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==Inaccurate media reports==
==Inaccurate media reports==
[[Chicago Sun-Times]] columnist [[Michael Sneed's Rumor|Michael Sneed]] reported several hours after the incident that "authorities were investigating whether the gunman who killed 32
[[Chicago Sun-Times]] columnist [[Michael Sneed]] reported several hours after the incident that "authorities were investigating whether the gunman who killed 32
people in a rampage on the Virginia Tech campus was a Chinese national who
people in a rampage on the Virginia Tech campus was a Chinese national who
arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 25-year-old man being investigated reportedly arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight on Aug. 7, 2006, on a visa issued in Shanghai"[http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:6BQQ20sSCbAJ:www.suntimes.com/news/343354,vatech041607.article+chicago+sun-times+chinese&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a], a claim which was widely used by media, including [[FOX News]], [[MSNBC]], [[ABC News]], [[sina]], [[sohu]], and so on to hint the gunman might be a Chinese student. The wild speculation later turned out to be false and Sneed's article was removed quietly by [[Chicago Sun-Times]] without any explanation. Websites that carried these unsubstantiated stories were temporarily blocked by the government of the [[People's Republic of China]] [http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200704u/virginia-tech]. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said it was regrettable that "some US media made irresponsible reports on the Virginia Tech shooting before finding out the truth, which violated their professional ethics,". <ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/19/content_853832.htm US reports on 'Chinese killer' slammed] China Daily</ref>
arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 25-year-old man being investigated reportedly arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight on Aug. 7, 2006, on a visa issued in Shanghai"[http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:6BQQ20sSCbAJ:www.suntimes.com/news/343354,vatech041607.article+chicago+sun-times+chinese&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a], a claim which was widely used by media, including [[FOX News]], [[MSNBC]], [[ABC News]], [[sina]], [[sohu]], and so on to hint the gunman might be a Chinese student. The wild speculation later turned out to be false and Sneed's article was removed quietly by [[Chicago Sun-Times]] without any explanation. Websites that carried these unsubstantiated stories were temporarily blocked by the government of the [[People's Republic of China]] [http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200704u/virginia-tech]. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said it was regrettable that "some US media made irresponsible reports on the Virginia Tech shooting before finding out the truth, which violated their professional ethics,". <ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/19/content_853832.htm US reports on 'Chinese killer' slammed] China Daily</ref>

Revision as of 02:07, 19 April 2007

Virginia Tech massacre
Students gather to mourn at the convocation after the shooting
LocationBlacksburg, Virginia, United States
DateMonday, April 16, 2007
7:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m. (EDT)
TargetVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Attack type
School shooting, mass murder, murder-suicide, massacre, spree killing
Deaths33 (including the perpetrator)[1][2]
Injured29[2]
PerpetratorsCho Seung-hui[3]
MotiveUnknown[4]

The Virginia Tech massacre was a university shooting that unfolded as two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, on Monday, April 16, 2007 on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. A gunman killed thirty-two people[5] and injured another twenty-nine before committing suicide, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Cho Seung-hui, identified by authorities as the gunman, was born in South Korea and grew up in Northern Virginia. He had permanent residence status and was a fourth-year English major at Virginia Tech.[6][7] Cho had been treated for mental illness as recently as December, 2005.[8]

Attacks

There were two attacks in two buildings. The first was in the West Ambler Johnston building, starting at 7:15 a.m., where two died, and the second at Norris Hall, where 30 were killed before the shooter's own suicide.

West Ambler Johnston shootings

Aerial photo showing location of Norris and West Ambler Johnston Halls.

