Bush 'horrified, concerned' by Virginia Tech massacre

"Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the [Virginia campus gun rights] bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." -- The Roanoke Times, January 31, 2006

Why should Bush be horrified? It's another victory for himself and the NRA.
Bush and the NRA should both be happy that the shooter had no problems getting hold of all the guns and ammuntion he needed. It's his Constitution right according to them.

Hooray for the NRA!!! Everyone should own a gun.

"Why should Bush be horrified, it's another victory for himself and the NRA"

You're a sick human being. 30 people are dead and you stick a little political jab at pres. Bush. These people are dead because of this lunatic, not because of the second amendment.

Anyway, a shocking and terrible event. The worst mass shooting in US history probably.

At least 20 families lost their young, bright loved one's today but at least they can take comfort in this statement:

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

I almost can't wait to hear what kind of "legal" rifles were used. When will the madness end?

"Why should Bush be horrified, it's another victory for himself and the NRA"

You're a sick human being. 30 people are dead and you stick a little political jab at pres. Bush. These people are dead because of this lunatic, not because of the second amendment.

Anyway, a shocking and terrible event. The worst mass shooting in US history probably.

This is a tragic tear in the human fabric.
Why it has to immediately be framed as some kind of political issue escapes me.
Obviously the NRA advocates can argue that if everyone on campus had a gun, the shooter may have only killed one, two or none.
Also obviously, the anti-gun group can (and obviously already are) argue that this tragedy is a direct result of the ready availability of guns.
Try this on for size, in my childhood we grew up with the horrible reality of Richard Speck. For him, no guns were required to gain "Monster" status. Whoever the Monster of Va Tech turns out to be, let's leave the politics of guns out of the discussion.

Has anybody asked if the shooter was a terrorist?

Yes, use this as another way to get at Bush. People will kill people regardless of the weapon idiots. This is a time to morn people, not to point fingers. If a sick minded person wants to kill innocent people, they will find a way to do it.

Legal or not, guns can be adquired by anyone. If students would have been allowed to carry on campus to protect themselves, some could have survived this massacre, but since the shooter knew no one can carry, they were all easy targets. Why dont you think about that. Thank goodness for the NRA and those who support out civil right.

Why do so many people resort to violence to solve their problems?

Is it an intrinsic flaw in the character of Americans? We do it as a nation, look at Iraq. Look at the death penalty. We do it as individuals, today's shootings are a tragic example.

How does killing make things better? Why do we look to death as the answer?

This is indeed a tragedy. But it's no less tragic than when more than 70 people were killed and 170 wounded at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad in January. Why didn't we hear how "horrified and concerned" Bush was when that happened?

Unfortunately, the politics of guns and gun control will likely be at the forefront of this horrific tragedy. I'm sure, however, a perfectly legal assault rifle... I mean, HUNTING rifle was used.

On the other hand, maybe of a LAW ABIDING citizen who knew how to use a gun was around, he'd have been dead much sooner.

Do you really think taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens would stop nuts like this?

Yet another slaughter of innocents in a "gun-free" zone.

How exactly do more laws prevent some sicko from breaking laws that already exist?

Of course, we have such a good record in this country outlawing things, eg) liquor, drugs, so I'm sure a ban on guns would go just as well.

"Is it an intrinsic flaw in the character of Americans? We do it as a nation, look at Iraq. Look at the death penalty. We do it as individuals, today's shootings are a tragic example."

It happens everywhere, not just in America. Violence is a sad fact of life. World peace can only be realized through God's mercy.

Do you think the shooter cared if the gun was legal or not? A lot of people died today, there has to be a better way to go after the NRA than posting sarcastic messages in the aftermath of such a tragedy.

Tim--it's EVERYONE's constitutional right to bear arms. That's according to the Constitution, not any politician. Any other parts of the Bill of Rights that you want to throw out??

You don't even know anything about the shooter, yet you're willing to push blame onto the NRA and the Bush administration? Why not blame our founding fathers? They're the ones that wrote the Bill of Rights. Why not blame all of the Democratic congresses that never repealed the 2nd ammendment?

Lastly, why not blame the shooter?

My heart goes out to the Families in Virginia. This event will affect many people for a lifetime. Only God knows why someone would do this to anybody. Do not blame the guns or the NRA. There are many things that are illegal like drugs, but this does not stop some one from using it, nor would making more laws on guns. Put the blame where it really is, on the person that did this, or maybe his parents? Who knows why, but do not blame it on gun control.
Blaming guns will not fix anything; we have the right to arm ourselves with guns. Maybe if a student had the right to carry a gun then that person could maybe have stopped the shooter before so much damage was done and so many people had to die.
Just pray for the families now and do something good but do not blame guns.
Mark

Please remember, guns don't kill people, people kill people. Are you people blaming the spoon for making Rosi fat?

