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Gun-control argument builds
in background
Lack of concrete information makes for restrained
reactions, while gun-rights backers have little comment to make.
Joel Havemann
Los Angeles
Times
Tuesday April 17, 2007
Washington - Monday's deadly rampage at Virginia Tech might have
lit the fuse for another round in the long- running debate over
gun control, but this time the response was largely one-sided.
Gun-control advocates pointed to the shootings as dramatic evidence
of the need for tougher laws, while supporters of gun rights generally
kept their heads down.
And leaders of both major political parties focused their reactions
on expressions of sympathy for the victims and their families, while
avoiding comment on gun control.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi of California expressed sorrow at the event but remained
silent on gun control.
In the past,
Democrats often have been at the forefront of the fight for tighter
gun laws, but the party recently has been trying to broaden its
appeal to hunters and others who oppose more controls.
However, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., whose husband was killed
by a gunman who opened fire in a railroad car on Long Island in
1993, was one of the few members of Congress who added a political
note to her statement of sympathy.
"The unfortunate situation in Virginia could have been avoided,"
she said, "if congressional leaders stood up to the gun lobby."
Beyond politics, one reason for the restrained reactions might
have been the lack of concrete information about what happened at
the university, including the identity and motivation of the gunman
and how he obtained the guns used.
Virginia's gun laws, like those of many states, make it easy to
buy and own firearms, including handguns, and the state has been
criticized often as the source of guns used in crimes in the Washington
area and in other East Coast cities.
The lack of information about the Blacksburg incident made it impossible
to say what role, if any, state laws might have played.
The National Rifle Association, the nation's leading gun lobby,
expressed its condolences but said, "We will not have further
comment until all the facts are known."
Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence,
sounded an equally cautious note. "I can't say how this will
play into the debate until we know how old the shooter was and how
he got his guns."
Virginia makes it relatively difficult for juveniles to obtain
guns.
Gun purchasers are subject to background checks, unless they buy
their guns from private citizens at gun shows.
INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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