Not Football Related But

[GMoney]

Horrible Shooting at Virginia Tech. A shooter has killed at least 20 (21 including the shooter). It happened on campus this morning, students were killed including in classrooms and in another Hall (2 separate areas). Still breaking news...

http://www.cnn.com/

Edited April 16, 2007 by GMoney

[NM Green]

oh my gosh! I had not heard.

Prayers and thoughts with them and their families.

thanks for the heads up.

[Eagle-96]

Simply unbeleivable. A dark day for the Virginia Tech family. My prayers go out to the victims and their families.

[Mean'n'Green07]

Horrible Shooting at Virginia Tech. A shooter has killed at least 20 (21 including the shooter). It happened on campus this morning, students were killed including in classrooms and in another Hall (2 separate areas). Still breaking news...

http://www.cnn.com/

"The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported." VT also had an officer killed outside the campus less than a year ago... very tragic events, my prayers are with the students and their families.

[JayDub]

"The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported." VT also had an officer killed outside the campus less than a year ago... very tragic events, my prayers are with the students and their families.

What in the hell is going on at VaTech?

[greenminer]

What in the hell is going on at VaTech?

Ugh, who knows. Remember this?

Last August, the first day of classes was cut short by a manhunt after an escaped prisoner was accused of killing a security guard at a Blacksburg hospital and a sheriff's deputy.

Dark days in Blacksburg.

[MeanGreengdub]

32 now dead.

[CMJ]

We are all Hokies today. RIP

[gksmith]

I guess college campuses need to be locked down like the grade schools.

Like the Columbine shooting, the government and school systems came up with a way to protect the students after the fact. Not as easy with a college campus that is so open. E-mailing students warning of a problem is not the answer. We have warning sirens for weather. Maybe college campuses need a similar system for something like this. The other thought is very expensive, uninviting, and just plane ugly. Control the access points to the campus. That means putting a fence around the college and having everyone enter and leave through several gates.

I am sure we will have information come forth for a few weeks and a congressional committee look into this too.

[UNTflyer]

I guess college campuses need to be locked down like the grade schools.

I think that there is simply no way to protect people from psychopaths. I agree that email notifications are not the solution. It is becoming apparent that V-Tech's emergency procedures are grossly inadequate.

[greenminer]

I think pointing at security flaws (or as some in the media are doing: trying to place blame) in a case like this is frivolous. No amount of security is going to make any institution 100% secure, especially to such a random act of violence. There will be improvements made; people will question (understandably) why there was a 2 hour window between shootings and yet students still weren't notified. I've also heard rumors flying around that the bomb threat last week might be tied to this incident.

I guess my point is that I'm seeing a lot people on abcnews.com trying to find blame for this. Perhaps in their anger and confusion, they are pointing their fingers at the officers/security who are in charge. I'm worried it really WILL lead to entire campuses being fenced off, and metal detectors at every building. I'd hate to see that.

[CMJ]

I'd really hate to see that kind of security on college capuses too. If they didn't after 1966, why now?

[UNTflyer]

I'd really hate to see that kind of security on college capuses too. If they didn't after 1966, why now?

V-Tech bans all guns on campus, even if a person has a carry permit.

Can't help but speculate that if there were some armed students in that building...

But of course, this incident will no doubt be a catalyst for the further degradation of the right of citizens to protect themselves.

[runt96]

V-Tech bans all guns on campus, even if a person has a carry permit.

Can't help but speculate that if there were some armed students in that building...

But of course, this incident will no doubt be a catalyst for the further degradation of the right of citizens to protect themselves.

I agree(as a CHL holder), if someone is going after a sitting duck(and a college campus would be that) there either needs to be competent and capable security or we need to treat our universities like middle schools(metal detectors everywhere). What happened in Virginia is the worst of the worst and all of our prayers go out to all of the families of the victims.

Some feel like gun control is needed, but they are idiots. We are citizens, not subjets. Without the 2nd amendment, none of the others matter.

[Ibleedgreen]

If I wanted to I could spend a Plumm Mean Green length post telling you why gun control IS needed, but let's not get into another political argument. And please....no name calling.

[UNTflyer]

If I wanted to I could spend a Plumm Mean Green length post telling you why gun control IS needed

Gun control is certainly required... you need to use both hands to score a good grouping in the center of the chest.

