Shooting in VT Campus: 21 Dead 21 Injured

Weebles

I'm glad you at least take precautions with your weapons. If everyone who chose to own a gun did that, we wouldn't have this debate. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and because people are irresponsible, we need to have checks on what they can purchase.

Please do not assume that I am afraid of guns because I don't know anything about them. I have done plenty of research. I am morally opposed to them because I don't think anyone has the right to take someone else's life. Period. You cannot prevent all tragedies, but there are steps you can take without having to arm yourself.

Betty

Gun owners and permit holders are tired of anti-gun agendas being pushed every time innocents get murdered. We get really tired of it. And now we're finally piping up against it, because we're upset and we're angry, because these could have been our sons and daughters who were killed.

We take personal responsibility seriously, because we do not believe in passing the buck onto somebody else (who may not be there to help or is unwilling to help). We're not vigilantes and we're not pretending to be cops. It makes us sick to our hearts to see innocents butchered when the law says "we will disarm you because we don't trust you and we're here to protect you, anyway" and yet they're not there and they're not protecting.

So I'm not surprised the antis choose to tell us we're using this opportunity to push our agenda. I suppose I should roll over and play dead for the antis, since that's what they prefer we all do when faced against a murderer who has no respect for the law or the life of a human being.

So laws are passed to make guns illegal in such-and-such place - that outta make things safer. What it does is make the law-abiding people comply and disarm, and make a nice place for the non-law abiding to slaughter them. Passing a law for peace of mind is not the same the same as passing a law to make things safer.

Among the sheep are the sheepdogs who keep the wolves at bay.

cshellenberger

Very well said!

Weebles

Apparently it's legal to sell to people with paranoia....

German Shepherd Lover

It's an absolute crime how this tragedy is going to be played out by the liberals. The opportunists will be out full force and I wouldn't be surprised if somehow one of them didn't try to place the blame on Bush before is is all said and done.

Instead of focusing on the victims and the families and giving them the respect they deserve, many liberals will now try their darnest to promote their own agenda with very little if any regard to the people directly affected. Sorry state of affairs IMO.

Puppy & Dog Forums

 

DOBERMAN_07

Now a days any major incident becomes a political battle ground and its disgusting.

AndyVetra

What's as bad if not worse is the media witch hunt. For goodness sake this tragedy happened in minutes in a campus the size of a City. Absolutely try to improve matters for the future but the witch hunt achieves nothing.

RIP

xoxluvablexox

Honestly the thought of students with guns scares me. I know A LOT of people from where I went to school that should never be allowed a gun. The ones that don't have a criminal record aren't much better, they just didn't get caught doing drugs, steeling from stores, and going out every night to get drunk and high. That basically sums up the people I know and I would never consider allowing them to have a gun in there possesion wether they have mental problems or not. If anything the teachers could go with having a gun but NEVER the students. I'ed just stop going to school and take classes over the internet if that happened. I would NOT feel safe at all. Atleast theres less of a chance of someone comming into the school and shooting then some student getting so mad to the point that they kill a professor and half of the class with them. Or getting drunk and trying to act cool infront of their friends and shooting the gun of by accident and killing someone in the process. Maybe some schools like Harvard and Yale that are higher class would be better of but not any school around me that I know of.

cshellenberger

What you also have to remember is that not ALL college students are knuckleheads barely out of thier teens, There are alot of peole ther who are over 25 and are not partying and acting like idiots. I see no reason those people shouldn't be allowed to carry, though I agree, many students are too irresponsible to carry a gun. Stil if just one professor had a gun and the training to use it, it COULD have made a differance. Then again, so would have locking down the campus when the first shooting occured and making public announcments on the morning news about what was going on.

The fact is, all college campuses are going to be forced to reevaluate their security, perhaps that is the best thing that could happen. I mean seriously, what if this had been a suicide bomber or there had been several assailents with Automatic weapons. It could too easily happen on ANY collge campus in this country.

German Shepherd Lover

It's a real shame that so much hate has been created by the politicians and it IMO has put this country in a constant hate state. Some dem leaders are constantly trying to discredit and demonize a great man like Pres Bush for their own political agenda. You can't listen to a news report that isn't defaming some part of the republican party. Kids are so confused today. Liberal college instructors flunk students that don't think as they want. History books are rewritten to suit the liberal agenda. Frankly, I think this wonderful country is being destroyed from the inside out.

God is being forced out of this country. No more Christmas trees, christmas decorations, christmas candy etc. There wasn't an Easter Bunny at the mall but there was a "Bunny" fo "Bunny Pictures".. I'm not the most religious person in the world but I do believe in God and I think as God has been pushed aside along with family values the country has slowly started to self destruct.

I'm off the beaten track so I will shut up now.

AndyVetra

And what if those targeted shopping malls, cinemas, Starbucks, Dennys.................

We cannot live in fear of an incident like this or we aren't living. As appalling as this incident is, please don't let this be a catalyst to erode more freedoms and quality of life.

