Massacre Gun: $571 for 9 mm Glock and 50 Bullets at Roanoke Store

This is a situation in our society. how does one stop a guy like Cho from mass killings when everything he has done up to that point, he has done legal?

With everyone so lawsuit crazy, one or more persons now will file lawsuits against the stores that sold the guns and the companies that made them. Those lawsuits will most likely be class-action since the guns killed 32 people.

Why does stuff like this keep happening? We are not safe anywhere. What a shame. The 60′s were great. Never locked doors, windows, walked the streets until dark. All I can say we are always going to be in danger.

And why is the headline important, even relevant, to the story?
It isn’t.
Let’s get off the “anti-gun” propaganda wagon and get down to real, professional journalism.

“I feel terrible about this,” Markell told ABC News at his store today, which is part gun shop, part pawn shop on the outskirts of Roanoke.
IF YOU FEEL SO BADLY THEN STOP SELLING GUNS!!!

he was sick and crazy just to kill everyone and him self for just get what he want and he got a lot of plan for everyone

Why would we allow a non-citizen to own a gun in the U.S.? I have no problem with legal citizens owning guns but not someone who is not a U.S. citizen. We do not allow non-citizens to vote….why should they be allow to own a gun?

Sorry for the lawsuits coming is all. You got to remember, this is this guy’s living.

First!!

The faster we can pass laws to liberalize the purchase requirements & ownership laws of guns, especially to the 18-25 year old crowd and to cordial foreign nationals, the more safer we’ll be cuz more people will have more guns.

Why are we focusing so much on the guns? If Cho had planned this far in advance, and was so completely committed to this massacre + suicide, he’d have gotten the weapons any way he could. It upsets me that the media seems to be spinning this towards the “gun control” angle, and we should clearly think more about WHY someone does something like this, and especially why nobody close to him was able to see this coming.
There are more deadly means available to the determined (and unstable) citizens than mere handguns; controlling them is simply an attempt to treat the symptom, not the disease.

Did those “bullets” come with the cases, gunpowder, and primers? Or was he a handloader?

I was under the impression that there was a mandatory waiting period between the purchase of a gun and taking it home. I’m not a gun owner or user and I would appreciate an explanation of the federal laws vs state laws around the purchase of gun.
Thanks! Dee

Why are non-US citizens allowed to buy guns?

Virginia has had an instant background check on all weapon purchases since 1989–predating the federal instant check by nine years.
You’re wrong of course on the magazine ban. Only the sale of new magazines was banned under the 1994 federal law.
More facts, less sanctimonious editorializing.

Psychic ex-FBI agent? Since when is the FBI hiring clairvoyants? Or maybe this “expert on profiling” is just taking through his hat which is more likely. What a job — you can just make up any sort of bull story you like about Cho’s state of mind now that he is already dead and there is nobody left to challenge your ‘opinions’.

if he brought one gun then turn around and brought another gun ..i think a red flag should go up and check to see why a young boy was buying two gun… this is a sad world we live in.. i think if anyone thats buys a gun then turn around and buys another one i mean a red flag should go up fast.. don’t you have to check their back rounds.. before thay can have a gun.. i hope the whole world is praying for this lost..i know i’m …

That was tragic. May God save those taken souls.

My prayers are with Cho Seung-Hui’s parents and family.

How did the owner know he was very cordial and nothing was out of the ordinary if he was not present when he bought the gun?

Blame the gun or blame the individual who consciously manipulates the gun? Liberals blame the gun because it would mean taking no personal responsibility… Conservatives blame the individual who made the conscious decision to commit this violence and hold him accountable for his own actions. Plain enough?

true brian. The gun grabbers will tell you that the police will take care of you and your safety. Sure worked for those poor dead students!

probably would have just beat people to death with the nearest stick or rock then I guess – by your logic.
I’m a liberal. I blame the wacko and the people who allow the wacko to have a gun – equally.
But I also completely agree with Chris Rock when he says we just need to make bullets a whole lot more expensive!

A new gun law? Great idea, blame the gun. As many lives as drinking & driving takes, I don’t hear folks like you calling for alcohol to be banned.

Ceteris paribus – the more guns in circulation, the greater the number of people who are going to get shot.

Yes, let’s definitely push for student CHPs. Because college students rarely drink too much and get recklessly violent.

To all those wanting more gun control. Remember this, VT didn’t allow guns on campus or in dorms, so having laws against guns don’t do anything beyond making the law biding citizens unarmed targets.

My bad, Romero is the one bringing politics into this tradegy.

To be able to just prance into a gun shop and walk out with a handgun that is semiautomatic is ludicrous. The Brady Bill was helpful; now it must be renewed. This is not covered by the “right to bear arms.” This is not what the founders meant. This is not a hunting rifle. He was not even a citizen of the US. What is he was from Saudi Arabia-would it make a difference? The quickness and ease of the transaction in Virginia makes no sense. Police wanted and want a return of a tougher Brady Bill. The new “Brady-VT Bill.”

The gun is merely the tool used. Passing more restrictive gun laws does nothing to address the mental state of Cho. Rather, such laws restrict those who can legally and morally defend themselves. There are causes far graver than guns that lead to Cho’s decisions and the violence he perpetrated.

For all of you gun nuts who think if all students were armed this would not have happened…..I guess your goal is to have as many guns per capita as….say….Iraq or Syria??? Maybe then violence would decrease? Haha Look at the stats, countries with the least gun laws have the most gun related deaths, countries with the least gun laws have the most gun related deaths (i.e. USA) Are you people stupid or something?

Pearl, Ms school shooter gave up when confronted by a school employee who had a Colt .45. Otherwise the shooter would have kept killing. Responsibilty lies with the shooter and then the state universities for their efforts to turn the campi into “gun free zones” and fighting the legistation to allow permit holders to carry on campus.

Actually Bill, the Brady Bill did
NOT work. And bringing it back won’t work either. Ask Australia how well gun control works; violent crime shot up, they’ve
now banned swords, and people are killing each other with butter knives.

Yeah, let’s not blame the gun. It certainly wasn’t the gun’s fault.
Hmmm… let’s say he’d tried this with a knife or a bow and arrow instead of an automatic pistol.
Think he could have killed 31 people in fifteen minutes with a knife?
Nope.
But gun advocates always leap to defend the weapon.
We dropped the bomb on Hiroshima so we could kill a lot of people fast. That’s the same reason this jerk bought an automatic pistol. So he could kill a lot of people fast.

Let me guess……if there were more guns this would improve?
Funny how the countries at the bottom of the list have the strictist gun laws.
Country Gun Death Rate per 100,000
Japan 0.07
Singapore 0.24
Taiwan 0.27
Kuwait 0.37
England/ Wales 0.4
Scotland 0.49
Netherlands 0.55
Spain 0.74
Ireland 1.24
Germany 1.44
Italy 2.27
Sweden 2.27
Denmark 2.48
Israel 2.56
New Zealand 2.67
Australia 2.94
Belgium 3.32
Canada 3.95
Norway 4.23
Austria 4.48
Northern Ireland 4.72
France 5.48
Switzerland 6.2
Finland 6.65
USA 13.47

It boggles the mind that people can watch this news coverage and suggest that what we needed yesterday was more people with guns in that building. SOME violent acts can be used to make an interesting “more guns, more deterrence” argument, but this is not it. This boy clearly did not care if he died.

Notice how the gun fanatics start attacking the news media every time one of their number goes off and shoots a bunch of innocent people? It wasn’t ABC News that killed those kids. It was some maniac who was able to plunk down $71 and get a lethal weapon.

Zip – even with the brady bill, this guy would have passed. Did you even read the article? This murderer obviously brushed up on his laws because he timed the purchase of his two firearms to be far enough apart that he wouldn’t run afoul of the “one gun a month law.” If he had no problem waiting 31 days for his second gun, he clearly would have had no problem waiting for a five day “cooling off” period for the first one.
I’m sorry, but bad things happen, and the rush to create a law that will address that specific instance never works. Without access to guns, someone this cold, this calculating would probably choose something else like several homemade pipe bombs made from $20 worth of material and capable of killing and maiming dozens if tossed into a classroom door on the way by.
For those who say that “these aren’t hunting rifles” I have two comments. First, where in the Constitution does it say that the right to bear arms is for hunting or sport only? Guess what, it doesn’t, just like the first amendment doesn’t say that it applies only to newspapers and written speech – it applies to newer mediums like this website. Second, as a police officer, I can tell you I would much rather face a person with two handguns than a person with a single hunting rifle. With a good hunting round, you could line people up four deep and punch a hole through all of them at a hundred yards out, whereas handgun ammunition usually wouldn’t make it out of the first body. The bullet-resistant vests we wear are good for handgun ammo, but are clearly stamped that they are not effective against ANY type of rifle fire.

