Of all the takes one could have on the recent spate of violence in the U.S., a Virginia delegate certainly offered an interesting perspective.
Garrett McGuire (D) used his bully pulpit in the aftermath of last week’s deadly shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU) to rail against the Second Amendment. An ROTC instructor, 42-year-old Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, was killed in the attack before heroic cadets used a knife to eliminate the threat.
The suspect, 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, did not survive.
Leader believes that a knife is a suitable replacement for a ready firearm
McGuire spoke in favor of HB 1525, a contentious proposal to prohibit semi-automatic weapons in the Commonwealth. The delegate noted that ROTC cadets are exempt from prohibition and went on to issue a backhanded criticism of those who rely on firearms to defend themselves and their loved ones.
“Even though we know that it’s not always true that you need a gun to fight back [against] someone with a gun, because those hero cadets did it,” McGuire declared.
ODU incident was an outlier, not a signal to lay down your arms
Yes, they did. There will be times when “bringing a knife to a gunfight” will end well for the defender, but not often.
And you can bet that good guys with knives do not defend the Virginia Capitol.
Any honest observer will admit that ready firearms are often the first and only line of defense against violent criminals. Having a knife is certainly commendable and may come in handy, but a level playing field is preferable.
The next time an apparent terrorist chooses a “soft target,” as ODU absolutely was, there may not be a courageous ROTC cadet nearby with a knife. There are far too many instances when innocent victims have no choice but to give in to bad guys’ demands.
That, Mr. McGuire, is where the Second Amendment steps in.
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