The Virginia Tech shootings were down-right terrible and I am - like most others - struck by the senselessness of the incident. My thoughts go out to the victims and their families…and the family of the shooter, for they must confront the horrific deeds of their kin.
For the rest of the country, we must come to terms with our obsession with blaming guns. Yes, the media has already brought up the issue of gun control and how it could have prevented this incident and I think their argument is totally flawed. Yet, it won’t be long before politicians latch on to this issue as a possible campaign promise for the 2008 Presidential election. This is a mistake. Guns are the least of our concerns…instead proper care for the mentally unstable and an investment in the mental health field is what should be the topic of debate on CNN, MSMBC and Fox Noise…but mental health isn’t sexy. Guns are sexy…they make a lot of noise and have been glorified by movies for decades (speaking of that, if we’re going to attack radio hosts and rap music for offensive language, can we begin attacking movies for the over-simplification of gun use?).
Let’s begin from the start - The Brady Bill and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. For those of you unfamilar with the Brady Bill, it was named after White House staff member James Brady who took a bullet for Reagan during the failed 1981 attempt on the President’s life by John Hinckly. A major component of the Brady Bill was almost immediately ruled unconstitutional for it’s violation of federalism and the 10th Amendment because it required the states to conduct lengthy background checks to comply with the federal law. The Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that this section could not be enforced but that states were welcome to continue conducting them but this became a non-issue when the Gun Control Act of 1998 required Federally Licensed Firearms Dealers to check if the buyer is eligable to own a gun. The VT shooter passed his background check according to CNN and the purchase was unremarkable according to the shop owner. In the end…the Brady Bill did not prevent the VT shootings…even if the background check were longer and more in-depth, it would not have prevented this incident.
But what about the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (FAWB)? One of my peers has already commented about the shooter’s usage of a high capacity magazine, which carried 15 bullets or more…possibly as many as 30. Many members of the media and the government will simplify the issue by saying - “If we still had the FAWB, this could have been prevented.” First let’s discuss what the FAWB did. Passed as a part of a crime control bill as a knee-jerk reaction to the crack-dealing violence of the late 80s and early 90, FAWB created a category of firearms known as “assault weapons” and prohibited their manufacture. “Assault weapons” were defined by their cosmetic features, which often included features that made them look like military weapons. None of these weapons were automatic - as fully automatic weapons have been restricted since the 1930s - but just standard semi-automatic weapons…meaning, one trigger pull - one bullet. These physical features did not necessarily pertain to their deadliness…for example, weapons with bayonet mounts were banned (When did you ever hear of a drive-by bayoneting?). As I mentioned earlier, the manufacture of large capacity magazines were also banned along with these “dangerous guns,” but “pre-ban” magazines and guns were permitted. Simply the creation of new high capacity magazines and scary-looking guns was banned - nothing more. Of course, the price of the banned weapons went up considerably. The Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush allowed the ban to lapse to make sure they got the NRA vote in 2004.
Even with the FAWB, you could still easily purchase a .50 caliber hunting rifle which was much more accurate and deadly than any of the weapons banned by the bill. Furthermore, most of the weapons that were covered in that bill were cheap, inaccurate weapons most likely to be in the hands of someone black, young and poor…but were rarely used in killings (specifically the much detested “drive-by shootings”). These guns were made infamous by their use in rap music videos and movies like “Menace 2 Society” and films of the sort.
The government cannot ban guns outright. Aside from the Constitutional ramifications, think of this country’s previous attempts at prohibition of an item…alcohol and the “War of Drugs” are clear examples of how impossible it is to completely outlaw something. I honestly believe state governments should make it mandatory to take a gun-safety course before one can purchase a gun. These classes would be paid for with a small (10 dollar or so) tax on the sale of every firearm. While the individual is taking the gun-safety course, an intense background check would be in progress - taking several days or weeks. In the case of individuals buying or selling guns illegally – make it a federal crime and make the sentence a minimum of 40 years or something crazy like that and it will cut down on illegal sales and hopefully some gun-related deaths…but mass shootings like VA Tech will still occur because of the real issue at hand here: mental health.
This country has serious mental health problems and we often ignore them. The blame is always deferred - it was an abusive parent, it was the ease of getting a gun, it was the campus police for not locking down campus. No, it was a health issue…like someone dropping to the floor with a heart attack, this guy had a serious chemical imbalance which resulted in a reaction of this nature…a break with reality, depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior, etc. Reports are now surfacing of disturbing essays which were written for a creative writing class. And his former room mates are on CNN, right now, recalling Cho’s “imaginary girlfriend” and having to call the cops when he harassed a girl to the point of tears. Let’s be honest here, if we had the mental health crisis under control - we wouldn’t have to worry about gun control.
Finally, I will leave you with a more radically political quote:
“Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment.” - Huey P. Newton
The New York Times ran a story today spotlighting the slow march away from abstinence only education. The article reported that birthrates in American teenagers has been steadily falling since 1991 but that the state of Texas has seen the smallest decline despite receiving the most money for abstinence only education. This, in a nutshell, explains the absolute absurdity of abstinence only education. 
Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, along with former Surgeons General C. Everett Koop and David Satcher, testified 