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I would like to comment briefly on the current events. Then I’ll tie that back into analysis on Mitt Romney’s position on guns.

The below is my own opinion and commentary and in no way reflects the views or opinions of Mitt Romney or the Mitt Romney for President campaign.

First of all, let me say that I send my condolences to all of the families and friends of those killed Monday, April 16, 2007 in the massacre at Virginia Tech. It was a terrible tragedy that never should have occurred.

Fortunately, for those of us who believe that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came out almost immediately after the incident, to issue a statement discouraging his constituency to pursue more gun control legislation. This is a position of convenience since the liberals and Democrats that would push more anti-gun legislation, have found that it hurts them politically. In my opinion, the early statements by Harry Reid have quelled the uproar of the anti-gun crowd that would normally follow something like this. However, the main stream media and the anti-gun folks are not going to be completely silenced. They’re going to continue to say that we’ll all be safer when all of the guns are taken away from us.

Rush Limbaugh has rightly stated that two of the biggest acts of murder in recent history didn’t even involve guns. On 9/11, they were carried out with box cutters, pocket knives, and airplanes. In Oklahoma City, the killing was done with fertilizer and diesel fuel. Should we ban all of these items believing it will make us more safe? It could be argued that Cho Seung-Hui could have killed as many or more without the use of the guns. He could have carried gasoline and matches instead, locking the door, disabling the sprinkler system in the building, and burning it down with everyone inside.

If we move on from trying to blame the gun, an object that cannot kill anyone without a trigger puller, where can we place blame? As we learn more of the facts, it appears that there were lots of opportunities to prevent or thwart what occurred. Mostly, we blame Cho Seung-Hui, the mentally disturbed killer. What about the liberal leaders that created the liberal environment in which the incident occurred?

Ann Coulter writes

Only one policy has ever been shown to deter mass murder: concealed-carry laws. In a comprehensive study of all public, multiple-shooting incidents in America between 1977 and 1999, the inestimable economists John Lott and Bill Landes found that concealed-carry laws were the only laws that had any beneficial effect.

And the effect was not insignificant. States that allowed citizens to carry concealed handguns reduced multiple-shooting attacks by 60 percent and reduced the death and injury from these attacks by nearly 80 percent.

…Needless to say, Virginia Tech is a Gun-Free School Zone — at least until last Monday. The gunman must not have known. Imagine his embarrassment! Perhaps there should be signs. –Let’s Make America a ‘Sad-Free Zone’!, April 18, 2007

It sounds absolutely ridiculous doesn’t it? If the gunman had seen a sign that said “gun free zone”, that he would have stopped and said to himself, “I need to find a different place to kill people”. “I shouldn’t bring my guns in this area because it’s marked with this sign”.

The liberal college environment at Virginia Tech deserves some blame as well. Please read the short script that Cho Seung-Hui turned into one of his english classes. You can find it here on The Smoking Gun. This script is just unbelievable, a story about pedophilia and killing. It’s full of the worst type of profanity and full from start to finish with hatred. What type of a college accepts this type of work to be submitted?

There were so many other signs, warnings, and opportunities for intervention or prevention. Let me go briefly through some points gathered from various news reports.

• The shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, had been twice accused of stalking. On two occasions, female students had submitted complaints to school officials. The police were notified.

• On December 13, 2005 he was committed to a local mental health facility.

• He once set his dorm room on fire. He was taking medication for depression.

• People would say hi to him and he would not respond.

• Five different english teachers voiced concerns over Cho’s writings. One of the english teachers was so disturbed by his work that she alerted university officials, counselors and university police.

The official did not provide details about the writings, which first came to the attention of faculty in the English department, but said they were passed on to the department chairwoman and university administrators. –Shop owner: Virginia Tech shooter bought gun for $571, April 17, 2007

• On the morning of the killing, Cho posted a warning to a school online forum. “im going to kill people at vtech today”. Nobody was alarmed?

• He walked into a dorm, shot Emily Hilscher and a resident assistant and then walked out unseen? The police didn’t look for him or even warn others that there was a killer on the loose? Why?

• After leaving the scene of the first shooting, Cho telephoned authorities with a threat, saying there was a bomb at Norris Hall. And nobody goes to look or alerts anyone?

• Why doesn’t the record of Cho’s mental illness show up in the background check when he goes to buy a gun?

There is no confirmation of this but there are signs that Cho began to take on an alter identity. There are those on the net that have speculated that he was Muslim and the liberal news media is suppressing the fact. He at one time signed his name as question mark. When he was found dead at the scene he had the name Ismael Ax written on his arm. He had signed his suicide notes Ismael Ax. He had sent the package to NBC also with this name. It can be a Muslim name. There are some people reporting it was only his XBox Live sign on. Nonetheless, it’s still Muslim. In Cho’s video confession he describes himself as a martyr and they said he rails against Christianity.

As a result of the tragedy, Mitt Romney will need to soften his lines on second amendment support so that he doesn’t seem insensitive to those that were killed at Virginia Tech. Governor Romney has been criticized for becoming a lifelong member of the NRA. The liberal media said that he became a lifelong member in order to pander to gun rights advocates. Mitt Romney explained the move saying that he sought the endorsement of the NRA. The NRA asked him to make the first move forward. Romney responded with the lifelong membership. He is yet to receive the endorsement of the NRA.

Recently, Mitt Romney has tried to connect to gun owners and hunters that he has encountered on the campaign trail. I would like to see him make a pledge to gun owners that he will not support any legislation that would infringe on the rights of gun owners. He should also make clear that he realizes the second amendment is not about hunting. It is simply the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

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