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mac128k-1984 · Apr 16, 2007, 12:55 PM

22 people dead at the college

Senseless, it appears the gunman is dead.

I don't get it, why not just kill himself and let others live

Gossamer · Apr 16, 2007, 01:00 PM

Virginia Tech Officials Confirm 22 Dead, 28 Injured from Shootings | Planet Blacksburg

Wow. This is sad.

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

I don't get it, why not just kill himself and let others live

Depends what his motive was. A few weeks ago there was a shooter at the University of Washington campus who killed his girlfriend before he killed himself. It could be possible the shooter had specific targets.

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2007, 01:06 PM

Very sad.

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 01:06 PM

Video from student cell phone (not graphic, sfw):
CNN.com Video

design219 · 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

why not just kill himself and let others live

There has to be mental illness involved. The only other alternative is pure evil.

hookem2oo7 · Apr 16, 2007, 01:25 PM

That's crazy... Similar to what happened at the University of Texas in the 60s...

Mastrap · Apr 16, 2007, 01:32 PM

Man. Not again.

This is terrible. 20 innocent people.

anonymac · Apr 16, 2007, 01:37 PM

Had the university and the state respected the 2nd amendment right to bear arms, this tragedy probably would not have occurred.

Gossamer · Apr 16, 2007, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

Had the university and the state respected the 2nd amendment right to bear arms, this tragedy probably would not have occurred.

Noooooooooo not this again...

BTW this

probably won't fly as a sig.

highstakes · Apr 16, 2007, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

I don't get it, why not just kill himself and let others live

Agreed. This is just like Columbine again....

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 01:43 PM

Up to 32 dead now? (From what I'm hearing...)

Nicko · Apr 16, 2007, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Noooooooooo not this again...

too late...

analogika · Apr 16, 2007, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

Had the university and the state respected the 2nd amendment right to bear arms, this tragedy probably would not have occurred.

way to go.

Mithras · Apr 16, 2007, 01:58 PM

Virginia Tech has that G5 supercluster, right? So in a way the Mac community does have a bond there...

Terribly sad, and let's set all politics aside for a bit, please.

anonymac · Apr 16, 2007, 02:05 PM

My post wasn't about politics. Our right to bear arms isn't being debated, since it IS our already established right. I was simply pointing out that the disrespect of that right by the state and the university set up the conditions to allow this kind of senseless tragedy to occur. If our right to bear arms had been respected, it would have provided an effective deterrent.

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

My post wasn't about politics. Our right to bear arms isn't being debated, since it IS our already established right. I was simply pointing out that the disrespect of that right by the state and the university set up the conditions to allow this kind of senseless tragedy to occur. If our right to bear arms had been acknowledged, it would provided an effective deterrent.

Didn't they establish the no guns on campus rule because they'd already had previous shootings?

So apparently allowing students to have guns worked REAL well for them in the past.

Mithras · Apr 16, 2007, 02:09 PM

Whatever, can we just not response to that crap? It's total troll.

nonhuman · Apr 16, 2007, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by goMac

Didn't they establish the no guns on campus rule because they'd already had previous shootings?

So apparently allowing students to have guns worked REAL well for them in the past.

And obviously banning them has been such a vast improvement...

nonhuman · Apr 16, 2007, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mithras

Whatever, can we just not response to that crap? It's total troll.

It's trolling to introduce a completely relevant topic and potential solution to an obvious and horrible problem?

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

And obviously banning them has been such a vast improvement...

Obviously if they had issues when guns were not banned and they had issues when guns were banned, students being able to carry guns doesn't have anything to do with anything.

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2007, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

My post wasn't about politics. Our right to bear arms isn't being debated, since it IS our already established right. I was simply pointing out that the disrespect of that right by the state and the university set up the conditions to allow this kind of senseless tragedy to occur. If our right to bear arms had been respected, it would have provided an effective deterrent.

I was just thinking the same thing before clicking the thread and reading your post, anonymac. We're on the same page. Unfortunately, this episode will be used by the leftist demagogues to call for more gun control.

mdc · Apr 16, 2007, 02:26 PM

This is awful. I can't imagine what would go through someone's mind to decide that today they're going to go down to school and just start firing off rounds.

Awful.

RAILhead · Apr 16, 2007, 02:30 PM

Am I the only one that thought of Version Tracker?

design219 · Apr 16, 2007, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

If our right to bear arms had been respected, it would have provided an effective deterrent.

How in the hell do you think that?

Gossamer · Apr 16, 2007, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Noooooooooo not this again...

I stand by my statement.

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2007, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by design219

How in the hell do you think that?

If guns weren't banned on campuses, there would have been someone to shoot back at the shooter.

Mastrap · Apr 16, 2007, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

My post wasn't about politics. Our right to bear arms isn't being debated, since it IS our already established right. I was simply pointing out that the disrespect of that right by the state and the university set up the conditions to allow this kind of senseless tragedy to occur. If our right to bear arms had been respected, it would have provided an effective deterrent.

That total, utter bullshit. Just carrying a weapon does not, in any way, guarantee that you can actually use it properly in an emergency situation such as this. If anything, the average person is in no position at all to stop a situation like this without the likelihood of additional life being lost being extremely high. Real life is not TV - it is harder, much harder, than you seem to think to stop a madman with a gun.

And there is no disrespect happening here either - but you probably know that anyway but chose to ignore it. A university is a private place and any private place can choose to ban guns.

Don't use a tragedy to make a political point. That's just sick.