Authorities believe that Cho shot his first victims at around 7:15 a.m. EDT in West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed dormitory that houses 895 students. A young woman, Emily J. Hilscher of Woodville, Virginia, and a male resident assistant, Ryan Clark of Martinez, Georgia, were killed.[9][10]

Norris Hall shootings

Approximately two hours after the initial shootings, shots were reported in a classroom at Norris Hall, an engineering and science building that houses the Engineering Science and Mechanics program.[2][11] A ballistics test later showed that the same gun was used in both campus shootings.[12] Approximately 30 students and faculty were killed in at least four classrooms and the second floor hallway of the building. [13] Twenty-seven gunshots can be heard in video footage captured with a cell phone by student Jamal Albarghouti, later broadcast on many news outlets.[14]

At least eleven fatalities were found in a French class (room 211), five in a German class (room 207), nine in a hydrology class (room 206), two in solid mechanics (room 204) and one in the hallway. [13] An eyewitness told a Collegiate Times reporter that a gunman shot about nineteen people attending a German class in Norris Hall including the professor.[15][16][17] Only four people emerged unscathed from the German class, with the rest either killed or wounded. Erin Sheehan, one of the four, said the shooter "peeked in twice, earlier in the lesson, like he was looking for someone, somebody, before he started shooting." Students jumped from the windows of room 204 while the professor held the door closed. [13]

Student Nikolas Macko described to BBC News his experience at the center of the shootings. He had been attending a math class (near the German class) and heard gunshots in the hallway. At least three people in the classroom barricaded the door using a table. At one point, Macko said, the shooter attempted to break down the door of the classroom and then shot twice into the room; one shot hit a podium and the other went out the window. The shooter reloaded and shot into the door again, but the bullet did not penetrate into the room. He stated there were "many, many shots" fired.[11]

High winds prevented emergency medical services from using helicopters for the evacuations.[18] Victims injured in the shooting were treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Radford, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, and Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem.[19]

Cho Seung-hui

Main article: Cho Seung-hui

Background

File:Cho Seung-hui 3.jpg
Seung-hui Cho

The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui[6] (Korean: 조승희), a South Korean national living in Virginia as a permanent resident. In 1992, at age eight, Cho entered the U.S. with his family through Detroit, Michigan. He is thought to have a mental illness. His current permanent address was listed as Centreville, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Fairfax County, Virginia.[20] He last renewed his green card in 2003. The university reported he was living on campus, in Harper Hall, another dormitory just west of West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. Cho called himself "question mark" sometimes. [21] In 2003, Cho graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.[22][23] Victims Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha graduated from Westfield in 2006, but it is not known if Cho knew either of them.[24] He was an undergraduate student in his senior year, majoring in English. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a "loner", stating that the University was having difficulty finding information about him.[25] Blacksburg police confirm Cho was investigated in late 2005 in connection with stalking complaints, but no prosecution resulted.[26]

Possible motives

Cho's motives for the killings remain unclear.

Early reports suggested that the killing was the result of a domestic dispute between Cho and previously alleged girlfriend Emily Hilscher, who was later revealed to have had no prior relationship with Cho.[citation needed]

When police investigated Cho's dorm, they found a paper describing how his life was hell and his plan of suicide. In it he laid out a list of grievances including "rich kids", "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus. Another sentence in the paper read "you caused me to do this."[27] The words "Ismail Ax" were found written on his arm in red ink, although a later report gave the spelling as "Ismale Ax" and stated that the words were tattooed on his arm.[28][29] In the package of information that Cho sent to NBC, he wrote his sender's name as "A. Ishmail"[30]

Lucinda Roy, Cho's former creative writing professor says she was disturbed by the student's behavior and writing to the point of warning campus police and other officials about him, but was told they could not do much as no direct threat was involved, and they did not wish to violate his rights of free speech.[31] Roy told ABC News that Cho seemed "extraordinarily lonely — the loneliest person I have ever met in my life." She said he always wore sunglasses and a cap inside, spoke in a whisper, and took cell phone pictures of her. Deeply concerned, she arranged to work one-on-one with Cho, and asked him to go to counseling, but he apparently never went.[32]

