Some things don’t change.
Here in gun-happy Virginia, firearms continue to flow to other states where they are used in crimes. A report by Mayors Against Illegal Guns says that of 43,254 firearms recovered in the U.S. in 2009 after having been used in crimes, 2,557 were from Virginia, making the Old Dominion the third largest exporter of such weapons behind Georgia and Florida.
The news means Virginia has dropped from the No. 2 slot but that is cold comfort. Back in 1993, when the state was the No. 1 gun exporter, the state passed a one hand-gun per month limit. But criminals easily sidestep that.
Gun advocates are kick on the draw when any kind of limitation in firearms is suggested. They claim that their Second Amendment rights are just ready to be trampled and some went so far as to spread false rumors that Barack Obama was about to introduce a massive gun crackdown, resulting in robust new sales (the sales have since calmed down after the rumor went the way of the “death panel” with ObamaCare).
But after the Virginia Tech shooting that resulted in 33 deaths and a later quadruple one near Farmville, one would think that Virginians would hear the wake up call. As Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones writes: “Right now, any criminal or individual with serious mental illness can walk in to any of dozens of gun shows that take place in Virginia every year and buy a gun without having to pass a background check.”
He notes that in 2009, more than 200 people were slain by guns and this year in Richmond alone, the toll is 25.
Mind you, Jones is mayor of a mid-sized, diverse city that has a lot of drug tracking and gang activity. It is not uncommon for parking lots near night clubs to erupt in gun fights on weekend nights. And as the experience in Farmville shows, simply being in a rural area where guns are commonly used for hunting doesn’t provide much protection or reduce much the chances of tragedy.
While first to fight for the Second Amendment, Virginia has never been so good on mental health. It is something like 49 among the 50 states in funding. The Virginia Tech shooter fell through the state’s mental health apparatus. Could be there’s a connection.
Funny thing that the people most concerned about handguns are mayors like Jones and police who often face the business end of weapons. Gun nuts typically are somewhere else as they wrap themselves up in their image of freedom and the U.S. Constitution.
No one is talking about making it impossible for sane individuals to buy rifles, shotguns or even some handguns for hunting, shooting or personal defense. But why won’t the General Assembly do something about the gun show loophole?
One reason is the unchanging political climate. We have a governor who is dead set against abortion. But he’ll let a near-retarded woman die from lethal injection. And he’ll fight for the right of a pistol-packing hombre to take his heat into a bar. Priorities?
Peter Galuszka
