Rekindling an Issue

Some commentators who oppose what they see as unconstitutional limits on gun ownership said they feared gun control advocates would successfully use the Virginia tragedy to bolster their position, especially with Democrats’ new power in Washington. “We see calls for gun control but we may not see as much empathy for calls for armed self-defense,” said David Codrea, a blogger and a columnist for Guns Magazine.

Pretty tepid stuff. I'd settle for just kindling the issue in the first place. As I alluded to yesterday, I contacted major papers and networks with the following questions:

Why don’t you consider the fact that Virginia Tech policy prohibits firearms on campus—even for concealed weapon permit holders—important enough to inform your readers and viewers?

Why do I read, watch and listen in vain to find any reference to a bill that never made it out of committee that would have changed that? Why did Virginia Tech Associate VP of University Relations Larry Hincker say the death of the bill that would have allowed adult students and faculty the means to defend themselves made him “happy”?

Why did Hincker pen an editorial reply on The Roanoake Times ridiculing the concept of peaceable people keeping and bearing arms on campus?

Why have your respective outlets been silent on these matters?

This is what I spent the brunt of my time discussing with reporter Leslie Eaton. What she quoted me on was an afterthought to a follow-up question. To her credit, I don't think the decision to cut the majority of our conversation came from her. She sent me a follow-up email, saying in part:

i'm afraid some of my reporting on the debate over carrying ban in virginia may not make this piece because i had to include a lot of political stuff from washington. i hope to try again tomorrow. but i used your thought about the dem. congress.

I hope she does try again, and at least one major outlet covers these important questions. Here's what I wrote back:

I...appreciate that you will try again. I just don't see how the editors can consider their obligation to their readers complete by omitting discussion of VTech's campus disarmament policy, the failed bill, and the hostile public statements of the university spokesman.

I suppose I ought to look at the bright side. I got ink in "The Paper of Record," they didn't misquote me, and most importantly, they spelled my name right.

UPDATE: I just got a copy of the paper and the article appears on page A19.

A Letter WorldNetDaily Didn't (Wouldn't?) Print

In response to "How to Prevent Next Massacre":

Aside from the usual suspects, there’s one big impediment to allowing students and faculty to keep and bear arms on campus that will surprise most WND readers: The NRA.

“[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools,” Association Executive Vice President and WND Books author (“Guns, Freedom and Terrorism”) Wayne LaPierre proclaimed in his address to members at the 1999 Annual Meeting. “That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.”

But that was 8 years ago. Perhaps times have changed?

Current NRA president and new WND “On Target” columnist Sandy Froman suggested a possible shift shortly after the Minnesota school shootings in 2005, recommending “we need to look at all options.”

The following week, after a “clarification” to the press by LaPierre, Froman backed off, stating “The only people that ought to have firearms in the schools are law enforcement and trained security personnel.”

Will the massacre of the defenseless at Virginia Tech finally prompt LaPierre & Co. to admit that gun control laws don't work, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed anywhere? I don't know. Being a mere Life Member, they won't answer me. And while others in the gun rights community, from smaller groups to bloggers, are calling for the obvious, our cautious ostensible leaders "will not have further comment until all the facts are known."

Perhaps you, Mr. Farah, will have better luck eliciting an answer.

David Codrea

Then again, perhaps not.

33 Dead. Can We Have Some Money?

Aside from being demonstrably shameless liars, these mercenary bastards aren't above a little war profiteering while the iron is hot, are they?

The names of all the dead haven't even been released yet, and these information superhighway off ramp beggars already have their grubby, blood-soaked mitts out.

Mag Shortage?

Correspondent Andre C asks me if I've heard anything about all major wholesalers being sold out on Glock mags. Can anyone verify this, and if so, is there supposedly any connection to recent events?

We're the Only Ones Secret Enough

Two Secret Service officers were injured on Tuesday after a gun held by another Secret Service officer accidentally fired inside the White House gate...

The gun accidentally fired. That seems to happen a lot in "authorized journalist" reports. I'm sure no secret fingers were secretly on the secret trigger or anything...

[More from "The (Shhh...they're SECRET) Only Ones" files...]

[Via, in order: Matt M, Ron W, Andre C and Blogonomicon]

This Day in History: April 18

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

Take a moment and re-read this famous poem, preferably with a young person.