# Shooting at Virginia Tech **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338 "2007-04-16T15:07:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/181 "2007-04-16T20:53:18Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Holy cow, it’s been less than six hours and already we have four pages of posts on this! [/QUOTE] [This thread got to page four in about an hour and a half.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=86458) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/182 "2007-04-16T20:53:49Z")
Delete Post. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/183 "2007-04-16T20:54:17Z")
I’m watching the press conference. So the shooter did take his own life, and they aren’t sure if the two are related??? But he said they aren’t looking for another suspect??? How does that match up with the two shootings NOT being related??? And the first shooting appeared to be domestic in nature, but he didn’t think it was a girlfriend??? It’s so frustrating when they just don’t know and they’re trying to sort fact from exaggeration. ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/184 "2007-04-16T20:54:55Z")
ABC is having a press conference that makes VTs actions seem a bit more reasonable. To wit, they felt that having a vast majority of students (including the massive number of students coming in to campus during the incident) would be safer in their classes. As pointed out above, it seemed like an isolated murder, there was no reason to suspect it was a prelude to a massacre. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/185 "2007-04-16T20:56:49Z")
Oh my god - a friend just called to tell me - watching the press conference now. My thoughts are with families and friends. **Only Mostly Dead** I’m glad to hear your friends are ok. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/186 "2007-04-16T20:59:22Z")
**Only Mostly Dead** , I’m very happy to hear that your friends are alright. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/187 "2007-04-16T20:59:33Z")
[QUOTE=cbawlmer] I’m not sure what you’re talking about with the guards. The college I went to, and most of those I’m familiar with, are plunked down in the middle of cities with no entrances to speak of. [/QUOTE] I’m speaking from experience with my alma mater, which was plunked down in the middle of nowhere and if you were unlucky, you had to park in a flipping field. Downtown it definitely _wasn’t_. YMMV, I was just trying to come up with ideas for quick and easy lockdown procedures. > [@Tupag Anachi](#): > > Good lord, not the one from last night with the murdering chimp band! Yes, but there was also the flying lemur (that’s not a lemur, and doesn’t fly, it glides, and no one knows what it’s related to) and the lake with 850 species of siklids (sp?) and lake midges so numerous when they swarm it looks like smoke, and the world’s tallest waterfall, and the widest waterfall, and birds of paradise doing mating dances, and how the sounds of the jungle depends on the time of day (monkeys in the morning, insects in the afternoon, frogs at night) and… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/188 "2007-04-16T21:05:03Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] \Oh, and the president of the university is on TV now. He says that there were 31 dead from Norris Hall and 2 from AJ for a total of 33 dead (though I didn’t catch whether or not they’re counting the shooter.) [/QUOTE] I just noticed that - the total of dead people is going up as I was watching the CNN news. That really got to me - people are dying as I’m watching. Kids - college students. Not even old enough to drink legally in the States yet. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/189 "2007-04-16T21:06:44Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] I’m speaking from experience with my alma mater, which was plunked down in the middle of nowhere and if you were unlucky, you had to park in a flipping field. Downtown it definitely _wasn’t_. YMMV, I was just trying to come up with ideas for quick and easy lockdown procedures. [/QUOTE] I have no idea how the VT campus is set up. Going forward, I think every campus needs to evaluate its own particular setup and come up with a way to handle emergencies like this. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/190 "2007-04-16T21:08:38Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Yes, glad you are safe. So let’s see… Guy has an argument with his girlfriend. Calls in a bomb threat… [/QUOTE] Has it been confirmed that the shooter is the same guy who called in a bomb threat? I know that looks suspicious given the close timing to the shooting, but prank bomb threats are not all that unusual at colleges. Students call them in to get out of exams or major project deadlines pretty frequently (or did when I went to school). It is entirely possible that it’s a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/191 "2007-04-16T21:09:34Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] I think I’m going to watch Planet Earth tonight and remind myself there is much much more in this world that is breathtakingly beautiful and a delight to behold. [/QUOTE] That’s probably a good idea, especially since the networks are likely to have wall-to-wall coverage of this all evening. I think watching too much of something like this can be unhealthy. On 9/11, I muted the TV and took a nap to escape the coverage, and my mother switched to the Game Show Network. (I’ve got The Departed on DVD at home, courtesy of Netflix, so I’ll watch that instead.) But my thoughts are and will be with **Lord Il Palazzo** and other people there. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/192 "2007-04-16T21:10:54Z")