Professor Nikki Giovanni told CNN about Cho's writing, "It was not bad poetry. It was intimidating... there was something mean about this boy. It was the meanness — I've taught troubled youngsters and crazy people — it was the meanness that bothered me. It was a really mean streak."[33]

Professor Giovanni insisted that Cho be removed from her class in 2005 because he had intimidated other students by photographing them and by writing obscene, violent poetry. "I was willing to resign before I would continue with him," she said.[34]

Based on the complaints of his two female classmates that indicated they had received threatening messages from him, University officials said the school had obtained a "temporary detention order" from a local magistrate that allowed them to refer Cho to an off-campus medical facility. Cho was admitted to Carilion St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital in December 2005. According to Virginia law, "A magistrate has the authority to issue a detention order upon a finding that a person is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization or treatment. "The magistrate also must find that the person is an imminent danger to himself or others," says the guideline from Virginia's state court system.[35][36]

Shortly after Cho's identification as a suspect, a copy of a play by Cho entitled "Richard McBeef" began circulating online. The short play deals with topics of molestation and violence involving chainsaws, and ends with the title character delivering "a deadly blow" to his thirteen-year-old stepson.[37] Cho also wrote a second play, entitled "Mr. Brownstone"; the play is named after a Guns N' Roses song and contains lyrics copied verbatim from the song.[38]

An unnamed professor who taught Cho characterized his work as "very adolescent" and "silly," with attempts at "slapstick comedy" and "elements of violence."[39]

Preparation

Photograph assumed to be self taken by Cho which was sent to NBC

Officials believe he used a 9 mm Glock 19 and a .22 caliber Walther P22 handgun.[40] Cho purchased his first gun, the .22 caliber Walther P22 on February 9, 2007 at a pawnbroker in Blacksburg.[41] On March 13, 2007, Cho purchased a second handgun, a semiautomatic 9 mm Glock 19, at Roanoke Firearms.[42] In Virginia, permanent legal residents of the United States who are 21 years of age or older are eligible to purchase handguns provided they have not been convicted of any felonies or have other disqualifications.[43] Both guns were found with their serial numbers filed off, a felony offense, federal law enforcement officials said. The owner of Roanoke Firearms was reported to have been 'devastated' when he heard news that one of his weapons was used in the incident.[44] According to former FBI agent Brad Garrett, "This was no spur of the moment crime. He's been thinking about this for several months prior to the shooting."[45]

It is not known what, if any, previous firearm experience or training Cho had completed before the massacre. It is not known where or how Cho obtained the chain with which he locked the doors at the stairway in the engineering classroom building.

One of the guns was used in both incidents. An official added that Cho was "heavily armed and wearing a vest."[46][47][48][49]

Message to NBC News

On April 18, NBC News received a package from Cho timestamped between the first two murders and the rest of the massacre two hours later. It contained a 1,800-word manifesto[50], pictures, and 23 videos.[51] In the videos, sent in QuickTime format, Cho discussed his religion and his hatred of the wealthy. He also said in one of the videos, "You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today...But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."[52]

Victims

Further information: [[:List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre]]
West Ambler Johnston Hall Dormitory (first shooting)



Norris Hall Engineering Building (second shooting)
Students
Faculty

Timeline

Further information: [[:Virginia Tech massacre timeline]]

Responses to the incidents

University response

Virginia Tech cancelled classes for the rest of the week and closed Norris Hall for the remainder of the semester.[1] The University is offering counseling assistance for students and faculty and held an assembly on Tuesday, April 17, 2007. Additionally, the Red Cross has dispatched several dozen crisis counselors to Blacksburg to help Virginia Tech students cope with the tragedy.[1]

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger stated at the first news conference that authorities initially believed the first shooting at the West Ambler Johnston dormitory was a domestic dispute and that the shooter had left campus.[75]

Steger indicated in a second press conference at around 5pm EDT on the day of the attack that several thousand students were already on their way to class:

You have to remember that of the 26,000 [students] that we have, over 9,000 are on campus. When the classes start at 8:00 A.M., thousands of people are in transit. The question is, where do you keep them where it is most safe? We concluded that the incident at the dormitory was domestic in nature. These other events occurred two hours later.

