ABC 'Blotter' Blog Gives Early Platform to Gun Control Group

Photo of Ken Shepherd.

Update added at bottom of post.

In a 2:30 p.m. posting, well before details about the weapons used in the tragic Virginia Tech shootings were available, ABC News's Brian Ross devoted a "Blotter" blog entry to a gun control advocate's talking points. Ross didn't make room for any gun rights advocates or find a critic to suggest the Brady Center was callously capitalizing on a tragedy to further its political agenda. Here's the entire blog post:

High capacity ammo clips became widely available for sale when Congress failed to renew a law that banned assault weapons.

Web sites now advertise overnight UPS delivery of the clips, which carry up to 40 rounds for both semi-automatic rifles, including 9mm pistols, and handguns.

"High capacity magazines read extreme firepower and gusto. Stock Up!" is the headline of one of many gun shop Web sites.

Virginia law enforcement officials have not identified the weapon used in the shootings today at Virginia Tech, but gun experts say the number of shots fired indicate, at the very least, that the gunman had large quantities of ammunition.

"When you have a weapon that can shoot off 20, 30 rounds very quickly, you're going to have a lot more injuries," said Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

That item is the only "Blotter" entry about the Virginia Tech shootings so far today. Hamm's group, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, issued a press statement on the site's home page that peddles its talking points. It also has a brand new petition page up at the site set up to sign up readers for e-mail updates. Curiously enough, "journalist" is one of the selections a petitioner can check off when describing him or herself on the form:

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

We are outraged by the increase in gun violence in America, especially the recent shooting at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, incidents like this happen all too often in all parts of this nation.

All Americans have the right to be safe from gun violence in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, and places of work and worship and all children have the right to grow up in environments free from the threat of gun violence.

It is too easy for anyone -- children, teens, and troubled adults -- to access firearms in this country and the lethality of guns make death or severe injury more likely. This must stop!

Add your name to the growing list of people who are saying "Enough Is Enough!"

Update (17:48 EDT): A few other bloggers have been addressing ABC News for the "Blotter" post:

  • "Confederate Yankee" dissects the inaccuracy of the Ross post here, concluding that "This Blotter entry by Ross and Hughes is a study in bias, wrapped around ignorance, justified by fear."
  • James Joyner at "Outside the Beltway" notes that ABC's "Blotter" is guilty of "Jumping the Gun" with its entry
  • Noting that "A newsman’s job is to report the facts first," Washington Times's Robert Stacy McCain takes issue with ABC peddling political talking points when the facts were still sketchy,

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


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I'm not going to bother loo

I'm not going to bother looking at their web site, but I wonder if they have an answer for someone who points out that VA Tech notwithstanding, the places with the highest incidence of gun violence also happen to be the places with the most restrictive gun control laws.

During the press conference, I heard what may possibly be the stupidest question ever (surrounded by many other stupid questions, but never mind that): Young-sounding guy, possibly student newspaper writer, asks: (sorry, not necessarily exact words) "Was there any evidence that the victims fought back against the shooter? I mean, I think if I was somewhere and somebody started shooting, I'd try to tackle him."

Lee T.

U.S. Navy (ret.) / Hillsboro, Oregon

The history of the race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.-- Mark Twain

I liked that question lnthomp

I liked that question lnthomp, and recall he said when asking it " If you're going to die anyway"... basically a reference to "Let's go !" on 911.

Ok, was some stupidity to it, be he probablyhoped for a herioc storyline, someone trying to save the others.

A better question surely would have been, "Since students are legally disarmed and defenseless, are you considering the legislative and security ideas about arming teachers or administrators in case of an emergency ? "

 Too bad ROTC or recruiters weren't there, they might have been able to help, with a weapon in their vehicle, or some counteraction knowledge, or observation of the killer.

 My mind goes immediately to " Where were the good armed people ready to stop this? "

 How is it that the police didn't have a fleeing suspect description in 2 hours... I understand they were theorizing it was a "domestic" style thing - rumor had it the killer murdered his girlfriend and one other in the first two dead.

