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Virginia Tech shooting

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Virginia Tech massacre
Students gather to mourn at the convocation after the shooting
LocationBlacksburg, Virginia, United States
DateMonday, April 16, 2007
7:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m. (EDT)
TargetVirginia Tech
Attack type
School shooting, mass murder,
murder-suicide, massacre,
spree killing
Deaths33 (including the perpetrator)[1][2]
Injured29[2]
PerpetratorsSeung-Hui Cho
MotiveUnknown[3]

The Virginia Tech massacre was a university shooting that unfolded as two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, on Monday, April 16 2007 on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. A gunman killed thirty-two people[4] and injured another twenty-nine before committing suicide, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Between the two attacks he sent a package to MSNBC confessing to the attack.

The gunman, identified by authorities as Cho Seung-hui, was born in South Korea and grew up in Northern Virginia. He had permanent residence status and was a fourth-year English major at Virginia Tech.[5]

Attacks

Part of a series of articles
on the
Virginia Tech
shooting
A photo of one of the commemorative stones at the memorial with flowers laid on top of it.
Location
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia)
Perpetrator
Seung-Hui Cho
Victims
Related
Aerial photo showing location of Norris and West Ambler Johnston Halls.
Further information: [[:Virginia Tech massacre timeline]]

There were two attacks in two buildings. The first was in the West Ambler Johnston building, starting at 7:15 a.m., where two were murdered, and the second at Norris Hall, where thirty were murdered before the shooter's own suicide.

West Ambler Johnston shootings

Authorities believe that Cho shot his first victims at around 7:15 a.m. EDT in West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed dormitory that houses 895 students. A young woman, Emily J. Hilscher of Woodville, Virginia, and a male resident assistant, Ryan Clark of Martinez, Georgia, were killed.[6][7]

Norris Hall shootings

Approximately two hours after the initial shootings, shots were reported in a classroom at Norris Hall, which houses the Engineering Science and Mechanics program.[2][8] It was later revealed that Cho sent a package to NBC News between the two shootings.

A ballistics test later showed that the same gun was used in both campus shootings.[9] Approximately 30 students and faculty staff were killed in at least four classrooms and the second-floor hallway of the building.[10] Virginia Tech student Jamal Albarghouti captured video footage of part of the attack with a cell phone which was later broadcast on many news outlets.[11]

At least eleven fatalities were found in a French class, five in a German class, nine in a hydrology class, two in a solid mechanics class, and one in the hallway.[10] An eyewitness told a Collegiate Times reporter that a gunman shot about nineteen people attending a German class in Norris Hall, including the professor.[12][13][14] Only four people emerged unscathed from the German class, with the rest either killed or wounded. Erin Sheehan, one of the four, said the shooter "peeked in twice, earlier in the lesson, like he was looking for someone, somebody, before he started shooting." Students jumped from the windows of room 204 while the professor held the door closed.[10]

Student Nikolas Macko described to BBC News his experience at the center of the shootings. He had been attending a math class (near the German class) and heard gunshots in the hallway. At least three people in the classroom barricaded the door using a table. At one point, Macko said, the shooter attempted to open the classroom door and then shot twice into the room; one shot hit a podium; the other went out the window. The shooter reloaded and shot into the door, but the bullet did not penetrate into the room. He stated there were "many, many shots" fired.[8]

A French class takes cover in Holden Hall / photo by William Chase Damiano

There were several scenes of resistance against the offender:

  • Professor Liviu Librescu held the door of his classroom shut while Cho attempted to enter it. Librescu was able to prevent the gunman from entering the classroom until his students had escaped through the windows, but was eventually shot and killed.[15][16]
  • Kevin Granata left his third floor office of Norris Hall and went down to the second floor, where the second round of shootings in the massacre took place. It was reported by witnesses that Granata, inside either an office or a classroom with other people, heard a commotion and went into the hallway to see if he could help. He also became one of the killer's victims.
  • Partahi Lumbantoruan attempted to block the door from Cho's attack to protect fellow students and was killed.[17]
  • Zach Petkewicz and two other classmates shoved a long table against the door and held it there, helping save eleven students from the massacre.[18]

High winds prevented emergency medical services from using helicopters for the evacuations.[19] Victims injured in the shooting were treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Radford, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, and Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem.[20]

Victims

Main article: List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre

Including the deceased shooter, there were sixty-two people shot: thirty-three people were killed, and twenty-nine were injured.