[FirefightnRick]

Ah yes, here we go with the gun control bit. I'm surprised it took this long today to start it up. Nothing wrong with it though, until it starts to lead to gun ban and disarming those who want to protect themselves.

121 Americans will die from an auto accident tomorrow and it won't even raise anyone's eyebrow much less raise awareness over concerns for making highway travel safer or how to better enforce the laws already in the books to keep them safer. But we'll sure get our fill of the next year about gun control/ban.

Rick

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Ah yes, here we go with the gun control bit. I'm surprised it took this long today to start it up. Nothing wrong with it though, until it starts to lead to gun ban and disarming those who want to protect themselves.

121 Americans will die from an auto accident tomorrow and it won't even raise anyone's eyebrow much less raise awareness over concerns for making highway travel safer or how to better enforce the laws already in the books to keep them safer. But we'll sure get our fill of the next year about gun control/ban.

Rick

Good example of comparing the auto accidents to this....much like 5 years ago when a TOTAL of 5 people died (maybe not even that many) from Anthrax, yet they did story after story on the dangers of it - meanwhile THOUSANDS of people were dying of the flu. ABCNews is reporting the guns may have been obtained on the black market, which of course means no amount of gun control would have stopped the guy.

It's just amazing to me that one guy would get so upset from breaking up with a girl, that he would kill 30+ people. So sad that some people have so little Hope in this world.

[emmitt01]

Gun control couldn't have prevented this. Armed police officers (or citizens) putting three to the chest and one to the head could have.

[JayDub]

It's just amazing to me that one guy would get so upset from breaking up with a girl, that he would kill 30+ people. So sad that some people have so little Hope in this world.

When did we (my generation) become so emotionally fragile?

I truly believe it has something to do with kids getting everything they want and more from their parents with little to no discipline. That, and the overexpectation this world puts on success on all fronts. I used to think I was a failure because I never finished college. Only recently did I come to terms with that.

I mean, really...if I went and shot up my school everytime I had my heart broken by some girl, I would have been dead or in prison by the time I was in 9th grade.

Edited April 17, 2007 by JayDub

[emmitt01]

When did we (my generation) become so emotionally fragile?

I truly believe it has something to do with kids getting everything they want and more from their parents with little to no discipline. That, and the overexpectation this world puts on success on all fronts. I used to think I was a failure because I never finished college. Only recently did I come to terms with that.

I mean, really...if I went and shot up my school everytime I had my heart broken by some girl, I would have been dead or in prison by the time I was in 9th grade.

Justin, this may be the first time you've echoed my inner thoughts on something that didn't have to do with alcohol. In all serious what you say about the pressure to succeed is exactly what struck me when I heard about this incident. We live in a society where winners are idolized, second place is forgotten and the losers are either ostracized or belittled. Holding down a job, being kind to your spouse and caring for your children is no longer the benchmark for success in America. Instead it is the rich, the famous or, saddest of all, the notorious who command the headlines. Why? Because they are seen as the "best" in their fields...even if that field is being a social pariah. Couple this with the general sense of being anesthetized to violence and you have a recipe for disaster. Just last night while I was on duty the first call I answered for the night was a shooting. A guy who was out celebrating his birthday was robbed by three unknown males. He didn't give up his necklace without a struggle so they shot him in the head in front of his wife. Now his newborn baby will be fatherless because another maladjusted miscreant chose to take his life. In the last month I have attended the funeral of a fellow Dallas officer, stood outside the ER door over the body of an Irving officer while his family greaved, heard about this tragedy in Virginia and now this senseless homicide. Death is far too common lately.

[UNTflyer]

Gun control couldn't have prevented this. Armed police officers (or citizens) putting three to the chest and one to the head could have.

And this comes from an officer. At least some people still believe in the right to bear arms.

[THOR]

And this comes from an officer. At least some people still believe in the right to bear arms.

i've got no problem with the right to bear arms, but could we takeaway people's right to be stupid??!!!!! stupid people screw everything up!!!

[Eagle1855]

Horrible horrible tragedy. Prayers with the families of EVERYONE in and around that campus.

Let's not get into a debate over the right to bear arms, there are many who believe that the founding father's intent has been misinterpreted.

[eppy4life]

I agree. Now is not the time to try and pass around blame. I think no matter what rules are enforced whoever is disturbed enough to do something like this will always find a way. Pray for the families and for other schools across the country.