 The police go for that, because it's like 47% or so of the murders, but that still leaves 53% that aren't.

 Oh well, nobody had arms to protect themselves, and the killer fled on foot initially,obviously. Probably was a stash of arms at the other college building or near it.

 Noone armed to stop it. It's too bad, since there has been talk of it. No mace, no objects tossed at the killer, not much by mayhem and running, our populace isn't as tough as they should be since they are always told to let the police handle everything, and everything was way too late this time.

 

 

May all the students killed t

May all the students killed today sit at the right hand of God.

What happened today is a huge tragedy, one that will resonate for years in our country. We can now guarantee that the left to foam at the mouth against anyone that legally owns a gun. Legal gun owners are about to become the devil in our society.

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

Clear,Then legal gun owners

Clear,

Then legal gun owners should make the argument, that had those students been armed, they would be alive today. Yes?

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

MM...I said the exact thing t

MM...

I said the exact thing to my wife about 2 hours ago. We will be putting my granddaughter in college in a few years, and I'm wondering if I should look into a campus that allows students to be armed. For you liberals...yes, I am serious!

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

Utah allows students with CCW

Utah allows students with CCW permits to carry on state campuses. I think it's the only state in the union that does allow it.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

That is a big plus for Utah

That is a big plus for Utah!!

Dr. Love...Thanks, that's ver

Dr. Love...

Thanks, that's very useful info!

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

We do not yet know how this p

We do not yet know how this person obtained the gun. The University is going to have to deal with serious issues regarding security as well as the time between the initial shooting at about 7 AM and all the other shootings. This is a horrible tragedy and shame on any media that ruses to judgment to make political points.

MM,I totally agree, I was jus

MM,

I totally agree, I was just saying that a few hours ago to to my other half on the phone, we have discussed this before with letting teachers be armed too.

...another thing I do not agree with is this lock-down crap, I would tell my kid get the heck out of there and take you weapon with you if you have one.

Nobdy would be able to keep me inside while law-enforcement takes forever to do anything....and the monster(s) are going on a rampage...I know there can be different scenario's I am just using this as one major problem that I see.

Just my opinion.

BT, I am going to make a pr

BT, I am going to make a prediction here. I think he ran out of ammo just before killing himself. Just a guess but there were NO cops around him and this incident happend over a 3-4 hour period! (according to early reports).

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Exactly MM,This is what I am

Exactly MM,

From what I am hearing...I am coming to the same conclusion as you.

Another thing I was going to add in my post and forgot is I wished more than anything all college professors and teachers be required to pack after making sure they take qualified lessons ect from oh say the NRA...(hehehee, had to throw that in) can you imagine how fast the liberal educators would move on to something else and we would have some balance in teaching young minds...for once!

If people like this kamikaze idiot knew that students and professors were packing he most likely would not of went here on this rampage.

Just my opinion.

Any word on his...gasp!...&

Any word on his...gasp!..."religious" persuassion (if any)?

No "Allah Akbars" I take it?

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

MM,Not yet, but I had to turn

MM,

Not yet, but I had to turn it to the Senate for a vote and watch Reid and Rockefeller all have a little tantrum because they lost on their intelligence vote amendment...do not ask me anymore than that at the moment about this, I am having fun watching them whine and cry because they just lost on cloture big time.

Now, you can be sure we will have to PC about this filthy little selfish delusional arse-hole that just blew away a bunch or innocent people...no matter his race or religion, unless of course he was a white man.

MM, the latest I've heard i

MM, the latest I've heard is the guy was Asian, and it was over a girl...just what I heard in the last few minutes.


Give a Democrat Party free America a chance!

Hi John,Yep, they have been r

Hi John,

Yep, they have been reporting this most of the day, the fact that he was Asian and it was over a gal...

Real sweet huh?

Filthy sick kamikaze b#stard.

If this were Iran--

If this were Iran--we would find the girl and stone her to death. Obviously, it would be her fault, just for being a girl!

Asian, aren't those guys ki

Asian, aren't those guys kinda small? I know he had two hand guns, but wasn't the room full of Virginia farm boys? I know if I was there and he started shooting I would... Oh, hell I would probably do what they did, who am I kidding.

