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Virginia Tech shooting

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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 Tech
Attack type
School shooting, mass murder, murder-suicide, massacre
Deaths33 (including the perpetrator)[1][2]
Injured29[2]
PerpetratorsCho Seung-hui
MotiveUnknown

The Virginia Tech massacre was a university shooting that unfolded as two separate attacks approximately two hours apart on April 16, 2007, on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. A shooter killed 32 people[3] and injured 17 more before committing suicide, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.[4]

The shooter, Cho Seung-hui, was born in South Korea. He immigrated with his family to the U.S. when he was eight years old [5] and grew up in Northern Virginia. He had permanent residence status and was a fourth-year English major at Virginia Tech.[4]

Attacks

Aerial photo showing location of Norris and West Ambler Johnston Halls.
Further information: Virginia Tech massacre timeline

West Ambler Johnston shootings

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 the Woodville section of Rappahannock County, Virginia, and a male resident assistant, Ryan C. Clark of the Martinez section of Columbia County, Georgia, were killed.[4] Cho left the scene and soon thereafter mailed a package, postmarked 9:01 a.m., [6] to NBC News containing various writings and recordings.

Norris Hall shootings

Approximately two hours after the initial shootings, Cho walked over to Norris Hall, which houses the Engineering Science and Mechanics program, and chained the main entrance doors shut. He then entered several classrooms and began shooting students and faculty members.[2][7]

By the end of this second attack, 30 student and faculty victims lay dead in at least four classrooms and a second-floor hallway of the building.[8] The exact number of bullets used is still in question, but is estimated at "between 175 and 225".[9]

At least 11 murder victims were found in a French class, five in a German class, nine in a hydrology class, two in a solid mechanics class, and one in the hallway.[8] An eyewitness told a Collegiate Times reporter that a shooter shot about 19 people attending a German class in Norris Hall, including the professor.[10][11][12] Only four people emerged unscathed from the German class. 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."[8]

Virginia Tech student Jamal Albarghouti used his mobile phone to capture video footage of part of the attack; this was later broadcast on many news outlets.[13]

French class students take cover in Holden Hall. Photo by William Chase Damiano

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 gunman attempted to open the classroom door and then shot twice into the room; one shot hit a podium; the other went out the window. The gunman reloaded and shot into the door, but the bullet did not penetrate into the room. He stated there were "many, many shots" fired.[7]

There were several scenes of help and resistance against the offender:

  • Professor Liviu Librescu held the door of his classroom, Room 204, shut while Cho attempted to enter it. Librescu was able to prevent the gunman from entering the classroom until his students had escaped through the windows, but was eventually shot five times and killed.[14][15]
  • Jocelyne Couture-Nowak tried to save the students in her classroom, after looking Cho in the eye in the hallway. One of the three students who survived from the French class told his family that Couture-Nowak ordered her students to the back of the class for their safety before making an unsuccessful attempt to barricade the door. [16] She was subsequently killed by Cho.
  • Kevin Granata left his third-floor office of Norris Hall and went down to the second floor as the second round of shootings took place. Reportedly he heard a commotion and went into the hallway to see if he could help anyone. He was killed there by Cho.
  • Partahi Lumbantoruan attempted to protect fellow students[17], by diving on top of Guillermo Colman to cover and protect Colman[18]. Then Cho walked around the class row by row, shooting people who are apparently still alive, and the second blow killed Lumbantoruan but Colman was protected by Lumbantoruan bodyCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).[19].
  • Zach Petkewicz, another student Derek O'Dell and a teaching assistant barricaded the door of Room 205 with a large table, helping to save 11 lives while Cho shot several times through the door.[20][21][22]
  • Waleed Shaalan, a Ph.D. student from Cairo, Egypt, though badly wounded, distracted the gunman from a nearby student after the gunman had returned to the room a second time in search of signs of life. He was shot a second time and died. [23]
  • Katelyn Carney, Derek O'Dell and their friends barricaded the door of German class after the first attack and continued to attend the wounded. Cho returned minutes later to try second attack. Cho couldn't enter, and released shots at hip level, while the survivors in the class all ducked down on the floor [24][25] Derek O'Dell and Katelyn Carney put their feet against the door to further prevent Cho's entering the classroom, while Trey Perkins, an Eagle Scout, tried to give what medical attention he could to the wounded. Erin Sheehan yelled for help from the window.[26].

