Another School Shooting

Another school, another "gun free zone" and another free fire zone. This time in the backyard of my childhood home....DeKalb Illinois. I will not claim to be an expert on the weapons that the shooter carried. Rather, I would like to take a look at some of the background things that you need to know about Illinois as you take this tragedy into account. First (as I said earlier) NIU is a "gun free zone" (HT Leo)

Students may not have or keep any firearm on their persons, in their quarters, or in their motor vehicles at any time while on university property except with the permission of the chief security officer of the university.

Second the shooter, Stephen Kazmierczak (kaz-mer-chak) was apparently off of his unspecified medications that caused him to act "erratically" in the last few weeks.

Third, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (bla-goy-a-vich - trust me....you have to be a homey to pronounce this!) signed a bill last year that supposed to keep people LIKE Kazmierczak from getting a Firearms Owners ID (FOID) card as a result of last year's Virginia Tech shootings. Given what is leaking out about Kazmierczak and his being off of his meds, it sounds like this young man would have been a candidate for the ISP database and yet he was issued a FOID card and allowed to legally purchase those guns last week (HT Gateway Pundit).

The point that I am getting to here is that no amount of "gun control" legislation is going to stop someone bent on doing a crime. No amount of "gun free zone" signs is going to keep a determined gunman from shooting up a school. The ONLY thing that will stop someone like that is the possibility that someone else in the room (a teacher or appropriately trained student) might be equally armed and ready to defend themselves. It is that simple.

Oh and one last note of irony, also via Gateway Pundit, from Kazmierczak's NIU ACA biography/candidacy for ACA Treasurer.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Steve Mazmierczak (sic). Steve served as an undergrad teaching aid for Sociology 388 (corrections) and 488 (juvenile delinquency) inspring, 2004. He has strong interests in justice reform and, as an oldersociology/criminal justice major, he brings experience and ideas to the group.My name is Steve Kazmierczak, and I'm a 3rd year student here at NIU. During my sophomore year I served as an aid for the SOCI170 web-board and last semester, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be a team leader for SOCI488-Juvenile Delinquency. Since attending NIU, I've worked very hard as a student, and I know that I would be able to forth the same effort as an officer of the ACA. I feel that I'm committed to social justice, and if elected as treasurer I promise to serve the NIU chapter of the ACA to the best
of my ability.