[QUOTE=anamnesis] While I don’t mean to overtly hijack this thread, I am chiming in regarding the issue of gun control which will doubtless be visited upon. I thought it pertinent to convey some of the basics of Virginia’s gun laws, which I find very applicable to the discussion. [/QUOTE] As I told **catsix** , we aren’t turning this thread into a debate on gun control. You’re welcome to start a thread in GD (or join an existing one if one’s already going), but this thread is not the place to be discussing what typically ends up being a fairly hot and contentious topic here on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Antist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Antist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antist)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/193 "2007-04-16T21:13:15Z")
I am utterly freaking out. This is where I grew up, my dad is an alumnus of Va Tech. I just got off the phone with my cousin Robin, who works in Burruss Hall (the big castle-looking building they keep showing) right next door to the dorm where the first shootings happened. She was in her office and heard the shots, she saw victims carried out. She’s okay, though. **Lord** , I’m glad you’re okay too – I hope all your friends are fine. I can’t stand the thought of that wonderful campus now being synonymous with so much death. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/194 "2007-04-16T21:15:29Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] Has it been confirmed that the shooter is the same guy who called in a bomb threat? [/QUOTE] No, I was just making an ass out of you and Ming. The fact that the same building was used for both strikes me as an odd coincidence, though. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/195 "2007-04-16T21:17:21Z")
[QUOTE=anamnesis] I thought it pertinent to convey some of the basics of Virginia’s gun laws, which I find very applicable to the discussion. In Virginia: - no registration is required for firearms of any kind. - no owner license is required for firearms of any kind. - no permit is required for the purchase of firearms of any kind, unless it is a handgun meant for concealed carry. - authorities have no power to control or limit the number of concealed carry arms you choose to carry (provided you hold permit). - no limitation or ban is imposed on the sale fully-automatic assault weapons. - no waiting period is required for the purchase of handguns. - no background check is required for purchase or sale of firearms privately or at gun shows. [/QUOTE] Cite please? I have lived in Virginia my entire life and I am not sure that you don’t need any type of registration or license to buy a gun. Are you saying you can walk into any gun store in VA, and get an automatic weapon without a background check, and not have to register it or have any type of permit to own it??? ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/196 "2007-04-16T21:18:22Z")
Have they mentioned at the press conference if they are anticipating the number of deaths to change? A few hours ago they said one, then twenty and some, now thirty and some. Obviously there may be people who succumb to their injuries, but are they sure they’ve found all victims? ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/197 "2007-04-16T21:24:08Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG] The air raid siren sounds much simpler and more effective. [/QUOTE] Then the next scenario will be multiple shooters, and one or more will take aim at the countless numbers streaming out of class because of the air raid siren. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/198 "2007-04-16T21:30:52Z")
[QUOTE=nyctea scandiaca] Cite please? I have lived in Virginia my entire life and I am not sure that you don’t need any type of registration or license to buy a gun. Are you saying you can walk into any gun store in VA, and get an automatic weapon without a background check, and not have to register it or have any type of permit to own it??? [/QUOTE] See the Pit thread where that point is debunked. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/199 "2007-04-16T21:44:07Z")
I believe that VT does have and did use an emergency PA system. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Perro\_Fumando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9c0ed/32.png) [@El\_Perro\_Fumando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Perro_Fumando)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338/200 "2007-04-16T21:46:14Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] **Only Mostly Dead** , I’m very happy to hear that your friends are alright. [/QUOTE] Hey, they’re my friends too :-p **Lord Il Palazzo** , I’m glad you spoke up to say you’re ok. Seriously, as a teacher, I wonder where and when the next senseless school shooting will happen and I can only hope that I’m not there when it does. The story I read through one of these links which indicated the gunman walked into a classroom and shot the teacher first freakin’ scares me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-at-virginia-tech/400338.md?page=11)