VA Tech Tragedy

With the Columbine High School shootings still fresh, America is once again reeling from the actions of a lone gunman this time, who randomly took the lives of 32 people before turning the gun on himself. Just a few days short of the 8th anniversary of Columbine, the US Constitutional Right to bear arms is once again in the spotlight.

For us Aussies, it is a painful reminder of one of the darkest days in our history, the Port Arthur Massacre that claimed the lives of 35 people including 2 young children. I remember that day so clearly, I was at home when the news channels took over scheduled tv programs to report the incident as it unfolded. Some tourists had managed to capture footage on personal video cameras of the events and this was being broadcast live. From the comfort of our living rooms we could hear the crack of gunfire and see the lone gunman, Martin Bryant, walking around calmly aiming his weapons at anyone in his path. He was calm and methodical and it chilled me to the bone. The feeling was almost surreal, like watching a movie and yet knowing it was real, it really was happening.

While the excuses flowed (Bryant was apparenly unstable from a young age and his father had recently committed suicide, tipping him over the edge) and the bleeding hearts stepped in, as they are prone to do, to support Bryant, Australia demanded a response. Well, we got one.

The Gun Controls were not unwelcome by the average Australian. Those who had legitimate reason to have a gun were allowed to keep them. On the whole Aussies recognised that if people were not able to threaten you with a gun, you would not need to defend yourself with one. Over time, with guns less accessible and not accessible at all to those with criminal records we saw a new trend emerge. You are more likely, in Australia, to be held up with a baseball bat or a knife. In general this makes you less likely to wind up dead. The amount of effort it would take to kill you is just not allowed for by would be thieves. Contrary to what the rest of the world believed, most Aussies felt alot safer knowing that a mass of guns had been removed from the streets.

The VA Tech shootings were just horrendous, but to me personally, so is the thought that a Collegge Student had stockpiled weapons and ammunition in a College Dorm room. The sad fact is warning signs are often heeded to late. Signs seem so much clearer in hindsight when you know exactly what you are looking for. We can't police the worlds social, mental and emotional issues. A large percentage of people with Social and Emotional issues will never resort to violence or self harm.

For Australians I guess our lifestyle accounts for us not needing weapons. There have been 4 shooting deaths in my town (population 15,000) that I can remember in the last 25 years. One was a double homicide over a land dispute, one was drug related and one they never actually confirmed as murder or suicide. I personally feel safer knowing that as a whole, Aussies do not feel the need to have firearms.

This is how Australia reported the VA TEch Massacre....

THE gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university has been named as Cho Seung Hui, 23, a South Korean English student who left behind a "disturbing and angry" manuscript before his rampage. Link

While the right to bear arms is a subject Australia and America will possibly never agree on, one thing is certain....When one country is cut, the other bleeds. When the WTC was hit on 9/11 we lost Aussies. 9 families stood by their phones waiting for the call to say their sons and daughters were safe when news of the VA Tech Shooting spree first emerged.

Our countries are linked, Americas pain is shared by us. At this awful time in Americas history, Australians send their prayers and best wishes to the victims, their families and those left to rebuild shattered lives. America is our friend, we mourn with you.

A_C