VaTech - 5 years later

[KaosDad]

I was fortunate. While my son had gained early acceptance to VT, he was not yet in attendance when Cho went on his rampage. However, I easily put myself into the shoes of the parents who had children there, and it wasn't pleasant. The antis continue to to keep a death grip on the tragedy and try to use it as a reason for "gun show loopholes" to be closed, to keep firearms out of the hands of students, faculty & staff and to attack our rights in general. However, on this fifth anniversary, one of the parents of a student who immortalized on a Hokie Stone in front of the Drill Field has spoken out.

Here, I stole this for you;

On April 16, 2007, my child, Leslie Sherman, was killed by Seung-Hui Cho during the Virginia Tech massacre. Today is the fifth anniversary of her death. Always in my memories, every day I wish that this tragedy was a nightmare and I could wake up to hold my daughter even if it is just one more time. That opportunity might have been possible if someone been able to defend and protect my daughter in her classroom before Cho took 30 precious lives.

There is an unfortunate drive for more gun control and the continuation of preventing guns on campus by parents whose children lived or survived during that fatal day. Several family members of those victims have actively voiced their support for increased gun control measures. As result, it has been assumed that they speak for all families of the Virginia Tech victims. I am writing this to make it clear that this is not the case. They do not represent me and my views.

Speaking for myself, I would give anything if someone on campus; a professor, one of the trained military or guardsman taking classes or another student could have saved my daughter by shooting Cho before he killed our loved ones. Because professors, staff and students are precluded from protecting themselves on campus, Cho, a student at Virginia Tech himself, was able to simply walk on campus and go on a killing rampage with no worry that anyone would stop him.

I ask a simple question: Would the other parents of victims be forever thankful if a professor or student was allowed to carry a firearm and could have stopped Seung-Hui Cho before their loved one was injured or killed? I would be. I also suspect that the tragedy may not have occurred at all if Cho knew that either faculty members or students were permitted to carry their own weapons on campus. Cho took his own life before campus police were able to reach him and put a stop to his killing spree.

A sad testament to this anniversary date is the number of similar killings in schools and public places that have taken place afterwards as if nothing has changed to help prevent such needless and heartbreaking events. That is why I fully support the VCDL (Virginia Citizens Defense League) in their outstanding efforts to help prevent this type of tragedy and loss from occurring in the future.

Holly Adams

[dorminWS]

Thanks for sharing that. It's probably the only way we'd see it if we had to rely on it being deemed "newsworthy".

[meak99]

+1 to Ms. Adams for speaking out.

Where did you find that?

[BW1911]

+1

[KaosDad]

It was posted on the VCDL & Va Open Carry pages on FaceBook. I chose to NOT re-share on that forum as I want today to be about reflection and remembrance. I'll share it out tomorrow,but thought I'd post here for you all.

[M1A4ME]

I went to a different college many years ago.

One day, sitting in a class, I heard a noise behind me and looked over my shoulder to see some Campus Safety Officers and a County Sherriff's Deputy behind me scanning the class. More came/went and then they left. I knew the Campus Safety Officers as I had a work study job as a dispatcher 3 nights a week.

Later, when I saw the Chief of Campus Safety he explained they were looking for a student who had gone on a theft/assault spree in a nearby town. He'd broken into two or three homes, stolen money and a handgun, beaten the home owners and stolen a car. They (or course) had his class lists and they were looking for him in the school buildings to see if he'd been dumb enough to go to classes after his crime spree the night before.

I carried a GI medium ruck sack everywhere I went. It held my books, notebooks, calculator, pens/pencils, etc. with ease. From that day on it also carried my S&W M586 loaded with Remington 125 HPs, two full HKS speed loads with the same rounds and the rest of the box of 125 hollow points. I made up my mind that day that I would never be sitting in class with an armed criminal and not be armed myself. I carried that gun and ammo for the next 3 years.

I'd already been in the US Army (4 years) and was married (2 years) when I start college. I realized what many young kids don't. You can't tell anyone you are carrying. Its not cool, its not something you brag about. Its a big secret and no one needs to know but you. Otherwise, it won't work. Someone will tell, sooner or later.

I'm not recommending anyone else break the law. I'm saying you have to make a choice sometimes.

[Reca]

Strongly agree. Born and raised in the South Bronx of NYC where legally owning a gun is pretty much unheard of. The process to even get your license is nearly a $1000. That does not mean you can carry your gun. Infact you can only take it from your house directly to the shooting range with no stops inbetween. Otherwize it stays at home. All that does is stop law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. The criminals are armed to the teeth all day everyday & the average person has to rely on the NYPD. I am not down talking the NYPD in anyway. I owe a great deal to certain members of the force, but not being able to protect yourself at any given time in any given neighborhood was just not one of those things I was willing to risk. I am not saying I broke the law. I just protected myself as I saw fit.