BREAKING NEWS - Virginia Tech Shooting Rampage - Discuss

[NguyenVanDon]

I know this is not a Texas issue, but it will be a good discussion IMO.

_________________

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech. ... index.html


Gunman kills 21 on Virginia Tech campus

By SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago

A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. The gunman was killed, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

The university reported shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and continuing about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

Some but not all the dead were students. One student was killed in a dorm and the others were killed in the classroom, Virginia Tech Police Chief W.R. Flinchum.

The name of the gunman was not released. It was not known if he was a student.

Up until Monday, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history took place in 1966 at the University of Texas, where Charles Whitman climbed to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before he was gunned down by police. In the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo., in 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

After Monday's shootings, all entrances to the campus were closed. The campus was to reopen Tuesday but classes were canceled.

The university set up a meeting place for families to reunite with their children at the Inn at Virginia Tech. It also made counselors available and planned a convocation for Tuesday at the Cassell Coliseum basketball arena.

After the shootings, students were told to stay inside away from the windows.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put.

"They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again."

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said.

Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN, said, "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible."

Police said there had been bomb threats on campus over the past two weeks by authorities but said they have not determined a link to the shootings.

It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

In August 2006, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus.

The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

[txinvestigator]

Not much to discuss. People who cannot be armed are sitting ducks for killers.

[NguyenVanDon]

Question...

Say I am living on Campus in a dorm.

Am I allowed to have a handgun or shotgun on campus inside my room?

[tomneal]

Guns in the dorm.

My son is at school at Texas Tech in Lubbock Texas. When he lived in the dorm he had to check all his guns with campus police.

[stevie_d_64]

Question...

Say I am living on Campus in a dorm.

Am I allowed to have a handgun or shotgun on campus inside my room?

No...(to your question)

And Virginia Tech is proof (once again) that gun free school zones work...

[pbandjelly]

Guns in the dorm.

My son is at school at Texas Tech in Lubbock Texas. When he lived in the dorm he had to check all his guns with campus police.

so, are you saying yea, or nay?

what do you mean he had to check with campus police? call them and tell them he had a gun? or did he have to actually check it in, as in hand it over to them?

I believe there are a few college students that would be interested to know.

[tomneal]

oops.
I wasn't clear

No guns allowed on campus at Texas Tech.



Whenever he arivied on campus, 24 x 7 he was required to 'check' his guns with the campus police. The guns were locked down in the campus PD's 'secure' facility.

Whenever he went hunting, he checked them out of the lockup. Again, 24x7.


The only issue he ever had was checking out my dad's .22 rifle.
It was one of those without a serial number and there was a discussion when he tried to pick it up.

[PatrickS]

I'm viewing the coverage of this at the moment in Finland, on BBC World, and keep groaning as each time they run the same piece they finish up with "surely many will be asking if now is the time to tighten gun control in America" ugh!

I'm asking if now is the time to arm all faculty and adult students... primary, seconary, vocational, universities...

[seamusTX]

To answer the question about students being allowed to have weapons on campus: In Utah, holders of concealed-carry licenses can carry on campus. This was a state law that was passed over strong objections by state university officials.

(Of course, generally having to be at least 21 years old, not many students will have CHLs.)

I am not aware of any other place where students are allowed to have firearms on campus. Every educational institution that I have had anything to do with had a strict no-weapons policy, sometimes extending to things like pepper spray.

- Jim

[1TallTXn]

On hearing of this story, my first thought was "what would ONE student with ANY firearm have done to reduce this?"

Sadly firearms aren't allowed on campuses per state law.

The school I work for (Private Univ) doesn't have a weapons policy that I've been able to find. [EDIT: found that firearms nor pneumatic guns are allowed on campus by students. Nothing for faculty/staff] I know the dean has said he's held firearms for various students in his dorm.

What really amazes me is that there's nearly two hours between the shootings and nobody stopped the bugger while he made his way across campus!

[propellerhead]

Just recently, a bill to make VTech a gun-free zone was passed.


http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-50658

Gun bill gets shot down by panel
HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.

By Greg Esposito
381-1675

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.

House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.

The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the 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."

Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.

Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon entering campus. The legislation was designed 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."

The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training programs.

Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university's authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.

In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.

[pbandjelly]

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the 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."

you can't script better stuff than that. I mean, how's that shoe leather tasting?

[1TallTXn]

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the 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."

you can't script better stuff than that. I mean, how's that shoe leather tasting?

I agree with you, but sadly, they are only going to call for MORE gun control to keep this from happening again. When in reality ONE student with a spine (preferably with a gun) could have stopped this

[spider373]

My heart goes out to every family in the tragedy.

But where were the cops with guns ? Looking back at Columbine, too. Why was it always that the shooter(s) ended up kill themselves after done their damage(s), instead of being killed by a cop or cops with guns when citizens are not allowed to protect themselves with their own weapons ?! This is not to bad mouth the police, not at all.

[Piney]

Guns in the dorm.

My son is at school at Texas Tech in Lubbock Texas. When he lived in the dorm he had to check all his guns with campus police.

When I was a college student in the 70's, no guns of any type were allowed on campus-- not in cars, not in dorms. University PD said that one could "check" their hunting rifle/shotgun into their office, but they would absolutely not be responsible for its safe/correct storage.

Yeah-Im going to "check" $1500 worth of arms and hope to get them back-- I (as did others) simply snuck ours into our rooms under cover and kept them out of sight.