Just now, in Binghamton, NY, an Asian man in his 20’s has shot various people and taken hostages at the American Civic Association, a immigration center. So far there are 4 confirmed wounded and there are reports of 13 possible dead, the rest of the 41 people (at least) thought to be inside have been taken hostage. The shooter is reported to be carrying a high-powered rifle, wearing a green nylon jacket and dark rimmed glasses. Let’s hope that this situation doesn’t worsen.

Already, some blogs have started to link illegal immigration to this tragedy. With the exception of violating immigration law, illegal immigrants do not cause a disproportionate amount of crime in the U.S., at least according to this study and this article and this article, etc. etc. While there are articles that stress the opposite, I subscribe to the view that most illegal immigrants come to work and stay below the radar so they don’t get deported. That being said, violation of immigration law is not acceptable and a nation needs to have the right to decide on its immigration policy. We need to secure our borders as a matter of national security, not because “they” purportedly cause higher crime (which they do not) but because the enemies of the United States and organized crime elements will exploit our lax security. While we should focus on the problem of securing our borders as a sovereign nation, we should shy away from vilifying a whole population or saying that crime itself is mainly caused by this problem. I worry about Al Qaeda and international gangs, luckily these organizations do not represent the face of the illegal immigrant community, so let’s not link them unnecessarily.

Another issue that inevitably will come up is the issue of the right to bear arms. Gun control advocates around the country will start pointing to this event, like they point at other gun related crimes and tragedies, to push their agenda on the voting public. It’s a compelling argument, appealing to mothers and fathers worried about their children getting gunned down in their schools or other public places, but it’s a tactic that uses emotion to circumvent a constitutional right and a practical human right: the right of self-defense. The origins of the second amendment are rooted in revolution against an oppressive government that would use force against innocent people… centuries of freedom in this country have dulled the revolutionary imperative that makes us Americans: that we must be free at any cost. To restrain the people from bearing arms for the end of self-defense against any violation of their rights, be it a government or another citizen that commits crime, is to neuter the freedom’s spirit in America. I agree that it is a double edged sword and that this right also allows criminals to do more harm to law abiding citizens, but with proper law enforcement we can reduce the harm without leaving freedom defenseless. The restrictions that we place on gun ownership should not infringe on people’s rights but should be reasonable, such as taking into account sanity, competence, age, etc. It is shameful when gun control advocates use tragedies such as these to advance their constitution-shredding agenda. Wherever people do not have the right to defend themselves, their governments have a much easier time repressing and murdering them. The fact that we have not all agreed that preserving freedom is the highest goal is very disturbing.

-AG