Perpetrator

Main article: Seung-Hui Cho

Background

File:Seung-Hui Cho 3.jpg
Seung-Hui Cho

The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho[5] (Korean: ???), a South Korean national living in Virginia as a permanent resident. In 1992, at age eight, Cho entered the U.S. with his family through Detroit, Michigan. His last permanent address was listed as Centreville, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Fairfax County, Virginia.[21] He last renewed his green card in 2003. The university reported he was living on campus, in Harper Hall, another dormitory just west of West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. In 2003, Cho graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.[22][23] Victims Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha graduated from Westfield in 2006, but it is not known if Cho knew either of them.[24] He was an undergraduate student in his senior year, majoring in English. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a "loner," stating that the University was having difficulty finding information about him.[25] At times, Cho described himself as a "question mark".[26] Blacksburg police have confirmed that Cho was investigated in late 2005 in connection with stalking complaints, but no prosecution resulted.[27]

Possible motives

Cho's motives for the killings remain unclear.

Early reports suggested that the killing was the result of a domestic dispute between Cho and previously alleged girlfriend Emily Hilscher, who was later revealed to have had no prior relationship with Cho.[28]

When police investigated Cho's dorm, they found a paper describing how his life was hell and his plan of suicide. In it he laid out a list of grievances including "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans" on campus. Another sentence in the paper read "you caused me to do this."[29] An initial report stated that the words "Ismail Ax" were found written on his arm in red ink, although a later report gave the spelling as "Ismael Ax" and stated that the words were tattooed on his arm.[30][31] In the package of information that Cho sent to NBC, he wrote his sender's name as "A. Ishmael".[32][33]

Professor Nikki Giovanni described Cho's writing as "intimidating... there was something mean about this boy. It was the meanness — I've taught troubled youngsters and crazy people — it was the meanness that bothered me. It was a really mean streak."[34] Giovanni insisted that Cho be removed from her class in 2005 about six weeks after the semester had started in September. Cho had intimidated female students by photographing their legs under the desk and by writing obscene, violent poetry. Giovanni said

I was willing to resign before I would continue with him.[35]

Giovanni wrote a letter to then-department head Lucinda Roy, who removed Cho. Giovanni's actions were considered "not ethical" as a teacher especially among those with Asian cultural background. Roy alerted student affairs, the dean's office, and the campus police, but each said there was nothing they could do if Cho had made no overt threats against himself or others. So Roy took Cho on as a kind of personal tutor.[36]

Roy said she was so disturbed by Cho's behavior and writing that she alerted campus police and other officials about him, but was told they could not do much, as no direct threat was involved. Roy described Cho as "extraordinarily lonely — the loneliest person I have ever met in my life." She said he always wore sunglasses and a cap inside, spoke in a whisper, and took cell phone pictures of her. Deeply concerned, she arranged to work one-on-one with Cho.[37][38]

Roy pleaded with Cho to go to counseling. "Because he was so depressed, I kept saying, 'Please go to counseling; I will take you to counseling,'" Roy said. But

I was told [by counselors] that you can’t force anybody to go... so their hands were tied, too.[39][40]

