To the tragedy that just unfolded near the Virginia Tech campus.
Here is my reply:
When I was a police officer in Epping I once arrested a man who was in possession of a stolen .22 caliber Röhm handgun. He was on his way to kill a witness in a grand jury proceeding in Kingston at the behest of his criminal organization.
This man had five violent felony convictions on his criminal history. Having more than three violent felony convictions on his record and being in possession of a firearm subjected him to a potential fifteen year federal prison term and a ten year state prison term. He was charged by the Rockingham County Attorney and sentenced to ten years in state prison.
Criminals, like the one who just shot the police officer near the Virginia Tech Campus, and the one I arrested in Epping, simply are not dissuaded by even the severest penalties imposed by law to curb their predatory behavior.
Gun control laws only make it easier for violent predators to choose a location that they know will offer them almost no resistance to their evil acts… and that is because law-abiding people typically adhere to ridiculous firearm restrictions.
This leaves everyone vulnerable and gives criminals the upper hand. Now more than ever responsible and law-abiding people in vulnerable settings like public universities need to think seriously about being proactive about their safety.
PSU students: please, don’t advocate for taking away your own self-defense rights. Criminals don’t care about the law.
The law only hurts good people, like you.
