Shooting at Va Tech

[Mackey Mouse]

I believe that those who want guns illegally will get them on the secondary market.....if we do in fact have gun control, not that I want to argue the point, I believe they still will be able to buy those guns on that market. The rest of us, law abiding, will be unarmed. I am not sure what the answer is here, but I have been thinking about this a lot lately......I grew up, my Dad was a policeman, I knew where his gun was, but never would we think of even looking at it. It was not for us to even think about, never mind touch, different time though.

My heart aches for those teachers and their families who gave their lives for their students, a true act of heroism. I want answers and justice and I am not involved personally.

 

[Green Tea]

The local paper has an entire section devoted to all aspects of the tragedy. www.roanoke.com has a lot on the website.

The shooter in Norris was a student, living in a dorm on campus.

 

[Green Tea]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/breaking/wb/113294

Names of victims

 

[plutolovr]

After trying to have hopeful thoughts yesterday, I found out this morning that the one person we know who goes to VT was shot in the face and is in critical condition. This is the son of an old neighbor that we have kept in touch with over the years. My daughter was telling me that when she heard about this yesterday she was trying to put it together in her head that he's a math student and this was in an engineering building, could he have been there? She's in shock. He was to graduate next month. This is so sad. I almost called his stepmom yesterday when I heard the news. I'm now kinda glad I didn't. Supposedly they have been trying to get in touch with him all day yesterday. I am sick over this. He's a great kid, smart, good looking, just an all-around nice guy. I pray he comes out of this okay.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I am so sorry.

 

[Tybug]

After trying to have hopeful thoughts yesterday, I found out this morning that the one person we know who goes to VT was shot in the face and is in critical condition. This is the son of an old neighbor that we have kept in touch with over the years. My daughter was telling me that when she heard about this yesterday she was trying to put it together in her head that he's a math student and this was in an engineering building, could he have been there? She's in shock. He was to graduate next month. This is so sad. I almost called his stepmom yesterday when I heard the news. I'm now kinda glad I didn't. Supposedly they have been trying to get in touch with him all day yesterday. I am sick over this. He's a great kid, smart, good looking, just an all-around nice guy. I pray he comes out of this okay.

I'm so very sorry. I'll keep him in my prayers...

 

[yeartolate]

I believe that those who want guns illegally will get them on the secondary market.....

I beleve the semiautomatics used in the Columbine shootings were purchased legally at a gun show by a fellow classmate. I am not sure if the ultimate transfer of the the guns to the shooters was legal.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

After trying to have hopeful thoughts yesterday, I found out this morning that the one person we know who goes to VT was shot in the face and is in critical condition. This is the son of an old neighbor that we have kept in touch with over the years. My daughter was telling me that when she heard about this yesterday she was trying to put it together in her head that he's a math student and this was in an engineering building, could he have been there? She's in shock. He was to graduate next month. This is so sad. I almost called his stepmom yesterday when I heard the news. I'm now kinda glad I didn't. Supposedly they have been trying to get in touch with him all day yesterday. I am sick over this. He's a great kid, smart, good looking, just an all-around nice guy. I pray he comes out of this okay.

I'm so sorry. He will be in my prayers.

 

[PLibster]

plutolovr- I am so sorry! My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

I am so upset about all of this!

 

[Laura]

I hope he comes through okay, plutolovr.

 

[cwnhokie]

I have a bumper sticker on my car that says "If God isn't a Hokie, then why do the leaves turn orange and maroon in the fall." I pray that God is with the Hokies and everyone touched by this tragedy today.

 

[glass- slippers]

After trying to have hopeful thoughts yesterday, I found out this morning that the one person we know who goes to VT was shot in the face and is in critical condition. This is the son of an old neighbor that we have kept in touch with over the years. My daughter was telling me that when she heard about this yesterday she was trying to put it together in her head that he's a math student and this was in an engineering building, could he have been there? She's in shock. He was to graduate next month. This is so sad. I almost called his stepmom yesterday when I heard the news. I'm now kinda glad I didn't. Supposedly they have been trying to get in touch with him all day yesterday. I am sick over this. He's a great kid, smart, good looking, just an all-around nice guy. I pray he comes out of this okay.

This is such a terrible tragedy. I'll be praying for him and his family and all the families affected by this.