Does it really matter liberal or conservative? You can’t argue that the Commonwealth of Virginia is in dire need of tougher gun control or else this wouldn’t have happened. What you also can’t do is blame the gun. Our Constitution guarantees us the right to bear arms. It does not however, say anything about the person who posesses the gun. Clearly, the perpatrator of this horrible crime had a more than his share of pent up angst and aggression. It’s not a question of placing blame in this instance, it’s irrelevant. The question is what can be done to prevent something like this from ever happening in the future? All too often we hear about how people didn’t act on a hunch or an intuition they had about something being wrong with somebody because they don’t want to embarrass them.
We frequently hear about police officers and other public servants not wanting to call the intervention teams of their resepective agencies because of the negative consequences it can have on their colleagues career. This is of no comfort to the 32 sets of parents who now have to bury their teenage or barely 20 year old children. If you think somebody might be headed down the same path, I implore pick up the phone. I can think of a few sets of parents who will thank you.

Times have changed. People do not fight with fists and then let it be. Guns in the hands of people who are scared of a little ass whooping is dangerous. Murder is seen as an option for humiliation today. It is not the laws that dictate this it is the culture we live in where any disrespect is a grave offence. People take themselves to seriously, remember tomorrow is another day. People on this blog attacking one another is exactly what Im taling about.

can someone that own a glock , explain to me, how is it possible to kill 32 person and injury about the same number with only 50 bullets? is it an error of the press or is it possible?
i have read that the killer is not a professional shooter.
Are those special bullets that can hit more than one body?
i need a technical explanation, i don’t want begin a flame post, just know if the press is wrong.

If it were common for everyone (i.e. the students in the class) to have a gun this event would not have happened, pure and simple. He would have been taken out very soon and fewer people would have died if any. That is just basic sense in this case.
However I do think that if everyone in society were suddenly packing a gun there would be more murders in general. It is all speculation on my part but I just think of all of the punches that are thrown in anger that I have seen in my life. It would seem that these could no doubt escalate to gun fights pretty quickly.
Although… if someone is thought to be packing a gun that first punch probably would not be thrown… it just may make everyone a little more civil and polite. Hmmm… OK I think it may just boil down to a more civil society in the end.

icepick4bambi – that was just the single purchase at that one store. he may have bought more elsewhere or on a seperate visit. odds are he went to the range to practice. If not… woah.

Dear All,
As I sit here and read comments I wonder why at a time like this we turn to blame. There are 300 million people living in the US, a country saturated with war, street crime, and a sensational media that cant wait for next coffin to be filled so that they can sale more papers. Frankly I am shocked there have not been more episodes like this one.
I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal and am willing to admit, more than one thing needs to be done to prevent situations like this from occuring… I encourage everyone not see everything so black and white, right and wrong, Bush and Kerry, ect… I love each and everyone who reads this. We are not just Americans but human beings… and that my friend we should be thankful for.
The only way to fill in the bottomless pit of ignorance is with an infinite amount of love.

Countries that have tougher gun control have less crime. Enough said. America continues to live with an ancient second amendment.

ROBYN, Isn’t it ironic that the people who think tougher DRUG laws would help reduce drug addictions are the same people who think tough guns laws are unnecessary?

Matt Leinart- you’re one of the ones who need to get your facts straight. Its been well proven that nations who take guns out of the hands of their citizens have more crime… because the criminals (who will still find their guns!) know no one can fire back.

The constitutional protection on arms is not about hunting. More laws will not do squat!!! He violated the law when he brought the gun on campus!!!! Wake up, sheeple!! More laws are not the answer. The law, as is was, left thousands unarmed and UNABLE to defend themselves. Would you expand those laws and leave everyone unable to defend themselves? And the comment about “southerners”: Do us all a favor, keep quiet, as you are only putting your ignorance on display for the entire world to see. I thank the Lord that I have a permit and can protect myself against raging criminals. I have to go home and be with my family each night. I won’t rely on the nanny government to do it for me.

This post is in regards to the the right to bear arms and the constition. If gun enthusiasts were to actually read the ammendment (which I am sure they have not), then they would note that the right to bear arms is only affirmed in instances where individuals belong to ‘ able bodied militias’. Their is no clause in the constitution or in any of its amendments that states an individual has a right to bear arms for personal (non state) protection, or even for hunting. The perpetuation of the assertion of gun owner rights in the constituion is one of the greatest triumphs of both the gun lobby and the conservative movement in general.
Having said that, I do not believe that tougher gun laws, or the outlawing of guns, would have prevented this tragedy. To assume that this in the case is to greatly underestimate human ingenuity and creativity, even if it is in regards to moraly deplorable acts such as mass murder.

A very sad day for the nation and my heart goes out to the families
affected.
If it were legal to carry on campus not everyone would, it’s a personal decision that an indiviual has to make and a very serious one.
I’m not saying everybody should carry, but just don’t deny me my right to protect myself.

“Its been well proven that nations who take guns out of the hands of their citizens have more crime”
Really???? Can you show me a link to this study? Can you name the countries….i can show you this. USA has lax gun laws, Japan has tough gun laws.
Muders per capita:
#5 U.S. 0.201534 per 1,000 people
#39 Japan 0.02514 per 1,000 people

Bill had the following insight 1 “To be able to just prance into a gun shop and walk out with a handgun that is semiautomatic is ludicrous….2 right to bear arms This is not what the founders meant. This is not a hunting rifle. 3 The quickness and ease of the transaction in Virginia makes no sense”
Bill misses on all three points. If the VA law required a cooling off period of say, a week, Cho still would have had 25 days left over to plan his rampage. On point 2 Bill says gun rights are not what the founding fathers intended. I suppose he believes the second amendment appies to the army. Hmmmm, the only time in the history of the world a constitution protects its army’s right to have guns.
Our worst killings in this generation did not involve guns at all. 9-11 was pulled off with box cutters and Oklahoma City was done with fertilizer, diesel fuel, and a small quantity of explosives to set it off.
Bill’s answers are very knee jerk. We need real answers, not jerk answers. It is clear that allowing qualified citizens to carry concealed weapons is a deterrent. E. Zach Lee

I like how there are people making racist remarks on here… And you wonder why a person might get pissed. Hell, with all the things I hear people make jokes and comments about, I’d shoot them all too. Chaining the doors makes it like shooting fish in a barrel.

Australia’s crime rate sky-rocketed when guns were outlawed.
West Virginia has the either the 1st or 2nd highest gun ownership per capita, and the lowest crime rate.
I suppose you libbies would call that a coincidence.
I got a waterfront property for sale in Arizona, if you’re interested.

Lots of heated name calling but only one kinda of clear voice.
It is the climate of our society that has taken away the consiquenses for commiting such an act. Before 1968 life was held at a higher esteem and respect for God and life was more revered.
Now it is “all about me” philosophy that rules, and when disappointment happens guys like Cho have no moral fiber to lean on and turns to the thing he sees in our media, violence.

I dont know why they would allow resident aliens from any country other than our own to buy or possess fireamrms

Guns facilitate the act of killing in massive numbers.
If he would be using a baseball bat or a knife, bystanders would of had an easyer time wrestling him down.
But a gun, forget about it.
To all you NRAers consider that such a thing would never happen at such a large scale if guns were banned.
What the hell is up with other students who own guns on campus? All you need is your stoned roomate to steal it and go bonkers.
You guys really need to scrap your 2nd ammendment and live in 2007.

If the Killer could by a gun, and gun ownership is allowed in Virginia, how come no one else had a gun?

NYC…No they probably don’t care about the stats. However, many of them are probably wishing their child had some way to defend themselves.

Went to the same high school as that kid. Crazy thinking that dude was here a few years ago.

