My statement on Virginia Tech shootings.........

I was having an interesting conversation this morning with someone about gun laws and such, who was saying, according to a radio debate in the UK this morning, that in Switzerland it is compulsory that you own a gun (something about the men being in the armed forces, once they leave, they have to keep the gun they have been issued with). I did hear this third hand, so the details may not be accurate, so feel free to correct me.

Anyway, apparently Switzerland has the one of the lowest gun crime rates. Which, according to the radio station, begged the question, is it really down to the guns being easily available? Is it not down to the individual who chooses what to do with a gun? Yes, a gun is a deadly weapon, but if someone put a gun down on a table in front of me or even if the gun laws changed here in the UK, it wouldn't be an incentive to pick it and go around shooting everyone with it.

In the UK it is virtually impossible to own a gun, in fact, our police officers aren't even allowed to carry guns, but it is still, apparently, easy to get hold of a gun if you know where to go. Personally I do believe that the gun laws do need to be changed in the US and in a lot of other countries, but you have to ask the question, even if the gun laws had been changed, would it have prevented this tragedy? If someone’s determined enough to go on a shooting spree, they will find a way do it regardless. However, I personally believe that with the gun laws as they are at the moment, it's made too easy for someone to do it.

When I heard this point of view, I just thought it was an interesting topic of conversation.
 
Well when you think about it, if all these students had guns yesterday to protect themselves, these gunman would have been dead within in minutes. I'm definetly not pro-gun, just pointing that out.
 
how would the students have guns? stashed in their dormrooms? in their backpacks while they were at class? yes the argument that guns can protect you is valid, but if someone burst into my house this very minute wanting to shoot me even if there was a gun in the house it would do nothing. id be a goner. i know this guy was using hand guns, but some of the other weapons available for anyone to buy are completely unnecessary. and the amount of ammunition he had on him, why should you be allowed to buy that much? over 50 people had no less than 3 bullets in them each. that being said, it will never change.

this is going to happen again, it always does. not even these massacres but individual people who are killed because of guns and weapons. we cry, we pray, we feel bad but in the end nobody does anything to fix it. theres nothing left to do but sit around for the next time, when we go through it all again.
 
mrb105 said:
Well when you think about it, if all these students had guns yesterday to protect themselves, these gunman would have been dead within in minutes. I'm definitely not pro-gun, just pointing that out.
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I would offer the viewpoint that if every student was allowed to carry a firearm, and tried to defend themselves against an attack like this, the 'collateral damage' resulting from the confusion as to who was who --- not to mention all of the bullets flying in all directions for long distances --- would be huge. It's hard to tell the 'good guy' from the 'bad guy' when everyone is brandishing and/or shooting a pistol, and you only have a second or so to make your 'shoot/don't shoot' decisions --- something that police officers train on constantly. And that doesn't even begin to count the day-to-day effect of armed students wandering around campuses ticked off about poor grades, pending exams, lousy teachers, unsatisfying relationships, etc etc. We're pretty nutso about firearms in the US, but I don't think we'll ever let things go to that extreme.

It was interesting to read the postings on this site --- presumably from people who have become deeply involved in the CSI TV shows --- and to get a sense of their emotional reactions to the events at Virginia Tech yesterday. The irony, from my perspective, is that CSIs throughout the world face similar crazed situations and gruesome scenes every day, knowing they MUST set their emotions aside (irregardless of the number of victims involved) in order to do their job ... and they don't get to vent their emotions by chasing after and/or interrogating the suspects, because in spite of what you see on TV, that's not their job.

I can certainly testify that keeping your emotions in check while working CSI on such cases is a difficult thing to do, especially when the victims are children or just 'young', but that is the job I gather many posters on this website aspire to do some day. As someone who no longer has to go out face these gruesome scenes, but continues to train other how to do so, I truly hope that those of you who find yourself in such work some day manage to keep a tight grip on your emotions ... and your soul. It won't be easy.
 
I can tell you exactly what it's like to work a scene such as this...or actually bigger. I was on duty September 11th, 2001 as a New York City Police Officer...it is only at this point in time that I can BEGIN to process what I saw, heard and went through. At the time I went into "automatic pilot" mode and my training kicked in. You just look past what you are really seeing and focus on the tasks at hand...then you collapse later and try to comprehend...which I am still unable to do. It will take a long time for the people at VT to start to move forward.

My thoughts and prayers are with the students, their families and the faculty/administration. Such a tragedy.

The best you can hope at this point is that whatever lessons can be learned will hopefully help down the road with other events.
 
Walking around my campus today just has an eerie feeling, you don't really expect something to happen, but just the "what if" factor comes into play. I'm still thinking of these students.

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It's still hard to believe what has happened at VT. It's so sad that all those lives were wasted. Taken away. It may be because of American gun laws that this happened, but it was still a person who pulled the trigger. I don't understand what could drive someone to murder. It's such a selfish act.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this tragedy.
 
On our campus, we are having a moment of silence tommorow, clearly this has affected university students all around.

