Virginia Tech University shootings

[gemini20]

Just watching the evening news here in the UK and they are reporting that 31 students/teachers? have been shot dead at Virginia Tech.

I have absolutely no idea what has gone on there but it is just so sad to think of so many young lives destroyed.

My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost someone today.

Emma

[manchesteruk]

I saw this on the news as well what a terribly tragic and unnecessary loss of life.  My thoughts are with any families affected as well.

[jack]

as a parent with two children in college, I cant imagine having this happen. very,very sad day.

[Boo Radley]

Emma,

Leave it someone in the UK to inform us in the USA of such a horrendous atrocity.   I just googled for news and read a few of the reports -- as early as 1 hour ago reports said 21 were dead and only in the last half hour has the number 32, including the gunman, been released.   I could only read a couple of articles before tears started rolling down my cheeks.  How many people will read your post or this thread and simply move on to something else?  32 people are dead and we're so inured to violence it barely registers.

And of course our White House has something useful to add:

Fox News VT article  <<---- link to full article

President Bush's spokeswoman Dana Perino said she made the president aware of the shootings at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Bush was preparing to make a statement at 4:15 p.m...
...
"The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed. Certainly, bringing a gun into a school dormitory and shooting ... is against the law and something someone should be held accountable for," Perino said.

Certainly someone should be held accountable for the dead man's rampage.  Who?

[Miss Philicia]

Who cares how many died when we can still say our 2nd amendment  rights (even though actually intended for maintaining state militias) are protected!

[jack]

Boo, this story has been on TV all morning.  You do have a point though, about it not registering, I mean I was very sad when I first saw it but then when about my day like nothing was going on. Then I thought of my own kids at school and how horrible it must be for those parents.
As far as we know Bush is not responsible for this.
I think I am gonna buy my kids these new tasers. 
 

[jack]

The only thing that could have saved these kids would have been if some of them had been armed.

[Miss Philicia]

yes... because MORE guns are always the answer

[JohnOso]

"The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed."

Leave it to this POS Administration to work in a message to its core constituency in the midst of a tragedy.

[milker]

The worst shooting on American soil ever..

This is devastating.

Milker.

[ACinKC]

Boo, this story has been on TV all morning.  You do have a point though, about it not registering, I mean I was very sad when I first saw it but then when about my day like nothing was going on. Then I thought of my own kids at school and how horrible it must be for those parents.
As far as we know Bush is not responsible for this.
I think I am gonna buy my kids these new tasers. 
 

Your kids would have to be close enough to use them!  Last time I checked people with guns had slightly more range and "stopping power" than a taser, even when thrown.

[jack]

yeah,but I dont think my kids will carry a gun.  How would have gun laws stopped todays tragedy? If you wanted guns you could get them illegally just like drugs with todays ridiculous drug laws.
Hopefully the people responsible for this are already dead or the usual suspects will begin to whine that society,Bush, or the war in iraq caused them to do this and it really wasnt their fault.

[Dachshund]

Wow, not one mention of Clinton to further debase the topic.

[Boo Radley]

Hopefully the people responsible for this are already dead or the usual suspects will begin to whine that society,Bush, or the war in iraq caused them to do this and it really wasnt their fault.

The lone gunman, a male, is dead.  Your gratuitous jibes at "whine(s)" of "the usual suspects" are really unnecessary, jack, especially given the horrible circumstances under discussion. 

I criticized Bush's spokesperson for making a characteristically Bushian faux pas by dragging 2nd amendment rights into an tragedy THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE 2ND AMENDMENT.   If you think that's unfair, T.S. Eliot.  Would you be worried about 2nd Amendment rights if one of your children had been gunned down today? 

[Bartro]

I saw the prez talking head on the TV today.  Scores of young lives lost unnecessarily.  All in a days work....

[AlanBama]

An unspeakable tragedy....my thoughts and prayers with the families.

[Jerry71]

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[DingoBoi]

one can look on the bright side and know that the local morticians are good for business.

Go Economy.

[GSOgymrat]

When something horrible like this happens one of my first reaction is to questions "why"? But then I realize there is no good reason or explanation for murdering a group of innocent people at random. It is just tragic and senseless.

[Life]

Just makes me sad that no one dealt with the warning signs of this individual.   Imagine 32 families loosing their son or daughter in a blink of an eye....   Tragic..

Eric

[allopathicholistic]

In addition, there are the injured who escaped death, so keep their recovery in your thoughts please

[Lis]

I was hoping benj would post... (means Liz is OK) 

there are BIG prayers from here.....

lis

[DingoBoi]

Imagine 32 families loosing their son or daughter in a blink of an eye....

imagine the life insurance policies.

and then of course there is the fact that this has delayed the hearings on the justice department firings.

