...And A Gently Used Play Station

Internet Key in Probe of Tech Gunman
Killer Bought Ammo Clips on eBay
By ADAM GELLER and CHRIS KAHN
AP
BLACKSBURG, Va. (April 22) - Computer forensics are playing a key role in the probe of the Virginia Tech gunman, with investigators revealing he bought ammunition clips on eBay designed for one of two handguns used to kill 32 people and himself.

This is how you know when your culture has made mass murder too easy. It's hard to line 30 people up and successfully execute them when you're relying on a baseball bat, a knife, and a rock.

But a PayPal account, 2 minutes on eBay, and a legion of dullards misreading the 2nd Amendment puts mass murder, quite literally, right at your finger tips. The asshole bought his ammo on eBay! No gas money to make it to Wal-Mart for your bullets? No problem! No cash to hand over the counter at Bubba's Ammo and Bait? No problem! Think they'll recognize you as the Crazy Asian Guy if you ask the neighbors to borrow several hundred rounds of ammo? No problem! EBay brings the 2nd Amendment to life for you: the broke, the crazy, and the gutless.

No background checks required. No I.D. necessary. No tracking, no limits, no risk... No common sense. The NRA has hoodwinked a good part of the populace and has alternating presidents in its pocket. For every Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) who responds to gun violence by becoming an advocate for common sense restrictions on weapons, there are 1,000 turkey hunters who insist an Uzi is required to bring the gobbler to the table. And if not required, it should at least be on the list of options

The right to bear arms is guaranteed in the context of a well-regulated militia, not an unregulated Internet purchase. Without diminishing the responsibility of the individual who committed the heinous Virginia Tech murders (Seung Hui Cho), we should be taking a long, hard look at just how enabling we expect to be.

My dog's license has to be renewed annually. My Medicaid eligibility is reviewed every six months. My driver's license has to be renewed every 6 years. My state requires no license at all to purchase or own a gun. If I can't see well, I can't drive. If I'm blind as a bat, I'm welcome to shoot. If I take medication that compromises my ability to operate heavy machinery, I'm prohibited from taking some jobs. But I'm welcome to shoot under the same influence. I cannot drink and drive, but I can drink and shoot. Eventually, this should seem crazy.

It has been eight years, this week, since Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris mowed down thirteen people at Columbine High School. Sometimes I think we'll never learn.