Leave it to a Blogging Tory to suggest that the killings at Virginia Tech are “a direct result of well-meaning, but patently foolish anti-gun laws” and that the university students disappointed him by not displaying the “let’s roll” spirit and attack the gunman unarmed.
I’ll let the latter statement stand for what it is – blather from a Rambo wannabe; a classic example of the chickenhawk squeaking that I’ve come to expect from the basement weapon onanists I associate with the NRA. The kind of foolishness that comes from those that would start wars after having opted out from the actual fighting – keyboard warriors.
As for the “it wouldn’t have happened if the teachers and students were armed” bit, where do we start? How many deaths, accidental and otherwise, would be caused for every one prevented by someone having a loaded weapon on hand at the “right” time? How many accidental discharges? How many drunken fights? How many road rage incidents? In a world where idiots shoot at a sound when hunting deer and vice-presidents shoot their buddies in the face instead of aiming at the quail released from a box?
These kind of statements spring from the “an armed society is a polite society” mindset that views itself as the only “realistic” approach to survival in a mad world. Accepting that premise for a moment, all things are categorized by their threat level and all people are either friend or foe. Students and teachers, doctors and patients, everyone and everyone else, must all be armed for their own protection from the arms and intentions of others. Yeah, that’s smart.
I don’t want to live in that headspace, and the moment I do, I would like to be quickly taken out as a hazard to those around me.
Blevkog 
I left a comment on there. Unbelievable attitude if you ask me. We’ll see if he approves it or not.
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I’m not sure there, Glyn. Seems rather reasonable. Check your assumptions. Oh, and the idea of attacking an attacker isn’t so much Ramboism, but a reasonable reaction. Why do you think the correct response to a near abmush in an infantry setting is to assault through? Most of these sorts of attacks are effectively near ambushes.
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Jared,
I’ve no problem with attacking an attacker, the problem I have is with the obvious disaster that arming the general population is. Even in theory. Perhaps a little return fire from someone else in the room at Virginia Tech would have ended the massacre that ensued the other day, but how many other deaths would happen elsewhere because everyone is armed?
Having been in the military, I have some small arms training and I have studied martial arts for much of my adult life. I would like to think that I’d be able to react usefully in a stressful situation like Virginia Tech, however never having been placed in one like that, I have no idea if I could. Would I freeze up? I don’t know. What’s more, I don’t want to know. Criticizing the spirit of the students who likely had no similar training and were caught off-guard is simply mean and stupid.
Of course the near-reflexive response to this will be to argue for training, which to some extent I agree with – I’m an advocate of martial arts training for everyone for health and confidence reasons if nothing else. However, to advocate arming more people, training or no, and putting more guns on the street is not a solution to gun crime, it is simply an invitation for more.
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Training, training. Yeah it’s great when military types and survival nuts say they shoul dhave jumped the guy and all that. Remember, for the most part, MOST people do NOT have any training to jump people and react logically under fire.
Give me a break. So to us, it purely IS Ramboism.
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Glyn,
I saw your post on Mesopot’s blog, a good point. He approved the post but came back with mindless drivel. I have replied to his drivel. Lets see if he approves my post.
Jared,
I also served in the military with Kevin and understand why one of the correct responses to an ambush or near ambush is to attack the attacker. We in the military are trained heavily in this tactic. Part of our training is to recognize who and when to shoot during these highly tense situations. The general public is NOT trained at all. Kevin has made the point already which I agree with 100% that it is most likely that having the teachers, fellow students and cafe waitresses trying to “save the day” will result in many more deaths, possibly their own, in their well meaning attempt.
All,
I would like to add one other point, I saw this on Oprah (She amongst all the other money driven media): She was interviewing a student who “saved” the lives of a classroom full of students during the Virginia Tech massacre. When the shots were heard, he directed a couple of other guys to help him use large desks/podiums to block the door shut. The gunman tried to get into that classroom but was unable. He even fire a couple of shots through the door to no avail. This clear headed student is considered a hero among these students and the neat thing is he did not need a gun to do so.
Paul
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Paul,
Good point – there were some people that were definitely clear-headed. I remember reading about one of the profs holding a door closed while ordering all of the students out the window. He was then killed, but probably a couple of dozen people lived because of him.
That kind of on-the-spot thinking comes from experience, and it can be trained – without requiring weapons.
Just an aside – I watched a bit of CNN last night and I can’t get over the fact that this nutjob was reported to the police and university authorities, but in less than a half hour was able to buy a couple of handguns. Nice one, NRA, nice one.
Asshats.
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Paul – I read your post there. Thanks for your input. The part of Frank’s reply that really made me chuckle is how he says that things won’t change until Humans change. Let’s start with the cowboy/gangster fixation with packing heat to go for coffee eh? I posted again there as well. I am somewhat surprised he has not come and commented on my blog yet…
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I have limited time so I’ll be quick.I also have a military background like kevvy and Paul and remember distinctly from my training as a rifleman that the long held belief in regards to ambushes is that you charge through them because, if it was set up properly your chances of living are less than your chances of winning the lottery on a ticket you purchased the day after you were shot.If you “fight through” the ambush you might get a couple of them and at least you’ll die facing the enemy. So let’s have no more of this “they should have charged him” foolishness. This has taken longer than I intended. I hope you get the point.
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Glyn,
You should pop in again. I have two boys who are trying all kinds of inane arguements whom I have been trying desparately to get them to either support their statements or try to comment on my supported facts. It is a giggle. Jim even is using the fact that no one has gotten shot during the hand gun events at the Olympics! hee hee.
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Yeah that is hilarious. I just had some (apparent) moron suggest I was shouting out my ignorance on the matter simply because I have a different viewpoint than him on my own blog posting. Oh well… This is an arguement that no side will ever win. It’s kind fo sad actually. You would think that after we have seen all of these puny countries try to flex nuclear muscles (remember the nuclear deterrant problem?) and the whole cold war deal, that all they are doing is replacing nukes with guns. Same story, different title.
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Paul & Glyn, I took a look at the site these guys are trying to justify their hero fantasies on. You’re right, no-one is going to win an arguement with these true believers. I was going to join the fray but reconsidered when I realized that I could say nothing that didn’t include phrases like “dumber than pig shit”. I tend to lose my diplomacy skills when faced with these attitudes.
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Good grief, what a pinhead. (not you guys, of course)
To be so firmly entrenched in the worldview permeated with fear and suspicion that these people seem to be mired in makes me pity them and their ‘might is right’ attitudes.
I feel a post coming on.
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Flash… that’s what I said on my blog… I pity them. And it got me an insult from some stranger 😛 Loving folk aren’t they?
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