Security, as per the other thread is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve in mainstream life. We either choose to live with that fact or let us turn into some kind of Stasi run hell hole that so many sacrificed their lives for between 1939 and 1945 to avoid happening.

Giving College kids guns isn't the answer, neither is greater gun control. There is sufficient gun control legislation it is just not enforced.

I just opened a corporate credit card. Because of the Patriot Act I had to give ALL my personal information , including my SSN. I was then told it would be a few days to review it. If we are all OK with this scenario to obtain a credit card, surely we can not grumble at similar for purchasing and owning a firearm?

cshellenberger

I don't grumble at giving my info to purchase a firearm, I grumble at having to give one up that I jumped through the hoops to legally aquire because the state I have to move for my husbands duty station prohibits its ownership (A semiauto rifle). I grumble that a criminal is able to arm him/herself easier than I can. If my information is on file, I shouldn't have to do the dance everytime I want a gun.

College campuses can set IN STONE procedures to be followed in the event of any crime. They can set up police substations for extra security and set up crime watch groups to alert people if there is a dangerous situation. They can allow Professors who feel the need to carry a permitted weapon. Hell, even a good Taser gun might have stopped this guy and saved lives. I also see nothing wrong with teachers in High Schools and Middle Schools being allowed to have guns in a locked gunsafe in their classrooms for such an emergency.

anjamaka

I like a lot of what you say, Carla, I think you are right, College campuses can set in stone procedures to be followed in the event of any crime. That is a great point. Also, I dont know if you mentioned this, but he did buy his gun legally, it has been documented...

cshellenberger

Oh, Did he get it in VA or another state? I thought VA had laws against selling guns to people Diagnosed with serious mental illness. Maybe I'm thinking of MD. I have to read up more on this.

DogueEdaddy

I really tried to stay out of this one. No cigar!

If one is morally opposed to the taking of life in any circumstance, Then they shouldn't have/carry a gun. That being said, I am not not so disposed, and tell you (you being a generic term), don't you dare to tell me that I shouldn't have/use a gun to protect my life or that of an innocent. If someone proposes to do me bodily harm, he has forfeit his right to LIFE, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; Period. It is my God given right to protect my life, that of my family/friends, and any innocent in harms way. I will not hesitate to shoot to STOP (even if it means taking the perps life) anyone that intends me harm. I am licensed to carry and I also accept the responsibility that goes with it. I pray I never have to use my weapon, but have decided that I will if necessary.

As Benjamin Franklin said "He who would give up liberty for security; deserves neither".

God Bless All and Comfort All At VT......Stan

anjamaka

One in Blacksburg VA the other in Roanoke VA. It looks as though he had mental illness at this point. My prayers are with all the victims including his parents. His parents were dry cleaners who wanted their child to succeed in America. Some think he may have Bipolar. My DH has Bipolar I (it is a very extreme kind of bipolar and well worth googling) and he sees it in this case.
I dont know what to think at this point, the school knew he had issues, he set fire to a dorm room, nothing was done, he stalked girls nothing was done, he wrote horrifying novels, plays and papers, nothing was done, he shot 2 people then waited 2 hours, nothing was done. If he does have a mental illness (which from his note and his actions, which are far from yesterday) and the University was given all these clues, I blame them. I blame them for not notifying his parents, for not requiring him to get help, for not stepping in after the first shooting. I have seen families break down because mental illness goes untreated, I have heard of murders and suicides of it (I am an active member of a mental illness forum, for those with loved ones with MI). I am not saying that he has it, I can't be sure, I dont know... but all the signs right now are pointing to it, and they are also pointing to many red flags for the University.

drfong

People who want gun laws will try and use this. People who want less will try and use this. The reality is it is improbable that any different law would have made a difference. Just my oppinion, we can't really know. I'd like to try and get the topic back on the events themself and closer to topic if posible. My biggest issue is the media response and how everyone is jumping to conclusions about what should have been done differently. We don't yet have all the facts and we really should wait for them before passing judgment. So many have called for the head of the president of the university. People want to blame lots of different people. This terrible things falls on 1 man (unless he had help). When the first shooting happened and was responded to, it was normal to not expect it would continue. When was the last time you ever heard of a mass murder shooting 2 people then taking a break and then going crazy. There really is no precedent that I can think of. If you respond to a shooting in a neighborhood, and the killer is gone, you don't assume the person is going to kill a bunch more. You assume he wanted to kill those people for some reason. People who snap usually don't stop in the middle of their rampage to take a break. If I had to guess the guy shot the first two for what ever reason, a bad break up, I don't know. When he went back to his room he realized oh well, I got nothing to loose now. Then he went off. I doubt he had intended to shoot all those people originally. If he just wanted to kill a bunch of people why didn't he just shoot a bunch of people in the dorm? I guess if they figure out the conection between the shooter, the people in the dorm and atleast one person in the second building it may make more sense.

AndyVetra

Couldn't agree more.

Puppy & Dog Forums