Nicole Sharp

Mano Singham said

Nicole,

I am glad for your friend but what a ghastly tragedy.

kimberlee said

VT states they did the right thing after first shootings, wrong! In todays world not taking action caused many more deaths, does anyone else see this? Why keep students in the dark, they did not have the shooter in custody, they appear to have jumped to ignorant conclusions after 7am shootings, thereby causing so many more to die. College security forces need to wake up, you are not equiped to make major decisions about students lives!!

Mike said

I am disappointed with the police response to tragedies like Virginia Tech, Columbine, et.al. Perhaps I am making a wrongheaded observation but it seems to me that police who are equipped and trained to respond to such agressive acts should not be standing around behind the cover of trees, buildings, or other cover while innocents are being killed. Obvously, I do not suggest that they should stand out in the open and become targets, however, in today's environment we need swift intelligent responses. Perhaps we need some sort of swift response team composed of professional police that can take immediate directed action to minimize losses amoungst unarmed innocents. We had an incident in Salt Lake City in which swift action minimized the number of deaths at a shopping mall. The number dead could have been much higher if it weren't for the efforts of an off-duty officer. I think that the police have a responsibility to be prepared to act swiftly and professionly in the event of this type of action by an individual or individuals. Waiting until a trained professional is safe before acting only increases the number of deaths.

Seconds lost mean lives lost.

Ben said

I feel deeply sorry for those who have loses. I do not actually live in virginia but my prayers go to its inhabitants. I watched with a growing mixture of anger and sorrow as the news reports came on T.V. I felt horrible for the families who lost a beloved. I have some statements and questions below: How come semi automatic weapons are even legal is my question. For example Canadians are big game hunters/ outdoorsy but they don't feel they need semi automatic weapons. I mean come on, As soon as it came on the news all these people were groaning and said that we need these weapons for defense blah blah blah. I have a sister in college (I'm in middle school) and I want to know what we can do to stop this from happening again!!!!! I'm Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the lost and all this week I think everyone should light a white (or other color if you don't have it) candle to honor those lost.

ME said

OUT LAW GUNS!!! THAT'S WHAT i WILL SAY. NOW THEY WANT TO STRICT GUN LAWS??? THEY SHOULD HAVE STRICT GUN LAWS BEFORE THEY INVINTED GUNS.

ME said

WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR...SOMEONE WHO WILL IN KINDERGARTEN TO WALK IN SCHOOL WITH A GUN.

cottin said

NO MORE GUNS!
How many more of these do we need to have happen to realize how Fing stupid we are as a greedy society. All you loser polititions running for office are full of s- - -!
You wanna do something guys? You want to be a super power? The start by making changes in our own country making things safer for the people who pay you way through your leagalized criminal careers.
The people need to stand up. Are we really living in a free country? What decisions have you made lately that made a difference in the government? It's a joke! This will all get worse and worse and worse!
Life could be so wonderful if we all thought with our hearts!
I hope the NRA feels good about shooting hopless animals while others are killing innocent people. Enjoy your guns losers. Real men survive without them!

Lynda Gould said

The tragic events unfolded before me as I watched in disbelief the report on NBC...I am a retired educator and recieved my degree from MSU in Wichita Falls, Texas...my home town..
Our small university is holding a candelight service this evening in memory of your losses!
Please know that we are thinking and praying for you across this great nation and also throughout the world.
May God hold all of you in the palm of His hand.
Lynda Gould

John Butler said

The Gun Control issue is so controversial that it may never be resolved. However, the procedure for the sale of guns (especially handguns) and issue of permits is obviously very ineffective. All handgun permits (issued prior to the sale of weapons) should only be issued after a thorough search. SIMPLE DRUGS CANNOT BE SOLD WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF A DOCTOR BUT WE CAN BUY GUNS AND AMMUNITION - OVER THE COUNTER. This is absurd and needs to be corrected. Mr. Cho was obviously a very disturbed man. There should be a process, where the authorities can be advised of a person with "questionable" mental capacity and devious behavior - like Cho. The names could be posted with all authorities. Gun sales could not be made without first checking. Billions of fingerprints can be scanned is seconds. It would not take a rocket scientist to develop the appropriate software. Guns will continue to be sold but the CHECKING process needs a massive and immediate overhaul. I have made this same comment on many sites. I hope that someday, soon there will be a system in place.

Ken said

Prayers for those affected by this tragedy.

CoffeeFreak said

I graduated from Case in 1999; I saw the grad student who would become the 'Case shooter' on campus frequently. Having interacted with this individual, and from what I have read about Cho Seung-Hui, there are usually warning signs about what leads to this behavior.
While I agree that stricter gun control laws are needed, this will only remove or restrict an outlet for these individuals' anger and hatred. There are always other means for people to express themselves that can hurt themselves and others.
Rather, a more holistic solution is needed, in my opinion - as a society, we need to change from being too exclusive, too cliqueish, too judgemental -- and to be more inclusive, to show concern for others, and to welcome differing points of view. Until this happens, there will always be the core problem of disenfranchisement and hostility, underneath the surface, in my opinion.

Jeffrey Quick said

I disagree, Kimberlee. Admin had no idea they were dealing with a mass murderer. Do you really want to be put on lockdown any time something negative happens? And you say, "College security forces need to wake up, you are not equiped to make major decisions about students lives!!" If that's the case, then why aren't students allowed armed self-defence? Why does security (or the state) make the "major decision" that students should be sitting ducks?
Y'all say we need more gun control. Well, Cho broke VA state law by having a gun on campus. so it did a lot of good, didn't it? And he bought his one-gun-per-month, just like VA law says. Criminals will always get guns. And if the state managed to totally monopolize guns, how would you defend yourselves when the STATE went criminal?

Kerri said

This has nothing to do with gun control, video games, his parents and how he was brought up, his gender or nationality. Nor should we be chastising the university or police for their lack of preventing and/or handling of the situation.

This has to do with a young man who was in severe distress and did not know how to constructively channel it. The system failed this young man in every possible way.

CoffeeFreak said

Actually, Kerri, I disagree with one point of your comment - that this had nothing to do with his nationality. Not to say that his being Korean had anything to do with it - clearly not. On the other hand, in reading recent articles, it's clear that as Cho grew up in the public school system in Virginia, he was ridiculed for his accent and his background, bullied, teased, and humiliated. The anger and hatred only continued to grow within him to the point where he boiled over.
I do not say this to make up excuses for his behavior; what he did was reprehensible and wrong. But it does pose the question - if he had found more acceptance, more of a welcoming atmosphere as he grew up, would he have the same resentment, the same anger within him?
More importantly, as children continue to be bullied, teased, and humiliated every day in this country, as people are treated with disrespect and indifference, is there another way we as a society can better evolve to avoid tragedies like this in the future?

norm said

Guns didn't kill these people, a person did. If it wasn't a gun it would have been a truck driven through a restaurant or rat poison put on cafeteria food.

Don't be so simple in your thinking. If someone wants to kill on a mass scale they will. You are thinking at the wrong end of the thought process.

The problem isn't guns. The problem is there are people out there that never connect.

J said

I agree with Norm. It is the thought process. The shooting was the end of the thought process. What initiated the thought process in VT and in Columbine needs to be removed. Without the initiation there would no requirment of any method of mass killing.

Harold said

Nobody is talking about how we need to do something about bullying in our schools.