More RIP's, Virginia Tech Shooting

[Malice]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html

Doesn't get any more horrible than this. I don't wanna say anything sappy about it because I'm not good at that, just wanted to get everyone equally into the news.

[Archer]

I was talking with Malice about this, and it is :palm:ing tragic. We, the future generation, needs to stop this from happening again. If we don't, then when it happens to our kids, and when they ask us why, we'll have to look them in the eye and tell them that it happened because we didn't stop it when we had the chance, that we dropped the ball.  We need to fix the world that's given to us, or it'll never get better.

[Mark D. Stroyer]

I'd like to know if he was on anti-depressants.

[Cthulhu]

Doesn't get any more horrible than this

Yep... and in my opinion, there's something so horribly wrong in the USA for this sort of thing to continually happen... when is the US government going to stop dicking around in other people's backyards before they clean up their own ? Never seems the most likely answer. I really feel sorry for the families involved.

[Rob Zombie]

US gun law, too loose. UK gun law, too tight. If you found that sweet-spot in the middle, stuff like this wouldn't happen as often.

I didn't read the link, because if its the crime i'm thinking of, what i just said makes sense. If its another crime...then good Gods, the world realy is screwed.

I agree, get out of the rest of the world and focus on your own country, Iraq's going to recover if Bush leaves.

[Arminius]

and in my opinion, there's something so horribly wrong in the USA for this sort of thing to continually happen

Newsflash: The killer was not even American. A South Korean national on a student-visa.

There was nothing that can be done to stop something like this. Even Germany with its insanely-tight gun laws has had things like this happen, some sick nut shooting up his school and killing many.

[Tom Failur]

Yes but it seems more prevelant in America. This may be because it happens more or because American media is more widespread so we hear about it more. Or both of course.

I don't think being able to buy guns over the counter can help though.

[Arminius]

Strictly speaking, one cannot buy a gun "over the counter", as one would buy aspirin or a coke or something, as you imply. You request to buy one, then give them your information, they do lengthy background checks over several days, if they find something bad on your record they will not sell you a gun.

Now, take Switzerland, for comparison's sake. Here is a country in which every adult male in the country owns an automatic weapon. If the existance of guns in people's hands, that is to say the easy access to guns, is The Problem, then why isn't Switzerland torn apart by internal gun-violence constantly and mass killings every week or so?

In other words there is a deeper question here than merely gun laws.

[Rob Zombie]

I heard on Top Gear or Clarkson's Motor World that an AK-47 costs £250/$500 in Switzerland, but yeah, they only have about 10 gun murders per year. Jeremy then preceded to fire a few rounds at a mound of earth before saying something along the lines of 'Brilliant!'
This is because of an invention called Death Metal. People are too busy bangin' heads to aim properly

[Tom Failur]

I believe in Switerland there are actually more guns than people. 8 million guns in private hands with a population of 6 million.

I didn't say it was the single cause of gun crime in America. Just that it can't help; can't commit a shooting if you don't have a gun. I live in England where guns are illegal and I wouldn't even know where to start looking to aquire one. But in America I'm sure anyone I asked could point me to the nearest gun store.

[Rob Zombie]

4 hour drive from London to Sheffield if the traffic is good. I Sky+ed that Ross Kemp show on london gangs, haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but the advert says (Sin City Mode Engaged) Walk down the right back alley in London, and you can find anything. this gangbanger in a balaclava said he could go around the corner and buy one.
In England you can get a decent knife anywhere though. hell, the kitchen would be my first port of call for decent zombie killing equipment, kitchen knife in the eye. but i supose thats true everywhere.

We have to have licences for powerful air rifles too.

[lama]

Air rifles are free to have here, but you can seldomly hear on the news that some youngster shot his sister or whatever, and usually it doesn't end up with tragedy. And speaking of guns law, getting the gun (even a gas one) here in poland is really hard, since after the procedure similar to the one described by Arminius you must also answer the question "what do you need this gun for anyways?" which makes only bad people shoot cops with their illegal weapons. On the other hand there is handful of other choices for killers... Gun crimes are not so popular here, yet people get beaten to death for no apparent reason... Sign of times, I would say, the world is going in some strange direction.

[Rob Zombie]

I've noticed that. Its all the new rap and hip-hop.

You could like old school hip-hop because stuff like Hollywood Swingin' by Kool and the Gang was good. there wasn't a message in it like most old hip-hop songs, but it was...well...swingin'
Unlike 50 Cent, who just wants to pop some caps and bang so hoes in da club.

[lama]

check NWA, that's some real gangsta oldschool.

[Cthulhu]

I believe I read in the paper today that new laws were passed in America that no-longer require a background check when buying a weapon. Either that or they are planning on it *shrugs*

I agree a tougher stance on gun laws won't just solve all the problems and that these events won't happen anymore, but I don't see how it's necessary to own a 'Glock 9mm' where a revolver would suffice. After the Port Arthur massacre down here, all semi-automatic weapons were banned and then after a shooting at a Uni here involving a handgun, they were banned too.

I also believe that Canada has more weapons per person than America or a similar ratio, and yet, no mass shootings that I know off. Sorry Arminius if I sound anti-american, but I assure you, I'm certainly not. I have a couple of American friends here in OZ. I'm just voicing my concern about The US governments lack of action to solve this problem which I believe lies on two fronts. Gun laws and the people allowed to own them.

Ive rambled enough...