Cho was found dead in Couture-Nowak's classroom from a self-inflicted gunshot, having committed suicide as police closed in.

In the aftermath, high winds related to the April 2007 nor'easter prevented emergency medical services from using helicopters for evacuation of the injured.[27] 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.[28]

Perpetrator

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

The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui,[29] a South Korean national living in Virginia as a permanent resident. An undergraduate at Virginia Tech, Cho lived in Harper Hall, a dormitory west of West Ambler Johnston Hall. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a "loner."[2] Several former professors of Cho have stated that his writing was disturbing and he was encouraged to seek counseling.[30][31][32] He had also been investigated by the university for stalking and harassing female students.[33] In 2005, Cho had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and ordered to seek outpatient treatment.[34] Shortly after arriving in the United States, at the age of 8, Seung had been diagnosed with autism,[35] symptoms of which he regularly displayed throughout childhood and had been bullied on account of.[36]

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; she was later revealed to have had no prior relationship with Cho.[37] In the ensuing investigation, police found a suicide note in Cho's dorm room, including rants about "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans" on campus. On April 18 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho timestamped between the first and second shooting episodes. It contained a 1,800-word manifesto,[38] photos, and 23 digitally recorded videos.[39] In the videos, Cho compared himself to Jesus Christ and expressed his hatred of the wealthy.

Victims

Main article: List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre

Including the deceased gunman, there were 62 people shot: 33 people were killed, and 29 were injured.

West Ambler Johnston Hall Dormitory (first shooting)
  • Ryan Christopher Clark[40]


Norris Hall Engineering Building (second shooting)
Students
Faculty

Responses to the incidents

University response

Virginia Tech canceled classes for the rest of the week and closed Norris Hall for the remainder of the semester.[1] The University also offered counseling assistance for students and faculty and held an assembly on Tuesday, April 17, 2007. Additionally, the Red Cross 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 gunman had left campus.[61] 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.[62] 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.[63] However, as Thornhill was being questioned, reports of shooting at Norris Hall came in, indicating that the police had not apprehended the perpetrator.[64] Thornhill has subsequently been released, but remains an important witness in the case, according to police.[64]

After the incident, Virginia Tech announced that the students killed during the massacre would be posthumously awarded their degrees during commencement ceremonies.[65] Because of the incident's impact, university officials also gave students options to abbreviate their semester coursework and still receive a grade.[66][67]

Criticism and review of university response

Some students blamed the university, saying that administrators should have immediately notified the community and locked down the campus.[68]

Governor Timothy Kaine of Virginia appointed an independent review panel to "provide a thoughtful, objective analysis of the circumstances leading up to, during, and immediately after Monday’s horrible events." The panel is led by Retired Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Gerald Massengill and includes, among others, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Gordon Davies, Director for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for 20 years.[69]

Student response

Virginia Tech students mourn the fallen students and faculty at a candlelight vigil.

Despite overwhelming student support for the Virginia Tech administration, some Virginia Tech students questioned why the University had not been locked down after the first shooting.[3]

After becoming aware of the incident, students communicated with their family and peers about their conditions, using telephones or social networking websites.[70][71] Many students created Facebook memorial pages for fellow students.[72] 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."[73] 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".[74]

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.[75] The Federal Bureau of Investigation also joined the investigation. Bureau spokesman Richard Kolko said that there was no immediate evidence to suggest a terrorist incident, but that the agency would explore all avenues.[71] Former FBI terrorism task force member Mike Brooks told CNN.com[76] that perhaps the school's warning system should not rely so heavily on e-mail to notify a campus comprising more than 2,600 acres, hundreds of buildings and 26,000 students, faculty and staff, and Kangalert responds with SMS notifications for university administrations. 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.[77]

Government response

Virginia's U.S. Senators John Warner and Jim Webb both offered their condolences.[78] Virginia Governor Tim Kaine returned early from a trip to Tokyo, Japan[71] 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.[79]

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.[80] 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.[81] 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.[82]

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. Bush and his wife Laura also attended the convocation at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.[83] Bush 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.[84] Bush ordered the White House flag lowered to half staff and requested all flags be so lowered until sundown on Sunday, April 22 2007.[83] 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."[85][4]

The Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Department of Taxation granted six month extensions to individuals affected by the massacre, including "shooting victims and their families, emergency responders, Tech students and university employees."[86]

Responses at other educational institutions

There have been official responses from many universities, both inside of the United States and abroad, regarding the massacre. In addition to offering condolences to the Virginia Tech community and expressing shock, many responses have included examinations of existing and possible local response procedures.[87]

The University of Virginia has offered psychological and medical services[88][89] and Radford University is providing free temporary housing for the Virginia State Police officers investigating the incident.[90] Wake Forest University and Clemson University have offered grief counselors and other assistance.[91][92][93] Georgia Tech has offered any requested assistance.[94] Florida State University Institute of Traumatology director Charles Figley is coordinating with the Green Cross to provide emergency mental health services and field traumatology counseling.[95][96]

Copycat threats

Following the massacre, several copycat threats have occurred at other schools and universities.[97]

International reaction

There was a widespread international response, including condolences and sympathy from many countries including officials in Australia,[98] Canada,[99][100] People's Republic of China,[101] France,[102] Germany,[103] India,[104] Indonesia,[105] Iran,[106] Japan,[107] Mexico,[108] Nicaragua,[109] Pakistan,[110] the Philippines,[111] South Korea,[112] the UK,[113] and Vietnam,[114] as well as from Pope Benedict XVI.[115] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a former foreign minister of South Korea, also offered condolences.[116] Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in response to the killings that "America's gun culture was costing lives."[117]

In the Republic of Korea, President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his deepest condolences.[118][119] Lee Tae Sik, the ambassador to the United States, asked Koreans living in America to fast for repentance.[120] The foreign minister, Song Min-soon, also mentioned that safety measures have been established for Koreans living in the United States. He appeared to be referring to the possibility of reprisal attacks against Korean communities within the United States.[121] A ministry official also stated that he hoped the shooting would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."[122]

On April 18, President Traian Băsescu of Romania posthumously conferred the national honor The Star of Romania with the rank of Grand Cross on Professor Liviu Librescu.[123]

Other reactions

  • Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Virginia Tech alumnus Michael Vick has teamed up with the United Way to donate $10,000 to assist families affected by the shooting. Vick's foundation said the money will be used to provide help with funeral expenses, transportation for family members and other support services.[124]

Cho family response

There were mixed responses from Cho's relatives. Some family members expressed sympathy for the victims' families and described Cho's history of mental and behavioral problems, but Cho's grandfather was quoted in the London Daily Mirror referring to Cho as a "son of a bitch" and that it "serves him right that he died" with the victims. [35] On Friday, April 20, the Associated Press quoted a statement from Cho's family that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

"He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf. [133]

Historical context

Part of a series of articles
on the
Virginia Tech
shooting
A photo of one of the commemorative stones at the memorial with flowers laid on top of it.
Location
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia)
Perpetrator
Seung-Hui Cho
Victims
Related
Main articles: School shooting and List of school massacres

This incident is the deadliest shooting on a college campus, exceeding the 16 deaths[134] 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 45 lives, including 38 school children, through the use of explosives.[134] This incident also came the same week of the 8th anniversary of Columbine, 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and the anniversaries of other less notable terrorist acts across the country.

With a death toll of 32 victims plus the killer,[134] this is the deadliest single-perpetrator civilian shooting in United States history, surpassing the Luby's massacre of 1991, in which 24 people were killed.[134] Internationally, it is surpassed by the 1982 massacre of 57 South Koreans by off-duty police officer Woo Bum-Kon and the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in the Australian state of Tasmania where 35 people were killed by gunman Martin Bryant.

The shooting has been likened to the Columbine High School massacre,[135] the 1999 school massacre in which two senior students killed 12 students, one teacher, and wounded 24 others before turning the guns on themselves. In the media package sent to NBC, Cho discussed "martyrs like Eric and Dylan" apparently referring to the Columbine High School gunmen.[31] This massacre occurred just four days before the eight-year anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

Inaccurate media reports

Main article: Inaccurate media reports of the Virginia Tech massacre

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",[136] a claim which was widely used by media, including Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, Sina.com, and Sohu, to hint the gunman might be a Chinese student.[137] The report later turned out to be false and Sneed's article was removed quietly by Chicago Sun-Times without any explanation.[138] 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."[139]

Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera brought to attention Wayne Chiang, a Virginia Tech graduate student and weapons collector, as a potential perpetrator of the crime, after several web surfers discovered the student's LiveJournal profile. Chiang responded by coming forward and explained he was not the gunman. Following his response, Chiang was interviewed briefly on CNN and appeared on the April 19 episode of Good Morning America.

