Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Have a kid to send to college? Did you add gun to the list of items to buy for him or her?

I have been reading and watching a lot of the coverage on the massacre on VT campus today. One interesting article was an interview that was aired on MSNBC. There was this gentleman saying that Cho managed to kill thirty people because no one else had a gun to pull out and shoot at him. I couldn't believe what I heard for a second or two. The solution for gun crime is more guns? What kind of world are we living in?

People of this country have to think out side the box. It is high time they did that. Reactions from all over the world are pouring in and many in Europe and other parts of the world suggest that it is high time America had more stringent laws to control arms. Right now, it takes just three forms of ID for any one to buy a gun. What I don't understand is why do we need guns to protect ourselves?

Why did this happen?

It has been a while since I wrote something. The incidence at Virginia Tech yesterday has prompted me to jot down a few words. One gunman, with a couple of hand guns managed to kill 32 people including himself. Was he frustrated with failure in academics? failure in a relationship or was he simply playing god?

Innocent victims who went to school that Monday morning as on any day didn't know what was in store for them. Some of them didn't know that that day was going to be their last day on earth. How easy is it? How easy is it to get hold of a gun and start shooting people indiscriminately?

The question that came to my mind as soon as I came to know about this event is how easy is it to get hold of a gun in this country? Guns can't be shipped to any one without an FFL (Federal Firearms license) but any one can purchase a gun from a store that has an FFL. Where do you find a store with an FFL? Go on line or check your phone book, you will find plenty of resources.

I have seen a lot of billboards along the freeways about gun control. www.gunssavelife.com is a website apparently dedicated to the people their right to own guns. Do guns really save lives? Is that what happened in VT yesterday? Why do have to have guns to protect ourselves? More than thirty thousand people die every year due to violence involving guns. Kids take guns to high schools, to colleges, toddlers get killed playing with guns, come on, this is the limit. It is time the politicians stopped thinking about invading other countries and instead focussed on what's happening at home. My request to them is to please put together tougher laws, amend the constitution, prevent easy access to guns, Buy all the guns that are out there. Days have changed. People, at least most people, are not barbaric any more to have a clause int he constitution that everyone needs guns to protect themselves. We don't need guns to protect ourselves. We know better than that.