 

[grlpwrd]

I don't even know what to say. You can't live in Virginia and not know someone who is either currently a student or an alumni of Tech.

This is just a horrible, horrible tragedy. This affects so many people I know and work with as well. It's just been such a hard day. My prayers are with all the families and friends of everyone involved.

That is so true. There is a lot of Hokie pride here.

I was taking my 3 hour accounting final exam and when I came home my eldest dd told me the bad news. I have neighbors who are alumni, some of my daughter's friends attend there who went to grade school with her, and I have neighbors whose kids go there. It is very tragic and I have cried off and on.

I have also read in our local paper how kids from our area (Hampton Roads) are rethinking their decision to attend that school.

I pray for all...

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

This has been so overwhelming. I lived in Blacksburg when I went to college at Radford U (not too far away and Blacksburg was much more cool). I have been going to Va Tech games, football and basketball, since I was 12 years old. We know several people (friends and coworkers) with children who attend school there. I haven't heard any bad news about any of those kids, thank God.

Oddly enough, the Appalachian School of Law shooting occured in my town. We are only about 2 hours from VA Tech. Grundy is the home of the University of Appalachia which includes the School of Law and the School of Pharmacy (for which my sister is the attorney). I was working at the school where the Odighizuwa (sp?) children (the shooters children) were that day he killed three people and wounded others. Our building was locked down, no one could leave the rooms because they were afraid that he was coming to get his kids. This type of situation is so terrifying. Both of my girls were in the building too.

The gun violence so extreme. It makes me worry about going anywhere or doing anything. You don't know anymore if you or your children are safe, even at home or school.

 

[RitaZ.]

I felt that way after the lawlessness that the media portrayed after Katrina.

After Wilma, which was nothing like Katrina, I came to the same realization. While most residents were well behaved and kind to one another, some of the stories we heard were scary. I realized that if we're ever in a situation where mass chaos ensues, we better be armed to improve our chances for survival.

I believe in the right to bear arms, but we had never felt the need to buy one. DH says that if we're going to buy a gun, we have to take lessons to learn the proper way to handle it. We still haven't done anything about it.

Those that want to commit a crime will always find a way to acquire a weapon(s). Other than having many armed security guards or police officers to tighten security on campus, I'm not sure what else can be done. College/university campuses are open to anyone. There are so many buildings, so many entrances, so many people there for various reasons. You can't really control how people come and go. Maybe classes should have been cancelled after the first two homicides occurred. I don't know what else could have been done to prevent this tragedy from happening.

I can't even imagine what the parents and families of all the victims are going through. Imagine getting that call or feeling desperate to know if your daughter or son is safe. I don't think I could handle it.

 

[hiwaygal]

I haven't kept up here 'cause I was watching the news last night...

J.C.&ALI'SMOM...where did you get the avatar? I would like to put it in my signature.

I was just on CNN reading a preliminary list of victims...one of the professors was one of my professors when I went to school there. Obviously he had an impact if I remember him, his name, his face more than 14 years later.

 

[Laura]

The shooter's name is Cho Seung-Hui. A 23-year-old student from South Korea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6563565.stm

 

[plutolovr]

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. I'm having a hard time tracking down which hospital he is in. I don't want to call the family because I'm sure they have their hands full. I'm trying to send flowers but am running into brick walls. I have a feeling that the hospitals have been advised to give out "any" info. My husband and I wanted to go up there this weekend to see him. Hopefully we'll find out more info by then.

 

[elan]

I beleve the semiautomatics used in the Columbine shootings were purchased legally at a gun show by a fellow classmate. I am not sure if the ultimate transfer of the the guns to the shooters was legal.

yesterday afternoon a parent of a columbine student was on the news. the girl who purchased the gun and gave it to the 2 killers was never prosecuted (even though they were minors).

 

[beachblanket]

More details on the killer:

- Name: Cho Seung-Hui

- 23-year-old resident alien of the United States

- South Korean national

- He was a Virginia Tech senior majoring in English

- Police has confirmed he was the sole shooter.

- After Cho killed two people in a dorm room, he returned to his own dorm where he re-armed and left a "disturbing note" before entering a classroom building on the other side of campus to continue his rampage.

- Cho's identity has been confirmed with a positive fingerprint match on the guns used in the shootings and his immigration materials. Lab tests have also confirmed that one of the two weapons seized in Norris Hall was used in the earlier dorm shooting.