Gun Control Law Helped Campus Killer

In January 2002, a student at the Virginia Appalachian School of Law, Peter Odighizuwa, shot three people dead before other students were able to retrieve guns from their cars and put an end to the carnage before there was more bloodshed. Over thirty victims at VA Tech yesterday were denied that right as a result of a campus gun control law that helped the shooter pick off his targets at will.

we agree!

[nocomment]

You and I have very different politics, but I respect that because you actually seem educated. We finally have something we agree on. I mentioned this to someone yesterday as they were still picking up the shards.

Re:

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

I suppose I was anti-gun, when I beleived the basic rule of law was not broken...

Bollocks

[sam_handelman]

I'm pretty agnostic about most aspects of gun control, but can you point to a single study showing that people actually use concealed weapons to prevent crimes?

I have great skepticism about the effectiveness of English gun control laws in reducing gun violence - gun violence did rise over the period during which English gun laws were introduced (albeit not nearly as fast as it rose here,) but there is at least *some* data that tends to back up this assertion. The reverse assertion is, as far as I k

Re:

[iminplaya]

...can you point to a single study showing that people actually use concealed weapons to prevent crimes?

A prevented crime is unlikely to be reported to the authorities. Without official records, how can such a study be conducted? It would seem to be as credible as an exit poll.

Re:

[sam_handelman]

Firstly, that isn't true. Attempted muggings have a very high report rate. Likewise, home invasions, etc.

Secondly, I'd be willing to take secondary evidence. A comparison showing that states with concealed weapons laws have lower incidence of gun violence.

As it so happens, the reverse is true, on a state by state basis - there are ways you can crunch the numbers that don't show this trend, but as an unbiased third-party observer, you have to massage the data pretty hard to avoid getting thi

Re:

[iminplaya]

Ok, I was kind of under the impression that some people might not like to "advertise" to the authorities that they brandished a gun, even if it did prevent the crime. I just would like to believe that crime rates would be lower when people have the means to defend themselves. Maybe guns come into play because too many believe that guns are the only way to defend themselves, and it provides instant gratification. No messy training and discipline needed. Just point and shoot. "Bang, Bang, You're Dead". More t