Steger further noted:

It is very difficult, because we are an open society and an open campus. We have 26,000 people here. The best thing that we can do is to have people report anything that they saw that was suspicious. We obviously cannot have an armed guard in front of every classroom every day of the year. …What we try to determine is are they kept out of harm’s way by staying in the dorms or staying in the academic buildings. We send out communications by e-mail, we have an emergency alert system to get the word to our students as quickly as we can. With 11,000 people driving in to campus, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to get the word out instantaneously.

Criticism of university response

Some students, parents, and commentators in the media blamed the University, saying that administrators should have done more to notify others and lock down the campus immediately.[76]

Authorities identified a "person of interest" in the first shooting, Karl Thornhill, who was Emily Hilscher's boyfriend. Hilscher's roommate, Heather Haugh, told authorities that Thornhill owned firearms and had taken both girls to a shooting range. Thornhill was pulled over while leaving Tech's campus after the first shooting, and made authorities suspicious by contradicting Haugh's account.[77] Because authorities quickly apprehended him, they determined that the threat of further violence was minimal and consequently did not justify additional action by the University.[78] However, as they were questioning Mr. Thornhill, reports of widespread shooting at Norris Hall came in, suggesting that the threat had not been contained.[79] Thornhill has subsequently been released, but remains an important witness in the case, according to police.[79]

At an afternoon news conference, Governor Timothy Kaine of Virginia indicated that Charles Steger (the president of Virginia Tech) had asked him to appoint a committee to examine the university's response to the shootings and help answer any remaining questions.[80] In an interview with CNN, Governor Kaine indicated that W. Gerald Massengill, former superintendent of Virginia State Police, would conduct the review.[79]

Student response

Some Virginia Tech students questioned why the University had not been locked down after the first shooting.[81] After becoming aware of the incident, students communicated with their family and peers about their conditions, using telephones or social networking websites such as Facebook or MySpace.[48][82] Many students created Facebook memorial pages for some of their fellow students.[83] Fearing retribution from other students, Kim Min-kyung, a South Korean student at Virginia Tech, said South Korean students were gathering in groups "as it could be dangerous."[84] Lee Seung-wook, head of Virginia Tech's Korean Student Association, said "I am worried about possible racial prejudices that this horrible incident may bring to Asians, especially Koreans".[85]

Virginia Tech students mourn their fallen friends at a candlelight vigil.

Law enforcement response

After the second attack, the Virginia Tech Police, along with the Blacksburg Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police immediately responded following their active shooter protocols. Local SWAT teams were activated and responded.[86] In addition to the Virginia Tech campus police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the investigation. Bureau spokesman Richard Kolko stated there was no immediate evidence to suggest a terrorist incident, but that the agency is exploring all avenues.[82] The Virginia State Police are also investigating.[82] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) immediately responded to the incident with 10 agents on-scene identifying the weapons and performing forensics.[87]

Government response

President George W. Bush shakes the hand of the Virginia Tech Student Government Association's President James Tyger following his speech at the school's convocation.

Virginia's U.S. Senators John Warner and Jim Webb have both offered their condolences.[88] Virginia Governor Tim Kaine returned early from a trip to Tokyo, Japan[82] and declared a "state of emergency" in Virginia, allowing the governor to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment, and other resources to help out in the aftermath of a tragedy.[89]

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims. The Senate also approved a resolution on Monday night extending condolences to the victims of the shooting.[90] Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy postponed by two days the scheduled April 17 2007 testimony of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales concerning the firings of eight United States prosecutors.[91] In a statement, Gonzales said that the Justice Department would provide support and assistance to the local authorities and victims as long as they were needed.[92]

