get away with unruly behavior. They could just as easily follow the teacher(s) or administrators home, yet they have targeted the school campus. They would probably be less likely to get caught in a more private area, such as a residence, but they still target the schools. Again, I believe it's because schools are currently gun-free zones.
Yes, please improve the databases, so that no guns are released to those with a history of mental illness.
Yes, please keep tight regulations at schools, to keep an eye on people that are showing signs of mental illness.
Yes, close the gunshow loophole, so that gun collectors must go through the same regulations of having to background checks.
Yes, renew the assault weapons ban, so that people cannot get a hold of semiautomatics and high-capacity magazine-style weapons (only a criminal would usually want to get a hold of something like that).
But never, ever, should you take away our consitutional right to bear arms as a community of law-abiding, mentally healthy citizens.