Shooting at Virginia Tech

[alberta_hoser]

I bet it isn't. If it turns out that it was the same gunman in both incidents, shit will go down. I hate to think about that already, but its a fact.

The police chief was quoted saying on the BBC interview I watched that they were two separate shooters. Unrelated is what he was alluding too, but he was avoiding most of the important questions.

[smmokan]

That would be amazing if they were unrelated... I hadn't heard that.

[smitchell333]

Douchebag - there are two other threads for you to spew you crap on. Take it there.

Maybe someone should start a thread dealing with the ensueing blame-game as well.

Nobody would have expected something like this to happen.

YOU shut the fuck up with your "Douchebag" ad naseum. You're just about fucking worthless. Not one fucking ounce of stoke or anything other than antagonism.

There's a problem with this assumption. We have lots of examples of places where guns are not as freely available as in the USA. But there are NOT suicide bombings in these countries' schools. In fact, the ONLY places we see suicide bombings are where there is extreme political repression combined with religious fanaticism.

The reason this was a massacre instead of a domestic violence issue between 2 people was the availability of the weaponry. If this guy hadn't had easy access to a gun (or guns) he would have been forced to limit his violent acts to what he could do with a knife or other short-range weapon - and in all likelihood that would have stopped him before he got started.

A massacre like this is an act of rage. You run into a college waving a knife around and trying to slash/stab everyone you can see, pretty soon you're overwhelmed and on the ground with someone's knee in your back. With a gun, you can stay far enough back from any potential hero types and do exactly what this guy did - spray bullets at anyone and everyone from long range.

Yes, it's possible that someone could, in the absence of easily acceptable long-range weapons, figure out a way to (as you say) blow themselves up. But to even approach a level of destruction that he acheived with a gun would require large amounts of planning and resources, which apparently is enough to stop people from even attempting attacks by other methods - I say apparently because the proof is in the fact that it doesn't happen. Pretty undeniable proof if you ask me.

No, but you'd have a lot more people settling disputes that would ordinarily be handled with a fistfight, with gunfire. Which it's pretty easy to see would result in a hell of a lot more than 30 deaths every 5 years (or whatever it is). Maybe you'd have less massacres but you'd have a far higher death toll overall.

Unfortunately some really good points in there.

Prayers to the VT family.

[Southeast Maggot]

Kind of left this thread for a while as I watched the aftermath on TV, had some friends over who wanted to get out of the mayhem in the middle of town. Many thanks to the mags who sent me PM's of support, and those of you who are thinking about and praying for the families and friends of those here.

Two of my best friends here were in the band with Stack (the RA who was killed in the early incident), and I know they are going to take it hard. My friend Sundeep was the fellow who jumped out of the second story window and broke his ankle, but I haven't heard anything other than he was ok other than the ankle injury.

Right now theres a decent chance the staff member killed was a professor of mine from last year, if the information I'm getting from my friends is correct. He was a shitty professor, but a nice guy, and I really feel for his family if it really was him that was killed. I will know more when the names finally get released.

The campus is going to be a disaster for the next week, at least, and I can't imagine them having classes in those classrooms again for quite a while. I know that I would personally feel extremely uncomfortable taking a class in there after what went down. All I can say is that if you are the praying type, please send your prayers. If you aren't, then please keep all of us here at VT in your thoughts and keep sending the vibes. We will need it.

[WICS]

Question: Why do you type with caps lock on all the time?

Sorry all. Hastily posted as I apparently was under a rock all day and didn't see this until recently, and just over-agitated by it all. Sorry for typing in all caps. Should have read the whole thread first. Am behind.

Sorry for not just saying: vibes. This shit sucks.

[gaijin]

Just a reminder of how F'd the world is... The following are all school related and school is their only commonality.

Osaka:
http://www.answers.com/topic/osaka-school-massacre

Beslan:
http://www.answers.com/topic/beslan

Dawson college, Montreal:
http://www.answers.com/topic/dawson-college-shooting

Sanaa Yemen:
http://www.answers.com/topic/sanaa-massacre

Cologne Germany:
http://www.answers.com/topic/cologne-school-massacre-1

Montreal:
http://www.answers.com/topic/cole-po...nique-massacre

Israel:
http://www.answers.com/topic/avivim-school-bus-massacre

[truckeelocal]

Just a reminder of how F'd the world is...

And a reminder that it's likely that another 30 odd folks died in other firearm related incidents (not including the around 50 suicides) throughout the country today. They don't rate a mention. It's not newsworthy. It's the norm. But they're dead too.

[summit]

Horrible Tragic Sad

I can't believe how little information there is available about the details.

[pechelman]

Horrible Tragic Sad

I can't believe how little information there is available about the details.

maybe all the better, Im not sure I really do want to know all the details.

[Jer]

^^^^^^^

Yeah, at this point I think there's probably still a lot of speculation going on.

[gaijin]

And a reminder that it's likely that another 30 odd folks died in other firearm related incidents (not including the around 50 suicides) throughout the country today. They don't rate a mention. It's not newsworthy. It's the norm. But they're dead too.