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

sweet tallulah BT----

sweet tallulah BT----you know that over 75% of colleges' faculties are Liberals. Why would you trust them with guns???????

All joking aside --do you honestly think a liberal professor would carry?? Do you honestly believe the same people would risk their lives for others?

I do not.

misterb,That was my whole poi

misterb,

That was my whole point as I mentioned in my post...they would leave teaching, we would get conservatives in the colleges teaching young minds..

Look I know that is a dream..but if it were ever made a law, we would have conservatives in there...you may want to reread my post.

LOL!

holy moley Batgirl---you mean--

holy moley Batgirl---you mean someone who would teach the truth?? This sounds like a job for Conservative Man. Look, up in the sky, its's a bird, it's a train, no--it's a birdbrained liberal!! Hee  hee! CM will kick his butt !

The left constantly claims th

The left constantly claims that education is the cure-all for every ill...except when it comes to gun crimes...then the solution is a gun ban.

I strongly feel that every man, woman, and child in this country needs to be well versed in gun handling and safety whether they choose to own a gun or not. Every person in this country should be able to clear and inspect a gun to ensure its safe handling. I think gun safety should be taught in schools. Firearms education will diffuse fear of firearms, hands-on training and experience will make this country safer and will also diffuse gun curiosity which is how many  gun accidents happen. Many people fear guns because they have never touched one, and they avoid them as they would avoid the plague.

The key is education. Then let citizens choose whether they want to own/carry a firearm or not.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

Mean Gene,You know where this

Mean Gene,

You know where this will end up....campus security a la the airport.  Metal detectors, strip down to your cloth clothes.

One cop in a class could have stopped this.

But the libs will take this tragedy and spin it to favor their anti-gun position.

Now, more than ever, I believe I must get a carry permit (as we've discussed before).

Education, as you said, is the key.

Thanks for your cogent points.

Blonde, I got mine right afte

Blonde, I got mine right after 9/11 and, like my American Express card, I never leave home without it.

If a potential crimedoer has to ask himself if I am armed or not he will think twice. Fortunately, here in Florida, he has to worry about all of us.

The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program...........Ronald Reagan

Ditto, Buford. Never leave

Ditto, Buford. Never leave home without it. I'm not going down like a sheep.

That's good thinking, brilliant

That's good thinking, brilliant. Good job.

I can see the horrified lib teachers and administrators... you mean I might have to do something, I'm responsible to a degree for my students safety ? 

postponed

Ct,

Exactly right.

I have posted the same sentiments elsewhere today since this happened.

Politicians and the 2nd amendment, trial lawyers and the media will go nuts as usual..I want to put this in real quick, I posted elsewhere after this happened that schemer, Leahy and Spectoid will not be happy about this, no television coverage, well they just announced their postponing this until Thursday....what phonies, acting as if this is for the people slain, when in all actuality it is for the obvious lack of coverage they would get.

My heart and prayers go out to the families...may those injured recover fully.

god doesnt exist

god doesnt exist

OOOOhhhh if there were no gun

OOOOhhhh if there were no guns, there would be no gun crimes.. feels soo good. So logical isn't it..  <sarc>

Israel and Switzerland have some very impressive gun laws, You MUST have an automatic sub-machine gun in your home if you live in Israel. 70 % of street crime is stopped by the citizens, no waiting time for 911 responders to arrive.

Well, why wait for all thos

Well, why wait for all those pesky facts to come in before forming an opinion. I think that may actually be ABC News's motto.

When are the gun banners goin

When are the gun banners going to face facts?

In countries where guns are illegal, crime still happens (often times increases)

People intent on killing will find a means to their end.

When I lived in Fiji (the general population cannot own guns) people were murdered by machete, dosed in kerosene and ignited, and poisoning. Murders still happened.

From what I've read stabbings in the U.K. are a big problem...and BTW, people still get shot even though guns are banned...wonder how that happens...crime has skyrocketed since their gun bans took effect. Criminals have a blank check because they are more than certain that their victims are unarmed.

