Another School Shooting (Virginia Tech)

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Deity Dude
Simple question.

If someone breaks into your house/office/wherever with a semi-automatic weapon and their goal is to shoot as many people a possible would you rather

a) call 911
b) reason with the individual
c) have a weapon to defend yourself

I'll take c every time.

If that's what you want and are ready to accept the homicide rate by firearm TEN times of any other developed country that goes with people having such an attitude, not much we can do about it.

As many people have said, it's your country.

[TheStinger]

The US is too far gone to ban guns, however that doesn't mean their system is right or desirable.

If you were to design a country form brand new, allowing citizens to carry guns would IMHO be a bad thing to do.

[dannubis]

Well, just look at the ME. Enough said.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Caligastia


I read that the guns had had their serial numbers scratched off...

Still, don't you think the killer would be aware that a legally-bought gun could be disabled in this manner, and go for an illegal one...I'm still referring to your scenario of course.

He was a loner who seldom spoke to anyone. How would he have known where to buy an illegal weapon?

[MOBIUS]

Massacre - The Dealer's Defence: 'I just sold him the gun'
By Andrew Buncombe in Roanoke and Jerome Taylor
Published: 18 April 2007

If Cho Seung-Hui wanted to start a war, he could not have gone to a better place than Roanoke Firearms.

Five weeks ago, the 23-year-old foreign student entered the shop and paid $570 (£284) with a credit card for a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a box of 50 cartridges. He provided three different forms of identification and passed an additional security check carried out by the state police. The checks threw up no red flags. The entire transaction took no more than 20 minutes.

"I don't know anything about him. I just sold him the gun," the store's owner, John Markell, told The Independent, standing behind one of the store's glass display cases packed full of matt-black weapons. "He had a Virginia driving licence, a cheque book and a green card. Everything was legit - he checked out completely."

Yesterday, as this part of southern Virginia and the rest of the US was struggling to come to terms with the bloody carnage that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, 40 miles away, on the outskirts of Roanoke, the shop that sold Cho one of the two semi-automatic weapons he used with such devastating effect was open and doing swift business.

Mr Markell, 58, said that officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) visited the store on the afternoon of the shooting - the receipt for the handgun had later been found on Cho - but they had not troubled him further. There had been no suggestion the shop should be closed or that business should be suspended.

Mr Markell said that because Cho was a foreign national, he was required to have three forms of identification with him rather than the normal two. "We also rang up the state police. They ran it through the FBI computer," Mr Markell added. "He was here on a student visa."

The Korean student, who was majoring in English, had bought a Glock, of which several were on display. (One of the members of staff gladly lifted his shirt to show The Independent his own Glock, which he was carrying in a leather holster.)

But had he wanted something else, Cho - as with other visitors to Roanoke Firearms, which shares its scruffy premises with a pawn shop - would have had a vast array of weapons to chose from.

Yesterday, the shop had on display scores of semi-automatic handguns and revolvers for between $300 and $650. There were dozens of hunting knives and a range of various paper targets.

For the more ambitious, a Steyr tactical rifle for $2,075 had been set up on the counter, while on the floor lay a Barrett .50 calibre sniper rifle, similar to one used by the US military. Behind more glass was a rack of AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifles. A packet of .45 "dum-dum" rounds was offered for $15.75. Mr Markell said his store sold 2,500 guns a year.

The shootings have already triggered new debate about the need for greater gun control. Mike Males, the author of the book Kids & Guns: How Politicians, Experts, and the Press Fabricate Fear of Youth, told the Institute for Public Accuracy in Washington: "I cannot find another country where mass shootings are so common outside of war or revolution, regardless of their other characteristics."

But many people say the incident may also lead to greater gun sales as people buy a weapon for self-defence. Leane Anderson, a firearms instructor and gun shop owner, said purchases had soared since the killings.

She said: "I think guns don't kill people, people kill people. And I'm a strong believer in being able to protect yourself and your family. The Second Amendment [which gun enthusiasts claim affords them the right to bear arms] is very important to me. If it was taken away I'd be very upset."

But Mr Markell, owner of Roanoke Firearms for the past eight years, said that when Cho entered the store five weeks ago, his mind had not been on murder - even though he had filed off the weapons' identification numbers. He said he believed the student had bought ammunition more suitable for target shooting than for "self protection".

"I think that something pushed him over the edge. He did not buy that gun to do what he did," he said. "This was not pre-meditated five weeks ago ... You don't plan something [like this] five weeks in advance."

Cali's either deliberately muddying the waters, or being thick - or both...

[Tim_Augustus]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
1. Tasmania isn't in the US. You're just as bad as the wonks who say the worst massacre was Little Big Horn, Tim.

Just to clarify:

1. From the context of Asher's reply to Korn469 I think it was reasonable to assume CNN was (as is typical) had ignored events outside the US and declared this incident 'world's worst mass shooting of this type'

2. Last time I checked (if you are referring to the more famous incident) the battle of Little Bighorn was a military confrontation and not some ***ing weirdo going nuts with guns.

3. You're.. you're... you're just as bad as MOBIUS

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Asher

Everyone did, because the guy is playing semantics.

Am I to be blamed if you can't read?

[MichaeltheGreat]

I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, but...

Originally posted by MOBIUS


Cali's either deliberately muddying the waters, or being thick - or both...

I knew there had to be some post, or a thousand, by you about gun control and how this whole thing wouldn't have happened, but, I thought you'd at least start a whole thread about it. (or is there one and I missed it?)

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
no sympathy whatsoever from me when the inevitable keeps on happening.

You think anyone, anywhere, really gives a flying **** about your "sympathy" in this situation or any other? This is just a ready-made opportunity for you to jack off in front of the monitor and spill a little gooey self-righteousness on your keyboard.

[Thorn]

Why is everyone always talking about gun control, why not bullet-control, thats not anti-consitutional and would work wouldn't it?

[MRT144]

Originally posted by Bosh
What's cracking me up over here is that the Korean media/government is going a bit overboard with talk about how they hope that there won't be a massive anti-Korean backlash in the states or something. Just a tad bit of projection...

Most people will just assume the guy is chinese anyway.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove

He was a loner who seldom spoke to anyone. How would he have known where to buy an illegal weapon?

The internet's a wonderful thing. How many guns did McVeigh use? A calculating, gutless bastard who is determined to kill a lot of people will find a way.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by MOBIUS


"Concealed Weapons 101 for Texans: How to conceal your weapon"

Don't worry, Moby - I'm sure you have no trouble at all concealing your "weapon."

[Thorn]

If you really want to stop school shooting, ban schools, simple fixed..... tada.

[Jon Miller]

Wounded Knee was a massacre, don't really count Little Bighorn.

Jon Miller