Shootings at Virginia Tech

[Daekar]

[rant]I don't know if you have been following the news, but at least 22 people are dead and many wounded at the hands of a single gunman at Virginia Tech. The first shooting happened in the building where I lived when I was on campus, and my brother arrived on campus from drill with the Marine Reserves just in time to see SWAT breach the building where the gunman was. To the best of my knowledge, SWAT killed the attacker. I'm sorry for the choppy writing, but I'm sort of in shock. The tragic irony here is that firearms aren't allowed on campus - even my friend who does security there carries a 3D maglite as a weapon and uses a real flashlight for light because he's not allowed to have a firearm when on duty. This is a very costly lesson that gun control DOES NOT WORK. If it had been routine to allow students and professors to have and carry firearms, it's very possible this wouldn't have happened, or fewer people would have been killed. I just makes me angry that the people were forced into a situation where they were absolutely defenseless... you CAN'T just call the police if something happens because when they arrive you'll be DEAD. Just like being prepared with a flashlight, a firearm is something you carry and pray that you never have to use. Even in the UK, where personal firearm ownership (and pointy knives) are either completely prohibited or discouraged, there is still gun violence. In fact, since weapons were banned, violence using those weapons has drastically INCREASED. The only way to protect yourself is to be lucky or to take care of yourself, no one else can or will do it for you. [/rant]

Thanks for letting me write - my brother and my girlfriend (practically my fiance) were both on campus and this hit me much harder than I ever anticipated. I... think I'm going to be a little lost the rest of today...

 

[cchurchi]

The news of this made me physically sick. What a complete waste.

 

[270winchester]

RIP to the victims, unfortunately their deaths will be exploited to further push agendas of the present congress.

they were forced to choose between expulsion for carrying self-protection tools or death, they followed the law and paid with the ultimate price, my heart goes out to their families and hope people will be rational and focus on the weakness in human-nature rather than the tool

 

[abvidledUK]

The "War on Terror" needs to start at home...

 

[WNG]

The previous sensationalized campus shooting was McGill University this past Fall in Montreal, CA. where gun ownership is prohibited. That didn't stop the psychopath from arming up and go on a shooting rampage.
Speaking to the locals up there, it's revealed many people own guns, just illegally.

And this is same case in the USA. Gun control only removes the guns from law-abiding citizens, not those operating outside the law.

It's sad and shocking to read about the loss of innocent lives.....again.
My thoughts go out to those families of the murdered and wounded.

Arguments for and against gun control can be made from this terrible event.
I have my personal views on the subject but now isn't the time/place to debate it.

 

[270winchester]

The previous sensationalized campus shooting was McGill University this past Fall in Montreal, CA. where gun ownership is prohibited. That didn't stop the psychopath from arming up and go on a shooting rampage.
Speaking to the locals up there, it's revealed many people own guns, just illegally.

And this is same case in the USA. Gun control only removes the guns from law-abiding citizens, not those operating outside the law.

It's sad and shocking to read about the loss of innocent lives.....again.
My thoughts go out to those families of the murdered and wounded.

Arguments for and against gun control can be made from this terrible event.
I have my personal views on the subject but now isn't the time/place to debate it.

I agree, only heartless monsters would capitalize on this tragedy to further their political agendas.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Gonna be REAL interesting to find out all about the shooter.

I have some thoughts that I will NOT be sharing on this forum!

 

[PhotonAddict]

Just a little correction - the shooting was at Dawson College, a CEGEP, in Montreal. In that case I believe the gunman had legal permits for the guns he used. Sorry to nitpick, but sometimes facts get muddled as the story get passed along and hasty conclusions are made.

The previous sensationalized campus shooting was McGill University this past Fall in Montreal, CA. where gun ownership is prohibited. That didn't stop the psychopath from arming up and go on a shooting rampage.
Speaking to the locals up there, it's revealed many people own guns, just illegally.

And this is same case in the USA. Gun control only removes the guns from law-abiding citizens, not those operating outside the law.

It's sad and shocking to read about the loss of innocent lives.....again.
My thoughts go out to those families of the murdered and wounded.

Arguments for and against gun control can be made from this terrible event.
I have my personal views on the subject but now isn't the time/place to debate it.

 

[McGizmo]

So sad. So disgusting. IMHO, gun control like the war on drugs and some other programs deny realty as well as human nature. They do so at a cost. I believe in the right to bear arms but if one is not properly prepared while attending a place of higher learning unless one is armed, we are facing a serious problem and one that may need to be addressed by society at large and not managed by a small number tasked with serving and protecting us. Will that small number need to grow in size and expense? Is national and domestic defense a new growth industry? Lot of questions raised by this event and I hope some reasonable answers may come forth. So sad! This lone gunman has parents and presumably friends. How did he fall below such a basic human standard of live and let live?

 

[LowBat]

Death toll now reported at 31. Not counting the wounded, the shooter must have had a lot of ammo and maybe several weapons. Too bad nobody had a way of defending themselves or their fellow classmates.

 

[jtice]

I think certain members of the faculty should have guns.
It would put an end to alot of this Sh*t.

I know that if I was still in school, I would carry my gun there also.
Id rather be expelled than dead.

~John

 

[kitelights]

My daughter's half sister and her fiancee attend there. He checks into a building where one of the shootings took place every AM. He didn't check in this AM only b/c he had a dentist appointment or he would have been there during the event.

While I agree with the comments on "control," I don't know that I'm ready to agree that college kids on a campus are ready for blanket carry rights, especially a school like Tech that has a reputation for being such a major party school.

And where I also agree that the known presence of gun carrying citizens deter crime, this doesn't fit - this guy was obviously beyond normal rational thinking. He might have been taken out a lot sooner, but we'll never know.

 

[TITAN1833]

The death toll i belive would have been a lot lower..if some of those killed had guns to defend themselves..thoughts for all the famlies involved.

 

[Wolfen]

I am sick, my wife is a college professor and these shootings hit very close to home for me.

 

[cchurchi]

The death toll i belive would have been a lot lower..if some of those killed had guns to defend themselves..thoughts for all the famlies involved.

That is exactly why these psychos pick places like colleges to go on killing sprees. It's the large signs our front that read: "this is a gun free zone".

 

[Dutch]

the shooter must have had a lot of ammo and maybe several weapons.

Not necessarily. One magazine of a full size 9mm pistol holds 17 rounds.

One in the gun and two on your person makes for 51 rounds... Easily concealable.

 

[ikendu]

This is pretty darn sad. I wonder if we will ever understand what happened.

As far as guns on campus... I just retired from a university.

Every weekend, there are throngs of students around the bars drunk on alcohol. Mostly, the worst that ever happens are a few fist fights and loud talk hurled at one another. I'm not sure what might happen if enough students were carrying loaded firearms to deter or stop some potential, determined, insane shooter.

There was a shooting on our campus in 1991 (killed 5 people).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_Lu

Its not always easy to know what will be best. Our campus security people carry Tasers (I believe) and of course the city police are fully armed.

 

[Coop]

News like this really makes me sad...

 

[JJH]

I kind of feel like we're missing the point here.
It seems to me that the only meaningful way to prevent such a tragedy lies with those that knew the gunman. Somehow somebody somewhere knew this guy and knew he needed help, that he was about to go off, and could not, did not act to help or get help.
Somehow the people in this guys life did not reach out to him and he totally lost it.
Let's all be vigilant with the people we are both close to and acquainted with that are lost and need some kind of help.
Thanks,
JJ

 

[CLHC]

Just read that news article. . .Truly sad. . .