God help us.

Those who want to think that this has nothing to do with politics or the NRA, nothing to do with a nation that spends as much on the military as the rest of the world combined, nothing to do with a nation that invades and occupies another people based solely on a heap of carefully orchestrated lies -- well, they are in a state of denial. And they would rather see their own kids murdered for nothing than take the time and mental effort required to learn about the way American society works.

I think you should all put your hearts and prayers out to the families of the victims. There is only one way to point fingers, and it is at the sick bastard that did this horrific act.

"The worst mass shooting in US history probably."

No, I think that honor goes to the invasion of Iraq.

This is absolutely horrifying. I live in a small university community in the Northwest. I cannot imagine our campus experiencing this.

But I also think it is entirely inappropriate for people to immediately strike at Bush or the NRA when instead you should be feeling the pain of what has occurred, hoping that people can be as forgiving as the Amish, and wondering what kind of pain filled this person to cause him to lose total control and lash out like this.

I don't live in the city or a metro area. I backpack and camp -- and I take a gun with me. I cannot imagine living out in the boonies without a gun. Police don't get here in seconds as they do in a city. So think beyond the metro area folks, first. And secondly, do consider that not all problems have one cause. I know of no gun that gets up and shoots people. I do know that drugs, alcohol, working parents who are unavailable to parent young people, a decline in valuing moral character, a breakdown in families, and focus on spending more time on making dollars than on strong ties/relationships/community plus guns is the culprit. I argue that all of them need to be addressed.

I heartily support "no guns for city folks." You have no need for them.

Why am I not surprised to see Loony rants from the Loony Left here.

Yes, it's George Bush's fault. It always is.

By the way, Tribune, since your policy is clean up the posts in here and the fake names being used by some posters, I would hope the item under the name of "Mr. Heston" be removed.

How sick to use the name of a great American (and a Hollywood leader of the Civil Rights movement) and one who is dying from Alzheimers. Apparently John E strikes again, huh?

It is true people who are looking for a violent outlet will do it regardless of the weapon availability.

But guns give a person more immunity to do this as he can do it at a distance. A knifer or a trauma weapon user cannot do it on the same scale in such a short period. Guns just raise the dimension of destructive capability.

If all had guns he would have killed less for sure. But more people would have used guns in a fit of rage and the total deaths for a given period would be definitely higher.

It is an indication of a society's sense of security. If everyone is afraid of every other person which justifies all having guns then no one's god can save that society.

The victims and their families have my heartfelt condolonces.

I can't help to wonder what if gun laws weren’t so strict and the students were allowed to carry concealed weapons, would this gunman have killed so many, or would he be prevented from killing as many as he did?

It's amazing the NRA's power and Bush's pro-gun. Nowhere else in the world does this happen except developing countries that are in civil war. Thanks George and the Republicans!

Does anyone really believe more gun control could change this situation? Murder is already illegal. Does anyone really think that someone who is about to go on a murderous rampage cares about breaking a few more laws to acquire the weapons? All that can be accomplished by banning a desired item is to create a black market for it. Look at all the good the war on drugs has done. A large portion of the violence in this country exists due to the profitability of drugs created by that.

We're all horrified and terribly sad about this whole event, and it's tragic that these people should die like this, regardless of the reason or circumstances. However, we'll not hear one story about how horrible these statistics are this year:

UNITED STATES

Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700

We're breeding a new culture where our cracked view of human life creeps out at times like this. We're all shocked and amazed, but nobody seems to care that over 1 million innocent children are killed a year in this "land of the free". I mourn them all... both the victims at VA Tech and the victims of abortion. Long live our democracy of inconsistencies.

The spoon made Rosie fat. That's the most I've laughed from this blong in days.

People, wait for the facts to come out. Yes, Va. Tech is a "gun free" zone but no one yet knows how many lives would've been saved if more people were packing or that if the shooter (or shooters) were violent offenders who never should've been allowed to carry in the first place.

Let's respect the gravity of the situation and not use it for our personal political soapbox right now, okay? This means you, too, Daley.

Charles, you just said a whole lot of nothing. This has to do with a sick person that felt killing people was going to make him better. This has NOTHING to do with invading Iraq or anything this country does. Get a life.

we have big problems in america .
but it seems to be on the back burner as iraq comes first..
and so it goes ...

"Why should Bush be horrified? It's another victory for himself and the NRA.
Bush and the NRA should both be happy that the shooter had no problems getting hold of all the guns and ammuntion he needed. It's his Constitution right according to them."

Tim I hope you do some soul searching, maybe come to Blacksburg and visit with the friends and families of the victims.

