The Virginia Tech University killings made it to the headlines today. Front page news around the globe.
Tears almost fell off the cliff while I was reading one of the articles in Straits Times regarding the most rampant 'massacre' in US history. It was about the professor who traded his life to the God of Death in return for his students' lives. He is 71 this year. Like many others in his age, I'm sure he wants to happily live through his twilight years. With his family, his work, his wife. With his devotion, and his conviction.
Yet, he was a hero. My heart stood up in salute to his unselfishness, his valiancy, his calmness at that instant.
Though he unfortunately left for good, he will live on forever in memories.
To him whom I have never met, whom I had never known, you are one who deserves my highest respect. May you find eternal peace in paradise.
***
I admit I was tickled when South Korea's response to this tragedy came into view.
South Korea hopes that the incident did not sour the country's international ties. A response so different from the rest of the countries. Yet, it's not difficult to understand why. The alleged killer was a South Korean, an English major in Virginia Tech Uni. I used was because he shot himself in the head, ending the killing spree with the death toll at 33, the highest number of deaths reported.
The killer killed himself in the end. Just the typical sad ending for campus killings.
Most countries expressed their grief to this matter. Come on, who doesn't? And most countries attribute the reason to America's firearm law. And for the first time in history, I think all of them are correct in this case.
America is always famous for these kind of campus killing sprees. And this brings us to another question - why are gunfires in America like paracetamols, we take them off the shelves, pay for them, and carry them on the streets in our possession? Things would not have been so serious, had the law not be so lax. Think about it - 40% of residents in America have firearms in their possession, whether or not they have hunting licence. That was a figure I picked up from one of the sites online, and that was a figure which shocked me. Not that I didn't know Americans are allowed to own their own pistols and guns, but rather the degree of freedom they enjoy.
This is to say, every two out of five Americans you see on the streets do have a pistol at least. And they have the freedom to take them out, have also the freedom to fire at any random person at any random place. Of course, they'll have to pay a price for that later. Still, once they fired at any random individual, harm and trauma is inflicted, and these are beyond any amount of money can compensate for. Most cases if fired at close range, death is the most probable outcome.
HOW CAN YOU COMPENSATE FOR A LIFE LOST!
When laws on ownership of firearms are made most stringent in most countries, it's really eyebrows-raising why America isn't revising theirs. It's evident that the ease in possessing such weapons is the prime reason for such killings to happen in America. Look at other countries for comparison, and you'll be presented the truth everyone else knows but yourself.
But even if they(American gov) want to, it may still be "politically unpopular".
Are the Americans out of their minds? Just abolish it and you'll be at least guaranteed a safe compound within the parameters of your campus! Campus is for "sanctuary, safety and learning", as according to your favourite president Bush. So don't you see? The problem lies with your 'freedom'. It should not be without limits, without boundaries which you can't cross.
At least in the context of firearms, there should be more stringent regulations.
After all, firearms are life-destroying, are they not?