An armed citizenry deters crime and is better able to control, diffuse, or elimate criminal actions in private residences as well as in public places, than any law enforcement agency in the world. There have been polls of criminals that have indicated that most criminals will leave an intended victim alone if they suspect they may be armed.

Peace through superior firepower. Being unarmed means being the perfect and preferred victim.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

Dr. Love, right you are.More

Dr. Love, right you are.

More guns less crime, it's a fact.

On differing methodology

Mean Gene - You mean to tell me that there are other means of killing someone, other than with a gun???

"The law is far, the fist is near." - Korean proverb

Yeah...how many machete or ke

Yeah...how many machete or kerosene murders do you hear about here in the U.S. (pop. 300,000,000+)? They were not uncommon occurances in Fiji (pop. 850,000 give or take) if someone was reported murdered, your first guess was machete, next guess kerosene/beating with a blunt object.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

Kennesaw GA

In Kennesaw GA, residents are REQUIRED to own a gun. nobody comes to check for compliance, but I invite anyone to check the very low crime rate in Kennesaw.

Here's a link to an NRA pap

Here's a link to an NRA paper "The Armed Criminal in America" that shows that criminals will avoid situations where they may encounter an armed citizen.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

Armed criminal in America

Armed criminal in America

[ Although 37% of those surveyed admitted that they personally had "run into a victim who was armed with a gun," that figure surpassed the 50% mark for armed criminals, an experience shared by 57% of the active gun predators. And 34% of the sample admitted to having been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim."

Significantly, almost 40% said there was at least one time when the criminal "decided not to do a crime because [he] knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun." ]

That says a lot.

Australia

Violent crime has been on the increase in Australia since the banning of guns...

Bottom line, even in this country, you ban guns, and the only thing you do, is make law abiding citizens unable to purchase and carry -- that's all. Law abiding... criminals don't regularly buy their weapons from a gun store, nor do they register these weapons with any government agency. They have this really neat thing called the "Black Market" -- and that's where they go for their choice in firearms... not Bob's Gun Store on the corner.


"Stop global warming! Asphyxiate a liberal!" -
Show us how far you're willing to go to stop "global warming"

Can't stop drugs, can't stop guns either.

Can't stop drugs, can't stop guns either. Not sure the ban on alcohol worked. lol Silly liberals. I'd say one could stop very large items, like tanks, for the most part, but then again someone with a Hummer and a garage could make one in not too long.

 Pretty tough banning things here with so much human and merchandise traffic.

They've not even identified t

They've not even identified the victims, and the media and others are already pointing fingers and blaming, trying to use it for their own purposes.  Its troubling enough on its own; it just seems selfish and very cruel to add more.

Laws work?

Wait. What? Is this new information??? Laws prevent crimes? Holy crap! Are they telling me that they could simply pass a law and all crime would end? Jeez, this is great news!

If only we had some kind of waiting period to prevent impulsive criminals from acting out their rage. Oh wait. We do. Well maybe we should have declared the entire campus a 'Gun Free Zone' then this would have nev... oh ya. We did that already. Maybe we should prevent the citizens of this country and more specifically student at Virginia Tech from being able to defend themselves by removing their legal right to bear arm! Oh. Fudge. We did that too.

Rather that accept the fact that some people in our society are just generally screwed up and would kill people with a salad shooter if given the chance, these media fear mongers and activist wackos immediately start the blame game. What a crock.

I wish I was surprised that t

I wish I was surprised that the VA Tech tragedy would be a catalyst for the anti gun lobby but alas I am not.  I wish the anti gun lobby would get it through their thick heads that anti gun laws only keep guns away from the law abiding public not the criminals. On a personal note my prayers go out to the family members of the victims.

it is an opportunity--

it is an opportunity--for (to use O'Reilly's title) the Secular -Progressives to drive hard at attacking another  right of freemen in America. Those on the NRA side of the issue are the women and men who will fight and die to protect the rights of those on the other side of the issue. What a strange thing democracy is!

The central problem here was

The central problem here was that this shooter - like all the others - had no respect for the sanctity of life - this was just a bunch of abortions to him...