Government sponsored methinks just to buy time.  Wouldn't put it past a republican.

[aupointillimite]

I was hoping benj would post... (means Liz is OK) 

there are BIG prayers from here.....

lis

Tech is about 4 hours west of Richmond... I knew a lot of kids who went there, but they've all since graduated.

A friend of a friend of mine was killed there today though. 

This is surreal... I've only been to Tech twice to visit... it's a huge campus, but a really tight-knit one... I can't believe this happened there.

[Lis]

I am SOOOO sorry.... there are no words that can ever take away your hurt.....  Know that you are loved!!

[milker]

aupo, i'm very sorry. I thought about you today since I knew you were living not far.

this is tragic event, i don't know what to say.

Milker.

[DanielMark]

The finger pointing, the trying to make sense of something so utterly senseless. Reminds me of a similar shooting rampage (tho a less deadly one) that happened here at Montreal's Dawson College last year. I just hope the students and staff are getting the trauma counselling they’ll need now.

[Jerry71]

.

[SouthSam7]

This sounds cold, but one can't really be surprised by this kind of violence anymore when gun ownership is so revered in this country.

I have friends who love to say, "guns don't kill people, people kill people".  But obviously we would be mourning less people if the attacker had a knife instead of automatic rifles!

[indyguy]

As someone who works in security every day I can say that I wish that there were not so many guns out there. There is no way to control the number of guns because there are so many out there already. This situation saddened me and its a shame so many people lost their lives for nothing. My heart goes out to the familys. I just wish we lived in a peaceful world but we dont.

[northernguy]

So sad.  I couldn't help thinking, we here get up every morning with the innate knowledge that we are fighting something serious, but these kids likely got up without a care in the world, not knowing that today would be their last.  Somehow that makes it so much sadder. And now there are countless families having to deal with this loss, which will tear their lives apart.

[ACinKC]

yeah,but I dont think my kids will carry a gun.  How would have gun laws stopped todays tragedy? If you wanted guns you could get them illegally just like drugs with todays ridiculous drug laws.
Hopefully the people responsible for this are already dead or the usual suspects will begin to whine that society,Bush, or the war in iraq caused them to do this and it really wasnt their fault.

Today's tragedy is a price paid for living in a mostly free country.  As citizens we would rather allow this to happen than live in lock down for our entire lives.  It's too bad that the price for freedom is most often paid for by the blood of the innocent. 

There is no way to stop a determined individual from wreaking havoc on our society.  No way.  All the pundits will come on today proclaiming this solution and that solution but really, nothing can be done.  I'd love LOVE to say ban guns (as I personally dont see the need for most of the weapons sold in this country) but in reality I dont know that that would work.  Although, you don't hear much about this stuff in Britain.  Granted its a smaller country but still.  For all the guns to go away in this country it would take at least 50 years and possibly longer for it to truly make a significant impact. 

So their is no answer.  Thats the sad part.

And anyone saying the University and authorities should have locked down the whole place after the first shooting is using 20/20 hindsight.  There is noway the police could have seen a massacre coming.  And if you lock down the place evertime something violent happens where do you draw the line.  This guy had a dispute with his girlfried that turned fatal, do you lock it down for EVERY domestic violence case on the CHANCE this happens?  It's a tragedy and one that cannot be changed, I hope they move on and look forward instead of trying to go all "IMUS" on somebody.

[Jerry71]

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[sadboy]

[Boo Radley]

Yesterday's events are beyond comprehension and challenge each of us to realize simple circumstance can take away life.  Living in a dorm or attending a class -- what must the survivors who weren't in the dorm or skipped classes yesterday be feeling?  What of those who were there and will never escape the memory of such a nightmare?

Since it's come up I'm going to go OT but on OT with a question for other U.S. Americans.  Anyone who knows the stats knows the numbers of deaths by gun are in the 2 to 3 digit range in every country but the U.S.A., where thousands are killed each year.  Isn't there something terribly wrong with this picture?  Are we so sure it's impossible to remove guns, especially those no hunter or sportsman needs, from the country?  Madmen (why is it always males?) will find other ways of killing large numbers of people but when someone can legally own a machine gun (basically) isn't it an invitation to disaster?

P.S. I'm relieved to see my fear of apathy was wrong and apologize for thinking it. 

[Miss Philicia]

For all the guns to go away in this country it would take at least 50 years and possibly longer for it to truly make a significant impact. 

So why not start decreasing the number of guns NOW so that in 50 years people have a safer environment in this country.  It is this type of attitude you describe that got us in this very situation.  Where would we be now if gun laws had been enacted in the US 50 years ago?  I'd assume that is when the majority of gun laws were enacted in Europe that exist now.

[Boo Radley]

A friend of a friend of mine was killed there today though.

