■ 18 January 2010 | 3:43 PM
Capitol gun rallies draw crowds
An ad hoc coalition of 19 group who alternately support guns rights, low taxes and limited government, and oppose federal health care reform efforts descended on the State Capitol Monday morning for a rally that drew a crowd of hundreds (some estimated its size as larger than 1,000).
That afternoon, dozens of advocates who want Virginia to tighten it's gun laws staged a counter demonstration on the same site.
Folks at the later rally laid on the ground for three minutes to symbolize the time they say it took Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho to purchase the weapons he used to slaughter 32 people on April 16, 2007.
Since that mass shooting, several Tech families have lobbied lawmakers to require criminal background checks before private gun sales are consummated. That section of state code has been dubbed by some as the gun show loophole.
Here are images from both events:
Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William, speaks to the crowd at the pro-gun, anti-tax rally about the need to reject federal health care legislation.
"This is a fight over whether you are a citizen or a serf," said Marshall, a conservative legislator who has filed a national health care opt out bill in the legislature. "It's not your wallet they're after. They want your soul."
Del. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, discusses gun rights with the crowd. A bill Carrico is carrying would vest with Virginia gun owners rights that trump federal laws in some instances.
One view on the efficacy of firearms . . .
And an opposing perspective . . .
After the anti-gun rally, Henrico County resident Andrew Goddard speaks to a reporter. Goddard's son Colin survived being shot multiple times during Cho's rampage.
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A bit short
[quote]Folks at the later rally laid on the ground for three minutes to symbolize the time they say it took Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho to purchase the weapons he used to slaughter 32 people on April 16, 2007.[/quote]
The perpetrator at VA tech used two guns, both legally purchased from licensed gun dealers. Virginia has a "one gun a month law" on the books. That means that the perpetrator purchased his two guns at least 31 days apart.
That means the anti-gunners laid on the ground at least 44,637 minutes too short for them to properly approximate the time it took for the perpetrator to purchase his guns. Their stunt better approximated the time it took for the perpetrator to purchase the chains and locks that he used to chain his disarmed and helpless victims in so that he could execute them at his leisure.
Which demonstrates a couple of things: anti-gunners are more about the propaganda than the truth, and one gun a month is ineffective at preventing crimes.