In November 2005, Cho made contact through phone calls and in person with a female student. The student notified the Virginia Tech police department, and officers responded. The student declined to press charges and referred to the contact with him as annoying. However, the investigating officer referred Cho to the university disciplinary system, the office of judicial affairs. According to Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum, a second incident of Cho's stalking a female student occurred in December 2005. "Cho instant-messaged a second female student," he said. "Again no threat was made against that student. However, she made a complaint to the Virginia Tech police department and asked that Cho have no further contact with her." Officers followed up the next morning, speaking with Cho about the matter.[41]

University officials said the school then obtained a "temporary detention order" from a local magistrate that allowed them to refer Cho to an off-campus medical facility. Cho was admitted to Carilion St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital on December 13 2005. He was released the next day. According to Virginia law, "A magistrate has the authority to issue a detention order upon a finding that a person is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization or treatment." "The magistrate also must find that the person is an imminent danger to himself or others," says the guideline from Virginia's state court system.[42][43]

Shortly after Cho's identification as a suspect, a copy of a play by Cho entitled "Richard McBeef" began circulating online. The short play deals with topics of molestation accusations, violence involving a chainsaw, and ends with the title character delivering "a deadly blow" to his thirteen-year-old stepson.[44] Cho also wrote a second play, entitled "Mr. Brownstone"; the play is named after a Guns N' Roses song and contains lyrics copied verbatim from the song.[45]

An unnamed professor who taught Cho characterized Cho's writing as "very adolescent" and "silly," with "slapstick comedy" and "elements of violence."[46]

Preparation

Officials believe he used a 9 mm Glock 19 and a .22 caliber Walther P22 handgun.[47] Cho purchased his first gun, the .22 caliber Walther P22 on February 9, 2007 through a pawnbroker in Blacksburg.[48] On March 13, 2007, Cho purchased a second handgun, a semiautomatic 9 mm Glock 19, at Roanoke Firearms.[49] In Virginia, permanent legal residents of the United States who are 21 years of age or older are eligible to purchase handguns provided they have not been convicted of any felonies or have other disqualifications.[50] Both guns were found with their serial numbers filed off, a felony offense, federal law enforcement officials said. The owner of Roanoke Firearms was reported to have been 'devastated' when he heard news that one of his weapons was used in the incident.[51] According to former FBI agent Brad Garrett, "This was no spur of the moment crime. He's been thinking about this for several months prior to the shooting."[52]

It is not known what, if any, previous firearm experience or training Cho had completed before the massacre. It is not known where or how Cho obtained the chain with which he locked the doors at the stairway in the engineering classroom building.

One of the guns was used in both incidents. An official added that Cho was "heavily armed and wearing a vest."[53][54][55][56]

Message to NBC News

Cho included this photograph of himself in a package sent to NBC

On April 18 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho timestamped between the first two murders and the rest of the massacre two hours later. It contained an 1,800 word manifesto,[57] pictures, and twenty-three digital videos.[58] In the videos Cho discussed his religion and his hatred of the wealthy. He also said in one of the videos,

I didn't have to do it. I could have left. I could have fled. But now I am no longer running. If not for me, for my children and my brothers and sisters that you fucked. I did it for them.

You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today...But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off.

Do you know what it feels like to be spit on your face and have trash shoved down your throat? Do you know what it feels like to dig your own grave? Do you know what it feels like to have your throat slashed from ear to ear? Do you know what it feels like to be torched alive? Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon a cross and left to bleed to death for your amusement?

You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life. And you want to inject as much misery in our lives because you can, just because you can.

Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats, your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust funds wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac wasn't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.

You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boy's life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people.

