http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst042307.htm
"The senseless and horrific killings last week on the campus of Virginia Tech
University reinforced an uneasy feeling many Americans experienced after
September 11th: namely, that government cannot protect us. No matter how
many laws we pass, no matter how many police or federal agents we put on
the streets, a determined individual or group still can cause great harm.
Perhaps the only good that can come from these terrible killings is a
reinforced understanding that we as individuals are responsible for our safety
and the safety of our families.
"Although Virginia does allow individuals to carry concealed weapons if they
first obtain a permit, college campuses within the state are specifically
exempted. Virginia Tech, like all Virginia colleges, is therefore a gun-free
zone, at least for private individuals. And as we witnessed, it didn't matter
how many guns the police had. Only private individuals on the scene could
have prevented or lessened this tragedy. Prohibiting guns on campus made
the Virginia Tech students less safe, not more.
"The Virginia Tech tragedy may not lead directly to more gun control, but I
fear it will lead to more people control. Thanks to our media and many
government officials, Americans have become conditioned to view the state
as our protector and the solution to every problem. Whenever something
terrible happens, especially when it becomes a national news story, people
reflexively demand that government do something. This impulse almost
always leads to bad laws and the loss of liberty. It is completely at odds with
the best American traditions of self-reliance and rugged individualism.
"Do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance
cameras, and metal detectors? Do we really believe government can provide
total security? Do we want to involuntarily commit every disaffected,
disturbed, or alienated person who fantasizes about violence? Or can we
accept that liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided
security?
"I fear that Congress will use this terrible event to push for more government
mandated mental health programs. The therapeutic nanny state only
encourages individuals to view themselves as victims, and reject personal
responsibility for their actions. Certainly there are legitimate organic mental
illnesses, but it is the role of doctors and families, not the government, to
diagnose and treat such illnesses.
"Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of
citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a
world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place.
Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal,
because it would require total state control over its citizens' lives. Liberty has
meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false
government security blanket beckons."