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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Dr. Steger, Do the Right Thing.
Okay. Enough is enough. People who advocate gun bans and other restrictions on honest citizens must be held accountable. Yesterday's murder of 32 students at Virginia Tech University is a tangible result of all the talking and talking and talking our country has engaged in over gun violence.
In 2005, The Board of Visitors at Virginia Tech decided to disarm its student body. At that time the President of Virginia Tech, Dr. Charles W. Steger, did not resign.
Honest people can disagree. At that time, many argued that properly licensed students should be permitted to carry weapons. Those who argued against the possibility of self-defence prevailed.
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But now the results are here. The people who prevailed in 2005 were completely and utterly wrong. Consequences? We are not naive enough to believe that the local district attorney will be filing criminal negligence or manslaughter charges against those who disarmed these students and denied them the right to protect their lives. But, we are encouraged by the example of Budd Dwyer and would urge Dr. Steger to follow his example. Then we will believe that he is “indeed horrified” at the deaths of 32 students under his charge. It is simple logic. Once you deprive an individual of his right to defend himself, you assume the responsibility for their safety. If you fail at that responsibility, there must be a consequence. Now, if the law will not do the right thing, then the responsible party must do the right thing and accept the consequence of his colossal failure in the execution of his duties. Very simple. Mr. Dwyer only disgraced his family and those who placed their trust in him with their money -- he chose to shoot himself. Dr. Steger has failed young, bright, tuition-paying people at the cost of their lives. |
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Sending out an email hours after the initial double murder -- no gun found at the scene, shooter still at large -- constitutes gross negligence, which becomes criminal negligence when the result is 32 dead students. A single gunman with two pistols on a defenseless campus is a scenario that should have been prepared for by even the most sunnily optimistic of administrators. Evidently, the possibility escaped Dr. Steger.
The weapon above is a .44 magnum. It was Mr. Dwyer's choice and we think Dr. Steger should call his own press conference and show the country how truly sorry he is for his failings.
Yesterday Dr. Steger was unwilling or unable to say the one thing that had to be said: that whatever decisions he and his factotums made they failed in their principal mission to protect the students of Virginia Tech. Now it is time for Dr. Steger to do the right thing.
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