If only some of the students in the auditorium were packing heat this might have turned out otherwise!
The answer is clearly MORE GUNS!
Posted by snark at February 15, 2008 07:57 AMApparently there seems to be a copycat urge with deranged young men around the country, following in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold's footprints, with ghastly results.
What?!? I know you're struggling with the horror of the act, but you have no evidence to support this assertion. The shooter was 27, not a child. There is little known otherwise. Although a little outside the mean age for a first psychotic break, I would bet a dollar to a donut we've got the first expression of this guys paranoid delusions.
My little U is dealing quite inappropriately with the V-Tech shootings. They openly say they will combine information from all student and faculty medical records with other information so campus police can watch the possible offenders, maybe even move them off of campus completely. Some of the key indicators I'm supposed to watch for and report are things like difficulty with relationships. My god, I'm in a beer and Adderall driven fucking-like-mice environment and I'm supposed to report someone with dating difficulties? And then -with open police access to their medical records- if their med records indicate they are on an SSRI, TCA or MAOI they can be put on a watch list or even removed from the university. Sheesh! And I'm not even going to start on faculty relationships and interactions. Suffice it to say that the Ivory Tower is more like a cesspool full of social incompetents struggling for recognition and power.
Posted by phidipides at February 15, 2008 08:49 AMLet's be reminded...again....that this school, like that in Virgina and all the lower education level schools, is a guns free zone. Guns were not allowed on campus. All four guns were purchased recently. This person was deemed an esteemed student in both under and gratuate levels. A model citizen...but, he played certain video games...
I join with you Jeff in extending my thoughts and prayers to those at this institution of higher learning.
Posted by peter at February 15, 2008 09:10 AMThe prediction of violence is extremely difficult and the idea that you can "monitor" people from their medical recorfds is simply ludicrous--criminal records maybe, but this is silly.
It seems likely that this guy has been psychotic for awhile, perhaps he went off his meds or something happened to take beyond the scope of his current treatment. He was a grad student at NIU and then moved to Champaign-Urbana. My guess is that he was doing well academically and he was outwardly stable enough to get decent letters and probably interview coherently. The father justifiably wants to be let a lone and it seem sas if the faculty at both schools aren't talking.
Posted by Rich at February 15, 2008 10:01 AMWhen people in this country will realize that the right of owing and possessing a gun per our constitution requires revisit due to tremendous killing power of these weapons compared with what they were when our forfathers considered that right. Our civilized friends in Europe have no such rights and they are safer than we are. There are lot of things we can learn from rest of the world if we do not shut our eyes or claim to be know all and better than others.
Posted by suresh at February 15, 2008 10:12 AMCondolences to everyone affected. I know what you mean about the closeness hitting home. I'm a Virginia Tech alum and was teary and glued to the TV for a week.
Posted by CG at February 15, 2008 10:21 AMsuresh gun violence is increasing in both Europe and Japan. Britain has seen gun violence increase dramatically and guns are illegal there as well as in Japan. Restricting gun ownership isn't the answer, it never was.
Posted by peter at February 15, 2008 10:32 AMPeter;
Your response is typical Republican argument. No statistics and justification of a problem based on similar problems elsewhere. Do not even try to compare gun violance in Japan and in Europe with what we have in USA. You will be amazed if you see the numbers. When you Repubs going to understand that a society must adapt to the changing times. We should not blame the radical muslims for interpreting Koran based on 7th century conditions if we do not recognize the difference between 1776 and 2008.
Posted by suresh at February 15, 2008 10:52 AMPerhaps suresh, you're remebering the Europe of the 90's. things have changed. Especially of late, go look up gun violence rates in England...go look up gun violence rates in Japan. They're going up...ours is obviously higher, just not the same difference as the 90's.
Posted by peter at February 15, 2008 12:12 PMGuns don't kill people, PEOPLE kill people.
Posted by curious at February 15, 2008 12:33 PMGuns don't kill people, PEOPLE kill people.
bullshit bumpersticker nonsense...."People with guns kill people"
Posted by Goyo at February 15, 2008 01:03 PMPeople with knives kill people.
