Virginia Tech Shooting

[wrestledude363]

Just trying to get some opinions...

Anyone think that this incident can lead to more gun control and security like Columbine did?

[evilmegaman]

It seemed like a huge screw up on the school's behalf. there should have been a lockdown. I mean they gave the guy 2 freaking hours... how the hell this happened is just insane... I don't know what needs to happen. But I think people should start taking threats more seriously...

[Jorge]

Even if there are changes to gun control, do you really think it won't happen again?

Sad to think that in the future, most schools will have metal detectors...

[hawkburn]

There will never be true security. Everyone just has to live with the fact that things like this will inevitably happen. You just have to be alert all the time to be able to run, jump out a window etc (sad but true.) While things like card-access buildings are somewhat a deterrent, the shooter today was a student and would have had card-access anyway.

[wrestledude363]

Yea, I can see more security in schools though. I have a friend that knows a girl at VT; she said that the cops killed the gunman and he didnt take his life. Either way, it just seems fishy that he would be able to roam around campus for 2 hours.

[mountain_rage]

The sad thing about this shooting is that allot of politicians will use it to push their own agenda. Its already started with Jack Tompson, he appeared on fox news with supposed inside information and claimed that the whole shooting was due to violent video games. For those that are not in the know, Jack Tompson has been trying to pass anti-video game legislation for a long time now. Every one of the bills he tried to get passed have been overturned because they were unconstitutional. He has lost thousands of dollars in tax payers money fighting for these bills and does not seem to get the point. The best we can hope for is that he gets disbarred. Now changing pace.

Moments like these are ones for reflection. The most common discussions that will go on will be about the responsibility of society. Should society step in and beef up security or should we try and understand the events that allowed/caused this individual to kill 30 people. Personally I don't know if there really is an answer other then we are all simply human. Also those that are directly related to the incident will probably have a moment of looking deep within themselves. Reflection for those individuals will undoubtedly get them thinking about how fragile their lives are. Its a life altering moment and part of what living is all about. What is learnt from the event is as important as what was lost.

[MoonMan]

I think it's pretty disgusting how some politicians and gun advocates are spinning the whole incident.

Example:
Advocates of gun ownership rights saw Monday's massacre as evidence of the need to relax gun laws rather than tighten them.

"All the school shootings that have ended abruptly in the last 10 years were stopped because a law-abiding citizen -- a potential victim -- had a gun," said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America.

source (http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-04-17T112633Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-294494-1.xml)

Um, what?

I'm not going to get into the debate of gun control vs gun ownership rights, but how could ANY logical individual think that the remedy to this horrendous event would be to relax gun control laws?

[thepuzzler]

Example:
Advocates of gun ownership rights saw Monday's massacre as evidence of the need to relax gun laws rather than tighten them. That is truly grotesque.

Why do people even need guns, except to kill other people?

Sad day.

[Signa]

actually, ill take that stance for you MM. its not that im a gun advocate or anything, but i find this whole situation... amusing. its like all the schools with all their "zero-tolerance" polices cant stop something like this from hapening. there will always be some one who fucks up in one way or another and shit like this hits the fan. im not saying that another student should have had a gun to stop this, its just that for all our trouble, hassleing and other annoyances, *this* is what we have to show for it. nothing. it still happened, and if restricting us isnt doing any good, can it be much worse if we didnt have all the headaches of gun control?

[northwest stew]

The state of Virginia has some of the most lax gun laws in the U.S ,some would'nt hurt.
<table valign="top" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" align="center">DOES THE STATE REQUIRE: </td> </tr><tr> </tr><tr> <td>
</td><td><center>rifles/
shotguns:<center></center></center></td> <td align="center">handguns:</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Permit to purchase? </td><td align="center">no
</td> <td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Registration of firearms? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Licensing of owners? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Permit to carry? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">Yes*
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" align="center"> </td></tr></tbody></table> *A permit is required if concealed.

[wrestledude363]

That is pretty ridiculous on how lax Virginia is for gun control. I think gun control in some states should be heightened, Virginia for example. In other states it shouldnt be changed. No gun control could lead to a Wild West scenario, but complete gun control could also lead to a police state. Look at Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union...they had complete gun control.

[StormNinja]

It may lead to more restrictions on the sale of certain kinds of guns and this would be simply a 'knee jerk' reaction to the incident as this always happens...some sort of incident occurs and there is a ton or new laws and restrictions pop up. In my opinion they rarely have any real impact other than to disrupt and annoy the vast majority of people who are not so predisposed. Case in point: Airline security and the TSA...in the USA.

As to security; I think the answer is no. A person or people who are intent on a certain course of action are going to pursue that goal regardless of whatever obstacles are placed in their path. Certainly, it may delay or even discourage certain entities( such as hot headed high school students or enraged lovers) but someone determined to create mass destruction and chaos will not be deterred.

On a personal note, I admit that I have become jaded to such violence. It hardly registers with me and somehow I don't think I am the only one who feels or thinks such although I doubt many with admit it.

[DwarfBaby]

The state of Virginia has some of the most lax gun laws in the U.S ,some would'nt hurt.
<table valign="top" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" align="center">DOES THE STATE REQUIRE: </td> </tr><tr> </tr><tr> <td>
</td><td><center>rifles/
shotguns:<center></center></center></td> <td align="center">handguns:</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Permit to purchase? </td><td align="center">no
</td> <td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Registration of firearms? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Licensing of owners? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">no</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Permit to carry? </td><td align="center">no</td><td align="center">Yes*
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" align="center"> </td></tr></tbody></table> *A permit is required if concealed.