Who wants to bet that the gunman obtained the guns illegally and that no law on the books nor proposed would have stopped him? We'll never hear that from the left wing.

You anti-gun fools...I'm sure the shooter just decided to go and buy a gun, have it registered and applied for a gun carrying permit; and then decided to go an kill all of these innocent people.

I agree with Rob on this... Drafting new 'laws' restricting guns will change nothing. If this is done, the only ones who will possess weapons will be criminals, and those who do not follow laws. The solution, one which is constantly avoided by the media and schools alike, is the condition of the heart. Isn't it interesting that, since prayer was banned from school and that the pollution of HBO and Cinemax are pumped into our young people's minds in the dorms across this great Nation, that violent acts have only intensified? I suggest we need to have a heart-check across this country, as it is the only thing that can stop this and other heartless tragedies. Our justice system was not created to legislate morals and absolutes - things our educational system actively questions today. It was designed to govern those who abide by law. After all, if we teach that we are all animals evolved from monkeys, who are we to tell students that they should not kill each other as animals do? Something to think about... I pray for all those touched by this awful tragedy. It is a sad day for the entire country. We need to gather closer to God, not farther from Him.

I heartily support "no guns for city folks." You have no need for them.

Posted by: Cynthia | Apr 16, 2007 1:28:53 PM

So what are "city folks" supposed to protect their homes with when faced with an armed intruder? Sling-shots and spears?

"Do you really think taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens would stop nuts like this?"

In the NRA's simplistic world, everyone is either a law-abiding citizen or a nut. There are good guys with good guns, and bad guys with bad guns. The bad guns just magically fall out of the sky into the hands of bad guys, and there is nothing we can do except arm the good guys to the teeth. America is in an arms race with itself!

Of course it never occurs to the gun proliferationists that sometimes a good guy and law-abiding citizen suddenly snaps and becomes a nut, or that every "bad gun" used in a crime was originally a "good gun"... The real world is too complex for the NRA types.

I always get a laugh when gun advocates say only nuts "like this" kill people. I was raised to understand that we are all capable of irrational impulsive behavior whether we are usually law abiding or not. Just deprive yourself of water for 2 days, food for 25 days, or develop encephalitis, or be betrayed by your spouse, or see your child killed or raped, you too could go on a murderous rampage. Let's just hope you don't have easy access to a gun! Suicides are much more likely to occurr in a home with a gun than one without.

Charles, you just said a whole lot of nothing. This has to do with a sick person that felt killing people was going to make him better. This has NOTHING to do with invading Iraq or anything this country does. Get a life.
Posted by: John | Apr 16, 2007 1:38:28 PM

Maybe it does, it's just a matter of time until an "Operation Iraqi Freedom" era vet takes out as many as he can...

This conversation makes me sick where it has gone. Fact is that 31 innocent people were killed!

It is now more than ever that we - society - must take responsibility for 'our children'. We must do what we must to teach 'our children' to respect the rule of law, the virtues of right and wrong and the right to life. These killers are 'our children'!

We seem to suffer from the inadequacies of 'our culture' and a loss of human respect- or morality. Or is it that these emotions and hatreds have always existed, and it is only now that these influences manifest into such violent acts, because they can?

What can we do to help others find the way of peace? I trust it shall be found in the way we 'parent' and 'child'!

I do not believe this the time to place blames on any one or any group but the person or people that fired the shots. All these people blame the NRA. The NRA did not create this issue. If someone wants to inflict harm, there are mainly other ways. People need to stop blaming others and help with the root problem. If guns were illegal, would that mean there would be no more victims of guns? Look at the cities that ban guns, crime is high and crimes with guns are higher. People inflict harm and use weapons as one of the tools. We should, as a society not focus on weapons as the issue but lack of morels and family values; I believe this is the main issue facing America today.

Guns are not the problem,
People are the problem
We need better security in the schools.

People - stop. This isn't about our Pesident this is about young lives lost and heartbroken families. God Bless these people. Let's pray instead of throwing blame.

Without a doubt, the man who did this is the one responsible. The gun was merely a tool. However, if the same man had walked onto campus armed with a knife, he could not have inflicted his insanity on such a massive scale. CRAZY PEOPLE + GUNS = LOTS OF DEATH. It is impossible to regulate the crazy people out of our society. But we can regulate the guns. The bottom line is that if he did not have his firearm, those people would still be alive. This kind of mass slaughter by individuals does not occur in western democracies where guns are heavily regulated. We need to stop making excuses and just do it.

Its a big tragedy. My sympathies to all the families who have lost their son or daughter in this incident.
Shame on NRA .

"Are you people blaming the spoon for making Rosi fat?"

