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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2007 > April > 16 > Entry
one Holocaust was too many
Gun violence continues unabated in America. The tragic mass murders today on the campus of Virginia Tech are just one more example of a country awash with guns and insanity. With 30 dead, and counting isn’t it about time that we started passing some more restrictive gun laws in this country?
And who, exactly, is Ismail Ax?
President Bush expressed his dismay: “a White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia.”
With a disclaimer: “The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said.”
“Virginia imposes few restrictions on the purchase of handguns and no requirement for any kind of licensing or training. The state does limit handgun purchases to one per month to discourage bulk buying and resale, state officials said.Once a person had passed the required background check, state law requires that law enforcement officers issue a concealed carry permit to anyone who applies. However, no regulations and no background checks are required for purchase of weapons at a Virginia gun show. “Virginia’s gun laws are some of the weakest state laws in the country,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “And where there have been attempts to make some changes, a backdoor always opens to get around the changes, like the easy access at gun shows.” (New York Times)
We remember the dead—“Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing, where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago…when will they ever learn*?”
THE BATTLEFIELD
“They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars,
Like petals from a rose,
When suddenly across the June
A wind with fingers goes.
They perished in the seamless grass,—
No eye could find the place;
But God on his repealless list
Can summon every face.”
EMILY DICKINSON (from Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson-Avenel Books-1982)
(*Lyric by Pete Seeger).
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: we remember
Comments
By vick mickunas
April 17, 2007 5:59 PM | Link to this
One of the victims of the slaughter at Virginia Tech was a Holocaust survivor. The shooter was reportedly “troubled” but that did not prevent him from obtaining the firearms that he used to execute all those innocent people.By john
April 17, 2007 2:00 PM | Link to this
Yes, ban guns. An excellent idea. The approach has worked so well with drugs. And besides, the police always protect us from bad men with guns anyway. There was absolutely no need for any of the victims at Virginia Tech to take measures to defend themselves in any way, since there were so many cops on campus to make sure nothing bad happened. Gimme an effing break people. Guns are inanimate objects. And all of you should hope that if a madman tries shooting up the place you happen to be in, that I am also there, because I am legally armed and will defend myself, and, whether you like it or not, you, depsite your backward, irrational gun phobia.By vick mickunas
April 17, 2007 1:14 PM | Link to this
The gun lobby remains strangely silent. How will they spin this tragedy?By Bud Norton
April 17, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this
Do we know yet whether the murderer obtained his weapons legally? We do know that VT was a self-proclaimed “gun-free” area, which didn’t prevent this tragedy, and may have mae it worse by eliminating the possibility of self-defense.By spuggy
April 17, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this
Not sure what to say! I have been trying to fathom this aspect of American culture since coming to this country 30 years ago. It is just heartbreaking.By Barbara Delaney
April 17, 2007 1:34 AM | Link to this
These tragic events coming eight years and a few days after the sad anniversary of the Columbine shootings give new meaning to the poet’s words: “April is the cruelest month”. When I heard Dana Perino give the president’s disclaimer, his obligatory pandering to the NRA, I phoned the White House. I asked if it was really necessary just hours after these deaths for the president to pay homage to this powerful lobby.By John Sollami
April 17, 2007 12:15 AM | Link to this
We live in a culture of violence and war, from video games to rap “lyrics” to TV shows and movies to our national policies of shooting first and thinking later. And on the radio listeners are goaded into violent and extreme postures by hate-mongers who label and oversimplify other human beings for the purpose of belittling them. What can one expect, then, of some pliable and emotionally unsettled young people who take all this in? Such young people become desensitized to violence and pain and see others as mere foreign objects rather than human beings like themselves. Insanity? Yes, it seems to be our national preoccupation, from Anna Nicol Smith to reality shows. We live in a violent culture with a media that magnifies every violent act. It will not change unless we change the leadership and role models prevalent within our culture. Unfortunately, I don’t see change out there until 2008, and that’s surely not a certainty.