The constitution says that the arms we bare are to defend ourselves against our government. We are no longer in colonial times. It is outdated.

I am sorry for all the victims, their families and friends. I cannot imagine the horror of what they are experiencing. I will always keep my God given right to self protection. The police (god bless them too) are only there on time to file a report. This country needs not more gun laws. A “tool” can always be found.. and yes I can kill 37 people in 15 minutes with something other than a gun. Please look at mental health in this country. Please talk about it. Please help a struggling friend. Teach your kids. Volunteer at your local mental health facility. Don’t overlook threats or signs. There is always a clue. We just need to increase our awarenss of mental health and TALK about it openly. There is no simple answer.. but someone knew this boy and knew he had issues. I’d lay money on it.

The bigger question is…Why did this guy flip out? If someone wants to get a gun they can and will….other countries have lower gun fatalities b/c violence isn’t their first thought and the prisons in the US are country clubs compared to those in Asia, Europe, etc.

Pray for comfort for the families of those killed by CHO. Only a fool would or could blame the firearms, the firearms dealer or manufacturer. When an individual is committed as this man was to going through with killing, how can anyone prevent it? Just like the nut who straps on a bomb and goes into a market. He’s going to die too, he doesn’t care. Don’t forget who was the KILLER. Cho. He could have used explosives, flammable liquids, edged weapons, or whatever. He chose firearms. More laws don’t mean a thing. WHY? Criminals (by nature) do not obey laws. So for those out there calling for more gun control, you’re sorely mis-guided in your judgement. When the criminals and police are the only ones who carry firearms the people of the USA will be at the mercy of the armed.
Mark my words.

Conservatives…Liberals…who cares. This isnt about tomorrows next law or bill, this is about human nature. The fact of the matter that the blame isnt on a gun, its on the person who uses the gun. Make guns illegal. Go ahead and push for that. But how hard is it to purchase marijuana on the street or any other drug thats illegal. There is no answer or resolution in the matter. Nothing can be done about the crime effectively. I feel bad for the families and victims, but at the end of the day, thats all you can do. If anything, blame it on the lack of communication and awareness of the time it took place, and the lack of the schools knowledge of doing anything about the students demeanor. If a student acts like a nut case and shows signs of being secluded to the rest of the world, action should be taken. Being in iraq…i’ve seen the brain power it takes to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and its not anything you cant learn over the internet. Something tells me if he wasnt able to get a gun because of a law that was passed, he wasnt gonna call the quits to his idea of killing everyone he possibly could.

this is a tragedy. I am very sad for the families that lost loved ones.

If his (the shooter’s) parents are not US citizens, then have the government revoke their resident alien status because of his crime and deport them back to South Korea. We have too many immigrants of all stripes coming into this country showing little respect for our customs and expecting the ones who were born here to kowtow to their every pathetic wish and demand. It’s about time that the American people stood up and said to these immigrants and their pathetic apologists no more. Where are the tears for the victims here? We seem to feel more sorry for the criminals here than the victims.
We need to let these immigrants know that US citizenship is a privilege, not a God given right. If they or a member of their immeditate family commits a heinious crime such as the one that was committed on Monday, then the offender and their immediate family should be immediately deported. Unfortunately, there are too many liberals who would whine and wince about that saying that we are being racist. Don’t see this law being passed in Congress because since Pelosi and her anti American terrorist appeasers are in power now. If we keep going the way that we are going, we will see more immigrants commiting crimes like this.

Just to be perfectly clear- I am a registerd Voter with a democrat party affiliation. That said, I agree that if ONE OTHER STUDENT had a gun, this may not have been so bad. I will always believe in my country and my right to bare arms,and as long as crazy shit like this occurs so often,I will utilize it. And I suggest you do too. The Police will not save you. Nor will the army.Save yourself.Buy a gun.

My wife and I offer our prayers to these families. This is a sickening event and we pray for healing of all the families and the University.

Yeah, violent crime goes down when guns get banned…right…and I guess English police officers don’t need the pistols they started carrying when they ditched their useless nightsticks a year or so ago. Guess Australia is having a great time down under with their gun laws and violent crime rates… right. Easy answer. More guns equal more crime right??? So why are the largest mass murders carried out in no gun zones (Schools, government buildings) and not at gun shows or gun stores??? Why is the armed robbery rate at airports higher than the surrounding communities??? Because law abiding citizens don’t bring their guns where they aren’t allowed to…and they get shot by the criminals who do, criminals who know their victims won’t have guns. I’m not a criminal but I know if I value my life, I am not going to try and rob a house in Kennesaw Georgia (MANDATORY GUN OWNERSHIP). Chances are high I would get killed. Probably would be better if I tried to rob somebody where the chances are more likely they aren’t armed to protect myself. Would more guns have stopped this guy from walking in and gunning people down, no…but if even a single student had a gun, this may have ended a lot sooner. And as far as the “he didn’t care if he died, so it wouldn’t have stopped it” line, your right, but it might have stopped 5, 10, maybe 20 victims sooner. Oh, and Kennesaw’s violent crime rate dropped to near 0 when it was implemented…in case y’all were wondering.

This loser wanted to kill a mass amount of people and that is the bottom line and sad truth. If guns weren’t accessible, it would have been something else. There are many other ways to blow up a classroom or kill 30,40, 50 people in a short time. If you think this was all because of Republicans putting guns into this freaks hands, just open up a newspaper and read about how Iraqi’s keep blowing up groups of Americans with roadside bombs or other groups walking into an Israeli wedding and blowing up dozens of people to bits. Those weren’t guns. Where there is a will there is a way. If it wasn’t a gun, it would have been another method.

If anyone would really be as stupid to follow the conservative ratinalization of this, it would be better to advocate that every student should be able to bring a gun into the class for self-defense – isn’t self-defense the argument for gun ownership?

libby – have you noticed that in schools with an ARMED police officer, violent crime rarely occurs!
As for the whole Iran/nuclear thing – it is ILLEGAL for a person with a violent criminal history from owning a gun, so in that regard, IRAN would still be banned from nuclear-ownership.

ROCK ~ Well put my friend.

I am from the city of Hamburg, Germany, but living in the US. I remember the headline in my hometown’s newspaper, about 4 years ago: “Crime spree”. It was about the fact that city police had to actually use their guns a recordbreaking 12 times the past year. Not the average per day – this is 1/1 through 12/31.
Hamburg as about 2.5 Million people. Any further comments needed?

Campus’ should allow concealed carry permits held by students and faculty that want them. If there was just ONE concealed carry permit holder in that classroom, a LOT of lives could have been saved.
Always remember, ‘an armed society is a polite society’…

Whatever this debate is all about, I feel that the most important thing right now is for us all to pray for the victims’ families, and for a more loving and caring society. It is true that there are 300 million people living in America. Hovever a large percentage of this citizenry is living lonely lives. You can be in the midst of the crowd and still be lonely (I read somewher that the shooter was a loner). What we need is to show more love to people around us, care for them and see how you can be of help to them if they will let you. Whether stricter gun laws are passed or not those who will carry arms will carry arms. And those who will not will not. I look farward to the city whose Maker and Builder is God. Until then, I will do my best to show love to all I have the previledge of knowing. God bless you all and God bless USA!

Steve,I agree.

I don’t think tougher gun laws would have changed the out come, what would have done so, was if other students had been allowed to carry guns to protect themselves. Then the gunman would not have had free rein, and would have been looking for that person waiting around the corner to get him!

if western europe wit the same population as ours has 1% of gun deaths as compared to us/U.S. — then whether you are law abiding or not is irrelevant….the only thing a a gun can do when used is kill or maim or injure…..start getting rid of them now and in 20-25 years you will have none….take note 2nd amendment whack jobs….smart people who use the 2nd amendment argument are intellectually dishonest…dumb people who hide behind are too stupid too realize why the amendment was created, necessarily almost 300 years ago.
if you are angry enough to need a gun go see a shrink

I think its just rediculious that this happend, when it could of been prevented. I hate to say it but its probably going to happen again, I mean three Universities already had bomb threats today, and they said that they dont think it was because of what happend in Virginia?? I think it had some sort of a connection. I’m just disgusted by it.