John, you win at life, just so you know.

The Virginia Tech shooting is a tragedy -- my prayers go to the families and friends of both the victims and the shooter.

I don't care if it's the "worst tragedy" or not; frankly I find trying to rank them as "the worst" more than a little disturbing, and can't help but wonder if such a competitive thought about it encourages the nut jobs to go out and try to "beat the record."

And for all of you who are trying to make this into a political soapbox -- you really need to sort out your priorities.

Can you imagine a campus where every or even most students were carrying guns? Let students take justice into their own hands? That type of situation would not have prevented this. It would only have made this tragedy worse and other such tragedies more likely.

For what they're worth, my thoughts on gun control and this shooting:

A university campus is a gun-free zone--period, end of story. In other words, NO ONE is supposed to have a gun. Not the shooter, not the other students, not the professors. And yet, somehow or other, this nutcase was able to get a gun on campus. No one stopped him from bringing it in. No one stopped him from transporting it from his dorm to his clasroom.

In other words, the only people with guns on a university campus are the law enforcement officials-- and the criminals. This is no different from any other situation in which citizens are barred from owning guns. THE CRIMINALS WILL STILL GET THEM. We can't stop black-market drugs; we will not stop black-market guns. A desperate person will always be able to get his-- or her-- hands on a gun.

Maybe it does, it's just a matter of time until an "Operation Iraqi Freedom" era vet takes out as many as he can...

Posted by: me | Apr 16, 2007 1:57:38 PM

Or worse yet, a small squad of terrorists. If one man can kill 30 or more people, what would the death toll be if a small cell of 5-6 terrorists opened up with assault rifles and grenades in a confined space (such as a classroom, business meeting, CTA stop at rush hour)?

Adam: First and foremost I acknowledge your post. Respect. This is not an issue for anyone to exploit politically for a personal gain, irrespective of one’s slant on gun ownership. This is a time to mourn the victims. I prefer to believe that all of our hearts and prayers went out to the victims and families before any comments were actually shared on this board.

Wimona: It was just revealed on CNN that the murderer was carrying two handguns, and nothing more. No evil black rifles figure into the equation of this tragedy, to your chagrin surely.

To John: Since only law-abiding citizens actually follow the laws of the land, guns can be obtained by anyone [i]only[/i] when they are secured illegally. With exception of Vermont, every other state in the Union requires that a person who wishes to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon must not have ever been hospitalized for drug, alcohol, or other mental problems, that they have a criminal history clean of any violent or domestic crime, they receive proper training as deemed by the State Police of their state of residency; and that a federal NICS background check must be passed every time a gun is purchased. Even in Vermont, possession of a firearm is a felony crime if the holder fails to meet the outlined criteria, and other requirements may be necessary for licensure depending on where you live. So, it's really more troublesome than you think for law abiding, responsible adults to carry weapons. That, and as a group, we are among the most law abiding people of all demographic groups in America. Tim: Let’s not get our facts twisted: just because we support the 2A doesn’t make us on par with the people committing mass murders. It’s just the opposite.

For the millions of people that own and carry firearms legally, it is because of maniacs like the one sadly featured in this story that makes it necessary for people to take responsibility for their personal safety. The police can’t be everywhere at once and the Gun Free School Zones Act can’t and didn’t prevent the shooter from causing a bloodbath on the campus of VT. Neither will more gun control.

Tim: God forbid the lives of you and your family should ever be left to the fate of a person whose mindset is fixed on taking from you, including your lives, for a few hours of intoxication or any other reason. Would you prefer that law enforcement respond to your call to repel an armed murderer in your home or place of employment unarmed? I’m sure any rational person wouldn’t, because it takes force to stop a criminal who uses force to rape and pillage respectable people. Thus the reason that law enforcement and some private citizens today are licensed to carry guns. It’s as simple as that.

If criminals only desired to victimize cops, then law-abiding people wouldn’t see a need to carry guns. Yet since criminals prefer the path of least resistance, and a cop’s job is to clean up the mess AFTER a crime has been committed, then I prefer to apply my own force to repel an attacker while I have the chance. While I have great respect for the law enforcement community, I don’t know how anyone can rely solely on the police to stop a criminal from spoiling friends or family. Many times they are too late to stop a tragedy before it can unfold.

I thought that we were fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here? The gravity of the situation is that you can't expect anyone to protect you from those who intend to harm innocent people. It's not about gun ownership it's more about respect for life or lack there of.

We are in a state of denial!

My deepest sympathy to the victims and their families.

Funny how you very RARELY here of MASS MURDERS like this in other INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES WHERE THEY HAVE STRICT GUN CONTROL. When did the last time an event happen like this in England? France? Germany? Japan? It happens in the US way too often, every year you hear of a murder of at least 5 - 10 people. Gun control is one solution.