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 02:37 PM

god damn it, all you gun people shut the **** up and look at what the hell happened. people got shot and they ****ing died. that's more important now then your "oh give me a gun and i'll shoot a terrorist bullshit" look past yourselves just this once and think of the people who got shot. god damn

mac128k-1984 · Apr 16, 2007, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

If our right to bear arms had been respected, it would have provided an effective deterrent.

THIS not time nor the place for these type cold and insensitive statements. Besides its kind of reckless to go and blame the school for this when its clearly some sort of nut job who did this.

Gossamer · Apr 16, 2007, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

god damn it, all you gun people shut the **** up and look at what the hell happened. people got shot and they ****ing died. that's more important now then your "oh give me a gun and i'll shoot a terrorist bullshit" look past yourselves just this once and think of the people who got shot. god damn

You been drinkin again?

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 03:48 PM

nah, I don't drink. people just piss me off sometimes

alex

b.o.t: it really is sad what happened. makes you think if you know someone that goes to a school that has a shooting, what would you be doing or thinking after you hear the news.

olePigeon · Apr 16, 2007, 03:48 PM

I'm pretty sure that, even if you're allowed to carry guns, you wouldn't be allowed to bring one on campus. So the 2nd Amendment argument is a moot point.

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 03:51 PM

^ Berklee doesn't allow you to carry a gun, and if you're caught, well, good bye from Berklee

mac128k-1984 · Apr 16, 2007, 04:02 PM

So sad, we as a nation seem hell bent on making sure that our rights to own guns remain intact. Guns have one purpose - to kill and I'm not sure why people seem so fixated to own them.

design219 · Apr 16, 2007, 04:03 PM

I doubt any college or university in America allows gun packin' on campus.

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 04:05 PM

<snip> *fingers faster than brain

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2007, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

So sad, we as a nation seem hell bent on making sure that our rights to own guns remain intact. Guns have one purpose - to kill and I'm not sure why people seem so fixated to own them.

If you could get rid of ALL guns, that would be great. Then we could go back to swords, and macgeek would be very happy. But you cannot do that, so don't dare think of coming for mine.

Jawbone54 · Apr 16, 2007, 04:07 PM

I'll talk about the politics involved later.

Right now I'm just saddened and angry that this happened again, except on a larger scale. My heart goes out to the family of the victims, as well as their friends. This can't be good for any of the students there either. They'll never feel safe in their dorms and classrooms again.

I hate the things that go on in this world.

[EDIT]: Also, this happened just 4 days shy of the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre. Easy to remember, as Columbine happened on my birthday.

voodoo · Apr 16, 2007, 04:08 PM

I can't imagine a school in western Europe that wouldn't expel you as a student for bringing a firearm on campus. Excepting perhaps the faculty of biology at the University of Iceland, where it would be presumed you're just returning from a foxhunt. True story.

My sympathies to the victims and their families. To those worried for their loved ones. Don't shoot people, kiddies. It doesn't solve anything.

V

design219 · Apr 16, 2007, 04:08 PM

Any Virginia Tech alums here?

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Then we could go back to swords, and macgeek would be very happy.

he doesn't use his. He just "admires" it, according to him.

Originally Posted by design219

Any Virginia Tech alums here?

seriously, if anyone here that has gone to VT, what are your thoughts on this?

voodoo · Apr 16, 2007, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

seriously, if anyone here that has gone to VT, what are your feelings?

I'm sure they're just peachy

V

nonhuman · Apr 16, 2007, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

god damn it, all you gun people shut the **** up and look at what the hell happened. people got shot and they ****ing died. that's more important now then your "oh give me a gun and i'll shoot a terrorist bullshit" look past yourselves just this once and think of the people who got shot. god damn

If one person in the crowd had been carrying a gun and properly trained to use it, the shooter could have been taken down within moments of him opening fire. People probably still would have been injured and maybe died, but far fewer. And rather than a horrible massacre to mourn, we'd have a hero to celebrate.

But yeah, I can see how that would suck and be so bad. Isn't it just horrible the way people will take horrible events and try and use them as motivation to improve things?

goMac · Apr 16, 2007, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

If one person in the crowd had been carrying a gun and properly trained to use it, the shooter could have been taken down within moments of him opening fire. People probably still would have been injured and maybe died, but far fewer. And rather than a horrible massacre to mourn, we'd have a hero to celebrate.

It's bad enough that one crazy on campus got his hands on a gun. Let's not open it up so that all the crazies can get guns.

Atheist · Apr 16, 2007, 04:22 PM

Call me a skeptic, but these things don't surprise me in the least. I'm amazed that 300 million people can get along as well as they do.

And I guarantee, if more people had guns this would happen more frequently... not less.

brassplayersrock² · Apr 16, 2007, 04:22 PM

wow, what I was trying to say went right over your head, but alrighty, putting words in my mouth is okay I guess. no, not really

design219 · Apr 16, 2007, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

If one person in the crowd had been carrying a gun and properly trained to use it, the shooter could have been taken down within moments of him opening fire.

And the other (un-trained) people would pull their guns and kill a bunch more.

finboy · Apr 16, 2007, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by anonymac

Had the university and the state respected the 2nd amendment right to bear arms, this tragedy probably would not have occurred.

You're right, we should pass a law making it illegal to kill people with a gun on a college campus... oh, wait.

This is a tragedy. Now we can only sit back and wait for the political wolves to use it for their own purposes. (Or for the trolls, for that matter.)

Edit: I thought you were being facetious. This is, as you point out in other posts, a good example of how banning guns really doesn't prevent anything.

RogueSqdn · Apr 16, 2007, 04:42 PM

As a member of the Hokie family, I just ask that you put everything else aside and simply offer your prayers.