[59][60]

NBC released video excerpts from Cho's manifesto on NBC Nightly News later on the evening of April 18.[61] The decision attracted immediate criticism from survivors and families, [62] Police [63] and the FBI [64]

Responses to the incidents

University response

Virginia Tech canceled classes for the rest of the week and closed Norris Hall for the remainder of the semester.[1] The University also offered counseling assistance for students and faculty and held an assembly on Tuesday, April 17, 2007. Additionally, the Red Cross dispatched several dozen crisis counselors to Blacksburg to help Virginia Tech students cope with the tragedy.[1]

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger stated at the first news conference that authorities initially believed the first shooting at the West Ambler Johnston dormitory was a domestic dispute and that the shooter had left campus.[65]

Criticism of university response

Some students, parents, and commentators in the media blamed the university, saying that administrators should have done more to notify others and lock down the campus immediately.[66]

Authorities identified a "person of interest" in the first shooting, Karl Thornhill, who was Emily Hilscher's boyfriend. Hilscher's roommate, Heather Haugh, told authorities that Thornhill owned firearms and had taken both girls to a shooting range. Thornhill was pulled over while leaving Tech's campus after the first shooting, and made authorities suspicious by contradicting Haugh's account.[67] Because authorities quickly apprehended him, they determined that the threat of further violence was minimal and consequently did not justify additional action by the University.[68] However, as they were questioning Mr. Thornhill, reports of widespread shooting at Norris Hall came in, suggesting that the threat had not been contained.[69] Thornhill has subsequently been released, but remains an important witness in the case, according to police.[69]

At an afternoon news conference, Governor Timothy Kaine of Virginia indicated that Charles Steger (the president of Virginia Tech) had asked him to appoint a committee to examine the university's response to the shootings and help answer any remaining questions.[70] In an interview with CNN, Governor Kaine indicated that W. Gerald Massengill, former superintendent of Virginia State Police, would conduct the review.[69]

Tribute to self-sacrificing behavior

A number of Librescu's students have called him a hero because of his actions, with one student, Asael Arad, saying that all the professor's students "lived because of him".[71] Librescu's son, Joe, said he had received e-mails from several students who said he had saved their lives and regarded him as a hero[72] and many newspapers also reported him as the hero of the massacre. [citation needed]

Student response

Virginia Tech students mourn their fallen friends at a candlelight vigil.

Some Virginia Tech students questioned why the University had not been locked down after the first shooting.[73]

After becoming aware of the incident, students communicated with their family and peers about their conditions, using telephones or social networking websites such as Facebook or MySpace.[55][74] Many students created Facebook memorial pages for fellow students.[75] Fearing retribution from other students, Kim Min-kyung, a South Korean student at Virginia Tech, said South Korean students were gathering in groups, "as it could be dangerous."[76] Lee Seung-wook, head of Virginia Tech's Korean Student Association, said, "I am worried about possible racial prejudices that this horrible incident may bring to Asians, especially Koreans".[77] In fact, Facebook groups have been made to stop the discrimination against Asians after this particular incident.[78]

Law enforcement response

After the second attack, the Virginia Tech Police, along with the Blacksburg Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police immediately responded following their active shooter protocols. Local SWAT teams were activated and responded.[79] The Federal Bureau of Investigation also joined the investigation. Bureau spokesman Richard Kolko said that there was no immediate evidence to suggest a terrorist incident, but that the agency would explore all avenues.[74] The Virginia State Police are also investigating.[74] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) immediately responded to the incident with 10 agents on-scene identifying the weapons and performing forensics.[80]

Government response

President George W. Bush shakes the hand of the Virginia Tech Student Government Association's President James Tyger following his speech at the school's convocation.

Virginia's U.S. Senators John Warner and Jim Webb have both offered their condolences.[81] Virginia Governor Tim Kaine returned early from a trip to Tokyo, Japan[74] and declared a "state of emergency" in Virginia, allowing the governor to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment, and other resources to help out in the aftermath of a tragedy.[82]

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims. The Senate also approved a resolution on Monday night extending condolences to the victims of the shooting.[83] Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy postponed by two days the scheduled April 17 2007 testimony of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales concerning the firings of eight United States prosecutors.[84] In a statement, Gonzales said that the Justice Department would provide support and assistance to the local authorities and victims as long as they were needed.[85]