And who in their right mind would want everyone carrying around guns to 'protect' themselves in case something like this would happen. Like I'd feel REAL comfortable being in a classroom with 40 people armed with pistols! That's the most illogical thing I've heard since "there's WMD's in Iraq"

And of course now everyone will blame movies and video games and violence on tv. But the last time I was in Europe, they watch the SAME shows. (well except for Baywatch).

Jeff C,

Your scenario will never happen, don't you listen to the President? We're fighting the terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to fight them here!

I have a brother at this campus, thankfully, he's ok, but trust me, it was extremely frightening to wake up to this news on the west coast. I don't think that people mean to be callous, but it is natural that this issue gets politicized immediately. One does have to ask--how did this person get this gun with which he took 21 innocent lives? People say that if the students had guns, they could have fought back--but what if instead, it had turned into something worse--more bloodshed--more crossfire, more innocent people being killed?

I don't think getting rid of guns entirely is the answer. I do believe in our 2nd amendment right to bear arms...but I also think we need to take a good hard look at how easy or difficult it is to get guns. I also think that television and the media promote and glorify a culture of violence--and that's where the real problem lies. Fifty years ago, guns were easier to buy--yet school violence was considerably less (as was violence on television). What an interesting connection....

I am getting a little tired of hearing the people that are opposed to the war in Iraq, tying thier views to every event.The US military removed a murderous thug from office, and created an opportunity for millions of people to get a grip on thier own future.Today another murderous thug went on a rampage, killed many people,and has been removed.one has nothing to do with the other, and those of you that are trying to makesome kind of connection between the two,only appear small minded, and petty.

Excuse me for having the wrong opinion, NRA and Second Amemdment devotees. If I take a shot at Bush's remark about gun ownership, but "we must follow the laws," it's a cheap, political shot. Meanwhile, at least 31 of our young Americans are dead on campus. No, it's the right opinion, because it's mine. My people without guns haven't shot up any school or campus lately. The people with guns can't make the same claim.

This is a very sad moment for all of us here at Va Tech and we need your prayers. If everyone had guns at the school maybe the shooter would never have showed up but then what kind of society would that be-we would all be scared of each other at school. And since guns dont kill people, then you never know when someone will go crazy and shoot you before you get a chance to shoot back. Blaming the NRA and the administration is fighting a loosing battle and we have all witnessed that before. There just has to be a better way-and honestly i dont know what that is.........

Good post David Apr 16,2007 1:53:39 PM

Very interesting.

For those of you who are chiding others for making a political issue out of this tragedy, I give you these words:

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

That's just as political as anything I've read here. Yes, there is a place and time for political debate. But you on the right consistently take your queues from an administration that believes anything and everything is political fair game. Yet, nothing is sacred to defend your simpleton's hero in the White House, even denial of a blatantly inappropriate political statement such as this one. You are the most transparent type of hypocrites to pretend otherwise here today.

This is not an example of why we should restrict gun ownership. Even if there were extremely stirct gun control laws this man still would have been able to figure out how to get guns. If one of the students would have had a gun maybe they would have been able to shoot the shooter before he killed more people.

This is a sick and horrific tragedy, the 31(at last count) people who died today were mostly kids, people 18-22 how can you whack jobs come out here and make this a political issue or make this comparable to abortion??? What is wrong with you people?? My prayers go out to the family members of these INNOCENT young lives that were taken so horrifically from us today.

This is a scary world we live in today... makes you remember how fleeting life can be.

Enough already, please just say a prayer for all of us in Virginia as we mourn our loss.

"It's amazing the NRA's power and Bush's pro-gun. Nowhere else in the world does this happen except developing countries that are in civil war. Thanks George and the Republicans!"

Posted by: Bryan | Apr 16, 2007 1:33:52 PM

I have read some really bad posts on this subject so far. The one I have included in my post takes the cake!

Folks please before commenting learn how to read and know the subject at hand. Simply put understand what you are saying before you you commit to saying it! The Left Wing, Right Wing garbage has nothing to do with a horrible tragedy that has just taken place.

If you report on this get it correct. This is not Virginia Tech University. No such place exists. It is Virginia Tech, or Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

"Is it an intrinsic flaw in the character of Americans? We do it as a nation, look at Iraq. Look at the death penalty. We do it as individuals, today's shootings are a tragic example.

How does killing make things better? Why do we look to death as the answer?"

Tony, this explain's many of your posts.

We are killing many in Afganistan. We killed a lot of Nazi's. We are currently killing the fetus still in the womb.

Are you really this intellectually immature?