It said in the news, that they found the reciept for the gun he bought. No offense to americans, but I find that alarming that it is so easy to buy a semi-automatic 9mm, which is designed to kill. It is proven that people who own guns are more likely to be victims of gun crimes in North America. Also if you own a gun, you are more likely to be shot with your own gun instead of protecting yourself. It really isn't worth it for me. I think limiting the availablity of guns in a violent society might save some lives. Most murder victims know their killer, and having a gun around probably increases this.

And it also is about the society. The US has an alarming murder rate, compared to the UK, Canada and other European countries. Switzerland is an interesting point, but it is a different society, and the US seems to have a violent society. Also, I would like to add that there are more guns per person in Canada than the US. We also have the same media, same movies, same violent video games. But our social attitude is different. The movie Bowling for Columbine actually shows a good comparison between Canada and the US.

From the outside, it always seems that a portion of americans love violence. Also, I always see americans state they need to protect themselves, like they are scared of all their neighbours. And watching the american news, it is all about fear. Fear makes people violent. That is just my opinion...
 
Today there was a threat at my school (Estrella Mountain community college) they evacuated everybody and closed down the entire campus. First they said it was a bomb threat and then a shooting threat.

All I can say about the shootings at V-Tech is what a waste...I mean if you want to kill yourself theres not much anybody can do...but why the hell do you have to take all those people with you? And I don't think more stringent gun laws would have helped...criminals don't care about the laws so if they want a gun, their gonna get a gun.

I have guns and I'm not a target, I've never shot myself or anybody else. I have them because their collectors items as well as personal protection and recreational shooting.
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

The problem with students carrying, or professors carrying, is that there are too many chances that while someone could hit the actual shooter, but they could also hit innocents too. True the Killer hit innocents but he intended to, someone who would be trying to defend by going after the shooter and hits an innocent how would he/she feel. -- Not to mention the guy knows students and professors are armed, they point they get ready to pull the trigger they get shot in self defense, only maybe the orginial shooters gun isn't loaded, its suicide by [whoever], then to find out that was the intention.. I don't know.

But you know what, a rush to ID the shooter for the media was a bad thing, they came across one guy and it got out and then it turned out to be the wrong guy but it was too late he had gotten death threats. Check it out "I want to clear my name" "It was five for five. I was Asian, I lived in [the dorm], I go to V Tech, I recently broke up with my girlfriend, and I collect guns,"

Honestly I don't know what to think about this whole thing, I have watched it on FOX since it came out, and I posted in the GT&M in the RIP thread. I send out my heart felt condolenses to the loved ones of the students and professors, and even to the family and loved ones of the killer they can love the person they knew or thought they knew he was, and still hate the part that did all this. -- They didn't ask for him to go out and do this. I just don't know anymore.

As to a poem for those students and professors who have passed on I have two.

A Million times i've needed you, A million times i've cried,
If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died.
in life i loved you dearly, in death i love you still,
in my heart you hold a place, no one else can ever fill.
It broke my heart to lose you, but you did not go alone,
for apart of me went with you, the day god took you home.

------

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
I am not there. I did not die
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

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There have been a few faux-stories involving that guy, Geraldo Rivera did a piece on him and Ive even seen his LiveJournal. It's chilling how many coincidences there were involving this guy and the actual shooter.

This incident is so hard to think and talk about. It's just so tragic and heartbreaking. CNN.com is making hourly updates and every new story is so upsetting. We can blame the gun laws and the Government all we want, but it comes down to basic human behaviour. Not everyone with a gun is going to murder innocent people with it. People carrying guns into schools and places of employement is not the answer, it just creates more of a problem.

And what's really haunting, is that the (apparent) motive behind the shooting was a common one - get back at the rich/popular kids. It just hurts to think that we live in a society where people think drastic measures like this is the only way to get their voices heard, and message across.

ETA: ABC is airing a Dateline special tonight on the shootings, at 10 pm.
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

I do think it has a lot to do with American gun laws. I'd like to see somebody name a viable reason why a citizen should be able to be in possession of a semi-automatic weapon.
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

The American gun rules are as follows.. three forms of ID, and this person met the criteria, for that..and the gun shop owner, said "he looked and acted like a normal college kid" (little did he know the guy was a lunatic) however, one of his teachers stated he had "violent" writings, and she talked to him about it, what should she have done.. called the police and warned them, and what would they have done to stop this? nothing! so he was a loner..anti-social.. and mentally disturbed and deranged.. and if someone wants to get a gun, regardless of any laws, they'll get one.. borrow it.. steal it.. purchase it on the black market.. many scenerios.. the mental health issue here, was the key!! to his unbeliveable behavior.. and no one could have, or didn't know this would happen! but should have :(
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

But why a semi-automatic? Surely, if the gun is for protecting yourself a pistol would do? Military weapons should not be available to the public under any circumstances.
 
Re: My statement on Virginia Tech shootings...

My hearts go out to everyone during this, i dont know all the details but i know enough.
 
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