The importance of this terrible event to many who have posted here lies only in that it might pry their cold dead fingers from their guns. Besides, why does anyone need to own a 9mm automatic weapon? Or an assault weapon? Are all gun advocates so careless and selfish?

“Giving guns to everyone is assinine as well.” Anyone that wants a gun now can get one! No restrictions.

Amen, this society is going under, and all you people can think about is traching bush, and how to not hold people responsible. in my day, kids were hauled into the hall, and spanked for being hyper in class and interrupting the teacher. Now we pat him on the back, say, ADD, and drug im up on Riddalin.
This place needs to get some common sense. Of course this kid had a REASON to be angry, and you have every right to be angry. But thats the furthest it should go.
I believe that they have no right to take away a human life, no matter the cost.

Look at Great Britain and Canada. NO GUNS, NO VIOLENT CRIME. Simple solution! BAN handguns. If you need self protection for your home buy a pump shotgun. Nothing works better than that.

gun laws only do one thing make it hardere for honest citizens to get guns to protect themselves criminals could care less for the gun laws it makes it easier for them toi prey on unarmed victams ,if banning guns is the answer why not ban sports such as football for all the injury’s baseball if some one gets hit in the mouth by a fastball , ban cars and airplanes more people die from those 2 things than anything else .

In response to the individuals who mentioned that the shooter was determined to commit this massacre and would have done so with or without guns, I’d like to point out that Mohammed Taheri-azar, the individual who ran over students with an SUV on the campus of UNC last year, told officials after the incident that he, too, intended to use a gun but was hindered by the strict gun laws, and instead he chose to run students over and, if possible, stab them. He was apprehended before he was able to stab anyone. No one was killed or seriously injured. He, too, was committed to a massacre, as indicated by his letters and interviews before and after the indicent, but he was stopped from hurting anyone by gun laws. While it’s impossible to say “what if” accurately, it’s important to realize that gun laws DID save lives in Chapel Hill and COULD have saved lives at Virginia Tech.

As a current owner of a Glock 19, I know it cannot pass through an airport metal detector. The frame, while polymer, contains multiple metal parts, including the slide spring necessary for semiautomatic operation. The heaviest part of the weapon is the steel slide, coated with Tenifer to virtually eliminate corrosion. Furthermore, even if the weapon was invisible, the ammunition would be, as well the steel-lined polymer magazine. As for the suspicious number of magazines purchased, many of these sites report significant traffic regarding civilian purchase of magazines for use overseas with the military, sent via care packages. Regular gun owners also may be tempted to hoard magazines because of a constant fear of a future ban, e.g., Rep. McCarthy’s bill earlier this year. Large ammunition purchases are also not unusual; with increasing ammunition prices and the uncertain supply, especially in regard to calibers used by the military such as 5.56 x 45mm and 9 x 19 Parabellum, there is a distinct subset of gun owners known as ammo hoarders. In fact, the message board AR15.com posts pictures of individual caches. I personally own 4000 rounds of surplus .30-06 for my M1 Garand, 1000 rounds of 9mm, 4000 rounds of .223 Remington, and about 300 rounds of .45 ACP. I don’t like having so much at one times, since it makes no economic sense to have expensive ammo instead of using the money for investments, but with the seemingly weekly increases in ammo prices, it is a necessity. It also seems as if gun owners are not complaining about potential gun bans, but the lack of a means to actually shoot them.

Anybody naive enough to believe that a Glock is undetectable in a metal detector can challenge me on this post. Those individuals are certainly not intelligent enough to understand basic metallurgy.

Rich, you’ve never had your life threatened or had a home invasion, have you…….

Thanks SCurtis, good post. Common sense.

To all who seek more gun control, this will not solve the problem nor prevent killing or violence.
Lets look at a few things here.
1: Smoking kills more people than guns, but you slowly do that to yourself. I certainly don’t want to be inhaling your second hand smoke.
2: Drinking and Driving Accidents are one of the largest cause of deaths in the US. Oh God Forbid we take away our Alcohol and Cigarettes. The two biggest Killers of people in the US.
3. Lets not forget 9/11 should we now ban planes.
4. Lets not forget Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh.
Many other ways of killing than by use of a firearm.
Walk into your local Wal-Mart. I seen plenty of stuff one could use to kill.
1. Shovels and pitchforks in the garden area
2. Oh the sports section one could grab a baseball bat and start hitting people in the head causing blunt head trama. Most likely causing death.
3. Oh the cookware and kitchen utensils. Plenty of Butcher and aray of other knives in that area.
Hospitals also kill more people per year with prescription errors and hospital obtained infections.
And the a great quote to end with.
“A FIREARM IS ONLY AN INSTRUMENT. IT CONTAINS NO EVIL, NO CONSCIENCE, AND NO ABILITY. IT IS STRICTLY THE INTENT, COMPETENCE, AND CHARACTER OF ITS USER THAT DECIDE THE OUTCOME OF ANY AND ALL ACTION TAKEN WITH IT”
Lets not forget the real instrument of killing and the only thing responsible for the deaths was Cho Seung-Hui. Without the person the firearm is useless folks. Have some commonsense or atleast some true understanding before blaming something that is totally an inanimate object until placed in the hands of a person designed to make it function.

Rebecca…..I’d support ANY laws that kept our citizens safer, as long as it does not infringe on our right to defend ourselves and our families. Also. it’s NOT easier to buy a firearm legally. I have to fill out paperwork, prove identity, go thru NCIS, and pay retail for a new firearm. Bad guys go to the street corner and give a guy $150-200 and walk away. Like I said, please think before you write.

Oh Please!
If we were REALLY interested in saving lives, we would ban cell phone conversations from cars! The use of a cell phone has proven just as dangerous as driving legally drunk. Costing 1000s of lives a year!!
We’re not interest in saving lives, we’re interested in pretending we have control over senseless acts.
We don’t! Your life is in more danger EVERY day when you get into your car than it will EVER be from gun violence. But, we don’t want to ban driving, because that would affect you personally. We don’t want to ban cell phones for the same reason. It’s much better to call for the ban of something you probably know nothing about. Because it doesn’t inconvenience YOU!
So, PLEASE stop fooling yourself! This was a horrible act by a mentally unstable person. That will NEVER be stopped, anymore than senseless deaths caused by someone yacking on phone.
David A.
Orlando, FL

Quote: If America made gun ownership illegal like most other developed countries, it would save thousands of lives every year.
How can pro-gun supporters live with themselves?
Because most other developed countries do not have our constitution you dunce. And if you have been in any of these other so called “Developed” countries, you would know the difference between life here in the best nation on earth and those others.
It is because of dumb Americans like you that the rest of us have to go off to war. You don’t understand freedom and what is required to keep it. You are happy to watch TV and let others fight and die for you and then get on your computer and say dumb things that violate basic law governing how this nation operates.
But it is obvious that you are a product of the government indoctronation centers they call schools so of course, you wouldn’t know anything about the Constitution or how it came to be the basis for our laws. You don’t know or care how it was before this country gained its independence from England and you don’t know or understand what makes it unique amoung all the nations on earth.
You may not know it bub, but all it will take is one simple vote by congress and your little butt will be in the military whether you want to go or not. And if you don’t know anything about firearms, they are going to issue you a rifle, put you where bad guys are going to kill you if you don’t kill them first. If you don’t know firearms before you go, they don’t care because they don’t have time to teach you.
I saw so many poor guys get it in Nam simply because they didn’t know how to defend themselves. Those of us who did knew it immediately when they joined the outfit and we wagered how long they would last. So many of them died because their mommies wouldn’t let them play with guns when they were little. But mommie can not protect you from Uncle Sugar and he’ll come and get you if he has to when he needs you. The politicians today voting for gun control will be the same ones voting tomorrow for the draft as soon as they think their little butts might be in trouble and it is going to be your little butt they send off to protect them. The fact that you don’t have a clue is irrellevant to them. They are politicians and their main goal in life is to REMAIN politicians. If you have to be sacrificed to accomplish that, oh well, that’s the way it goes.
There is an entire generation of American men that have never known what it is like under the draft. You better PRAY you don’t find out because when the spit hits the fan, Uncle Sugar does not play with draft dodgers or quitters and he does not care if you die or not. It is only important that you go off with a rifle on your shoulder and go you will, ready or not.
Of course, you could rot in Levenworth for 20 years for draft dodging too unless one of your fellow prisoners kills you for your cigarette ration.
And if that happened, I couldn’t live with myself.
Much.