Immediately following the news of the tragedy, White House spokesman said President George W. Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia. In response to questioning, Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed."[86][87] Bush also stated that the nation was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting. He added that "schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community." He also pledged assistance to law enforcement and the local community.[88] President Bush and his wife Laura also attended the convocation at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.[89] Bush ordered the White House flag lowered to half staff and requested all flags be so lowered until sundown on Sunday, April 22 2007.[89]

The Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Department of Taxation are granting six month extensions to individuals affected by the massacre. The extensions are "available to shooting victims and their families, emergency responders, Tech students and university employees."[90]

Other schools' responses

There have been official responses from many universities, both inside of the United States and abroad, regarding the massacre, reflecting widespread public horror and concern, expressing shock, sympathy, and condolences to the Virginia Tech community.[91][92]

Florida State University Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Coburn released an email on April 17, stating that the university, in response to the Virginia Tech massacre, had instituted an emergency cellular phone contact plan via text message, in the event of a similar situation.[93] Florida State University president T. K. Wetherell issued a statement of condolence,[94] in which he outlined the university's disaster response plans in a similar situation. In addition, Florida State University Traumatology Institute Director Charles Figley is coordinating with the Green Cross to assist with counseling services. [95][96] Florida State University is a sister ACC institution of Virginia Tech.[93]

The Ohio State University President Karen A. Holbrook released a statement that is linked from the university's homepage since the day of the shootings and that was sent out in a campuswide email to students and faculty on Wednesday, April 18 2007 shortly before campus cable networks began practicing new emergency broadcast tests. She asserts that "Ohio State stands ready to provide any assistance to Virginia Tech that they may identify in the days to come."[97] Furthermore, OSU police released information on their preparedness for dealing with similar situations that featured local news coverage and front page newspaper coverage.[98]

The University of Virginia has offered psychological support services and medical assistance to the victims and afflicted at Virginia Tech[99][100] Radford University is providing free temporary housing for the Virginia State Police officers investigating the incident.[101]

In response to the death of Wake Forest University faculty member Kevin Granata and the injury of faculty director Wally Grant at Virginia Tech in the joint Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences,[102] Wake Forest has offered physical assistance, and has sent grief counselors including Professor Samuel Gladding, chairman of WFU's counseling department.[103] Clemson University, a sister ACC land grant school, to Virginia Tech, released a statement stating that they were offering grief counseling from their counseling center to Virginia Tech, as well as other offers of assistance.[104] Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech's sister polytechnic institution, released a statement from president Wayne Clough, a prior Virginia Tech faculty dean. The statement noted that Clough once was Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech and held an office in Norris hall; he offered any requested assistance to Virginia Tech president Steger.[105]

Sporting tributes

The Washington Nationals, during their April 17 2007 game against the Atlanta Braves, wore Virginia Tech baseball caps in memory of the victims[106] and NASCAR will allow both Busch Series and Nextel Cup Series teams who choose to display the Virginia Tech Logo for the upcoming races at Phoenix International Raceway (April 21-22), Talladega Superspeedway (April 28-29) and Richmond International Raceway (May 4-5). In addition, the Craftsman Truck Series teams will be allowed to display the logo during the April 28, 2007 race at Kansas Speedway. The logo can be seen against a black background to the right of the driver side window.[107].

International reaction

There was a widespread international response, including condolences and sympathy from many countries' including officials in Australia,[108] Canada,[109][110] People's Republic of China,[111] France,[112] Germany,[113] India,[114] Iran,[115] Japan,[116] Mexico,[117] Nicaragua,[118] Pakistan,[119] the Philippines,[120] and the UK,[121] as well as from Pope Benedict XVI.[122] The Secretary-General of the United Nations and former South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon also offered condolences.[123] Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in response to the killings that "America's gun culture was costing lives." [124]

In the Republic of Korea, President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his deepest condolences.[125][126] The foreign minister, Song Min-soon, also mentioned that safety measures have been established for Koreans living in the US. He appeared to be referring to the possibility of reprisal attacks against Korean communities within the United States.[127] A ministry official also stated that he hoped the shooting would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."[128]

