Fred Thomspon on the Right to Carry

In all the discussion of gun control and the right to bear arms that has been generated by the Virginia Tech massacre, probably none has been more eloquent or courageous than the commentary by F. D. Thompson. Though I may disagree with Mr. Thompson on a number of other political issues, he is right on the mark in this case. I’ve quoted a particularly insightful passage below.

Still, there are a lot of people who are just offended by the notion that people can carry guns around. They view everybody … as potential murderers prevented only by the lack of a convenient weapon.…

Virginia Tech Massacre

I was both saddened and disgusted by yesterday’s terrible events at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg. I was saddened that so many innocent lives were taken and saddened too that political opportunists would lay part of the blame for this atrocity upon law-abiding gun owners. I was disgusted that one troubled young man saw mass murder as the solution to his personal problems and disgusted too that the very institutions charged with protecting his victims had unwittingly helped him to kill so many.

Yet it could have been so much worse. Had the murderer used a can of gasoline and a box of matches, hundreds might be dead rather than only dozens. Thankfully, he chose to express his rage and hatred with handguns, weapons normally ineffective for mass slaughter. The death toll was so high only because his victims were unarmed and even more unaware, but I imagine this fact provides precious little solace to the victims and their families.