Japan's suicide rate almost doubles America's per capita and they have very stringent gun laws. Guns are virtually non-existent. Trains are the culprit in this country. So often do the trains get delayed due to suicides, that a train company actually got the rights to go after the inheritance of the deceased to pay for the delays that result from somebody throwing themselves onto the tracks. Since I have been in japan, I have had maybe half a dozen students in my area kill themselves in front of trains. Not to mention two principals hang themselves in their campus offices. I grew up in america and never realized how normal suicide can be amongst any society.

http://www.glocom.org/special_topics...s77/index.html

[KansasBoarder]

The bottom line is that over 30 PEOPLE got up and went to class today, just like me and a number of other members of the TRG community, but will never return home. They will never stress over another test, never endure another hangover reminding them of a great night's spent, never hold the ones they love, never enjoy another breath - ever again.



Rest in Peace


+++vibes+++


Rest in Peace

[jtran10]

I attended VT for my freshman year. All of the friends i know are ok, though one friend of mine has a friend that was killed. Here's a facebook message from my best friend from down there that I received today:

Hey guys. Pretty crazy day huh? So I’m safe. Most of you guys know that. I’ve tried to answer all the texts and such. Tried… I basically told most of you guys that I’m OK but I can’t talk and that I would call you guys later. Well that just doesn’t work. I can’t call everyone. You could imagine how many people I need to call back. So I figured I would send a few group messages on facebook.

I fortunately was not in Norris. I was directly next-door and was completely oblivious to what was going on. I got out of class and saw all the cops outside of Norris. There were some shots fired and the cops ran for cover. Other cops ran at all 500 of my classmates telling us to run for cover. So I was heading home (off-campus) when all that horrifying stuff went down at Norris Hall.

I just wanted to let you guys know I really really appreciate you guys and thank you for your prayers. I can’t tell you how many people called/texted today. I really appreciate the concern. I’m doing fine. All my closest friends are fine too. Still waiting on some phones calls from a couple people. But I’m not too worried, phone service is hard to come by today and they probably can’t get a hold of me. We are all still waiting on the list of the people that died. Hopefully all my friends are fine.

Please let everybody know I’m fine. I’m sure I didn’t receive some texts that were sent or calls that were made. I’m just responding to the ones I got. Feel free to give me a call soon. I’m going to get away from all this and go hiking after our memorial service. But I should be able to actually talk to anybody who calls after tomorrow. Feel free to message me back too. Just realize that I can’t talk with everybody at this point. Thanks again. You guys are awesome! Please pray for us.

Sad, sad day. Be strong Hokies.

[ulty_guy]

yeah, i went to VT, class of '98. horrible tragedy, goes to show if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. all i have are great memories of the place.

Southeast- all the best to you and your friends. sorry to hear of the losses. +++++++++++

[Voltron]

April 16, 2007

The worst day of my life.

[smmokan]

So sorry Voltron... hoping for the best for you and all involved.

[Crinkle]

My wife and I have 3 very close friends that go to school at tech. We got initial word that they were OK yesterday, which they personally are. One of our friends was actually in surgery, she is a vet dr, and stayed on campus in a locked down building till 5pm. Our biggest concern was for our married friends, one of which is an engineer student. It turns out he typically does spend a lot of time in Norris Hall, luckily not this semester, but his best friend was a teacher that was killed. They spent last night with the teacher's wife and friends trying to get a grip on the magnitude of this event. Very sad for my friends. Brings it alot closer to home, knowing wives, husbands and parents are left behind struggling for answers.

[Mrs Roo]

I've just received emails from a biomechanics forum I subscribe to that one of the Professors who died in the engineering block was part of the biomechanics community (suprisingly small worldwide).

My condolences to all caught up in this terrible affair.

[lionelhutz]

One the positive side it looks like many of the injured that were listed in critical condition have been improving.
Hopefully they all make it.

What has consitently shocked me - and quoted in CNN- how thorough the killer was. Doctors claimed they saw almost no victims with only one wound.
that's just sick.

[Jumper Bones]

good commentary

Ken Schram: Ignorance abound in wake of tragedy

32 people murdered.

29 others wounded.

Honestly, I can't wrap my mind around the enormity of what happened at Virginia Tech.

Others don't seem to have that problem.

I'm dumbfounded by the people who've leaped into this tragedy by ignorantly proclaiming how it could all have been avoided if only more students carried guns.

The lame-brained notion being that if the college kids were armed, one of them could have placed a round between the killer's eyes.

Equally ignorant is the clamor of those who insist that the Virginia Tech tragedy proves that every gun owned by every person in the U.S. should be confiscated and gun sales forever prohibited.

Some news organizations are eagerly fueling the frenzy by offering instant internet polls on what people think should be done.

It's as if 32 dead college students are nothing more than fodder for political points of view on gun control.

The gun nuts versus the anti gun nuts.

And I simply wonder when we lost the social capacity to simply express sadness.

I wonder why we can't put the issues on hold for even a short time and quietly mourn the dead and pray for their families.

Have something to say to Ken? E-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com.

I flew all day yesterday, and didn't hear any of the news on this until I got home to watch the evening news. I was completely slackjawed.

[Tye 1on]

Blog that posted a short play written by the murderer at http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...071vtech1.html

Messed up....

[filthyfrenchbum]

Blog that posted a short play written by the murderer at http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...071vtech1.html

Messed up....

That is pretty damn wack. If this was submitted academically, it really shows something.

[A Random Skier]

What a horrific event. I attempted to read that man's story but it was simply too much to stomach. I personally find it astonishing that anybody could be capable of such evil.

My condolences to all involved. You will always be in my prayers.