In every country, in every society, there are people to think that everything was better in the past. But I can’t avoid noticing that recently, such claims have increased in both frequency and stupidity. The responses after the Viginia Tech shooting is a good example.

More and more people claim that the incident could have been prevented if students would have carried weapons. Concealed weapons. Because, so the reasoning goes, the attacker would have been shot before killing many of the students, or he might have even hesitated to start on his rampage at all, for fear of being shot himself.

While the stupidity of such a claim is probably obvious to anybody who has not traded in his last few brain cells for a NRA membership card, it remained a mystery to me why so many people believe in such a nonsense. That is, until today - when I read an email from a student of Hamline University to university staff that got him suspended (story here at The Register.)

Among the claims of Troy Scheffler, Master student at Hamline University, Minnesota, is not only that the uni should drop their stupid ban of concealed weapons (and thereby violating his rights*), but he’s also suggesting that such crimes would not occur if “[they] didnt pay for everybody and their mother to come here for free to soak up tuition funds”. In other words, no surprise that people go on a shooting rampage, when there are too many people who are different than you are.

Judging the book by the cover

But the whole email - published here by FIRE, the student organization this guy ran to when he was suspended for his troubles - sheds a fair bit of light on him, and I suspect also on other people voting for more guns on schools and campuses. The first thing that catches the eye is that the guy is apparently unable to write even marginally correct english. Spelling, grammar, - what a mess. Accusing the university of not being christian enough (they even have jewish staff - gasp!), using too many pictures of non-caucasian students in the random selection on the universities homepage, and dishing out substandard education to their students, apparently did nothing to prove his mental sanity to Hamline president Linda Hanson. This, and a couple of other things got him a temporary suspension, until he gets a mental health evaluation. Let me guess at the outcome of that.

Great minds think alike

Yes, I obviously feel that Hamline has been a serious let down, so far I am almost finished with half of my MAPA degree and havent even cracked a book. All the books that came in plastic wrap are still in plastic wrap despite the ridiculous amounts students are charged.

Well, I can believe that, my friend. It probably wouldn’t get you much further to unpack these books, if your reading skills are as advanced as your writing style and general mental coherence. And there really can’t be that much about your education, if you really believe that just the “law-abiding folks” would carry (and use) their guns.

Just like it was in the old times, known over her as “the Wild West”. Everybody knows how good that worked.

Why this gives me the shivers

But still, if enough people repeat the ridiculous claim that everybody should carry a weapon, even (and especially) at places where many people are around, eventually our lawmakers might become convinced that this is a good idea, regardless how stupid it might be in reality. Sound improbable? Sure, just as improbable as there being a country whose constitution gives the same priority to the right to bear arms as the freedom of speech.