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, Benj. 

I imagine you are one of thousands whose lives were connected to the 32 kids and teachers killed.  I cannot imagine the grief and anguish of parents, family, and friends at this time.   

The death of someone close is always hard to deal with but for those I've lost through senseless violence the sting and agony are more keenly felt.  20 years ago a friend and her 1 year old daughter were shot and killed by someone who stole her car.  Denise would not have fought off a car-jacker except to save her daughter but they were getting out when killed.  It still makes me sad to remember it.

I wish yesterday's massacre would mobilize U.S. citizens to closely examine our deep-felt belief in the need to own firearms and realize the price paid is too great.  Unfortunately I'm pipe dreaming.

[aupointillimite]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, Benj. 

I imagine you are one of thousands whose lives were connected to the 32 kids and teachers killed.  I cannot imagine the grief and anguish of parents, family, and friends at this time.   

The death of someone close is always hard to deal with but for those I've lost through senseless violence the sting and agony are more keenly felt.  20 years ago a friend and her 1 year old daughter were shot and killed by someone who stole her car.  Denise would not have fought off a car-jacker except to save her daughter but they were getting out when killed.  It still makes me sad to remember it.

I wish yesterday's massacre would mobilize U.S. citizens to closely examine our deep-felt belief in the need to own firearms and realize the price paid is too great.  Unfortunately I'm pipe dreaming.

Thank you, Boo. 

A couple more friends of mine now have friends who are missing or dead...

Everyone's a little shell-shocked around here today...

[ronaldinho]

I cannot belive NBC has made public the photos and statements of the guy responsible for the shootings. This will reassure other mentally deranged people that shooting people in universities is a sure way to guarantee the worldwide fame and publicity this kind of sick people seek.The photos of this guy are in the front pages of all newspapers here , and I am in Brazil! That is EXACTLY what the shooter wanted, and he got it.

[aztecan]

Hey Ronald,

Yep, I saw it briefly when they started talking about it and I shut off the TV.  I am so disgusted with what the "media" has become in this country.

It makes me glad I no longer am involved in that business.

As for the shooter, apparently there were indications he had serious mental issues. But, so do many others. What are we supposed to do, live in constant fear, lock down everything and everyone?

It might be better if we had mental health facilities available, but Reagan closed them down by cutting off their funding. Cause and effect?

I grieve for those who lost friends and family, hope for those who are now working to recover, and fear the knee-jerk reactions of our powers that be.

HUGS,

Mark

[RapidRod]

All the warning signs this kid had shown, sounds like some agencies dropped the ball. Mark, we sure do have a large problem since the closing of the state mental health facilities.

[SouthSam7]

I can relate to going to school with a bunch of spoiled, rich, stuck-up brats who never worked a day for what they have, but that's life.  There will always be people who are richer and have better, newer things.

I HATE when the media gives more air time to the killer than the innocent people he murdered.

[aupointillimite]

It's odd... Tech doesn't have a reputation for being a rich kid school.

It has quite a good reputation as a technical university... but it's public, so it's quite cheap for Virginia residents to go to any state-run school... as it is, middle-class residents of Virginia have access to some damn good schools for extremely reasonable costs.  Most of the state's best schools are public, so Tech, UVA, and William and Mary are analagous to the UC system... very good, and very affordable for residents.

We're not talking about Georgetown or Ivy League rich kids here.  Most of the students come from middle-class families in Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads.

[friendlyfolk]

Benj, sorry for your loss.

It is interesting because each school shooting tells us so much about what needs to be done: stricter gun laws, more mental health screening and accessability, sensitivity training, better response systems, etc and in a month nothing is done differently. Our society loves to sensationalize but we aren't big on creating a better future. What I find funny is that they keep acting like hes a Korean immigrant when he had been in this country since he was a child. We try to disconnect ourselves but what good will that ultimately do?

 Im lucky the one person I know close to the events overslept her morning classes-literally not her time. 

[Miss Philicia]

Actually he's what Koreans themselves call "1.5 immigrants"

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/204009.html

[friendlyfolk]

Oh, well thats all well and good but my point was more that we are making an attempt to blame it on another countrys norms and values by saying hes a Korean immigrant. He was from a more American town than I- Centreville, VA. Been here since he was eight. American influences def. existed.

[milker]

Actually he's what Koreans themselves call "1.5 immigrants"

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/204009.html

Immigrants that are willingly moving from their native country, and were not subject to immigration because of threats in their native country should NOT complain about being unable to integrate because of their poor english. This is ridiculous. Learn English. If you can't get over your own culture and learn about American culture and adopt it then too bad but don't complain.

This does NOT apply to other immigrants that moved here to escape. They will have problems integrating and there are many organizations that can help them.

Milker.