Folks - this is a situation- no different than 9-11- Little concerned that Bush is getting envolved-Why. Like all situations they need to be handeled in a just and fair way. There is no need to blame other people, nations, organizations, parents, Bush, NRA, gun reform etc. The reson this country has become great or was great is the way we handel things is a just a fair way. Keep Bush out of this and all will be ok. May god be with the families of the victums-- God Bless!

Tom, you sound small-minded (literally) as well touting your own blatant political views (just a tad of hypocrisy).

Ok Mr. President, you can come back to your cartoons and video games later. Now here's the deal... go out there and look and say you're horrified. If the democrat liberal press mentions anyting about gun control, say "we don't need any new laws, just need to enforce the ones we have better". Then look disgusted and say we shouldn't play politics with this tragedy. Got it?

mg, try to be honest here - is there anything Bush could have said in this situation that you wouldn't try to spin against him? Put your hatred of Bush aside for two seconds and think about the people who needlessly lost their lives today.

There seems to be a number of people contending that if more Virginia Tech students and faculty had been packing, fewer people would have died. Perhaps. But consider the following scenario.

Mr. Lunatic pulls out his gun and starts shooting. Law-Abiding Citizen 1 sees this, pulls out his own gun and shoots Mr. Lunatic. Law-Abiding Citizen 2 is a little late to the scene and only sees Citizen 1 shoot Mr. Lunatic, so, assuming that Citizen 1 is the lunatic, Citizen 2 shoots Citizen 1. Law-Abiding Citizen 3 sees Citizen 2 shoot Citizen 1 and assumes Citizen 2 is in league with Mr. Lunatic, so he shoots him. And so on. Pretty soon you have so many different Law Abiding Citizens shooting so many other Law Abiding Citizens, that maybe it would have been better to wait and let the police handle Mr. Lunatic.

Man charged with the deaths of 5 children in a house fire.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070416quincy2apr16,1,7711426.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Ban fire! Ban gasoline! It's for the children!

what a terrible, terrible tragedy. it is indeed totally appropriate to devote our thoughts to those lost today and their families in virginia... but the sad truth is that only events like these can bring us out of our numbness with all that's going on in the world- Darfur, Guantanamo- and realize that we as a country authorize these same types of tragedies elsewhere in the world! today's events are horrifying, yes!... horrifying to those of us who would never authorize innocent deaths. to think that those in power of allowing deaths elsewhere in the world- innocent deaths- think guantanamo- are allowed to be publicly 'horrified' in the headlines is disgusting and completely hypocritical.

one way (not the only way, of course) to respect and honor those who died today is to make a promise to stand for change- not only in America but change in the way we deal with other nations.

http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/49915

Here is an interesting article about this very issue in the very college that this occured.

Chew on this one a bit libs who are trying to use this story to further your gun control facism.. Read and re -read the story about the Appilacian Law school students who were able to subdue a gunman.

After you are done, read it again.

There are two things that bring sadness to all of this. The first being that people were murdered in cold blood today. A firer for whatever reason gave themselves a reason to take 30 lives. We should all mourn for the families of the victims. The other thing that brings sadness is how political this becomes. People stop for a moment and reflect on what this is. People have been murdered, people like us going about on their daily business and are no longer able to laugh, cry... with their loved ones. The blame on others takes the responsibility away from the individual who took lives and we live in America and not some Socialist/Communistic country where we have the freedom to do what we want, when we want, and how we want. And for others, next we will hear how the Devil made him/her do it.

I personally am tired of people in the news media sullying the reputations of those falsely accused of crimes, re) everything that was written about the Duke lacrosse players.

I suggest that we go ahead and truncate the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. Clearly, freedom of the press does more harm than good.

Any other bothersome rights needling anyone these days? If we're getting ready to throw out the 2nd Amendment, might as well make it a clean sweep.

mg,

As much as I despise Tony Snow's twisted Fox News version of politics I respect him for being the wellspoken man that he is.

Dana Perino couldn't hold Tony Snow's jockstrap.

"Pretty soon you have so many different Law Abiding Citizens shooting so many other Law Abiding Citizens, that maybe it would have been better to wait and let the police handle Mr. Lunatic."

and....Maybe police will wait 2 hours to figure out they don't know what happen or who the gunman is/was and 30 more people will die.

Oh wait...it wasn't a maybe, it happened today.

With millions and millions of rifles and pistols out on the black market, any attempt to control gun crime will fail until our government decides to close the mulititude of firearm black markets. Any street in the inner city, and just about any road in the country and in the suburbs has many houses that are full of firearms and ammunition.

Our nation should make it a priority to enforce stricter gun and stricter ammunition laws. And our Congress should finally make it much more difficult to obtain a firearm legally but in a way that still allows it, while illegally possessing any firearm should be dealt with most severely.

