Comments on: A Monumental Tragedy At Virginia Tech

By: Virginia Tech student

Virginia Tech student — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:51:34 +0000

Yeah we’re all really shocked by the recent shootings at Virginia Tech. We don’t know if the immediate response by the administration was sufficient to contain the threat, and it’s unclear what exactly motivated the killer. Now all we can do is mourn for the victims…

By: Jevon

Jevon — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:35:29 +0000

Changing gun laws won’t change anything. Take weapons away from the good guys and bad guys still have guns. The bad guys will always have guns. Additionally, it always saddens me that it takes something like this for Americans to wake up. In the Middle East for years (and still today) you had to worry about suicide bombers everywhere. In Iraq, students study with explosions and gunfire nearby. We Americans are ignorant. Tragedies (as many call this) will continue to happen and it is part of the world we live in. Make no mistake, what this individual did was wrong and tragic yet thousands die around the world everyday even of starvation in Africa and we (Americans) do nothing. As soon as a handful of people die in an act of random violence we decide to stop everything and for what? Our world is messed up and we should all be aware of what could happen in our lives. Life is a constant struggle for survival. What makes the shooting death of 33 people more significant and tragic than an 18 year old marine dying in Iraq, a person dying in a DUI crash, or any other death where some outside force played a factor? Again sad and pathetic not just the event but our reaction to it…..

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:54:45 +0000

We do a lot of weeping in this country over horrors like this. There has been senseless murder since Cain killed Able. The difference now is the hardware. We now know the shooter had a 19 bullet clip which were illegal in the 90′s when there were controls on semi-automatics. Would this ban had stopped this crime? No. Would the kill rate have been less? Most likely.
Crying and not talking about it when the reality is fresh is the wrong thing to do. We have got to face this or we’ll just be having the same horror over and over again.

By: Pat Mines

Pat Mines — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:32:32 +0000

My heart goes out to the victims and their families in another senseless act of violence. While I have very strong views on violence in America, my focus here is to foster a sense of spiritual comfort. My heart holds so much pain for all those involved and I send my prayers to them and a nation so obviously in pain. Let’s all try and make this a better place and please pay closer attention to those so disconnected that it renders them capable of such a horrific act.

By: Brad Warbiany

Brad Warbiany — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:19:29 +0000

travis,

Click on over to my link, I gave the whole story there.

By: trav.is

trav.is — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:10:14 +0000

When I was a freshman at Purdue, something similar (but much smaller in scope) occurred. It was a student the floor above me, who I had actually met and played cards with once. He got caught with drugs by his counselor, took off, and came back the next day with a shotgun, killing his counselor and then himself.

For those people at VT, I can tell you, normal doesnâ€™t exist after something like this. The best you can hope for is to accept it and move on.

Wow, Brad. Tragically small world.

I’m sure we’re thinking of the same person – that student’s fiance left Purdue after the tragedy, came to my alma mater, and became a strength coach for the track team. I came to know her well. She participated in several panels and discussions regarding gun violence.

The victims and their families will be in my thoughts and prayers.

By: Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:44:45 +0000

And the latest that I’ve seen indicates that this may have all started when a guy (the shooter) found his girlfriend in bed with another guy.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:39:59 +0000

I had this happen in high school. A vietnamese kid who had been tormented endlessly by some of the somewhat prejudiced kids finally lost it. He came to school with weapons, got in a confrontation with them again, and killed two of them with a pistol. It happened outside the window of my classroom, we all watched it happen.

It’s going to be rough for everyone involved to deal with. I still remember it vividly, 3 decades later.

By: Brad Warbiany

Brad Warbiany — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:29:37 +0000

When I was a freshman at Purdue, something similar (but much smaller in scope) occurred. It was a student the floor above me, who I had actually met and played cards with once. He got caught with drugs by his counselor, took off, and came back the next day with a shotgun, killing his counselor and then himself. For those people at VT, I can tell you, normal doesn't exist after something like this. The best you can hope for is to accept it and move on.

By: Alexandria White

Alexandria White — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:51:48 +0000

What is the matter with the world today? No today should not be about gun control and all the other stuff that is going to cause debates. We need to pray for the families and victims of this horrible event.