Comments on: H-B Woodlawn Students Start Gun Control Petition

By: 2009HBWgrad

2009HBWgrad — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 22:09:25 +0000

First of all, it is not a constitutional right to bear an assault weapon. Assault weapons are designed to kill, and at a higher speed than an ordinary rifle. They do not belong in the hands of the mentally ill.

I am in favor of this petition, and honestly, these laws should have already been in place. The Sandy Hook massacre is extremely tragic. Unfortunately, Nancy Lanza did not exhibit responsible gun ownership. Leaving a mentally ill child home alone with access to multiple weapons is far from responsible. As a result of her irresponsibility, 26 innocent lives have been lost.

I am also a student at Virginia Tech, and I am really upset that such shootings have continued to occur. I was not yet a Hokie during the 2007 massacre, but I cannot say that I haven’t been affected by it. One year ago I was studying for finals, and a police officer was shot on Virginia Tech’s campus. The following year, I am studying for finals, and I am reading about a massacre that occurred at an elementary school. It is too much, too often and these lives can not be brought back.

This petition is not requesting to permanently ban weapons, it is asking for control. Our society has become out-of-control, and in order to be considered in-control again we must eliminate/reduce the source of the variation. It seems that everyone has tried to point their fingers at somebody else; but the facts point us to a correlation between gun control and mental illness – and something has got to change. And the answer is not providing citizens with more guns.

And for all of the H-B commentary, I just would like to reiterate H-B is ranked 2/167 locally, above Yorktown, Washington-Lee, and Wakefield: http://apps.washingtonpost.com/local/highschoolchallenge/schools/2012/list/local/h-b-woodlawn-arlington-va/

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:22:39 +0000

Should the government own one? Is there any reasonable way to deploy a nuke? Nukes kill millions, not dozens. Our government has already abused their “privilege” to these weapons. Twice. When you kill millions you’re a statesman. Kill dozens, a lunatic. Your frame of reference is wrong is my point. Think about it.

By: definitionOfTerms

definitionOfTerms — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:16:33 +0000

The phrase “well regulated” actually meant something similar to “properly functioning” or “well equipped” when the 2nd amendment was written. This makes sense when you understand that the militia supplied their own personal guns for militia use. One of the reasons it is so hard to have a well informed discussion of a document that is so old that along with society, even language has changed!

By: tautomer

tautomer — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:25:31 +0000

I am absolutely blown away at the vitriol in many of the comments here. .. and by the sheer stupidity of many of you.

Insults to independent-thinking teens because they are engaged and part of the process?
Baffling comments about whether a student cursed in class? Your points is what? it is a word. Commonly used. Get over it.
The individual who objected and used abortion as an example? What the hell was your point?
It is obvious to me that the one thing about Woodlawn that hasn’t changed in the 34 years since I was a student here is that the rest of the community just doesn’t “get it” and never will.

I am not so sure why two students thinking for themselves and acting on their convictions in a responsible manner is so objectionable that it would provoke some of the nasty comments that it has here but I will say that I am proud as hell that free thinking lives on at HW-Woodlawn.

By: correction

correction — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:22:34 +0000

And that act says the militia answers to the president – read it.. The acts provided for the organization of the state militias and provided for the President of the United States to take command of the state militias in times of imminent invasion or insurrection

By: Wow

Wow — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:51:27 +0000

Wow there is a lot of comments!

By: Puzzled

Puzzled — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 10:57:52 +0000

If the petition was started as part of some school activity, or endorsed by the school’s town meeting, I might agree, but this was done as a private action of these two kids. We don’t reference the workplace of every adult in the title of an article that focuses on them, unless the subject of the article relates to the workplace. A brief reference within the article might be appropriate, but with the title and the picture it makes it seem like this is a school thing, and encourages our beloved arlnow commenters to criticize and stereotype the entire school. Though of course, there is never much encouragement needed there!

By: Captain_Obvious

Captain_Obvious — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 04:02:05 +0000

no one is depriving you of your rights. I’m sorry you’ve been brainwashed into thinking so. But go ahead and keep thinking you need an assault rifle, it makes up for the other deficiencies in your like that you are clearly compensating for…

By: KalashniKEV

KalashniKEV — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 02:13:32 +0000

Yes. There is. Google it.

By: Kleio

Kleio — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:51:51 +0000

The school is mentioned because this is the normal way to write any news story. You need to cover “who, what, where and when” in the first sentence, or paragraph at the most. By doing that you enable people to determine quickly if the item is of interest to them. You answer some of the most likely questions. You also enable the information to be checked out by readers in the community. There are a few times when a news story needs to leave out identifying details: for example, in the case of some crime victims, juvenile arrestees, national security information, and confidential sources, but even then an editor normally has to be told on request. Otherwise how can anyone trust that the writer is not just making stuff up? Think how the above story would seem to you if the school wasn’t named. “Students at an unnamed Arlington school have created a petition…” Wouldn’t that seem weird? Might you not wonder what the writer was hiding?