We don't see events like this happening in countries that have much stricter laws like Canada and the UK.

This is a national tragedy but don't expect to see Washington to come up with a good solution. All the good solutions to problems were used there in the 1930's and 40's. Any backbone in D.C lost its calcium over 50 years ago. Now, the town is only full of gelatinous nerve endings that we call politicians. Sure, more than one ghost of long dead true patriots prowl around the halls of Captiol Hill at night. When they recognize they are being watched its just a slow fade away into the dark reccesses and dusty hidden attics of our memories.

Something tells me though this event will never fade away. Perhaps despite the fact our spineless officials grovel and suck at the teet of corporate lobbyists, one day some event is going rip the veneer off of of the cheap plywood that is government and mandate some meaningful action on this issue. I wouldn't hold my breath though if I were you.

My dad died in lung cancer, he never smoked a join or even worked with someone that smoked (he always had his office). Winston Churchill and Don Xiao Ping puffed to their 90s. So does that mean we can conclude lung cancer can happen to anyone, and millions of smokers are in good health so cigarette was a scapegoat?

Gun violence can and do happen every where, in Canada, in Britain in Europe, and in Asia. But no where in the world is as prevalent as US.

It is strange to me, when it comes to diseases that kill, we are very logical. If a particular group of people are more susceptible to die in a disease; be as race, ethnicity, or life style, we are willing to study the statistics, and search for probable causes. But when it comes to guns that kill, we cast logic aside, stand firm and believe what we want. Facts and numbers become meaningless.

The truth is, no matter how you slice and dice your number, by country, or by population, US leads the way in number of senseless killing by guns.

The Japanese suicide rate is least double that of the United States:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FG28Dh01.html

...and Japan is a country with some of the most severe restrictions on personal firearm ownership:
http://www.guncite.com/journals/dkjgc.html

Perhaps the availability of tools to cause mayhem has little to do with the actual use of those tools, and more with the society at large?

It is so sad that are young are dying we need to start teaching from our homes. And help all in need. Not pick and choose who has the most money or who can be treated. This person had a statement and took our childrens lives. We need to start listening to our children and taking time to understand them. There are better ways to handle problems violence is not the answer and war is not the answer. We are getting rid of our future, because of greed. What are we doing to our children. We trust the system to protect them and they can not what is next.

We are killing many in Afganistan. We killed a lot of Nazi's. We are currently killing the fetus still in the womb.

Are you really this intellectually immature?

Posted by: JD | Apr 16, 2007 2:37:34 PM

I'm not the one who put fetus's in the womb in the same category as Nazis and terrorists in Afghanistan.

If questioning whether we view death as an answer too often is intellectually immature in your opinion, then, yes, I'm proud to say I am.

I believe we need a real "culture of life", not lip service to one.

JD, that webpage will skyrocket to the top of web rankings in the next week. Reading that just made me sick.

Blame the shooter and nothing else. Don't try and understand his "pain." The more tolerance we have for people taking narcissistic daytrips into madness and violence the worse off everyone will be. The only thing that matters is how people treat other people. Nothing else matters. I don't care how awful your parents were or how terrible your life is or how you have a different chemical makeup then everyone else. Get over it.

The White House immediately politicized the tragedy by stating, “the president still believes in a right to bear arms.” As far as I’m concerned they are as concerned for the NRA as they are for the families, which sickens me. We all know what the White House thinks, but must they really throw it in the face of so many families today? Couldn’t this debate have waited a few days? In the meantime, here are some quotes from those who were present:

"If everyone had guns at the school, maybe the shooter would never have showed up but then what kind of society would that be - we would all be scared of each other at school,'' writes the student, echoing only one of the many thoughts that are running through peoples' minds today, people on and off campus.”

“Why should Bush be horrified? It's another victory for himself and the NRA.”

"Bush and the NRA should both be happy that the shooter had no problems getting hold of all the guns and ammuntion he needed. It's his Constitutional right according to them."

"I don't think getting rid of guns entirely is the answer. I do believe in our Second Amendment right to bear arms...but I also think we need to take a good hard look at how easy or difficult it is to get guns. I also think that television and the media promote and glorify a culture of violence--and that's where the real problem lies. Fifty years ago, guns were easier to buy -- yet school violence was considerably less (as was violence on television). What an interesting connection.''

"I don't think that people mean to be callous, but it is natural that this issue gets politicized immediately. One does have to ask-- how did this person get this gun with which he took 21 innocent lives? People say that if the students had guns, they could have fought back- - but what if instead, it had turned into something worse -- more bloodshed -- more crossfire, more innocent people being killed?