Over 3000 other kids bit the dust yesterday at planned parenthood...

Perfect analogy.

Perfect analogy.

...thanks, man - that's 3000

...thanks, man - that's 3000 every day - well, 3030 yesterday...

Feel Safe Yet?

Spring of 2005, a Virginia Tech student was disciplined by the school for bringing a handgun into class, depsite the fact the student had a concealed handgun permit.

In June of that same year, Virginia Tech's Governing Board approved a violence prevention policy banning students and employees from carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities. The policy required gun-toters to check their firearms with campus security.  As if deranged moonbats or terrorists will check their weapons upon entering. It is ironic that a center for "higher education" with a multitude of professors and others with advanced degrees never considered that maybe, just maybe, the only people that would fail to follow these rules and regulations would be criminals. 

In response to this gun-ban policy, Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert introduced a bill that would give the right to students and employees with proper permits to carry weapons on campus.  Not surprisingly in our feel-good PC bizzaro world, the bill died in the first stage of subcomittee. 

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was thrilled to hear the bill was defeated; "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."  Well, as long as everyone feels safe.....

I wonder if any lives would have been saved at Virginia Tech if one of the students involved had been allowed to defend himself by legally carrying a firearm?  We will never know.  The leftists tell us we must rely on the government for our well-being.  I recall that on 911, the only group that succeeded in preventing the terrorists from carrying out their mission was not the government - It was the passengers on Flight 93. 

acumen,Oh my God!I thought I

acumen,

Oh my God!

I thought I heard the Judge whats his name on Fox saying about a little of this, I was going in and out and missed most of it.

Thank you for that info, and of course it would of helped not hindered this massacre if just one person had a gun and a good shot at this piece of work, when will we get these feel good nanny state politicians out of the way...when they get SUED!

This may have been prevented.

Thank you so much for that once again.

acumen

More likely acumen, it was news when it passed, and common information about the area,so the killer knew noone would oppose him.

 That bill more than likely produced the massacre.

I truly hope, as we speak, th

I truly hope, as we speak, the first of many lawsuits, based on the no-carry regulations of this campus, is being put together.

The campus administrators had a hand in killing these people. The families of the deceased ought to end up owning this campus.

To the administrators: How dare you!

Rochester, Minnesota: A Fem_Leftist City!

Alger,I would also like to se

Alger,

I would also like to see the president of VT be prosecuted for gross negligence, if not for being a party to manslaughter. The response, or lack thereof, of both the school administration as well as the campus "police" was beyond criminal. 

Homeland Security is you, at home, with a loaded firearm.

Also, campus security. After

Also, campus security. After all, they are the ones that are supposed to posess the skills required to  provide security. They failed, big time.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!

I would urge sane people of V

I would urge sane people of VA to take out a couple of ads in newspapers to remind people the words of Larry Hincker - together with his picture and picture or other people on the board who were delighted by bills death next to pictures of VA Tech victims.

Humiliate them publically. Make them feel the bite of their decisions. Make them FACE ridicule of people time and time again. Right must adopt left's methodology to fight left.

I just happen to turn TV on a

I just happen to turn TV on and saw Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, being interviewed by the BCC. The interviewer started her interview by saying, "How many of these shooting will it take before America wakes up and does something about gun control". The story led with a BCC anchor saying that many in America think it is their right to own fire arms. Yes, our Founder Fathers gave us that right! What complete morons on the BCC!

Or rather, God gave us the

Or rather, God gave us the right to self defense and the Founders realized that an individual's right to defend himself and to defend the state (a free state) in times of crisis depends upon the freedom of the individual to keep and bear arms.

But other than that, yeah, you're correct. I find the bias from British outlets on this loathsome, particularly because they've had an uptick in "gun violence" since 1997 when new guns bans went into effect. Blair has been vehemently anti-gun and it's done nothing to curb, and indeed probably helps indirectly promote, the weapons race that British drug gangs are engaged in.

The British just don't &quot;

The British just don't "get" our way of life or our ideals.  They didn't "get" it in 1776, and they sure don't "get" it now.

Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"

no wonder they dont get our

no wonder they dont get our way of life we are obsessed by killing ourselves whether its to start wars with no reason or to let any old crap get a shooter we love to kill ourselves , instituitional suicide i think.

&quot;We&quot;? In between

"We"? In between this nonsense and your earlier pointless god-trolling, I hereby predict a limited lifetime for the "7MS" screen-name...Let's say "probably 'not found' by noon Eastern time."
JMR

This sarcasmo-prediction wa

This sarcasmo-prediction was also correct. Heh heh heh...Battin' 1000 today.
JMR

Mark the calander buddy. :-

Mark the calander buddy. :-)

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Wars with no reason? Name one

Wars with no reason? Name one! With all the paperwork and filing with the government not any old person can get a gun. So much crap such a small post.

The hottest places in hell are oft reserved for those who in times of moral crisis remain neutral

Ken,Thanks for your response

Ken,

Thanks for your response (I meant to say our, "Founding Fathers").

Oh it had already started thi

Oh it had already started this morning with Nora O'Donnell's insinuations, it will be all over our networks for awhile once again msh..the debate continues, but the leftist politicians have to be very wary, they do not want to grab on to making any more laws than we already have, they do not get the votes.

From My Cold Dead Hand!

It's now 6:33 PM at VA Tech.

It's now 6:33 PM at VA Tech.  this shooter has been dead for several hours, yet these "journalists" reporting this story have made no mention as yet as to the identity of this person.  We are not even given a glimpse at gender and race.  Surely those who observed this shooter's dead body could tell if this was male or female, black, white, asian, or other. 

Why has this not been reported?  Instead of 'who, what, why, when, where', we are treated to , "Oh my God!  [he] has a gun!  There ought to be better gun control!  How could this happen, etc, etc. 

Speculation:  the reason the MSM has not reported on the identity of the shooter is the race/ethnicity of the shooter.   Five will get you ten, this shooter is a member of a political victim class of one sort or another..

Since this morning they have

Since this morning they have been reporting that is was an Asian male. I've seen it in almost every article I've read today. I just read that they can't make a positive ID because he shot himself in the face and wasn't carrying an ID.

"I'd rather be bald than to pretend that I'm not!" --Mean Gene Dr. Love on comb-overs.

Try to find the shooter's ide

Try to find the shooter's identity on www.cnn.com.  I can't.  just reams of sensationalism.  Fox News isn't any better.  Their website, www.foxnews.com also does not say anything I could find in 5 minutes about the identiy of the shooter.  I'ts all sensationalist video.  No real journalism is present.

ABC via Drudge says that shoo

ABC via Drudge says that shooter was an Asian male, approx. 6 ft. tall.

Our sympathies go out to the

Our sympathies go out to the families of the victims of this shooting.  We hope it would be the last of such events but we really can't stop a lunatic from such things if they are bent on it.

You knew the liberal media would jump on this as a call to pass more (useless) gun-control legislation.  (As if simply having a law against something will keep anyone from breaking it.)  Current laws are constantly broken and those that get caught end up in jail, so it is plain as day that having laws against something does not stop it.

Perhaps we should learn from the liberals and push the thought that if concealed carry can save one life, isn't it worth it to have it be the law of the land.  After all, they push all kinds of useless (if not actually harmful) drivel under this umbrella.  Wouldn't something that actually would work be better to push for?

What a sad &amp; tragic day f

What a sad & tragic day for America!    And to make matters worse we'll have all the gun control nuts coming out of the woodwork, including her lowness, Rosie, the rogue, O'Dimwit.   That's if she's able to get off her upside down  swing.     There have been about 5 murders in my county  over the last year or so.  One victim was killed with a gun.  The rest were all killed in other ways.  When will they ever learn?

I am stunned and saddended

Being and alumnus of VT, this hits me harder than I would have guessed. I don't know any of the students or faculty involved (I think) but I still have a hollow feeling. My prayers go out to the whole VT community and the families that are affected by this tragedy.

