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poor guy.

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You are woefully uninformed about the laws and Bill of Rights of the U.S. They were put there for a reason.Do you really think that if we ban all guns in America, no one will have guns? No, only the law-abiding will be the ones who are defenseless, kinda like in Europe. Here are some "Facts" for you from the Wall Street Journal Europe, June 4, 1999:++++++++++Moreover, using data through 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice study "Crime and Justice" concluded that in England the robbery rate was 1.4 times higher, the assault rate was 2.3 times higher, and the burglary rate was 1.7 times higher than in the U.S. This suggests that lawfully armed citizens in the U.S. deter such crimes. Only the murder and rape rates in the U.S. were higher than in England. The small number of violent predators who commit most of these crimes in the U.S. have little trouble arming themselves unlawfully.The U.N. study omits mention of Switzerland, which is awash in guns and has substantially lower murder and robbery rates than England, where most guns are banned.Here are the figures: The Swiss Federal Police Office reports that in 1997 there were 87 intentional homicides and 102 attempted homicides in the entire country. Some 91 of these 189 murders and attempts involved firearms. With its population of seven million (including 1.2 million foreigners), Switzerland had a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000. There were 2,498 robberies (and attempted robberies), of which 546 involved firearms, resulting in a robbery rate of 36 per 100,000. Almost half of these crimes were committed by non-resident foreigners, whom locals call "criminal tourists."Sometimes, the data sound too good to be true. In 1993, not a single armed robbery was reported in Geneva. No one seems to be looking at the Swiss example in the U.S., however.Congress is stampeding to pass additional firearm restrictions in response to the events of April 20, when two students used guns and bombs to murder a dozen classmates and a teacher in Littleton, Colorado.Yet in 1996, a man who legally owned guns under England's strict regulations went on a rampage, murdering 16 children and a teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. Parliament then banned all handguns and most rifles.But there have been no school massacres in Switzerland, where guns and kids mix freely. At shooting matches, bicycles aplenty are parked outside. Inside the firing shelter, the competitors pay 12-year-olds tips to keep score. The 16-year-olds shoot rifles with men and women of all ages. In fact, the tourist brochure, "Zurich News" recommends September's Knabenschiessen (boy's shooting contest) as a must-see: "The oldest Zurich tradition consists of a shooting contest at the Albisguetli (range) for 12 to 16 year-old boys and girls and a colorful three-day fun-fair." The event has been held since 1657, and attracts thousands of teenage participants and spectators.While many shoot for sport, all males aged 20 to 42 are required by militia system regulation to keep rifles and/or pistols at home. In addition, gun shops abound. Yet firearms are rarely used in crime.Homicide is tied to a willingness to resort to violence, not the mere presence of guns. The prevalence of firearms in the home and the participation of youth in shooting matches bind youth to adults and discourages a generation gap.By contrast, homicide rates are highest in the underdeveloped countries, many of which ban private firearm possession. In some, private murder does not compare to the genocidal murder committed by governments against their unarmed subjects.++++++++++Now, I understand that "Facts" are not something liberals take too kindly to but I would imagine that had you been one of those students facing immediate death in Virginia you might think a little more objectively and put your subjective feelings aside.As far as license/training; CCW permit holders are among the most law-abidings citizens in the U.S. We must go through firearms safety handling; laws pertaining to the use of deadly force; prove our ability to handle our weapon properly on the firing range; pass a criminal background check with the FBI; submit our fingerprints to the FBI; have no record of mental illness or domestic violence and quite a few other requirements. Most of us practice more often than our local law enforcement officers and are less likely to be arrested than an LEO. Contrary to popular opinion, we are not anxiously awaiting our chance to shoot someone who crosses our path with ill intentions. We have put much time and money into acquiring our permits and have no intention of doing anything that would jeopardize that privilege, actually our right.Had there been students there with concealed carry permits and had they been allowed to carry their weapon on campus the outcome of this tragedy may have been much different. Unfortuantely, the law was on the side of the perpertrator in that he was protected by our idiotic gun laws, knowing there would be no resistance to his aggression. And I believe the Europeans would understand a lack of resistance to aggression. I know it's a hard pill to swallow, but try to remember who bailed your butt out of WWII.I know I'm probably talking to a wall but try to understand that a gun is simply a tool. It is not evil. It is not dangerous. You cannot blame the gun for the crimes committed in Virginia. That's what the libs want to do, blame the guns. Thereby relieving the person wielding the gun of his responsibility. "If there were no guns, this poor Asian man would not have wound up in the situation he was in." As the Brits say, "Poppyc**k!" If he hadn't had a gun, he would've figured a way to wreak the havoc he did in some other way. Evil is in the hearts of men, not things.

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I'll probably get dugg down for this, but please listen to what I am saying very carefully.USA: Many other western countries see yours as the home to a violent culture. Many other countries see yours as the home to paranoia and fear. The reason they see this is quite likely because it's the case. You MUST address the following:1) The mainstream culture of violence as entertainment.2) The mainstream paranoia and fear presented by the government, perpetuated by the media and cheerfully carried by the citizens.3) The semantic problem of defining "semi-automatic weapons" as "arms" but not "fully-automatic", "fertilizer-bombs", "grenades" or any other arms. (i.e. demand arms by all means, but at least understand what you're trying to demand, and how it fits into the desires of your forefathers)I believe that the future lies in peace, trust, compassion and understanding. You can assume (like many have before) that it lies in distrust, paranoia, and a protectionist arms-race, but at least understand the murky waters you're protecting.

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"no...this is what you get when someone goes f**king nuts. knives, forks, bats...do you think the crazy person cares?"@ smithfly1The crazy person doesn't care, but their potential victims certainly do.

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Thanks for your replies. Looking at the pictures again and reading your comments, it does look like the most likely explanation is that they just arrested anyone who vaguely fitted the initial description, which I agree would have been the best thing to do. I'm glad this possibility could be discussed in a sensible way though, even if I did get dugg down for it :)

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Look at this: <a class="user" href="http://nonpartypolitics.blogspot.com/2007/04/was-v-tech-gunman-punish-comic-book-fan.html&quot;&gt;http://nonpartypolitics.blogspot.com/2007/04/was-v-tech-gunman-punish-comic-book-fan.html&lt;/a&gt;The gunman may have thought he was 'The Punisher' or something.............

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Been in a school shooting, done that, it sucks, but overtime it goes away

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