I am always amazed at how narrow and self-focused the comments are here. I grew up outside of Chicago and always thought that urban people had the "big picture" of life, but these comments are so small town and bigoted and self-centered (e.g. Hey, 30 people just got slaughtered,let me get on my righteous horse to use this as platform to talk abou the number of embryos are killed every year in comparision). Get a grip. Some of these comments sound like the small towns in Georgia and Texas that people laugh about and joke about being narrow-minded and small-minded as those southerns are. Come on, 30 people, blue or red state convection on the dead's part doesn't change that their blood runs red (as in color, no political connection). Human lives, families touched. Get off it all and respectfully grieve and have empathy and sympathy for these families and their lost and not use this as a chance to make "you"r point about(fill in the blank). Most of the governed are human and humane, just like the 30 souls lost today, be it here or LosAngeles, or NewYork or Chicago, or God forbid for some of you even Baghdad. I am sorry for the lost of the families. Period.

I am so sorry to hear of this happening. My heart goes out to all. I really hope that people come together to offer as much support as possible for the friends and families of these unfortunate people.

As far as this being a gun control issue, I totally disagree. Two of the first things I heard about today was this, and a murder that took place last night in a small town not far from where I live. An elementary school teacher and her 4 year old child were murdered last night by a jealous ex boyfriend. It also seems as if this VT incident may also have been related to emotional or 'relationship' problems.

It's not more laws that we need, it's more acknowledgment and help. Americans in general are hurting and growing more and more unstable every day. More people visit doctors offices because of depression and anxiety related issues than they do the common cold. The longer people stay blind to that and do nothing about it, the more this is going to happen. We can sit on our comfy couches and argue the gun control laws into the dirt and it will get us nowhere. People who are hurting need a better outlet than some doctor giving them a cocktail of medication and sending them on their way. They need real help! I'm not saying it would have prevented this from happening today, but I believe wholeheartedly that if someone would've been able to reach a few of the people who had emotional issues that turned into a violent outrages, we would've seen a different outcome on most of them.

I also agree with a few other posters who said that TV plays a role in increasing violence. There is no doubt about it. We glorify death and violence on TV every minute of every day. Just turn your TV on and start flipping through channels. There is no hiding it.

A functioning 2nd amendment would have solved this and saved many many lives. An armed society is a safe and polite society - like we used to be and like Switzerland is now. The blood is on those who created these gun bans. America has just decided to roll over and take it.

OH, please.
Tony is wondering if we Americans have an "intrinsic flaw" to kill and used Iraq as an example. I view that as intellectually immature in that only Micheal Moore could accept.

I was pointing out that there is a lot of killing going on in many places including abortions in which many on left do not include when talking about death.

Get over yourselves.

Interesting. Results from legislation passed after a school shooting in Britain.

“Britain's intolerance of firearm violence has impacted on its gun crime trends. Figures from the British Home Office reveal that there has been a substantial decline in gun crimes involving weapons other than airguns since new laws were introduced in 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, there has been an overall drop of 17% in gun crime involving shotguns, handguns and other firearms excluding air guns.”

“The substitution of air weapons for real firearms in crime has not significantly reduced the number of people killed by guns in England and Wales. But this is not surprising as England and Wales have been described as having "notably low death rates by firearms with less than 1 death per 100 000 people". Consequently, it is unlikely that the introduction of new gun laws would have a dramatic impact on an already low gun death rate.”

JD-

What's your "intellectually mature" answer to why the US has so much more violent crime than any other indutrialized country?

Maybe it's an intrinsic flaw Tony....I mean just look at Iraq and the death penalty.

Speaking of being on your high horse, listen to this statement from Smoore:

"Get a grip. Some of these comments sound like the small towns in Georgia and Texas that people laugh about and joke about being narrow-minded and small-minded as those southerns are."

So, it's okay to assume that people from rural America are stupid and narrow-minded, eh? And that people from the south are small-minded? Let those prejudices fly, pal.

You're just shocked that people could be narrow-minded in a big city, but it's a-okay to assume that about the place that produced William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Bill Clinton. Get a clue. As someone who's proud to say that I grew up in a small town, I can assure you that living in an urban metropolis makes you no more intelligent or cosmopolitan. The only difference I can see from my experience is that there's a greater value placed on hard work and accomplishment in small town America and more entitlement and arrogance in the big city. Thanks for illustrating that arrogance for all to see.

People who are using this tragedy to push the NRA issue hate the US and want to deprive her people of their rights. That is what I think.

Are you people really having these debates right now? Do you even have a heart or any compassion?? I am not ignorant of the politics that will surround this massacre, it's just in a time like this the politics seem a little less important, especially since NO details about the shooter or gun used has been released. You shou