Although Virginia gun laws seem lax. They ranked #18 and given "C-" by the Brady commission for fire arm regulations. Meaning 32 other states ranked even lower Virginia receiving a "D" or "F" in performance.

Kind of makes you wonder how weak the regulations of these other 32 states have.:icon_scra

[soulxtc]

It seemed like a huge screw up on the school's behalf. there should have been a lockdown. I mean they gave the guy 2 freaking hours... how the hell this happened is just insane... I don't know what needs to happen. But I think people should start taking threats more seriously...

I agree

Even if there are changes to gun control, do you really think it won't happen again?


Exactly, gun control only works for people who actually follow the law. It does nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining them.

[mountain_rage]

People are going to be highly critical of the school, and I am not going to say that they did not screw up. But the fact of the matter is that they had no idea what they were dealing with initially, it was assumed to be a domestic disturbance, and rightly so it did fit the general description of one. The shooter shot a few choice people and then fled. The police were probably well on their way to trying to figure out who was the shooter and where he was currently located when the second rampage started. So it wasn't really the schools fault, it wasn't really the fault of police, it was just a freak incident that no one was prepared to deal with. Its easy to point fingers after the fact and say it was obvious, but put in the situation I am fairly confident very few would have the incite to know what was actually going on.

The reason I feel the school is to blame is that the individual showed signs of his intentions and they did not take those warning signs seriously enough. It should of also been announced after the first shooting that a murderer was on the loose and that his location is unknown just so people were aware of the situation. Not that people would have been likely to listen, but people still should of been aware.

[wrestledude363]

I heard a rumor that the guy had a girlfriend, but apparently he was a loner and had no friends. This true?

[Potato]

There's something on the news about it now.

Apparently the shooter has been living in the U.S. for 15 years in a middle class suburb of D.C. One of his old professors is talking about how lonely and depressed. It was brought to the University's attention that he was disturbed, violent, etc. They are analyzing some of his writings. Of course, they are violent lines.

My two cents? These people are getting their fifteen minutes of fame in a really sick way. They're talking about the kid and how awkward he was. One kid that went to high school with him is saying that he didn't think Cho (the shooter) had even talked to the girl that people are saying was his girlfriend or that he was romantically involved with.



I think it's sickening when people profit off of things like this. I think it's sickening when people take events like this and use them to promote their own political agendas. "Here's an example of why....... [insert vomit here]"

[DwarfBaby]

I heard a rumor that the guy had a girlfriend, but apparently he was a loner and had no friends. This true?


No girlfriend, he was obsessed with a girl he could not have. It is possible she somehow knew (or at least knew who he was) but it is doubtful she ever was his girlfriend as her friends never knew the shooter. London times has a decent article about this.

It is also clear he had mental delusions. It is possible he convinced himself they were together and when she seemed happy with a “new boyfriend” (at least in his mind) he flipped out. The guy was nuts as if I needed to state that.

I’m sure more details will make the picture clearer, and obviously there's more to the story but this is what I’ve gathered so far.

[northwest stew]

Cho bought a Glock 19 handgun and a box of bullets five weeks ago in a nearby Roanoke, Va., shop, setting off renewed debate about the ease of buying weapons in the United States.------Gee come on I'm not talking about full blown gun control here but how bout a waiting period and say a back ground check,and what the hell does a 23 year old university kid need a glock 19 for?duck hunting?

[thekingace]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0417071vtech1.html

[wrestledude363]

Wow that play is sick. Has there been anything on the parents of Cho? For example, how he was as a boy or whatever.

[grab_grab_the_haddock]

I think alot of people are missing the obvious solution here. Namely, that everyone over the age of 16 should be encouraged to carry a gun at all times.

Do you think some punkass would walk into a classroom brandishing a pistol knowing full well everyone in there is armed to the teeth with an array of weapons?

The best form of defence is attack, if anyone is looking suspicious hanging around a classroom or school building we should be allowed to shoot first and ask questions later IMHO.

We need to sweep these scum off the streets.

[sonu_payne]

Do you think some punkass would walk into a classroom brandishing a pistol knowing full well everyone in there is armed to the teeth with an array of weapons?


the guy who did the shooting must have known he would die later. there is just too much violence poisoning ppl's mind.

[MoonMan]

Those plays aren't really THAT violent. I've written worse.

The reason those plays are so horrendous, to me, is because of the awful grammar and plot.

[ROMANTICGUY50]

Even if there are changes to gun control, do you really think it won't happen again?

Sad to think that in the future, most schools will have metal detectors...
I am sure that it will. I pray that it doesnt. BUT In my daughter's high school the search the kids book bags before they let them in.More needs to be done to try to protect students weather in high school or college. There were warning signs but all he got was counseling He should have been put in jail for stauking the two women. My prayers go out to the parent of the studets that were killed and the ones that were hurt.

[wrestledude363]

Metal detectors in schools...soon all humans will have chips implemented in their skin in order to buy and sell. Schools will turn into prisons, and the next thing we know - people wont even be able to carry any type of weapon at all...

[MoonMan]

Apparently, the gunman sent a package to NBC news just days earlier with videos of his rant against society and pictures of him wielding knives and guns.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18169776/

An another note, weren't we just discussing people jumping on the tragedy train to fuel their political agenda?

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/17/the-inevitable-attack-on-science/

They are basically claiming that there is a link between evolution being taught in schools and the violence that occurred Monday. Okay..........