What's going on at VA Tech?

[red-beard]

Originally posted by VaSteve
Sorry..... but I find this "weapon free zone" thing you all keep bringing up is stupid. Have any of these shootings been at a "weapons OK zone?"

Lets see if it is OK to have a weapon:

Schools: No
Post Office: No
My Company's office: No
Colleges in VA: No
Church: No
All of Washington DC: No

The point is, it is illegal to have a weapon in these areas. It only stops law abiding citizens. Note that Rick states when he is in DC, he does not carry. He is a law abiding citizen, even though he does not agree with the law.

The old adage is: You carry a pistol just in case. If you think you will need a gun, carry a rifle and bring friends with rifles.

[Rick Lee]

Let's see which of these places have had mass shootings?

Schools: No
Post Office: No
My Company's office: No
Colleges in VA: No
Church: No
All of Washington DC: No

ALL OF THEM. Well, maybe not Red-Beard's office, but plenty of other offices have. Did the cops prevent any of them?

[red-beard]

No, we had a shooting in our offices. Only 2 dead.

[SlowToady]

Originally posted by VaSteve
What I'm curious about is what he did after shooting the two in the dorm? Was he planning this all along, or the aftereffect of the first shotting. What did he do for 2 hours? Have coffee, surf the net? It's curious to know the thought pattern here... surely not rational.

Exact same thing I want to know. You're in some kind of jealous rage, you think your life is ****ed, so you kill two people in cold blood. Then you have 2 hours and 45 minutes to hang out because campus is on lockdown. What are you doing for those almost 3 hours? Like you said, is he having coffee? Sitting with classmates, some of whom he might gun down in a few more minutes?

With such a long time frame, I would think any "temporary insanity" would be over with...generally doesn't a court only give you a few minutes?

I dunno..I'm just a little amazed even with a long break to think about what the fsck he was doing, this guy went and killed 30 more people....

[VaSteve]

I'm not sure who's debating who here, but IIRC none of these massive shooting things have been ended by an armed populace. I don't think it would have helped...how can you stop someone who's so hell-bent on destruction and dying themselves? Just like you can't shoot a suicide bomber. They are already dead inside.

Now, robberies, home invasions, maybe some road rage stuff, gang bangers, sure. Guns (and an armed populace) are a great deterrent to people who are afraid of getting shot. This was not the case.

Just to be clear, I'm not anti-gun, just anti-taking in everywhere. Do I believe in CCW, sure I guess so. I know guys like Rick are pretty responsible, and probably most other CCW folks, but there's a time and place for everything. And I think that college campuses full of overstressed hormoned up young adults that are still trying to manage growing up, are probably not the place for weapons.

(However, truth be told, this is only because I'm thinking about it. I have been to VT a couple of times and attended VT's other campus. Never gave the fact I couldn't bring the gun I don't have to class. )

[red-beard]

Originally posted by VaSteve
I'm not sure who's debating who here, but IIRC none of these massive shooting things have been ended by an armed populace.

Recently in Utah, an off-duty cop with a concealed weapon, shot and killed a deranged muslim shooting people at a mall. He was carrying on a CHL, not as an officer.

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by red-beard
Recently in Utah, an off-duty cop with a concealed weapon, shot and killed a deranged muslim shooting people at a mall. He was carrying on a CHL, not as an officer.

OK, a mall is more "public" than a school. Glad for him doing that.

I stand my my original statement. A college campus really isn't a place for weapons...stress, hormones, alcohol, drugs, lots of random people moving around and in your stuff? I went to college, it's more like a commune than how we live as adults. Stuff went "missing" all the time...adding guns to the mix isn't going to make it better.

[red-beard]

No place is a "good" place for guns.

[Rick Lee]

I was probably one of only a handful on a campus of 28,000 students who carried on campus. With numbers like that, chances are pretty slim a CCW'er is gonna prevent something. But show me a single case where a CCW'er has committed a crime with a gun. If it has ever happened, it's so rare as to not warrant a mention. When you need a gun, nothing else in the world will substitute for one. And the cops will never save you.

[onlycafe]

would it make me the most cynical guy here if i were to suggest that by tuesday afternoon some opportunistic douchebag will be hawking t-shirts with the slogan;
"i survived the va. school shootings....etc."?

[Racerbvd]

Dear Communication Alumni:

I know you share our devastation at today's events. We're in shock. When
the university releases the names of the victims, everything will become
> very, very real.
>
> Here's what you can't hear on the news. People around campus took
> responsibility for securing areas and protecting students. I can only
> share the great response from your faculty. We learned in the Morva
> incident to listen to police scanners online at the first sign of trouble.
> Events transpire too quickly for the university administration to get word
> to everyone nearly as quickly as everyone would hope.
>
> Beth Waggenspack and Emily Stallings pulled a high school Art club from
> West Virginia off the sidewalk and into Shanks Hall. We secured them in a
> basement classroom until we knew the danger had ended. Beth and Emily
> ordered students walking around campus inside. Others facuolty kept
> students calm down at the Shultz Media Center. I know similar efforts
> were made by faculty and staff around campus. Now, our Student Affairs
> staff are bearing a tremendous burden as they notify and support families
> of those killed and injured.
>
> I know many of you want to know what you can do. We can only ask that
> you keep everyone, especially the victims and their families, in your
> thoughts and prayers. As other initiatives develop, and we know they
> will, we'll send word.
>
> For now, hug your loved ones.
>
> With a sad, sad heart.
>
> Rachel
>
> Rachel Holloway, Head
> Department of Communication
> Virginia Tech
> Blacksburg, VA 24061 :

[the]

Originally posted by SlowToady
Exact same thing I want to know. You're in some kind of jealous rage, you think your life is ****ed, so you kill two people in cold blood. Then you have 2 hours and 45 minutes to hang out because campus is on lockdown.

. . .

I dunno..I'm just a little amazed even with a long break to think about what the fsck he was doing, this guy went and killed 30 more people....

From what I've heard on the news, it appears to be two different shooters.

The first was described by witnesses as a white guy with greasy hair.

The second, who killed himself, was a Chinese guy.

Of course, all of this is still developing and subject to change, but that's what I heard a few minutes ago.

[Tobra]

Told my wife from Cut'n'Shoot Texas this tale and the first thing she said is she would have shot some guy waving a 9mm around. She would have too.

Some people are able to turn it on and off, some of the stuff she told me about when she worked in the ER made me ask why she kept going back.

"I am good at it."

She is just the right person to have around when bad things happen. Does not rattle when it matters. Good shot too.

Shame about all this. I think of what it would have done to me if it happened to my kid. Change your life in the worst way, don't know how you could recover.

Outlaw guns, outlaws only ones with guns, yada, yada

[Jeff Higgins]

[Rick V]

Very poor taste Jeff. You need to realize, some on this board know some who are now lost.

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by VaSteve
What I'm curious about is what he did after shooting the two in the dorm? Was he planning this all along, or the aftereffect of the first shotting. What did he do for 2 hours? Have coffee, surf the net? It's curious to know the thought pattern here... surely not rational.

I guess now we know... and it's worse than we could have thought.

[widgeon13]

It's just been announced on the evening news that he sent a package to NBC news, content of which has been turned over to the FBI. Supposedly sent in between the two shooting events.

Story just keeps getting worse all the time.