Copycats try to repeat Virginia Tech

Two people tried to kill students at a school and were shot by those present.

Link.

Good riddance and well done. What a pity those at VT weren’t armed.

Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS.

With all due respect, I’m not sure how this is a copycat crime given that one of the perpetrators was carrying a toy gun – doesn’t seem to me that the intent was to randomly murder lots of people when the only real weapon was a knife.

That being said, I’m glad they did not get away with whatever they were trying to do.

Good for the Israeli counselors but how does this resemble simple Palestinian terrorism less and Virginia Tech’s Cho, a sociopath who felt belittled, more? Aside from happening at a school, I don’t get the copycat reference.

Actually, given that there were two terrorists, shouldn’t you claim that they were trying to copycat Columbine?

/tonguecheek

The answer to gun crime isn’t to give out more guns, nor is the answer to terrorism to arm your entire population.

It seemed to work this time. An armed society is a polite society.

Just like in Palestine!

Just what I was going to say.

Here! Here!

Lord Il Palazzo
Student: Virginia Tech

What he said.

Captain Carrot
Freshman: Virginia Tech

There have already been two student deaths that I know about so far this year. I seriously doubt there would have been any fewer if students had guns on campus.

Did you see where this story took place?

I doubt that the Palestinians had even heard of the Virgina Tech shootings but guess what, they find their own motivations for violence. The world does not revolve around the USofA.

Errr… yes, polite society are the first words that leap to mind when I think of the West Bank.

Yep. Seems like the perfect poster child for the benefits of providing your population with a combination of gun ownership and mandatory military training.

Which explains why the United States, Iraq, Algeria, and the former Yugoslavia are all well known for their politeness.

Well, to be fair, the last time I was kidnapped and tortured in Algeria my captors often remarked on how terribly sorry they were about all this unpleasantness.

Just can’t stop picking that scab, eh?

After all, nothing goes better with a keg party than loaded firearms.

Of course I would never support giving out guns.

…That would be communism. :smiley:

Anyway, it’s definitely pretty absurd to call this an attempted VT copycat. An effective demonstration of armed defense of a school, maybe, though I have to question the appropriateness of the response. From the article, it sounds like they shot the second guy while he was being held down. :dubious:

But at any rate, I don’t understand what all the kerfuffle is about guns on campus. College students are adults; they should be able to carry at school, just like they can carry everywhere else. Seems obvious to me.

This is a particulary odd situation, though, because it seems that the hostages were armed, and the hostage takers were not. If they had both been armed, the defense might not have been so successful. You really have to wonder what those terrorists were thinking of.

And, as far as I can tell, it isn’t even the OP’s scap to pick. I can find in his profile no connection to the university or its community.

The people who were here in Blacksburg when the shootings happened have been through plenty. Even so, I’d have to say that the worst thing that came of it is all the ill informed gun nut strangers thinking that they have all the answers and that the University Bookstore needs to start stocking Uzis and Colts to make the world a safer place.

More guns is not the answer and citing Middle East to say that it is strikes me as the icing on the cake.

FTR, Israel actually has very strict gun control laws. These counselors almost certainly double as official guards for the school, who would be present and armed in any case, given this is a small community in the Occupied Territories, surrounded by Palestinian villages, and not in Israel proper.

Also, this was definitely an act of terrorism in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rather than a “School Shooting” copycat attempt.