Rebecca….I agree with you to a point….however…1)The laws in VA WERE strict enough..2)Cho WAS a bad guy…3)We are on the same side. My point is that this planned assault was unavoidable. The laws on the books now could not prevent it. More laws could not prevent it. A single armed citizen could have reduced the carnage, however schools are firearm free zones.

Spoons make people obese. Those people then die from heart related problems. Spoons cause people to die.
Let’s ban spoons.
Matches cause arson. Arson kills people.
Let’s ban matches.
Automobiles cause wrecks. Wrecks kill people.
Let’s ban automobiles.
Jet skis cause accidents that kill people.
Let’s ban jet skis.
Hot coffee at McDonald’s scalds people.
Let’s ban hot coffee.
Twin towers cause Arabs to fly jet liners into them.
So should we ban twin towers or jet liners?
An average of 195,000 people in the USA died due to potentially preventable, in-hospital medical errors in each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to a new study of 37 million patient records that was released today by Health Grades, the healthcare quality company.
So should we ban hospitals or ban drugs?
The National Safety Counsel reports the following leading causes of death in the order of occurrence: 1) Motor vehicles 2) Falls 3) Poisoning 4) Drowning 5) Choking 6) fires/burns.
The national Safety Counsel recommends the following to prevent deaths in the USA:
Strengthen safety belt laws nationwide to reduce traffic fatalities.
Encourage companies and organizations to enact strict buckle-up policies for employees.
Install handrails, grab bars and night-lights in homes to reduce the risk of falls.
Keep all medicine/cleaners out of sight in cabinets with child-proof latches to stop poisonings.
Encourage every adult American to learn first aid/CPR.
Uhhhh… is it just me or did you see where they recommended banning firearms? Did you see firearm deaths listed at all? Do you know why? It is because firearm deaths are about last in causing deaths, way behind the other factors listed in the order of number of deaths caused.
So why the big push to ban firearms? Do you suppose it has anything to do with saving lives and if so, why not ban automobiles, stairs, cleaning fluids, swimming pools, food, and matches where you can really cut down on numbers of deaths? And if you don’t want to do that, then you can understand why some of us are just a little skeptical of your obvious political motives.

Sadly, I don’t have the patience to read through the waves of anti-gun posts that aren’t even based on facts.
If you’re anti-gun, do the pro-gun owners a favor, and do SOME RESEARCH about what you’re against and what you’re proposing. At least then there is some credibility to your statements that can be debated.
Now, with that said:
I own a 9mm, that many would say is “GLOCK-Like” in many aspects.
Will that make me run around shooting people? I have 3 magazines that hold 15 rounds each, and will likely get a couple more. Does that make me a threat to going around shooting people?
No, plain and simple. There is a responsibility of the OWNER of the firearm to use it in a reasonable manner. Same with driving a car, which, statistically has way more injuries and deaths per year, but we aren’t about to put more restrictions on that…
Stop looking for something other than the person doing the shooting being *all* of the contributing factors to this… You take the gun away, you have someone making a bomb instead. You take the person away, and the problem goes along with it.

If the other students where properly trained and carrying concealed arms, they would have dropped Cho in seconds flat! Don’t give me this, “Ohhhh mean nasty firearms and can buy with only a license and Credit card, Ohhhh.” Such is life! Real sorry for the victims and families. This shows what an unarmed society must face!

It’s important for all of us to remember that the idea of a massacre grossly predates the idea of a gun. I don’t know what the answer is here, but as a personal owner of multiple guns (none of which have ever harmed a living soul) I can tell you that a very small minority of people who own guns ever cause harm with them. You want to save more lives, tighten the laws on alcohol and teenage driving, they kill far more people a year than guns ever do.

Like I said in an earlier post….pray for the families of those killed. Use common sense in our response. The guns didn’t kill the people, Cho did….by whatever means necessary.

Dark clouds are covering US. The image of bloodshed of our fellow brothers and sisters will never be forgotten. May God rest their soul in eternal peace. Amen

Things like this will never cease. This country is doomed to suffer something like this, again and again. Why? Check the background of those pro-gun supporters, or imagine who would “suffer most” if stricter gun control law is passed, you will find the answer.
The answer to the whole thing is CRYSTAL clear(thanks Robert):
Country Gun Death Rate per 100,000
Japan 0.07
Singapore 0.24
Taiwan 0.27
Kuwait 0.37
England/ Wales 0.4
Scotland 0.49
Netherlands 0.55
Spain 0.74
Ireland 1.24
Germany 1.44
Italy 2.27
Sweden 2.27
Denmark 2.48
Israel 2.56
New Zealand 2.67
Australia 2.94
Belgium 3.32
Canada 3.95
Norway 4.23
Austria 4.48
Northern Ireland 4.72
France 5.48
Switzerland 6.2
Finland 6.65
USA 13.47
Please read the numbers with heart, read the numbers without putting on your American pride. And buy a ticket to go to one of these country to see, to feel, to sense how these people live without the threat of the so-called “life-saving” guns as Americans claimed.

Andy…I guess you forgot about the other anendments you enjoy…the 1st, 5th 14th and others. The 1st guarantees the right you have RIGHT NOW to post to this message board. Please don’t try to alter what the patriots of this country fought and died for.

if guns kill people then my pencil is responsible for misspelled words!!! a gun is a tool just like a hammer, when used improperly, it becomes a deadly weapon. take guns out of America and you will see hatchet murders and people killed with hammers!!! get a clue people, violence is violence whether carried out with a gun or an axe handle!!! research violent crime rates in australia and england.

Quoted : “Things that hurt public safety in material and significant ways, resulting in maimings and murders of unprecedented numbers.”
I take it you’re opposed to automobiles too then!

For the uninformed person who said a Glock can pass through a metal detector undetected. Wrong! The slide of a Glock 19 has ONE POUND of steel in it. Don’t believe a metal detector will miss that. And, while I’m at it, when Glocks were first introduced in about 1987, the rumors where that it could pass through airport screening undetected. Wrong again. Numerous photos have been published of airport screening machines showing Glocks completely.

I think that we are all as a nation are pretty dumb if we’re debating the pro or anti position on the effects of guns on our society. We are trying to over analyze something whose answer is as clear as the nose on our faces. If other 1st world civilized countries do no have these excessive gun crimes it simply means that the solution they’ve instituted works! We are wasting time not following that logical lead. Sometime we are so arrogant that we want to reinvent a solution that has already been arrived at for this problem. Let’s all grow up.

Comparing gun crime is a worthless statistic. Most “gun crime” statistics are grossly inflated by marking homicide as a gun crime…even what that homicide is deemed justifiable (i.e. clear cut self defense) and never goes to court.
If you compare violent crime rates instead of “gun crime rates” you’ll see that the numbers are not so diverse.

“The rest I agree with, but the 2nd amendment has outlived its imperative dating from in the time of the revolution? and the civil war. ”
Some people think that the 1st amendment has too and i don’t see you bringing that up.
When you start wanting to change the bill of rights b/c it needs to be “updated” you are starting to tread in some serious water

Rich-Phila THANK YOU for the way you responded to ‘K’s’ comments – which seemed a bit deliberate.
Really, for anyone who wants some common sense answers to the significance of the gun purchase, please read Rich-Phila’s responses,posted on Apr 17, 2007 10:50:13 PM.
And K, shame on you for lying so blatantly just to fulfill your purpose in the midst of this tragedy.

I do not wish to place any blame upon anyone but I think students should have been notified as soon as possible following the first shooting considering that the shooter had NOT been identified let alone apprehended. Had the school gone in “lock down”, I highly doubt that many a significant amount of students would have remained on campus.

Guns do not kill people,Without having to be fired by a living breathing person.If a gun is not available,Other items can be made to be made even more deadly.A handgun left by itself cannot fire .More gun control is not the answer.What would you do if you or your family was attacked? Would you not want something to be at hand to be able to defend yourself and your family,Concealed Handgun License Holders want to be able to defend themselves and their families against the bad guys who will go to any extreme to get guns legally or illegally.Remember this,When all guns are banned by rediculous gun laws,Do you think the people who want to do harm to law abiding citizens will not be able to get them.My life and my familie’s lives are much more important to me than their’s must be to them.