I am aslo saddened because I know that this will be spun into an anti-gun issue by the gun control radicals and the MSM. This is, in fact, a perfect illustration of why people should carry guns for their protection. Had some of the students or faculty been armed, the madman could have been stopped perhaps before he was able to kill 31 other people.

Virgina has some of the easiest conceled cary laws in the country, but Universities and colleges are allowed to prohibit weapons on their campuses even for those with a valid permit. The result is that college campuses in Virginai are just about the only places where you can guarentee no ones has a gun (unless you are planning a masacre yourself).

If you outlaw guns, only outlaws (and the government) will have guns.

c5,I can only imagine how you

c5,

I can only imagine how you must feel as an alumus of VT.  I'd be so totally apalled having the focus of a maniac thrust upon my alma mater.  With the focus being "gun control".

I never watch the news, but my parents live with me, and they love Charlie Gibson.  So I heard all of the liberal MsM idiocy as I was reading here.

This is a gigantic tragedy.  I didn't hear about it until about 3:30 today, and I was just in a state of shock over the whole thing.

Again, my condolences for this horrible thing that has happened to a place you hold near and dear to your heart.

i'm going to ramble...sadly,

i'm going to ramble...

sadly, the events of today will only serve as campaign fodder for various political snakes ...

before the bodies are removed from the crime scene ... before the parents are notified of their childrens' deaths, out come the anti-gun lobbyists and their agenda ... and i'm sure within the next day, we'll see several prominant political figures running for president using the corpses of my fellow hokies as grounds to pitch for votes ... just like they have with those who've died in iraq.

living here in blacksburg, where the community is centered around the university ... the effects of today's events are bad enough (as in "worst mass murder in US history") without the throng of armchair quarterbacks from the MSM second guessing everything they felt "should have been done" (as if they could have prevented it from happening) and their vain attempts to vilify the instrument of destruction rather than the murderous individual.

"high capacity magazines" is a sexy term for the anti-gun lobby, but 3 10-round magazines equals 1 30-round magazine ... simple math ... and my experience shows that smaller magazines are less-prone to malfunction than the "big ones".  not to mention that one reason semi-autos are preferred is that they can be reloaded in seconds, regardless of the magazine size 

&quot;high capacity magazin

"high capacity magazines" is a sexy term for the anti-gun lobby, but 3
10-round magazines equals 1 30-round magazine ... simple math ... and
my experience shows that smaller magazines are less-prone to
malfunction than the "big ones". not to mention that one reason
semi-autos are preferred is that they can be reloaded in seconds,
regardless of the magazine size.

Great Point. Also it is much less expensive to purchase multiple OEM or "normal" magazines (not 'clips' as the MSM is so fond of using) than it is to purchase a "high capacity" magazine.

This certainly is a tragedy. But the Left, the MSM, and the gun-banners are going to make it even worse if they prevail.

The pro-gun lobby will jump o

The pro-gun lobby will jump on this incident, too, don't you think?

The whole thing is horrible.

Amigo, maybe the first time

Amigo, maybe the first time you have been totally right! Congrats! :-)

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

No ramble, pmohbuck, todays

No ramble, pmohbuck, todays events show that there should be MORE licensed carriers of hand guns (everyone?). Simple Logic: If everyones pakin, no ones shootin!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

I don't agree with that logic

I don't agree with that logic. The last thing I want is a bunch of college students getting into a huge shootout with each other.

It would have worked today!

It would have worked today! Right?

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

How so? You have no way of kn

How so? You have no way of knowing that the armed students would have been able to stop the gunman, or that they could have limited the carnage.

Are you serious? it's life

Are you serious? it's life or death, of course you will shoot! cmon bal, weak, man weak!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

You'll probably shoot, but wi

You'll probably shoot, but will you hit anything? Will you hit your intended target? Or will you hit someone else by accident?

It's your life or theirs, I

It's your life or theirs, If your trained in the use of a handgun, yes, you will hit your target. The WHOLE FRIGGIN POINT! Bal, you're weak on this, give up, please.

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Bal...You have to be kidding,

Bal...

You have to be kidding, this is a no-brainer!`

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

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