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America; the worlds largest mental hospital, population 300 million and growing.

So once more America has unspeakable tragedy visited upon itself. Some will argue that this was an unavoidable tragedy perpetrated by one person hell bent on causing pain and suffering to those they perceived as some how wronging them. Others will argue that the time line of events highlights a level ineptitude of criminal proportions by the Virginia Tech P.D. All will agree that this cant be allowed to happen again. The usual rhetoric of taking back the schools' will flow alongside sound bites of President George W. Bush consoling the nation about how;

"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated the impact is felt in every American class and in every American community."

There will be talk of a time for healing', Feasibility studies will be carried out and reports will be published; many millions of dollars will be spent looking into the tragedy and how Schools and Universities can be made safer in the wake of what Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine has called an act of "senseless violence".

In the end though no lessons will be learned; just as no lessons were learned in the wake of the shooting of 12 Students at the University of Texas in 1966, 4 students at Kent State University in 1970, 5 students and staff members at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1998, 13 students and members of staff at Columbine high school in 1999, 5 students at an Amish school in Pennsylvania in 2006, and now yesterdays tragedy.

The only thing that will happen is Americans will continue to speak up for the right to be able to buy guns; This is going to be one of the hottest topics of what is essentially the beginning of an election year (the general election is not until the autumn of 2008, but due to the nature of US domestic politics the race for the White House began just as soon as the Senate and Congressional polls had closed last November), unfortunately this will not be a hotly contested topic. Already one of the front runners for the Republican nomination, Senator John McCain of Arizona has made this a Political issue stating;
"We have to look at what happened here, but... I do believe in the constitutional right that everyone has, in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon. Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens."

The right to bear arms is seen by most of America as not only a Constitutional

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