People with cars kill people.
people with drugs kill people.
people with alcohol kill people.
screwdrivers, hatchets, darts, bows and arrows...
Nonsense????
Posted by peter at February 15, 2008 01:56 PMPeter;
I expect that you have enough intelligence to know that it is much easier to kill people with guns than with knives. I am appaled that you Repubs are so much in pockets of Gun Lobby that you guys do not even understand common sense requirements such as trigger locks to protect children, background checks to make sure who is buying the guns, restriction on buying assult weapons as you do not need them to hunt (If you are hunting with assult weapons you are not a sport hunter. You are a murderer), waiting period to buy guns, etc. The killing power of guns require us to be more careful with this weapon and there is nothing wrong to impose some common sense restrictions. You Repubs always shout about 2nd amandment when anybody talks about any commonsense approach to solve this terrible problem in our society.
I am sure the families of those people who died at the school are not thinking about 2nd amendment like you are who is not affected.
Posted by suresh at February 15, 2008 02:51 PMpants pissin peteie along with the other criminal party apologists are incapable of understanding that a proliferation of guns leads to increased gun deaths and violence...he is by definition incapable...a true puke party defender of the faith
Posted by headxray at February 15, 2008 03:44 PMRich sez: "...perhaps he went off his meds ..."
I was thinking contary-wise, that it is quite possible that the shooter was actually ON his meds and they were causing homicidal ideation that he would not otherwise have experienced. The number of people on legal, but deadly, mood altering pharmaceutical cocktails is exploding these days. I look forward to reading the toxicology reports from the shooters autopsy.
And I also send my prayers and thoughts to the victims and their families. (:>
Posted by DonaldCormac at February 15, 2008 03:51 PMBackground checks, wait periods, this guy would have passed with flying colors. Your sides old dribble about assault guns...this guy used a normal shotgun and normal handguns. The courts have ruled in favor of a person's rights here, based on the US Constitution. Why hasn't Obama or Clinton talked about gun control, why didn't Kerry? That issue's gone cold.
Suresh, I don't own a gun, wouldn't have one in my house. I don't like them personally. Both of my neighbors own guns. My zip code is number one in the state for registered and concealed hand gun permits, the neighboring zip code is second. I avoid places where they're displayed openly. That said, I wouldn't tell someone else not to.
Again, gun crimes are up in Europe and Japan. They've been illegal for a long time, but the people are getting them in increasing numbers. The English are also beginning to arm their police to counter the increased gun violence, imagine that...armed bobbies.
Posted by peter at February 15, 2008 04:24 PMpants pisser...how about some links to back up your bullshit statements?
Posted by headxray at February 15, 2008 08:25 PMObama Supports Individual Gun Rights
By NEDRA PICKLER – 19 hours ago
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Barack Obama said Friday that the country must do "whatever it takes" to eradicate gun violence following a campus shooting in his home state, but he believes in an individual's right to bear arms.
Posted by peter at February 16, 2008 07:53 AMCampaigning in Ohio, Obama's rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton echoed Obama's comments.
"Obviously we have to first and foremost do everything we can to take reasonable steps to keep our children safe," she said. "And while safeguarding and respecting our Second Amendment rights, we have to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists, gang members and people with mental health problems."
Posted by peter at February 16, 2008 07:55 AMPeople with knives kill people.
People with cars kill people.
people with drugs kill people.
people with alcohol kill people.
screwdrivers, hatchets, darts, bows and arrows...
Petie you insignificant little dribble of snot....you forgot "Old Age Kills People"...just not as rapidly as shotguns, however.
Obama sees it, Clinton sees it, McOld sees it. Goyo, you just ran out of someone to vote for. Seems the majority believes its a right not a privilege. I'm with that majority...you're not. And I don't even want a gun.
Age is a natural process, guns, knives, etc. aren't.
Posted by peter at February 16, 2008 12:05 PM