‘(how does your suggestion to ban alcohol relate to the tragedy or guns??, is alcohol related to gun crimes?’
I suggested no such thing; and if you aren’t aware of the relation between alcohol and gun crimes, you might want to check it out.
Next you’ll tell us there’s no relation between alcohol and car accidents.

Jimmy,
You’re an idiot (and I mean that in the best way :) ). I am not attempting to discuss how alcohol plays a role in the use of firearms… I am comparing blaming deaths on guns to that of blaming them on alcohol. Independent of one another! Both of which do not make sense, b/c they imply that the humans were not responsible for what happened. Try to read it again maybe it will make more sense. Thanks :)

I have a CHL,and I carry 1911′s(.45ACP),I carry where I can legally carry,and I don’t where it is not legal too.If I was going to do wrong,do you think it would truly matter where one can legally carry.If a person is going to do bad,He disobeys all laws,Not just the ones pertaining to legally carrying a handgun or a knife for that matter.Either one is a dealy weapon if in the wrong hands.

‘However, knowing a member of my family that was shot by someone wielding an illegal gun, I choose to be prepared and not need to use my weapon than to need it and not have it at all. Even then, I do not necessarily have to employ the weapon.’
I’m sorry to hear about your relative, however your argument, though passionate hasn’t convinced me.
Yes, you sure do live in a violent society, and yes criminals will seek out and likely obtain weapons illegally if necessary, but they obviously don’t have to if the law of the land allows virtually anyone to buy as much firepower as they want.
If carrying a gun makes you feel safe, then knock yourself out; it’s just that I don’t understand the logic of buying a gun for protection, then trying to suggest that you can still choose not to use it.
If that’s really the case, then what the Hell did you buy it for?

I personally dont want people to know when I carry.Its when someone wants to do harm to me or mine,Thats when they will find out if I am legally carrying a firearm.
Its a major deterrent to know that someone may or maynot be carrying a firearm to the lawbreaker.Is he willing to give up his life to see for sure.

Whats all this “he paid $571 for the gun” and “bought” heck he concluded the transaction on March 13 – he didn’t even get the credit card statement yet – so in reality he got the guns for free – why would he care if the gun was $7000 he was going to be dead before the cc statement was even in existance. He could spend up to his cc limit on guns and ammo – guess Wachovia is going to eat that one pretty quick – and be silent about it.

Gun control is crap. No one can say for sure that an armed student or teacher could have stopped the shooter. However only an idiot would say that they would not want to be armed in this type of situation. In February in Salt Lake City a shooting spree was ended in its begining phase because the use of a concealed weapon. If you must blame someone, consider that the school, prevented anyone from defending themselves on campus.

There obviously is positive facets to all sides of the ‘guns or no guns issue’.
James – you made the point I couldnt put my finger on regarding the difference in guns vs alcohol.
In addition, I say, madmen (generic),
criminals, and high-on-druggers will unfortunately happen. Yes, guns may kill faster which is another good point, but we will probably Never Be Gun-free in Society, SO THEREFORE, guns will always as far as I know, be around for criminals and mentally disturbed folks. I do not find anything wrong with additional backchecks and restrictions that may tighten up the reign on loners and gangers etc.
LAST POINT: Need more songbirds in schools! to protect from possible incidences such as VT or any school. Kids are afraid to say anything or don’t think about someone’s behavior seriously, just as ‘weird’ as the old roomies describing Cho, or funny to listen to or watch.
Do we become paranoid, or teach students to tell teacher/authority their feelings on someone’s behavior or what they said weird.
-The end-

This incident had nothing to do with the nation’s laws regarding gun control. People are looking for a quick answer because we can’t grasp what happened. It’s easier to focus on legislature than re-evaluate the ways in which we are raising our youth in this society. People are to blame – not guns, not laws, nothing else.

You guys keep blaming the guns for killing people and i’ll keep blaming my pencil for mispelled words.

Need to get guns out of the hands of the citizens. If only John Q Public would give up his guns, then the government could do a better job protecting.
Reiiiich, thats the ticket.

All I can say is WOW!! What could possibly drive someone to do this? If your life sucks then find a way to make it better, not make others’ life worse.

The killer was already breaking a gun law by bringing guns onto the campus. No gun law current or future would have prevented this crime. Except if the VTech students had the means to defend themselves… at least they wouldn’t have died like sheep.
In the united states, gun crimes are highest where gun laws are strictest. This is a proven confirmed fact by the FBI. The reason why is because law-abiding citizens do not have the means to defend themselves.
Meanwhile, criminals can still get their guns in the same place where they get their drugs and prostitutes – THE BLACK MARKET. Look at Washington D.C. it’s illegal to buy a handgun in DC and yet, it’s known as the “murder capital.” Seriously, you can’t argue around this fact.

Here we go again with the Americanism: “You’re not a US-born citizen, you shouldn’t have the right to breath air.”, in respect to the comments saying that legal immigrants living the U.S. should not have the right to own firearms. Obviously we live in a country divided in half. But that’s okay. We’ll never get everyone to agree to one thing. However, the media is portraying the gun factor as to how easy it was for Cho to purchase his guns. Emphasizing how this “non-U.S. Citizen with only his ID and a few hundred dollars and without having to wait a cool-off period was able to purchase a tool of death.” Well, in business, buying a weapon shouldn’t be more difficult than buying a car. However, because of their nature, we tend to think that before we allow someone to own a weapon, we should know their intentions first. Well, good luck with that one. And we should remember that both citizens and non-citizens commit crime and murder on a daily basis, with and without the aid of guns. Stricter gun laws or banning guns entirely is not going to stop people from killing people. Certainly hiding something from someone makes it more difficult for them to find it rather then leaving it in plain view. The gun debate will run forever. Those who believe only the government and law enforcement agencies should have access to weapons will always stand their ground just like those who believe owning guns is as righteous as owning a car will stand theirs. Guns are not going anywhere, they are here to stay. We live in a society where guns are a household icon. Rather than trying to make gun ownership an exclusive right for citizens only or to take them away from all people, we can try to figure out a way to react more efficiently to an event like this. Perhaps quicker police response and quicker intervention of campus police could stop a killer faster. The reality of things is that if someone is determined to kill, whether one person or as many in their path, they will find a method, even if guns had never existed. While we cannot predict the behavior of people, we can certainly attempt to prevent tragedy. I believe we have the sufficient technology and weaponry at our disposal to make sure campus police units are adequately trained and equipped to react efficiently and timely to violent crises. We should remember that this man did not commit this crime because he was Korean, or a non-US citizen, or because he had legal access to a gun, or because the weather was unfavorable that morning. He did this because he wanted to. Why he wanted to do this we may never know. We can say that he was a loner, he was depressed, he believe the world was against him and he had to fight back. Some school teachers have offered their theories by saying he wrote plays that depicted violence and the desire to kill. Well, last time I checked, screenwriters earn a living writing about the same subjects all the time. I once was told that education begins at home along with human values and the respect for others. My respects and condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. Take care.

He was a college educated man. Would the absent of guns prevented him from mass murder? I don’t it would have. He would have found another method. Biological, gas, explosive, etc…

Everything points to that the easier it is to kill people the more will be killed…..
As for the “more guns would prevent tragedies like that” – by that Afghanistan should be one of the safest countries in the world…..
And right now the Government is trying to prevent Iran from getting nuclear tech. because of the damage they MIGHT do.
Seems reasonable to strip Joe Average of his gun – and for just the same reasons……

I am from the UK and would also like to pass on my condolences to victims and families. I think now is a good time to really evaluate your gun laws. Here in the UK we had a school shooting in 1990s. Since then we have very strict gun ownership laws. The net result has been a huge reduction in gun crime, to a near non-existent level. These laws exist all over Europe and as such we don’t have these problems. I hope this is the last time we hear about school/university masacre. I agree with Cob, time to get rid of the guns!

To those that oppose tougher gun laws, why is it that EVERY country with such laws has a lower murder rate? And we’re not talking a bit lower… every country is dramatically lower than the States.
UK – 50 murders for 53 million people. That’s unreal. Canada is somwhere around that as well, with 30 million people. What is the US at? 20,000?

