I’m struggling with what to say about the Virginia Tech Massacre, as it is being called. I feel like I should say something. It’s the big event of this time.

First, I kind of miss the times when we didn’t know so quickly what was going on everywhere else. We get incomplete and incorrect information so quickly, with lots of speculation, these days. Sometimes it just brings everything else to a stop while we wait to see what is happening. We have to wring our hands a lot more than we used to. I think it makes it harder to mourn.

Also, I guess it’s kind of crass to mention it, but this incident surely points out the idiocy of gun laws. Virginia is a right-to-carry state, but the campus is a gun-free zone. Guess what? The shooter didn’t obey the rules and brought guns on campus anyway. Criminals usually don’t follow the rules, so the rules are useless. Maybe, just maybe, someone with a .22 pistol on his ankle might have ended this thing a bit earlier and saved a few lives. Or maybe not. I don’t know if armed security was allowed on campus or not; if not, that is absolute lunacy. I know that isn’t a popular thing to talk about, especially now.

I will be keen to hear to stories of heroism that emerge from this tragedy. I’ve heard already of the professor who gave his life so his students could escape. I’m sure we’ll hear more stories similar to that one. People are capable of great things. We are made in God’s image.

I am a product of an engineering school very similar to Va Tech. I can’t help but imagine what it would be like if it happened at my school. I can’t help but put myself in the place of a parent getting that phone call no parent wants to get. This is a real tragedy. Satan has manifested himself again.

Let’s pray.