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Gunman kills 21 at Virginia Tech
Here's the story.
UPDATES:
Joe Olson emails:
"A terrible tragedy. I know, I teach on college campus.
Once he starts to act, the only thing that can stop a single, psychotic killer who is willing to die is the rapid delivery of counter fire by whoever is near. Cop, civilian, it doesn't matter who or their job status. The more people who are nearby and capable of delivering return fire, the fewer and less serious the injuries (there's criminological data on this).
Virginia Tech. is a "gun free" zone guaranteeing that the psychotic killer had the only gun. He came prepared. He waited until there were no police in sight and then commenced his murderous acts certain that he would encounter no effective resistance. And , he didn't.
Twenty-one innocent dead because there was no one capable of fighting back. All they could do was cower or run."
Clayton Cramer emails:
"Here's the section of the VTU policy on this:
http://www.policies.vt.edu/5616.pdf
2.2 Prohibition of Weapons
The university’s employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or
other third party attending a sporting, entertainment, or educational
event, or visiting an academic or administrative office building or
residence hall, are further prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or
storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the
owner has a valid permit, when it is not required by the individual’s
job, or in accordance with the relevant University Student Life Policies.
Any such individual who is reported or discovered to possess a firearm
or weapon on university property will be asked to remove it immediately.
Failure to comply may result in a student judicial referral and/or
arrest, or an employee disciplinary action and/or arrest."
Instapundit notes:
"reader John Lucas, who works with a Virginia law firm, emails that Va. Tech is a "gun-free zone." Well, for those who follow the law. There was an effort to change that but it failed: "A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly." That's unfortunate."
Interesting quote from the story linked by Instapundit: "Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy 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.""
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The opinion of the Attorney General Robert McDonnell on University carry in 2006 stated:
"The powers expressly conferred and possessed by the governing body of the educational institution include the authority to establish rules and regulations for the conduct of students... It is my opinion that the safe operation of the campus allows regulation of, or under limited circumstances, prohibition of, firearms by any persons attending events on campus, visiting dormitories or classroom buildings, attending specific events as invitees, or under any circumstance permitted by law...A board of visitors has responsibility for the protection of the students enrolled at their university."
Compare this with what the Virginia courts have said :
“When the legislature delegates authority to an administrative agency to promulgate regulations, those regulations must neither exceed the scope of the authority delegated nor be inconsistent with it. Furthermore, "delegations of legislative power are valid only if they establish specific policies and fix definite standards to guide the official, agency, or board in the exercise of the power. Delegations of legislative power which lack such policies and standards are unconstitutional and void. For example, language in an enabling statute which provides merely "that the regulations be designed to protect and promote the safety and health of employees" is insufficient.” Avalon Assisted Living Facilities, Inc. v. Zager, 39 Va. App. 484, 574 S.E.2d 298 (2002).
"Whereas, laws limiting the right to own and bear arms have never succeeded in deterring crime but have rather served to disarm the public; and Whereas, the horrible tragedy, which befell the Jackson family of Louisa County at the hands of a fiend could well have been prevented had Mr. Jackson had available to him a firearm for self defense; and...that laws cannot prevent tragedies but bad laws can bring on in their train even greater tragedies. " House Joint Resolution No 21. (1964).
The difference between feeling safer and being safer can be the difference between life and death...sad to say in this case no one defied the law or the rules, therefor no one could drop the shooter and cut his career shorter...now I'm hearing 30 dead.