No, sorry but the gun-argument is very reasonable…..
Look at Europe:
Few guns, few shootings.
US.
Lots of guns, many shootings.
It also seems to me like the very fact that a gun makes killing so easy is a reason to outlaw them…..

Its very sad that this had to happen. Remember that it is not fault of the gun but the fault of the person. He had hatred in his heart. I am a gun owner and hope i never have a need to use it in self defense or to defend my family(which is the only reason i would use it). There are many many law abiding gun owners, just because you own a gun doesnt mean you are going on a rampage.
Now because of the accident that Corzine was in does that mean that cars should be banned????

Oh and another thing, in case someone here is not aware but the glock 9mm (or any other one) will NOT make it throug a metal detector. Not sure why they would even report that. The media needs to do its research and report only the facts. Alot of people get misinformation because they just dont know and think that the media is correct. The truthe is that parts of it are in fact plastic but there are many more parts that are metal.

Stop the hysteria and start using logic. A person, needing emotional help, did a dreadful thing period.
More laws will do nothing to stop this kind of activity. Teaching the young to be responsible, honorable citizens is far more important, than blaming a gun.
For those of you pushing for more laws, please read the following quote and give it serious thought!
“This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!”
-Adolph Hitler,1935

Pass all the laws you want, sick evil individuals will still find a way to commit their horredous crimes against society… they know that the media will put them on the front page and they will get the recognition that they so desperately need… in this case, if this guy knew that there was an armed student or teacher in each room, maybe the outcome would have been different…

I am stunned by the naivete and denial I’m reading. Guns are the problem. guns are the problem. don’t you get it? No guns, no massacre. He couldn’t have taken out 32 people with a knife, or a big stick. This refusal to pinpoint the problem is insane. He was a nut. It was documented. He wanted a gun. He got one very easily. You can’t get marijuana for pain, you can’t do stem cell research to save lives, but you CAN get a gun and kill. Yes, class action lawsuits against gun shops. It would be the only good things lawyers have ever been used for. And let’s see which presidential candidate dares to take on such a hot issue. How many more massacres are we going to have? The right to bear arms and hunt is NOT more important than the right to live.

People keep saying “it’s my 2nd amendment right to carry a gun.” I can’t argue with that because it is in the constitution, however we have amended the constitution time and time again as our society changes. Our founding fathers were extremely intelligent individuals and when they came up with that right our country was new and things still threatened our independence. I highly doubt that they would continue to support the 2nd amendment if they saw the innocence lost from guns.

Please remember that this gunman is not the only angry, depressed or disturbed person out there. For those who suggest the solution is that everyone carry a firearm, on any given day in the United States, a certain number of us may be mentally disturbed or under temporary great stress or anger or depression that could cause us to use our legally-obtained self-defense handgun for the wrong reasons. How many innocent persons could be harmed in the crossfire while trying to kill someone we perceive as a threat? How many will fire that self-defense handgun at a person of foreign appearance who is reaching toward an inside pocket or waistband for a wallet? Only properly-trained, properly screened peace officers in each classroom and dorm would have been able to increase the safety of those students, and this is a cost in dollars and a change of classroom atmosphere few would want. More guns in circulation means it is easier for unstable persons to get them. We must reduce the number of handguns in circulation.

It is evident that that the Virginia law allowing the purchase of a gun every 30 days is serving as an outlet for illegal gun traffic into the inner cities of many northern states. The Virginia Tech student readily bought these guns when an inquiry at Virginia Tech would have revealed that he had mental health issues. Advocates of gun possession state that if other students were armed at Virginia Tech they could have defended themselves.
Now stop right there and imagine students carrying guns in and out of class rooms. The incidents of shooting would eventually reveal the tradegy of such a policy.
Colleges are for learning and definitely should now be an armed camp. Staes like Virginia are aided and abetting criminal use of guns.

“Why does stuff like this keep happening? We are not safe anywhere. What a shame. The 60′s were great. Never locked doors, windows, walked the streets until dark. All I can say we are always going to be in danger.”
Why? simple, in the 60s We stopped teaching our kids right from wrong. We are so worried about their self esteem that they don’t get the chance to learn how to loose gracefully and get along with others day to day. Teach kids that you don’t always get what you want, Life does not always go your way, that they are not the center of the universe and that their are consequences for their actions as a member of society.( you know….the basics)
Stop all the new age child rearing crap and I bet we have a lot fewer People going off the deep end.

All of these gun massacres keep happening in rural areas where almost everyone owns a gun and guns are plentiful and very easy to obtain.
Yet the NRA types say they must be armed to the teeth because of inner city crime.

Humans are often violent. Why should we continue to provide people with the ability to inflict so much destruction?
America’s learning curve is totally flat on this type of thing, and it can be expected to happen again and again, as long as we allow it to.
If we do nothing to change our society we will continue to create, and to deserve, these horrible outcomes.

Strict gun laws didn’t help a mayor in Japan….
“Handguns are strictly banned for ordinary citizens in Japan, and only police officers and others — such as shooting instructors — with job-related reasons can own them. Hunting rifles are also strictly licensed and regulated.”
“The mayor of Nagasaki was killed by a gun that was illegally possessed,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. “The fact that criminal organizations have stashed away guns through smuggling and illicit sales … is also a cause.”

well yea he could have killed 32 people with a knife of a baseball bat. wecould have used a few 20 oz bottles of gas and lit them abd just started burning everything.
so we going to ban gas?
the problem is every one wants to point the finger at the gun shop he did every thing by the law. i work at a gun shop in nc and sell gun to people the go to ECU all the time and thats legal the only way it would not be is if he lived on campus. and it goes back just because you band guns that don’t mean they are going to be gone now just the bad guys have them.
the day they band gun in the US will be the day we have another WAR. the reason we are alowed to have them was to protect our selves from the goverment.
you take NY city one of the wores places for crime and you can’t have handguns there.
i might just go and buy another one today just to make everyone feel better. why not two i can do that in NC in the same day.

I think that the gun laws in many states are too easy. Potential gun buyers should ALWAYS need to be screened for everything. I mean this guy had previously stalked a couple girls at the VA Tech, and was sent for psych evaluation! How could he buy a gun???? Things need to change.

Good post Sammie, although the rest of the world would never admit it. All Americans are NOT ALL racists. I honestly haven’t talked to one person who gave a dam what color he is.
Thanks for the emotional, and very humanitarian post. Neglect & loneliness, combined with very powerful mind-altering drugs are a very lethal combination. REGARDLESS of what color you are.
And in case you didn’t know Sammie: EVERY SCHOOL SHOOTER IN RECENT YEARS – INCLUDING THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE – HAD ALL RECENTLY BEEN TAKING PRESCRIPTION MIND-ALTERING DRUGS
LEGAL – MIND ALTERING DRUGS

To Sammie.
You’re right this is a different world. However it is a world full of mentally unstable people. Years ago when the consitution was written and the right to bear arms was guaranteed it was not full these crazies. People back then had better things to do with their time, like earn a living, put food on the table, and shelter over their heads. They were’nt the spoiled public we’ve become. Too much time playing violent video games, watching Reality TV. Time that we get back to the basics, learn to live among our neighbors and look out for one another. But sadly, those days are long gone.

I like Chris Rock’s idea. Make bullets $5000 a piece. That way you could still have your gun, but you would really want your ammunition you’d have to work hard to get that kind of money. It’s a start.

First I would like to give my condlences to the famlies who have lost so much this week. Now I will address the IDIOTS. If the 2nd ammendment is outdated and needs discarded then why don’t we discard theft, arson, speeding and murder ect.. since they occur every day and perpatrators don’t obey the law? Laws are created to impose punishment. Look at laws pertaining to behavior and you will find punishments. A locked house is to keep honest people out, a dishonest person will always find a way in. For those crying to discard the 2nd ammendment how many of you don’t believe in capital punishment? You cry to take away our freedoms but you won’t allow a murder to be put to death. Capital punishment is society’s way of stating the value of life. Oh and for the comment on the bomb dropped on Japan>>> It saved more lives than it took. AMERICAN LIVES

Robert, you just don’t get the point do you?
“Liberalism is a mental disorder”
–Michael Savage

The fact that he was a legal resident/non citizen means little. The two Columbine idiots were born and raised American Caucasian kids from Colorado. Anyone can pull a trigger. WHy so many guns? When will the country learn??

