Guns....

You call me an anti-gun media weenie. I see that and raise you Columbine (13 dead, 23 wounded), the University of Texas massacre (14 dead, 31 wounded), Virginia Tech (32 dead), Northern Illinois (five dead, 18 wounded), the Red Lake High School massacre (seven dead) and the Jonesboro school massacre (five dead, nine wounded). "

I attend NIU, and was present Valentines day when Steve Kazmeirchec(sp?) shot up Cole Hall. Incidents like this are tragic, but they are hardly the standard norm, though there seems to be an alarming increase in school shootings over the years... after NIU happened... I went and bought myself a gun. I know several people that have.

I honestly am offended by the man mentioning these school shootings to try and justify his article(which by and large I do agree with) for him to bring these things up was not needed. He should have used that guy from the Skins that got shot, not schools. That's more in line with football players owning handguns.

Cy-

I sat in the same classroom in Cole for a couple of years.  And as an NIU alum I was shocked and appalled at such an incident happening.  But to use the people who were involved as martyrs in an article pointed at taking away a football players gun is ridiculous. 

Perhaps Mr. Freeman should evaluate the fact that gun control only restricts possession by law abiding citizens.  Gun control laws don't effectively extend to those who would possess and use firearms unlawfully anyway.

Right.  Guns don't kill people.  People kill people.  If they didn't have guns, they'd find some other way.  They'd probably blow up the school and kill even more people.  Or they'd use machete's or something.

People are sicko's and that fact alone should justify people "having the right to bare arms"

Agreed.  Its definatley something in American culture and society that is making these things happen.  No other country has this type of 'mass murder' violence, and that's not counting countries that are in perpetual civil strife (Israel, Somalia, Columbia...etc.)

I lived in Switzerland for 5 years and military service is compulsory for all males over 18.  Not only is every man in Switzerland trained to use a gun like a soldier, they also keep their assault rifles and ammunition at home....therefore nearly EVERY house in Switzerland has a gun in it and you don't see these types of school/workplace shootings. 

I think we do glorify violence and liberal gun USE which is a huge factor in why these things happen.  There are also societal, psychological and sociological factors that are working themselves into American mainstream that are also troubling.  And unfortunatley...there will also always be crazy irresponsible people that you just can't control or identify before its too late.  Either way, taking everyone's guns away is not the solution.