Immediately following the news of the tragedy, White House spokesman said President George W. Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia. In response to questioning, Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed."[93][94] Bush also stated that the nation was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting. He added that "schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community." He also pledged assistance to law enforcement and the local community.[95] President Bush and his wife Laura also attended the convocation at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.[96] Bush ordered the White House flag lowered to half staff and requested all flags be so lowered until sundown on Sunday, April 22 2007.[96]

The Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Department of Taxation are granting six month extensions to individuals affected by the massacre. The extensions are "available to shooting victims and their families, emergency responders, Tech students and university employees."[97]

Responses from other schools

There have been official responses from many universities, both inside of the United States and abroad, regarding the massacre, reflecting widespread public horror and concern, expressing shock, sympathy, and condolences to the Virginia Tech community.[98][99]

Florida State University Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Coburn released an email on April 17th, stating that the university, in response to the Virginia Tech massacre, had instituted an emergency cellular phone contact plan via text message, in the event of a similar situation.[100] Florida State University president T. K. Wetherell issued a statement of condolence,[101] in which he outlined the university's disaster response plans in a similar situation. In addition, Florida State University Traumatology Institute Director Charles Figley is coordinating with the Green Cross to assist with counseling services. [102][103] Florida State University is a sister ACC institution of Virginia Tech.[100]

The Ohio State University President Karen A. Holbrook released a statement that is linked from the university's homepage since the day of the shootings and that was sent out in a campuswide email to students and faculty on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 shortly before campus cable networks began practicing new emergency broadcast tests. She asserts that "Ohio State stands ready to provide any assistance to Virginia Tech that they may identify in the days to come."[104] Furthermore, OSU police released information on their preparedness for dealing with similar situations that featured local news coverage and front page newspaper coverage.[105]

The University of Virginia has offered psychological support services and medical assistance to the victims and afflicted at Virginia Tech[106][107] Radford University is providing free temporary housing for the Virginia State Police officers investigating the incident.[108]

In response to the death of Wake Forest University faculty member Kevin Granata and the injury of faculty director Wally Grant at Virginia Tech in the joint Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences,[109] Wake Forest has offered physical assistance, and has sent grief counselors including Professor Samuel Gladding, chairman of WFU's counseling department.[110] Clemson University, a sister ACC land grant school, to Virginia Tech, released a statement stating that they were offering grief counseling from their counseling center to Virginia Tech, as well as other offers of assistance.[111] Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech's sister polytechnic institution, released a statement from president Wayne Clough, a prior Virginia Tech faculty dean. The statement noted that Clough once was Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech and held an office in Norris hall; he offered any requested assistance to Virginia Tech president Steger.[112]

Copycat incidents

Several copycat threats have occurred at other schools and universities.[113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] [119] [120]

Sporting tributes

The Washington Nationals, during their April 17 2007 game against the Atlanta Braves, wore Virginia Tech baseball caps in memory of the victims.[121]

International reaction

There was a widespread international response, including condolences and sympathy from many countries' including officials in Australia,[122] Canada,[123][124] People's Republic of China,[125] France,[126] Germany,[127] India,[128] Iran,[129] Japan,[130] Mexico,[131] Pakistan,[132] the Philippines,[133] and the UK,[134] as well as from Pope Benedict XVI.[135] The Secretary-General of the United Nations and former South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon also offered condolences, condemning the massacre as "rampant killing of innocent citizens and children".[136] Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in response to the killings that "America's gun culture was costing lives." [137]

In the Republic of Korea, President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his deepest condolences, saying, "I was so shocked and it was so unthinkable, and I would like to express, on behalf of South Korean people, our deep condolences to the families of the innocent victims and to those who were injured" right after the Virginia news. After the further news that the killer was identified as a South Korean student, he again expressed South Koreans' sincerest condolences on Tuesday night (Korean time) to the victims and to their families, and to all US citizens.[138][139] Their foreign minister, Song Min-soon, also mentioned that safety measures have been established for Koreans living in the US. He appeared to be referring to the possibility of reprisal attacks against Korean communities within the United States.[140] A ministry official also stated that he hoped the shooting would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."[141]

