But this issue is going to cause the long overdue national discussion on gun control. We might as well start that discussion here on JasonPye.com.

How can one lone gunman gun down 50 people before he's brought under control or killed? What does it say about our nation when one man can wreak such havoc against so many defenseless people? If anything, the Virginia Tech massacre should teach us one thing: Gun control does not work.

As Dutch pointed out in a previous thread, here is Virginia Tech's policy on firearms:

“The university’s employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or other third party attending a sporting, entertainment, or educational event, or visiting an academic or administrative office building or residence hall, are further prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the owner has a valid permit, when it is not required by the individual’s job, or in accordance with the relevant University Student Life Policies.”

A lot of good the policy did. Virginia Tech is not a private university. It is a public university, funded in part by the state and through alumni and sponsorship donations. Why then, does it have a more strict carry policy than the state which it is in?

Let me ask you all a question. Why do you lock your doors? Is it to keep a theif out? No. A determined theif will break into your house regardless of whether or not your door is locked. You lock your doors to keep honest people honest. That is all Virginia Tech's gun policy did. Honest, law-abiding students obeyed the policy and kept their guns off campus. They were left virtually defenseless against a very determined mad man.

As most of you know, I support free markets and private property rights. That's why I do not support SB 43. The forces of the market will eventually dictate that business owners allow their employees to carry guns in their cars, there is no need to impede on private property rights. But, public universities like Virginia Tech, that recieve funding from the state, should, at a minimum, uphold the state's laws on issues of individual rights. Virginia is a right to carry state. VT should be a right to carry school.

Sadly, schools that do not recognize right to carry laws will continue to have havoc wreaked upon them, just like Columbine, the Amish School, and Virginia Tech. Am I advocating that university students be allowed to carry guns? Absolutely. If they are of legal age and meet all of the states requirements to own a firearm, and attend a public school, then why should they be any different than anyone else? While we're at it, I think primary and secondary school teachers, who teach at public schools, should also be allowed to have guns.

How does the Brady Campaign like me now?

Let the hate mail begin.