On April 18, President Traian Băsescu of Romania posthumously conferred the national honor The Star of Romania with the rank of Grand Cross on Professor Liviu Librescu.[129]

Copycat incidents

Several copycat threats have occurred at other schools and universities.[130][131][132][133] [134][135][136][137]

Historical context

Main articles: School shooting and List of school massacres

The incident is the deadliest shooting on a college campus, exceeding the sixteen deaths[138] of the University of Texas shooting by Charles Whitman in 1966. It is the second deadliest school-related killing in U.S. history, behind the 1927 Bath School disaster which claimed forty-five lives, including thirty-eight school children, through the use of explosives.[138]

With a death toll of thirty-two victims plus the killer,[138] this is the deadliest single-perpetrator civilian shooting in United States history, surpassing the Luby's massacre of 1991, in which twenty-four people were killed.[138] Internationally, it is surpassed by the 1982 massacre of fifty-seven South Koreans by off-duty police officer Woo Bum-Kon and the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in the Australian state of Tasmania where thirty-five people were killed by gunman Martin Bryant.

The shooting has been likened to the Columbine High School massacre,[139] the April 20, 1999 school massacre in which two senior students killed twelve students, one teacher, and wounded twenty-four others before turning the guns on themselves. In the media package sent to NBC, Cho discussed "martyrs like Eric and Dylan" apparently referring to the Columbine High School gunmen.[6]

Inaccurate media reports

Main article: Inaccurate media reports of the Virginia Tech massacre

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed reported several hours after the incident that "authorities were investigating whether the gunman who killed 32 people in a rampage on the Virginia Tech campus was a Chinese national who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 25-year-old man being investigated reportedly arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight on Aug. 7, 2006, on a visa issued in Shanghai"[140], a claim which was widely used by media, including FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, Sina.com, Sohu, and so on to hint the gunman might be a Chinese student.[141] The report later turned out to be false and Sneed's article was removed quietly by Chicago Sun-Times without any explanation.[citation needed] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said it was regrettable that "some US media made irresponsible reports on the Virginia Tech shooting before finding out the truth, which violated their professional ethics."[142]

Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera incorrectly blamed Wayne Chiang, a Virginia Tech graduate student and weapons collector, as the perpetrator of the crime, after several web surfers discovered the student's Livejournal profile. Chiang responded by "coming out" and explained he was not the shooter. Following his response came several hoax reports[143] and a short interview on CNN, and he will make an appearance April 19th on Good Morning America.

Gun control debate

See also: Gun politics in the United States

The massacre reignited the gun control debate in the United States, with proponents of gun control legislation claiming guns are too accessible (and hence Cho readily acquired them) and proponents of gun rights and the Second Amendment claiming guns are not accessible enough (and hence none of Cho's victims were armed in the gun-free "safe zone", so none of them were able to defend themselves from his attacks). Note that the much-debated federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 is not an issue in this incident; that law applies only to elementary and secondary schools, not to colleges and universities.

Background

Law enforcement officials have described finding a purchase receipt for at least one of the guns used in the assault.[144] The shooter had apparently waited one month after buying his .22 caliber pistol before he bought his second gun, a Glock 19.[145] Cho used 15-round ammunition magazines in the Glock, which were illegal to manufacture between 1994 and 2004, when the Federal Assault Weapons ban was in effect.[146][neutrality is disputed] The serial numbers on the weapons had been obliterated, but the ATF National Laboratory was able to reveal them, and thereby perform a firearms trace.[146]

Virginia Tech has a policy forbidding unauthorized possession or storage of firearms on campus by students, faculty, and staff, even by state licensed concealed weapons permit holders. This policy has been challenged in recent years. In April of 2005, a student licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to carry concealed weapons was discovered possessing a concealed firearm in class. While no criminal charges were filed, it is unknown whether disciplinary action was taken by the school for violating Tech policy due to student confidentiality.