On April 17th, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke in the Canadian House of Commons: "We learned that a Canadian is among the victims in Virginia and Mr. Speaker, I can say that the prayers, thoughts and condolences of each and every one one us here in the House are with that family," the prime minister said in French. “It’s really almost impossible to comprehend why an individual would take his own life and that of so many others in this way but I think we can all say that our thoughts are with all of the victims, their family and the community,” he continued in English. Liberal leader Stephane Dion expessed condolences. Deputy Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said, "We extend our sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and to the students and staff of the university whose lives have been altered forever by this tragedy. For those who have been injured, we offer sincere wishes for a swift recovery." New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton expressed condolences to Canadian victim Jocelyne Couture-Nowak as well as the families of the other victims.[142]

On April 18th, President Traian Băsescu of Romania posthumously conferred the national honor The Star of Romania with the rank of Grand Cross on Professor Liviu Librescu, as "a sign of high appreciation and gratitude for the entire scientific and academic activity, as well as for the heroism shown in the course of the tragic events which took place on April the 16th, 2007, in the Campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, the United States of America, through which he saved the lives of his students, sacrificing his own life."[143]

Historical context

Main articles: School shooting and List of school massacres

The incident is the deadliest shooting on a college campus, exceeding the sixteen deaths[144] of the University of Texas shooting by Charles Whitman in 1966. It is the second deadliest school-related killing in U.S. history, behind the 1927 Bath School disaster which claimed forty-five lives, including thirty-eight school children, through the use of explosives.[144]

With a death toll of thirty-two victims plus the killer,[144] this is the deadliest single-perpetrator civilian shooting in United States history, surpassing the Luby's massacre of 1991, in which twenty-four people were killed.[144] Internationally, it is surpassed by the 1982 massacre of fifty-seven South Koreans by off-duty police officer Woo Bum-Kon and the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in the Australian state of Tasmania where thirty-five people were killed by gunman Martin Bryant.

The shooting has been likened to the Columbine High School massacre,[145] the April 20, 1999 school massacre in which two senior students killed twelve students, one teacher, and wounded twenty-four others before turning the guns on themselves. In his video sent to NBC, Cho discussed "martyrs like Eric and Dylan" apparently referring to Columbine High School gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who killed 13 people and themselves on April 20, 1999, in Littleton, Colorado. [6]

Inaccurate media reports

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed reported several hours after the incident that "authorities were investigating whether the gunman who killed 32 people in a rampage on the Virginia Tech campus was a Chinese national who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 25-year-old man being investigated reportedly arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight on Aug. 7, 2006, on a visa issued in Shanghai"[7], a claim which was widely used by media, including FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, sina, sohu, and so on to hint the gunman might be a Chinese student. The wild speculation later turned out to be false and Sneed's article was removed quietly by Chicago Sun-Times without any explanation. Websites that carried these unsubstantiated stories were temporarily blocked by the government of the People's Republic of China [8]. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said it was regrettable that "some US media made irresponsible reports on the Virginia Tech shooting before finding out the truth, which violated their professional ethics,". [146]

Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera incorrectly blamed Wayne Chiang, a Virginia Tech graduate student and weapons collector, as the perpetrator of the crime, after several web surfers discovered the student's Livejournal profile. Chiang responded "coming out" and explained he was not the shooter. Following his response came several false hoax reports[147] and a short interview on CNN, and he will make an appearance April 19th on Good Morning America.

Karl David Thornhill, boyfriend of one of the people killed in the dormatory, was initially blamed.[citation needed]

Gun control debate

See also: Gun politics in the United States

The massacre reignited the gun control debate in the United States, with proponents of anti-gun legislation claiming guns are too accessible (and hence Cho readily acquired them) and proponents of gun rights and the Second Amendment claiming guns are not accessible enough (and hence none of Cho's victims were armed in the gun-free "safe zone", so none of them were able to defend themselves from his attacks). Note that the much-debated federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 is not an issue in this incident; that law applies only to elementary and secondary schools, not to colleges and universities.

