Here we go again. We're going to have the tired old debate about whether it was the guns that killed the kids at Virginia Tech or the clearly disturbed guy who used them. The answer is so obvious that I can't bear to go through another round of this debate. Of course, it's both!
A perfectly sane individual isn't going to kill those kids even if you gave them a thousand guns. And that same mentally-ill guy isn't going to be able to kill 32 people with a bow and arrow.
Someone called into our show today and said that there was a case in Japan where there was a mass stabbing and eight people were killed. Okay, now name one other mass stabbing. There aren't any other stabbing massacres or drive by stabbings. It's very hard to kill people on a large scale these days without guns. Denying that is being purposely obtuse.
That's not necessarily the end of the conversation. There are other factors at play. I think the Second Amendment is complicated and might very well apply to individuals, as well as, well-regulated militias. There is an issue of freedom. But people have to recognize that freedom isn't free. There is a price attached to our gun liberties. And there is also a limit.
How about RPGs? The NRA argues that Americans should have an absolute right to own semi-automatic weapons. Should Americans then also have the unfettered and absolute right to own shoulder fired missiles? Rocket propelled grenade launchers can also be characterized as firearms. They are just a really big shot gun with really big bullets. Does the second amendment apply to shoulder fired rocket launchers?
On the issue of abortion, we have begun to come to the center. A significant majority of the country recognizes a women's right to choose but they also recognize that we can put reasonable limits on some forms of abortion. Whether you agree or disagree, that is what a solid majority of the country believes.
Can we not find a similar middle ground on guns? You're not going to be able to put the gun genie back in the bottle in America, but isn't it possible to have some reasonable restrictions? In Virginia, you can walk into a gun show and walk out with any of the weapons there without any check whatsoever. That isn't reasonable.
Just think of some of the disturbing people you have met in your lifetime, whether they're the guy staring at you with that crazy look in his eye in the New York City subway or the really weird fellow at the rodeo who doesn't fit in with anyone. Your neighbors, your classmates, your co-workers. Think about all of them with guns. Man, if that doesn't scare the bejesus out of you, you don't live in the same place I do.
Yes, weird dudes kill people. But you know what really helps - guns and bullets. It's hard to limit weird dudes. It's a little easier to have reasonable limits on the guns they might buy and use against us.