Rampage at Virginia Tech Campus: 31 Dead and Over 28 Wounded

After several bomb threats and the horror of a previous shooting, terror again sweeps through the Virginia Tech campus as a gunman wielding at least one automatic weapon fires on dozens of students, injuring and killing over 59 people. The horrific events took place on two separate locations on campus, most of the killing happened in the engineering hall with 20 students killed in Norris Hall and at least 1 more killed in West Ambler Johnston Hall. The murders are a dreadful remind of other frightful incidents, including the Columbine High School Massacre, and the worst incident in history in which a Sniper in Texas climbed a tower and fired on people for over an hour and a half.

There's no question that theses terrors bring up the idea of what is the world coming to these days. "The University is shocked and indeed horrified," Charles Steger, University president said, but nowadays, every person has heard of these horrors, including workplace shootings, school shootings, and other unimaginable acts of violence. Americans have been so far exposed that they have almost become completely unshakable. A person interviewed said, "Oh, great, now you can't even send your kids to college," which emphasizes how bad of a problem we have got on our hands. And unfortunately, nobody really knows how to fix the problem.

Horrible events such as this happen so often that, yes, they touch our hearts and bring tears to our eyes, but they hardly seem out of the ordinary. People have snapped so often and decided they would bring as many people down with them as possible so often that our minds have been irrevocably warped from being further shocked at these events (aside from those people who know someone involved with the incident). These days almost nobody is completely removed from the brutal violence that occurs, and the aftermath leaves devastation for hundreds of people.

Our next goal should be clear at this point.... but unfortunately it isn't. Hundreds of psychologists have tried for many years to figure out exactly what causes people to snap, and don't often come to a consensus. But if we could figure that out, then we wouldn't have to worry anymore. Often people snap do so because of intense pressure, failing relationships, and various other problems, and those who have snapped have done terrible, irreversible damage, and we can still do so little about it.

Note from VT website: Students, faculty, and staff who have any information related to the incident at West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall of Virginia Tech are encouraged to go to the Blacksburg Police Department to make statements, or call 540-231-TIPP (8477), or 231-6411.