For those of you arguing the 2nd amendment states “a well regulated militia” it does but the term militia was used not as armed service but as armed citizenry. The right to bear arms was not granted by the Constitution but was already granted through British common law and state constitutions. When writing the Constitution there was no argument about the right to SELF DEFENSE.

Well according to some of these anti-gun ownership arguments, I propose an situation for you to ponder. Jesus Christ was killed on a cross, with rudimentary nails and a device to pound them into the cross. In fact thousands were killed this way by the Romans. By your proposal then we should ban all crosses (no matter who owns them and why), ban all nails and ban all hammers. Taking it a step further, if we allow people to own a hammer and nails by no means should we let anyone own an electric saw or nail gun because that would allow everyone to build more crosses and put in more nails faster, killing far more people.

You people who are posting stats… for some reason you stop at the US when it comes to gun violence… it makes perfect sense that gun violence will be higher in places with more guns… but, what about violence overall? In places with stricter gun control, violent crime is (generally, but not always) much higher (hell, go look at South Africa). Australia and England have less gun violence, yes, but since guns were outlawed there, violent crime in those countries skyrocketed! Australia even started banning swords because, when they didn’t have guns, they just turned to something else! Come on people… guns are the great equalizer, they level the field between the 5’6″, 120 lb mother and the 6’4″, 300 lb thug who has entered her home and aimed to cause her family harm. NO sane person *wants* to kill people… I don’t buy a gun with the aim to kill someone, but I DO buy a gun so that if the need arises, I will be able to protect my family from those who DO intend harm. The only people who will abide by gun control laws are almost always the people who don’t break the law anyway! This is common sense in its most basic form, and the fact that so many people don’t get this is absolutely beyond me.

Ok, imagine this:
1 armed would-be murderer enters the cafeteria.
All of a sudden somebody screams, 200+ people pull their guns and starts shooting at people who looks like shooters (that would be people with guns)
Headlines:
“56 dead, 103 wounded.!
What started University mass-shoot-out.?”
Gun-control works – one just have to take a look at the western countries to see that:
Less guns = Less deadly violence.

Cho had mental issues. If a gun was not available, he would have made a bomb or maybe just drove over people in the Quad with an SUV. Laws will never protect you from the mentally disturbed. Those asking for gun control need to look at how well the drug laws work. I bet you can’t find any illegal drugs on campus, or find any underage drinking. Laws won’t stop the unlawful – wake up and live in reality.

Was it just the guns?
Maybe there’s more to all this than people care to remember or realize.
Consider watching this from the FDA advisory hearings of 1991.
Brought to you by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights
http://www.cchr.org/index.cfm/19863

Why do people think that it is OK for citizens to carry guns but not OK for permanent residents? Is it OK if a citizen who owns the gun kills 30 people? The problem is with the personality and not with the person’s citizenship status.

Seung-Hui Cho is bound to become a poster-child for the gun-control nuts that inhabit the very liberal Democratic Party. Guns don’t kill people……people kill people!! If you think that gun control will stop murder….you have a very short memory and forgot about O.J. Simpson. Why is it that the liberals love the parts of the US Constitution that protect criminals and the press but forget all about it when it comes to the 2nd Amendment? I would agree that non-citizens do not have the right to keep or bear firearms and/or ANY OTHER Constitutional protections such as free health care, free education and/or welfare. So come on you bleeding hearts, in particular the ones that passed the laws that let Seimg-Hui’s family into the USA with such little effort….what we need is more imigration control…not more gun control. If you ask high-ranking police administrators they will tell you that they FAVOR gun control. They are themselves politicians who have to be politically correct to get and keep their jobs. Ask the experienced street cops and they will tell that 99% of all gun control legislation is a bunch of foolishness. There are many good immigrants in this country from all over the world…..but the over-easing of qualifications to enter the US is a national disgrace that has to be equally shared by Republican and Democrat leaders. Don’t let Ted Kennedy near your gun (or your daughter if she can’t swim) and don’t let George Bush tell you that illegal immigration and/or relaxed immigration standards make any logical sense. Charlton Heston told a story about some of his liberal Hollywood friends who got scared during the Rodney King riots. They came to him and asked to borrow guns……..the same types of guns that they had worked so hard to try to outlaw. Think About It !!!!!

I don’t know why people are so focused on the gun issue. If he couldn’t buy a gun, he would have built home-made bombs. Get real.

Linking the everyday deadly shootings in the US. with tragic large-scale events like 9-11 is a thing not even a gun-lover should do – besides guns still takes away more than twice the amount of lives of 9-11 – and that is every year.
Saying that if we ban guns we should also ban cars and planes is simply stupid; none of the countries with strict gun-control experiences “Ford Mustang murder spree” or any kamikaze-attempts.
That a maniac could build a bomb is evident – but then again, foreign countries do not have bombers on a large scale – and nothing like Timothy McVeigh.
However psychologists agree that there is a fundemantal defference between a bomber and a shooter – and if we are going to restrict the access to certain fertilizers (for bomb-making) why should we make the shooters lives any easier.
It is a fact that every western country with a decent gun-law experiences less murders than the US.

Guns are very handy tools and are useful for hunting and having fun if safely used. Cars are another useful tool for getting about and having fun if safely driven. One is designed to kill the other is designed for transportation, although they do kill a lot of people. Funny then that you need a license to drive but not to have a gun in some socialities. I live in a sociality where you need a license for both. We have one of the highest car per capita and gun per capita ownerships in the world. The police check whether you are safe to drive and safe to own a gun. Seems a very simple policy solution. My the way, I am driving next week to our duck pond for the start of our waterfowl season.

What i think most of the anti-gun-debaters in here is trying to say is just about;
Guns dont kill people – they just makes it all to easy.

Isn’t it interesting a real gun owner can’t post on this?

Oh golly, all guns are horribly wrong, let’s ban them so only the police and criminals have them. You know, like in squishy-safe COLUMBIA.

To quote Rod: “When will you learn that having hardly any gun restriction laws have allowed for so many people to purchase weapens of all sorts (including automatic weapens)” When did a Glock become “Automatic”? So now it’s a machine gun, which was heavily regulated since the 1930′s ??

i believe that the person is 100% liable for what ever they do with a handgun because the gun can,t operate without a person behind it.

Yeah people, you know what. I think that almost everyone has problems and are sick in someway, so for you to think that everyone should walk around with guns is ridiculous. You don’t know what your asking for, anyhow, I’m all for authorities having firearms and I’m talking about even teachers and maybe a few license select students that are capable of handling guns, if it makes people feel any safer, but really guns aren’t the answer. It’s good for people to take care of themselves but when you rely on such a weapon as these (firearms) your in for alot of trouble and even misery. I wonder what all the people that ever died from a gunshot would tell you. What about the people that died from accidentally shooting themselves. I don’t trust Gunho people, it’s okay to say guns are necessary at times but not to say everybody go out and get one, like it’s the next prada bag or something.
‘Fear makes people do crazy things’

How many uninformed people can there possibly be in this country? The 1st problem is any campus being a gun free zone. Do you really believe a bad guy or sick individual is going to see the Gun Free Zone sign and turn around? One off duty police officer or legal CCW citizen with a weapon could have engaged Cho and stopped the problem. Another poster said Glocks are able to pass thru metal detectors – this person has no business posting about handguns at all. Gun laws and restrictions put the average citizen in MORE danger than is reasonable. The Gun Free Zones, whether at a mall or on a high school or college campus simply notify the criminal element that ALL the persons in this facility are UNARMED VICTIMS. If you were a criminal about to hold up a gas station and you thought a couple of patrons might also be armed, would you still pull your weapon? Do research on our own countries crime rates as compared to countries with Gun Control BEFORE you post your facts. If what you know is based on what you saw on CNN or Fox last night then you need to hush and obtain some factual evidence prior to posting. Unless, of course, you’re busy trying to figure out ways to get your Glock’s metal slide and interal components through a metal detector. What DA posted that comment?

By the way, let’s start calling the ‘gunmen’ in these type of shootings by their right name: “Coward killers”. Some of them are looking for notoriety after their killings of innocent people. If the news headlines started calling them, that way.