My school newspaper published this marvelously written guest column today
When a gun falls into the wrong hands, terrible things can happen. Northern Illinois University knows this all too well, as they suffered tragedy in their college campus shooting. Five students were killed, and several more were injured.
The causes behind such events are not easily detected. Various things take place for this kind of thing to happen. Maybe it was that he quit taking a certain type of prescription, maybe it was depression, maybe it was something else, but whatever it was it turned out the worst it possibly could have.
Similar to the events that took place in Virginia Tech last year, these shootings are all too common. Are there ways to prevent these incidents? Are there ways to protect the human lives lost in the shootings? Security measures could be taken, but is it reasonable to place an airport security system in every school? I think not. If someone has the intent to kill, there is very little that will stop them. It’s the intent that needs to be prevented. I am in no way saying that the victims of the shootings were responsible for the intent. In fact there could have been absolutely no relation between the shooter and the victims. It’s depression, drugs and various issues within oneself that causes these things. This is why it is impossible to place blame. If the shooter was experiencing psychological problems, it would be hard for them to find their own help. But you can’t place blame on others for not finding help for them. No one else knows what is going on in any other persons head.
One other way to prevent things like this is keeping weapons out of the hands of people. Gun laws have come and gone in almost every area of the United States, and the laws remain different in each area now. Gun laws are argued unconstitutional, but there is still a battle between gun control and gun rights. Did the shooters at these schools have the legal right to own a gun? Or would gun control prevent future events? Gun control would stop such events. If guns were sold to licensed people only then shootings would not happen. A gun should not be sold to just any person who has the money to buy it. Not everyone is going to use a gun for bad, but what’s to say someone else doesn’t get a hold of their gun for the wrong uses?
The psychologies, intents and causes of these events are complicated. But why it happened is not as important as the support that is still needed in those communities. No matter how you do it: Facebook groups, prayer or donations. What you do is helpful. |
Here was my response. I'll let you know if they publish it
Dear Editor-
Alex Hammond’s guest opinion article on the NIU shooting raised some important concerns. The author states that “If someone has the intent to kill, there is very little that will stop them”. Hammond then calls for further gun control, arguing for licensure of weapons. He even goes as far as stating “Gun control would stop such events”. These statements seem quite contradictory.
Illinois has very strict gun control measures compared to many states. The campus was a “gun-free” zone. Illinois, along with Wisconsin, are the only two states not to allow legal concealed carry of handguns. Did this stop the shooter? No, as Hammond states, little can be done once a person has decided to commit such acts. Our 2nd Amendment right to be armed citizens should not be restricted because of such incidents. Criminals have, and will, find ways to circumvent the rule of law.
Allowing responsible adults who have passed the proper training and background checks to defend themselves could have prevented this attack. However, the vast majority of college campuses, and our state, do not allow licensed concealed carry. The possibility of armed “victims” would be a much greater deterrent than possible gun law violations. In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the victims and all those affected by this heinous incident. I would encourage all of us to do more research regarding lawful concealed carry and its track record in other states. |
How did I do?
|
