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Many argue that the Second Amendment is the foundation that provides easy access to guns in the US. The first four words of this amendment grant the right to bear arms in support of "a well regulated militia".
What militia could Cho have possibly been a member of? If he was a member, I can't imagine how it could be argued that it is "well regulated".
Even if the 2nd Amendment protects the personal right of gun ownership (not settled law by any means), the government can still pass reasonable regulations that limit this right for the health and safety of society as a whole.
Classic example, I have a 1st Amendment right to free speech. I don't have a right to scream "FIRE" in a crowded theater.
Another: If I want to march and protest I can be required to get a permit that regulates where I go, where people will stand, how our message will be presented, etc.
BenAround, AussieMale; thanks for the replies. I like respectful debate. I see we've wandered around the topic a bit since I last posted, so I'm just responding to the guns issue we were talking about before. Here are another few examples that I believe show that this kind of occurance is NOT as rare as being hit by lightning (not anymore, sadly). I'm really not sure what THE answer is; but I darn well know that more gun control laws are not going to help. After a night to cool down on this issue; what I believe in most is personal accountability...but that's a whole new topic.
Here's some more examples; these are not school shootings but are more self/home defense types. Take what you will from them.
Kansas’ concealed carry law took effect January 1, 2007. On January 19, two armed men burst into a gas station owned by Dean Yee. According to police, they twice demanded money from Yee while holding him at gunpoint. A customer inside the store, however, had a concealed-carry permit. He shouted for the robbers to drop their weapons. When they refused, he shot one suspect before the other fled. Station owner Yee feels lucky to be alive. “I would have been shot in the chest,” he told 27 News. Kansas Sen. Phil Journey, (R-Haysville) added, “Hopefully this will put other criminals and thugs on notice that Kansas is a different state today
than it was just 20 days ago.” (The Topeka Capital-Journal, Topeka, KS, 01/23/07)
Raymond Hill’s 12-year-old daughter woke him up with startling news: two people were trying to break into their home. Police say Hill loaded a .40-caliber handgun and went downstairs, where he saw one of the suspects removing a screen from the rear window. The suspect continued trying to break in, and Hill shot and killed him. Police nabbed the second suspect as he attempted to flee on a bicycle. (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas, NV, 01/24/07)
Isaac Wilson pulled over to take a cell phone call when a career criminal approached. The man pointed from inside his clothes with what Wilson thought was a gun. He then told Wilson to get out of the car. They traded places, and then Wilson ordered the carjacker to get out. Police say the carjacker rushed toward Wilson acting as though he had a weapon. “That’s why I pulled my gun,” says Wilson. He shot his assailant once. The suspect was listed in fair condition at the hospital. (WTHR13 News, Indianapolis, IN, 01/26/07)
When two armed men approached a residence and flashed a handgun, the fearful person inside let them in. The resident’s compliance only emboldened the intruders. Police say a shot rang out, and a relative in an upstairs apartment hurried down with a rifle. He shot both suspects, killing one and causing the other to flee. The wounded suspect was apprehended at the hospital. Authorities in Schenectady, N.Y., say it was the fourth case in two months in which a would-be victim shot an intruder. (Albany Times Union, Albany, NY, 01/20/07)
Police say a man and a woman were getting into their car outside a Wal-Mart when an attacker shoved a pistol into the man’s stomach and demanded the keys. The woman pulled a pistol from the glove box and fired five shots at the carjacker, who dropped his pistol and ran away. He was arrested at a hospital where he sought treatment for a gunshot wound. “We’re kind of hailing (the man and woman) as heroes,” said Richland County, S.C., Sheriff Leon Lott. The suspect stands accused of committing nine additional armed robberies in less than a month. (The State, Columbia, SC, 01/17/07)
The safety of his mother and nephew was all 22-year-old Phillip Mendoza could think about after six armed men invaded their home. Mendoza snuck into a bedroom and grabbed a shotgun. “I knew they had my mom with a gun and my little nephew,” he recalls. Police say one of the intruders kicked open the bedroom door and Mendoza fired a load of buckshot, critically injuring the suspect. Then another intruder appeared in the doorway and Mendoza fired again, killing one of the men. The other intruders and the wounded suspect fled. Two were apprehended. (The Tucson Citizen, Tucson, AZ, 01/04/07)
I hear what your saying Alaskagrl , its a very hard subject matter to address , guns n humans.
I had a 24/7 gas station on a main hwy back in Sydney & we were having holdups at the time i got hit a few times but little money was taken, staff got butts to the face etc , no shots fired , that was luck , insurance paid etc etc.
What started to scare me , i was offered by the insurance company if i want to carry a pistol when i do my banking on a Monday morning as i had the weekends takings to bank at the time of avge 30k. anything over 10k i could apply to carry i was told. ( what if i had a power trip to the head n went nuts n used it ).
I could have got a permit to carry, but i didnt. Times have changed n now i would think about it . but as im moving to the USA soon its on my thinking list even more im sorry to say.
I hear what your saying Alaskagrl , its a very hard subject matter to address , guns n humans.
I had a 24/7 gas station on a main hwy back in Sydney & we were having holdups at the time i got hit a few times but little money was taken, staff got butts to the face etc , no shots fired , that was luck , insurance paid etc etc.
What started to scare me , i was offered by the insurance company if i want to carry a pistol when i do my banking on a Monday morning as i had the weekends takings to bank at the time of avge 30k. anything over 10k i could apply to carry i was told. ( what if i had a power trip to the head n went nuts n used it ).
I could have got a permit to carry, but i didnt. Times have changed n now i would think about it . but as im moving to the USA soon its on my thinking list even more im sorry to say.
It's not as bad as the press makes it out to be. The ones who have trouble are the people who flaunt their possesions and are not aware of their surroundings. Of course women are more vulnerable but that is true in all countries.
Re. Va. Tech shootings; as stongly as I feel about gun rights, I do wonder how the hell this obvious maniac got a gun. There were "warning signs" left and right that he was insane; people DID do some things about it, but because of (what exactly...medical privacy laws, slack school management, I don't know yet) something...the kid was able to legally buy 2 guns. I guess I took a lesson from what I heard last night on the news. Basically, no matter how strongly I feel about certain issues, it is just too darn early to point fingers or heat up the gun control debate. I will stand by the 2nd Ammendment till I die, but I won't preach about an incident where NO ONE has all the facts yet. Sorry if I came across like that in the flurry of yesterday's posts. I do belive in what I said, but I don't believe I have the right to make "snap" judgments about this particular incident, as some celebrities, etc., have already done regarding VT. Perhaps I did a bit of "knee jerking" myself. Again, I stand by every statement re. gun rights that I made. But perhaps some of us oughtta calm down for a couple days and try to empathise with the victims and their families before going political. Anger is real easy to feel after something like this; empathy is harder. Thanks for those who backed me up and carried on the debate respectfully.
All of what you have said i understand , you are human well atleast i think you are & in the heat of it all many things get said. As long as we dont act on the anger/hate feelings we have n all run out n buy guns theres still a chance we may live to a ripe old age .
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