I’m sure that virtually all of us are still reeling at the horrific events which took place on at Virginia Tech. Such mindless evil is dreadfully hard to contemplate. There are no easy answers to difficult questions.

And yet . . .

And yet . . .

Like we have seen so often before, during times of immense tragedy, amid all the suffering and pain, amid all the questions and the anger – there are also miracles. There are those who “were supposed to be somewhere, but weren’t,” and later realize that they have been spared. There are those who, in moments of unspeakable horror, act with incredible courage. There are those who “rise to the occasion,” when the need is greatest.

We see the Finger of God.

I see the Finger of God in the heroic sacrifice of a professor, who literally blockaded a classroom door with his body so that his students could escape. Greater love hath no man.

I see the Finger of God in the presence of an Eagle Scout in one classroom, who was able to render emergency first-aid to those around him – and was never touched by a bullet.

I see the Finger of God on the life of a young man who decided to have a quick coffee with his girlfriend, rather than rush off. They are both alive today.

I see the Finger of God on the life of a young woman who, although always early, was, for some reason running late.

I see the Finger of God in the very fact that these tragedies are so rare; that this sort of wanton evil remains, for the most part, checked.

It was St. Thomas Aquinas who pointed out that, if God wanted to destroy the Universe, He would not have to do anything – He would have to STOP doing something. It is His Finger on the pulse of the Universe which keeps everything going.

I grieve with all those who have lost friends and loved ones. I grieve for the loss of life – and for the loss of innocence. And I am filled with wonder and great gratitude at the little miracles, those actions by the Finger of God, which kept this terrible, terrible tragedy from being infinitely worse.

May the souls of the victims — and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Submitted by David Zampino, lecturer in the Theology Department

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This is a tough column to write because the nationwide emotional wound is not yet close to healing. But it must be written. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting by student Cho Seung-Hui, the best thing we can do is look forward, ask tough questions and try to implement policies that could help to avoid similar catastrophes.

The Second Amendment says that “the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” That seems simple and clear enough – citizens are allowed to own and carry weapons. Currently 48 states have laws that allow for some degree of concealed-carry, meaning it is legal to carry a handgun in public on one’s person. Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states that have no provision allowing people to have personal protection in the form of a gun in public.

In January 2006, Wisconsin Governor Doyle vetoed a bill passed by the Wisconsin state legislature that would have allowed for people over the age of 21 to carry concealed weapons upon completion of a safety course and contingent upon the fact that they had never been convicted of a felony or of a few enumerated misdemeanors like, for example, domestic violence.

Until last week I believed that Doyle’s veto ignored a constitutional guarantee, but I never really saw the practical ramifications. I often told friends that despite Milwaukee’s high murder rates, we had nothing to worry about since the vast majority of murders are drug or gang-related in which both the shooter and the victim are less than admirable characters and usually acquaintances.

Yet, the problem of random crimes does exist and unfortunately, people like Cho are part of our society. It’s a sad reality that a similar situation is technically within the realm of possibility at Marquette. Most of Marquette’s classrooms only have one exit, so it’d be easy to trap a classroom full of students. Unarmed, students are without any form of recourse and may be easy prey to an assailant.

There will always be troubled people in the world. That’s a fact. But some people are so troubled – maybe even crazy – that the only thing that can possibly stop them from killing is the idea that they may end up looking down the barrel of a gun..

While the state of Virginia allows concealed weapons to be carried by its citizens, unfortunately Virginia Tech does not. In fact, last year at Virginia Tech a licensed carrier got into trouble with school administrators for having his handgun with him in class. Could the shooter’s rampage been shortened by one law abiding citizen with steady aim and a Smith & Wesson? I believe many lives could’ve been saved and that it’s too bad no Virginia Tech student or faculty member was allowed to have a weapon on them that day.

I’m not saying the perfect answer is to arm students and professors. In a perfect world, we’d need no guns at all outside of hunting and recreational shooting. But let’s be serious and honest: that perfect world is not here. Each and every day in the U.S. criminals are stopped in the act of a crime by law abiding citizens with guns. It’s altogether too ignorant and simplistic to say, “Guns are bad so we should outlaw them.” Even if we outlawed them, criminals would still break the law and get guns. They’re criminals after all and breaking the law is what they do.

After a tragedy, there are tough questions to be asked and many viewpoints to be discussed. That’s a good thing. I know that this event has led me to think seriously about applying for a concealed-carry permit in my home state of Minnesota. If I do get the permit, I wouldn’t carry a handgun with me at all times in Minnesota, but there’d be times I would. If you are contemplating committing a serious crime in Minnesota, you better hope that someone like me is not around. Yet, thanks to Governor Doyle, while in Wisconsin we remain deprived of this power to defend ourselves, our loved ones and, God forbid, our classmates…

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