Shooter Identified in Virginia Tech Massacre

Now that the shooter at the scene of the Norris Hall massacre has been identified as 23-year-old South Korean Native and legal US Resident, Seung-Hui Cho, there are now questions being raised about University protocol in the event of and emergency, and the age-old issue of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

There is still concern over the fact that the student body was not notified of the West AJ shootings until minutes before the second killing spree began. Experts in school safety have made numerous references to the Jeanne Clery Act, which requires policies on reporting crime and security of students in the event of an emergency, and whether or not there is fault to be found in Virginia Tech's compliance with this act. Check out the details at www.securityoncampus.org/schools/cleryact/text.html . It should be noted that those same experts interviewed on MSNBC also stressed that the University should not be blamed at this point, but there are lessons to be learned. Some parents are already calling for President Charles Steger's resignation for the handling of the information. I think that we should learn from the Duke Lacrosse case not to hold a trial of those involved in the media. The truth will come out in time.

An even bigger issue than the Clery Act and whether or not it was followed, politicians and activists are already starting to use this tragedy as propaganda for their anti-gun agendas. The Left, of course, says that if guns were illegal, then this wouldn't have happened. The Right is saying that if one or more victims had been armed themselves, this would have ended on a much less destructive note. I happen to be of the belief that the bad guys are going to get weapons whether they are legal or not-this is why they are the BAD GUYS. Better to give law-abiding citizens the ability to protect themselves. From what I remember of being a resident in Virginia Tech's dorms in 1994-1995, guns were not allowed on campus, however I do not know what the policy is now. According to reports, a receipt for the 9mm used in the shootings was found in Cho's backpack at the scene. According to Virginia Law, only one handgun can be purchased per month. There is also a requirement of a background check on handguns, and the purchaser must be at least 18 years of age to buy a handgun. The Virginia Representatives that I have seen are all still supporting the position of a person's right to own a gun.

I am sure in the days and weeks to come that we will learn more about Seung-Hui Cho. We will learn about what may have motivated him to turn on his classmates while he was just weeks from graduating himself. The media will blame Virginia Tech, they will blame guns, they will probably even be blaming video games and rap music before it's all over. The only person I blame is Seung-Hui Cho. He's no longer alive to face the consequences of his actions. I just ask that you do not mistakenly put someone in his place that is undeserving of your anger and frustration. He planned it. He pulled the trigger.