University spokesman Larry Hincker, in response to challenges over the authority of the university to enforce such a policy, said "We think we have the right to adhere to and enforce that policy because, in the end, we think it's a common-sense policy for the protection of students, staff and faculty as well as guests and visitors."[147]

Virginia bill HB 1572, intended to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit … from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun" was introduced into the Virginia House of Representatives by delegate Todd Gilbert. The university opposed the bill, which died in subcommittee in January of 2006. Spokesman Larry Hincker responded "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."[148]

At the time of the incident, the sale of firearms to permanent residents in Virginia is legal as long as the buyer shows proof of residency.[149] Additionally, though, Virginia has a law that limits purchases of handguns to one every 30 days.[150] Federal law requires a criminal background check for handgun purchases from licensed firearms dealers, and Virginia checks other databases in addition to the Federally-mandated NICS.

Prior to the shootings, Bradford B. Wiles, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, published an editorial in 2006 in the Roanoke Times calling for a change in Virginia Tech's policy prohibiting the carrying of licensed firearms.[151]

Media response

The response to how gun control affected the massacre was predominantly split—while some believe the university's ban on students carrying concealed weapons contributed to the massacre as students were unable to defend themselves against the perpetrator, others believe that the United States', and Virginia's, relatively liberal gun control laws allowed the gunman to purchase the guns and ammunition that allowed the shootings to take place.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, an American gun control group, said that it was easy for an individual to get powerful weapons and called for "common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur".[152] The New York Times ran an editorial calling for more gun control: "Yesterday’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech—the worst in American history—is another horrifying reminder that some of the gravest dangers Americans face come from killers at home armed with guns that are frighteningly easy to obtain."[153]

On the other side of the issue, the Conservative Voice contrasted the Virginia Tech massacre with the Appalachian School of Law shooting in 2002, when a disgruntled student killed two students before he was subdued[154] by two other students with personal firearms they had retrieved from their vehicles, declaring that "All the school shootings that have ended abruptly in the last ten years were stopped because a law-abiding citizen—a potential victim—had a gun."[155]

The Washington Post described both sides of the gun control debate in an editorial, asking how and when the shooter obtained his weapons, but also asking if the tragedy would have occurred if Virginia law did not prohibit the carrying of lawfully concealed weapons on college campuses.[156] After reviewing recent U.S. history regarding shootings, The Economist magazine concluded, "The Columbine killings of 1999 failed to provoke any shift in Americans’ attitudes to guns. There is no reason to believe that this massacre, or the next one, will do so either."[157]

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine condemned this debate in the press and elsewhere as occurring at an inappropriate time. "People who want to take this within 24 hours of the event and use it as a political hobbyhorse — I only have loathing for them," Gov. Kaine said during an evening press conference on April 17 2007. "To those who want to make this into some sort of crusade, I say take this elsewhere."[158]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Tech massacre.

References

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  2. ^ a b c "Gunman killed after deadly Virginia Tech rampage". CNN. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
  3. ^ "VA. Tech Readies To Honor Dead". Clickondetroit.com. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  4. ^ Brendan Bush. "At least 32 dead in Virginia shooting rampage". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
  5. ^ a b John M. Broder. "Virginia Gunman Identified as a Student". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  6. ^ John M. Broder (April 17 2007). "32 Shot Dead on Virginia Tech Campus". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "First shooting victim name as Ryan Clark". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers.
  8. ^ a b "US university shooting kills 33". BBC. Retrieved 2007-04-16. Cite error: The named reference "BBC" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ Tom Regan. "Norris Hall shooter identified", NPR, April 17 2007
  10. ^ a b c "Deadly Rampage at Virginia Tech" diagram of Norris Hall New York Times, April 17 2007, retrieved 2007-04-18
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