I admit I wasn't aware of New York City's troubles with guns originating in Virginia, but it's apparently been quite a problem for quite a while.
Via Wolcott, the NY Daily News's Michael Daly.
Still love those guns, Virginia?Posted by Linkmeister at April 17, 2007 04:51 PM | TrackBackReady to admit that it's madness for any psycho to be able to saunter into a gun shop and acquire firepower capable of killing 32 innocents?
Feel different now that the blood is the blood of so many of your most promising young people?
You've been shrugging for decades as illegal guns from your state plague our city, killing and maiming and terrorizing New Yorkers by the thousands, at one point comprising 47% of the guns our cops recovered.
You even yukked it up with a "Bloomberg Gun GiveAway" raffle at a gun shop that sold at least 22 guns used in crimes in New York.
You went into a tizzy when Mayor Bloomberg sued some of your gun shops after undercover agents made fraudulent "straw purchases."
Your idea of gun control has been to pass a law making it illegal for undercover agents like those Bloomberg sent South to make such buys.
You seemed to think it was no big deal when an aide to your junior U.S. senator got caught carrying an automatic pistol into the Capitol, you having voted Sen. James Webb into office as an avowed opponent of gun control.
You had a big debate this year about whether Virginia Tech was wrong to discipline a student who was caught carrying a licensed pistol to class.
Never mind that a Virginia gun license is not half as hard to get as a driving license.
Never mind that there are so many guns lying around that an escaped jailbird managed to get hold of one and kill a cop and a security guard at the edge of the Virginia Tech campus at the start of the school year.
Yesterday, the shooting was in the heart of the campus, which suddenly felt like the bleeding heart of the whole nation.
[snip]
Not even the worst campus massacre in American history is about to stop Bob Moates Sports Shop of Midlothian, Va., from going ahead with its big Bloomberg Gun GiveAway. The winner will receive a Para-Ordinance Model 1911 .45 automatic, silver and no less deadly than the black pistol a witness says the Virginia Tech psycho used. The 1911 is part of the company's new line of "Gun Rights" pistols, which carry the guarantee the company will donate $25 to the National Rifle Association for every one sold.
"The drawing is April 19," a man at Moates said yesterday.
No wonder some of our cops up here in New York say the bumper stickers down there should really read, "Virginia Is for Gun Lovers."
What do you say now, Virginia?
"Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
I seriously doubt that this loony would have been able to do more than nick one person if he had had a knife.
Posted by: Serge at April 18, 2007 04:14 AMYeah, Bloomberg was pretty diplomatic about it for the first day or so, but is pretty pissed off.
And now I know why my ex lives in Virginia. He's apparently nicknamed Nutjob Kaboom, even down there. Oy vey.
Posted by: FKC at April 19, 2007 09:15 AMThe only thing gun freaks understand is violence - and laughing at the pain and misfortune of others, caused at their pathetic hands.
Wonder if we could resurrect General Sherman and send him through Richmond instead of Atlanta this time?
Posted by: Curmudgeon at April 21, 2007 08:03 AMAh, Richmond would only be one of many potential targets, I'm afraid.
Posted by: Linkmeister at April 21, 2007 01:12 PM