Virginia Tech

[Robert Vermaat]

Hope these facts help.

They do. Thanks!

[john m roberts]

Statistics can tell only part of the story. When a statistician says there are x number of murders per 100,000 Americans, it makes it sound as if the homicides are equally distributed among the populace. The sad fact is, in the vast majority of homicides, both perpetrator and victim are young Black males. Most murders are drug- and gang-related. The gangs see guns as an absolutely necessary working tool and a minor business expense. Keeping weapons away from such people is as difficult a problem as getting them to observe the rest of the laws.

[Narukami]

Exactly the point made in the article about gun control and crime in Japan -- the cultural and social mores of that society "allow" gun control to work to a degree that, for all practical purposes, is impossible here in the United States.

Almost everyone accepts the paradigm that the police should be respected. Because the police are so esteemed, the Japanese people co-operate with their police more than Americans do. Co-operation with the police also extends to obeying the laws which almost everyone believes in. The Japanese people, and even the large majority of Japanese criminals, voluntarily obey the gun controls.

As a general matter, gun control does not take a great deal of police time to enforce because the Japanese voluntarily comply. The Japanese have acceded that gun control protects them effectively. There was and is little need for individual self-defense guns.

In short, while many persons may admire Japan's near prohibition of gun ownership, it is not necessarily true that other nations, such as the United States, could easily replicate the (pg.41) Japanese model. Japan's gun laws grow out of a culture premised on voluntary submission to authority, a cultural norm that is not necessarily replicated in Western democracies.


It seems we will need to find our own solution to this problem, though what that solution might be is beyond me. :oops:

Narukami

[Goffredo]

Japan is culturally very VERY homogenous, quite the opposite of the US! I am suprised there people that even think of trying to consider Japan an example.

[hoplite14gr]

Well better late than never Jeffery.
Guess its time that other views to law enforcement except endless regulation and legistlated "phobias" to come to light.

David is right in stressing civil cooperation on law enforcement.
When I was in the border our success depended heavily on the aid we received from local inhabitants.

Kind regards

[TraderTrey9785]

Hi all,

I'm just a few hours away from the campus and I can tell you that the effect of the tragedy spread very quickly and has engulfed the campus of GW. Everywhere you go there are Virginia Tech t-shirts, pins and accessories to commemorate the victims.

I got into a discussion with my fiancee regarding the actions of the campus police there, mainly because she works for our campus police department. It made me wonder about how safe my own campus is, especially given that our police department doesn't even carry firearms, and most of the officers are more of a "big brother" to the students than actually law enforcement officials. Even though firearms aren't permitted in the District, I'm sure that some could find there way in without difficulty. Luckily the Metropolitan Police Department is relatively close, so I'm sure they could take control of the situation at a moments notice, especially since the campus is only 4 blocks from the White House.

Still -- its a tragedy and I really wonder if there is anything that anyone could have done to prevent such a disaster. I mean, against such premeditated and senseless violence, is there any chance of stopping such things from happening? I have a cousin who attends the university, luckily she wasn't hurt, but even she showed signs of distress when I spoke to her a few days ago. Hopefully campus security forces will learn from this experience and at least try to respond more quickly to initial problems. My prayers are with the families of the students killed, and with the students who experienced the sheer horror.