There can be no doubt that the murder of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech was a tragedy of unbelievable proportions. In the wake of this latest example of violence that recriminations will not be long in coming. This is particularly true with regard to the VT police and administration…but aside from the apparent failings of the school administration to cancel classes after the first round of shootings the inevitable question is when will the calls for increased gun control begin in earnest. In Europe, the quasi-totalitarian regimes blame the lack of gun control for the gun violence, but this flies in the face reality.

Far from increased restrictions on gun ownership, one must wonder if there were greater options for concealed carry weapons permits, perhaps the slaughter could have been avoided. In truth in many country where gun ownership have been curtailed (Australia, Britain, etc…) violent crime has steadily increased.

Blaming gun ownership or the availability of guns for violent crime is akin to blaming the availability of knives for stabbings. In truth it is a culture of permissiveness and the absence of parents with any compunction or ability to teach civil behavior that accounts for such violence. One need only look at the past, when availability of handguns and other weapons was much more pervasive, yet violent crime rates were far lower than today…

The fact remains that even with strict controls on gun ownership, in general, criminals do not acquire weapons through legal means, such methods only succeed in disarming law abiding citizens leaving them even more susceptible to violent crime…indeed in nations like Australia and Britain where gun control is particularly repressive, violent crime continues to increase. While in nations with liberal gun ownership, like Switzerland or Finland, violent crime remains low, further demonstrating that it is culture, not existence of weapons that leads to increased criminality.

There is yet another component to this debate, one must recognize that those who call for the disarming of law abiding citizens are also advocating further dependence upon the state, depriving people of their ability to protect themselves and their family, indeed this is the ultimate goal of socialist and fascist regimes, who’s war on the individual is unceasing…
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,477686,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6563565.stm
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/guncontrol_20010302.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3419401.stm