Some media outlets have been criticized for putting the shooting in an improper historical context. CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric described the incident as "the deadliest shooting in U.S. history." Similarly, NBC reporter Ann Curry called it the "the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history." The media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has pointed out that these statements are inaccurate, since several other shooting incidents in US history have resulted in higher death tolls.[140]

There have also been media reports that the shooter's parents were hospitalized for suicide attempts after hearing of their son's involvement; these have proven to be false. Although the parents were hospitalized, it was simply for emotional shock, and there were no suicide attempts [141]

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 gun control legislation claiming guns are too accessible, citing that Cho, a mentally unsound individual, was able to purchase two semi-automatic pistols. Proponents of gun rights and the Second Amendment claimed Virginia Tech's gun-free "safe zone" policy ensured that none of the students or faculty would be armed, guaranteeing that no one could stop Cho's rampage.

Background

Law enforcement officials have described finding a purchase receipt for at least one of the guns used in the assault.[142] The gunman had apparently waited one month after buying his Walther P22 .22 caliber pistol before he bought his second pistol, a Glock 19.[143] Cho used a 15-round ammunition magazine in the Glock.[144] The serial numbers on the weapons had been obliterated, a Federal felony, but the ATF National Laboratory was able to reveal them, and thereby perform a firearms trace.[144]

Virginia Tech has a policy forbidding unauthorized possession or storage of firearms on campus by students, faculty, and staff, 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."[145]

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."[146]

The sale of firearms to permanent residents in Virginia is legal as long as the buyer shows proof of residency.[147] Additionally, though, Virginia has a law that limits purchases of handguns to one every 30 days.[148] Federal law requires a criminal background check for handgun purchases from licensed firearms dealers, and Virginia checks other databases in addition to the Federally-mandated NICS.

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.[149]

U.S. 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", and noted that the 15 bullet magazines used in the killings were illegal to manufacture between 1994 and 2004 under the Federal Assault Weapons ban.[150] 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."[151]

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 three students before he was subdued[152] 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."[153]

The Washington Post described both sides of the gun control debate in an editorial, asking how and when the gunman 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.[154]

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."[155]

International media response

The Virginia Tech shootings sparked criticism of U.S. gun control laws around the world. "Only the names change — And the numbers," read a headline in the British newspaper The Times. "Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?"[156]

The Swedish daily Goteborgs-Posten said without access to weapons, the killings at Virginia Tech may have been prevented. "What exactly triggered the massacre in Virginia is unclear, but the fundamental reason is often the perpetrator's psychological problems in combination with access to weapons," it wrote.[156]

Japan's Asahi Shimbun ran an editorial that said "the mass shooting, the deadliest in modern American history, reminded us once again how disturbingly common gun fatalities are in the United States," and went on to note, "Humans become enraged and desperate, and a gun in the hands of an enraged or desperate individual could be a sure recipe of disaster or tragedy."[157]

Britain's Times Online argued against an all out ban, but encouraged tighter restrictions and said that the United States needs "a wholesale shift in the national culture" and "must move against the glorification of the gun, which encourages not only the ownership but the use of arms."[158]

BBC News wrote "America is at its most impressive when it grieves and remembers. But will the soul-searching ever produce legislation and will it make schools safer?"[159]

The shootings drew intense media coverage in China, in part because the school has a large Chinese student body. "This incident reflects the problem of gun control in America," Yuan Peng, an American studies expert in China, was quoted as saying by state-run China Daily.[156] Criticisms of the availability of firearms in the U.S. were echoed by radio commentators in Mexico and in Italy's leading daily, Corriere della Sera.[156]

The Globe and Mail in Canada says it's time government and society answer for the epidemic of school shootings. "If the frequency of mass shootings is uniquely American, it's also uniquely American to label 220 school shootings in six years as rare."[160]

The International Herald Tribune ran an editorial that said "Sympathy was not enough at the time of Columbine, and eight years later it is not enough. What is needed, urgently, is stronger controls over the lethal weapons that cause such wasteful carnage and such unbearable loss."[161]

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."[162]


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References

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