April 16, 2008 | Tags: virginia tech, Mary Read

You know I had to do it, being that I live in VA – now home to the most brutal college campus massacre in our history.

It’s always a little interesting how the most ominously somber feeling days tend to be the ones where it’s gorgeous outside. It’s sunny, the cherry blossoms are looking amazing, and there doesn’t seem to be a cloud in the sky here in Northern VA (where the weather switches up on you faster than you can change into your “rain kicks”). Unfortunately, it’s not only the weather that seems to change up on short notice around here. In the blink of an eye your street can go from peaceful to a warzone (see my last post). And that doesn’t seem to change if you’re in the boonies of Blacksburg, either.

For those that somehow missed the memo, today marks exactly one year since the insanity that was the Virginia Tech massacre. It also marks a year since I have been driving past a memorial set up along a fence on my way to school. It belongs to Mary Read, and rests on a small, windy, residential street that happens to be a great cut-across to another main road when traffic sucks. Mary was young, just a freshman at VT when this all went down, and I remember catching the news last April and seeing her face and having to do a double-take because it was just that impossible to believe. See, Mary was a classmate of mine one year, and I got the chance to see her smile at least three times a week. She was one of the only things that made that particular class tolerable to sit through (although I never lasted and left anyway). Well, the smile, and the thought of my boy trying to mack on her. Oh, those were the days. Anyway, that girl would never hurt a fly, probably wouldn't even insult one, so you can imagine my feeling of disbelief when I heard. Although, after what happened to my boy Aaron, I’m starting to believe anything.

Especially that cliché saying about how bad things happen to good people.

Anyway though, since I drive past this memorial probably at least once a week, I get reminded of this event rather frequently*. Even aside from the tiny, fence-residing memorial to Mary, though, the reminders don’t end. I’m not sure about other places in the country, but here in VA (where we are definitely a gun state) a new debate has arisen that focuses on the issue of guns on college campuses. There’s two main arguments to this one: the people who support the carrying over of the state gun laws (open carry without a license, concealed carry with one) say “well, if just one person had been able to carry their weapon on campus that day at VT, somebody could have shot the gunman before he had a chance to kill so many people!”. Then, there’s the people that just feel completely insecure no matter who has the gun. They don’t want guns on campus, or in their state at all really.

Here’s my largest argument though: even if you outlaw guns, there will still be people who break the law. The law abiding citizens who you really don’t have to worry about not feeling safe around if they have guns will be the ones to follow that law and not have guns. Meanwhile the bank-robbing, rapist psychopaths will still be determined enough to have one (or ten, if you live where I live), and they’ll just turn to the black market and cop some anyway. Which leaves all the respectable citizens unarmed and vulnerable, and all the volatile people ready for war.

Just ask D.C.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/SCOTUS/story?id=4464727&page=1

New gun control measures have been taken in some cases since that awful day a year ago (such as measures to run mental health screenings prior to letting people purchase guns), but we have still been seeing the same thing. For instance, that shooting at Northern Illinois University in February of this year.

This world never ceases to amaze me. And I’m not sure I mean that in a good way.

So, as I get ready to head off to hip hop class and enjoy a sunny drive through the blossoming (in more ways than one) cities of the Northern portion of this wonderful Commonwealth, I’ll be thinking a lot about what kind of progress we’ve made since that day a year ago. I mean remember when they tried to do the benefit show for the students and some people were all up in arms about Nas' presence at the event because he raps about guns? Do you even think about that anymore? Did any change ever come from the outrage? I’m curious as to you guys’ thoughts about guns, gun control, rapping about guns and the influence it has on the masses, and school shootings in general. Get at me, and have a safe hump day, DX.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1631036423e207/

…remember that track?

I’ll pull a Meka Soul and hit you with the original, too.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EWL5N6FG

*Actually, I’ll probably drive by it today on purpose, just to see what’s going on. I may update this with some pictures later, if anybody can’t sleep tonight and wants to check back.

OK, back with a couple pictures. It was so beautiful outside today.

My respects go out to all the victims' families.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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