Background

Law enforcement officials have described finding a purchase receipt for at least one of the guns used in the assault[148] and note that permanent residents in Virginia may legally purchase firearms with proof of residency;[149] in addition, federal law requires a criminal background check for handgun purchases from licensed firearms dealers. Virginia has a law limiting purchases of handguns to one every 30 days.[150] The shooter had apparently waited one month after buying his .22 caliber pistol before he bought his second gun, a Glock 19.[151] Of note, the shooter used 15-round ammunition magazines, which were illegal until 2004, when the Federal Assault Weapons ban was allowed to expire. [152]

Virginia Tech has a policy forbidding unauthorized possession or storage of firearms on campus, even by state licensed concealed weapons permit holders. This policy has been challenged in recent years. In April of 2005, a student licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to carry concealed weapons was discovered possessing a concealed firearm in class. While no criminal charges were filed, it is unknown whether disciplinary action was taken by the school for violating Tech policy due to student confidentiality.

University spokesman Larry Hincker, in response to challenges over the authority of the university to enforce such a policy, said "We think we have the right to adhere to and enforce that policy because, in the end, we think it's a common-sense policy for the protection of students, staff and faculty as well as guests and visitors."[153]

Virginia bill HB 1572, intended to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit … from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun" was introduced into the Virginia House of Representatives by delegate Todd Gilbert. The university opposed the bill, which died in subcommittee in January of 2006. Spokesman Larry Hincker responded "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."[154]

Prior to the shootings, Bradford B. Wiles, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, published an editorial in 2006 in the Roanoke Times calling for a change in Virginia Tech's policy prohibiting the carrying of licensed firearms.[155]

Media response

The response to how gun control affected the massacre was predominantly split—while some believe the university's ban on students carrying concealed weapons contributed to the massacre as students were unable to defend themselves against the perpetrator, others believe that the United States', and Virginia's, relatively liberal gun control laws allowed the gunman to purchase the guns and ammunition that allowed the shootings to take place.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, an American gun control group, said that it was easy for an individual to get powerful weapons and called for "common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur".[156] The New York Times ran an editorial calling for more gun control: "Yesterday’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech—the worst in American history—is another horrifying reminder that some of the gravest dangers Americans face come from killers at home armed with guns that are frighteningly easy to obtain."[157]

On the other side of the issue, the Conservative Voice contrasted the Virginia Tech massacre with the Appalachian School of Law shooting in 2002, when a disgruntled student killed two students before he was subdued[158] by two other students with personal firearms they had retrieved from their vehicles, declaring that "All the school shootings that have ended abruptly in the last ten years were stopped because a law-abiding citizen—a potential victim—had a gun."[159]

The Washington Post described both sides of the gun control debate in an editorial, asking how and when the shooter obtained his weapons, but also asking if the tragedy would have occurred if Virginia law did not prohibit the carrying of lawfully concealed weapons on college campuses.[160] After reviewing recent U.S. history regarding shootings, The Economist magazine concluded, "The Columbine killings of 1999 failed to provoke any shift in Americans’ attitudes to guns. There is no reason to believe that this massacre, or the next one, will do so either."[161]

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine condemned this debate in the press and elsewhere as occurring at an inappropriate time. "People who want to take this within 24 hours of the event and use it as a political hobbyhorse — I only have loathing for them," Gov. Kaine said during an evening press conference on April 17 2007. "To those who want to make this into some sort of crusade, I say take this elsewhere."[162]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Tech massacre.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Front page". Virginia Tech official website. Retrieved 2007-04-16. Cite error: The named reference "Vtfront" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d "Gunman killed after deadly Virginia Tech rampage". CNN. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
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