sorrowmonkey (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sorrowmonkey) wrote2007-08-30 09:32 pm
sorrowmonkey) wrote2007-08-30 09:32 pm
Entry tags:
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Investigation panel has submitted their report on the Cho mass-killing to the Governor of Virginia. The report is available (in obnoxious little pieces) at:
http://www.vtreviewpanel.org/report/index.html
So, I haven't read the whole thing, but I have read about half. The good news is that people put some thought into what happened, made some conclusions and recommendations. The bad news, is that some of the conclusions and recommendations are terribly wrong.
Cho was barred under Federal law from buying firearms. However, Virginia had not reported his mental health problem to the Federal database used to check gun purchasers. This has been fixed now, but it's almost a guarantee that every other state is reporting less. There are rumors that Massachusetts doesn't even report it's felonies.
So, any conclusion that has to do with "gun show loopholes" or "registered dealers" or "waiting periods" is a load of shit. Garbage in -> garbage out. Cho passed two background checks. He committed two felonies by making false statements on 4473's. There are your nanny-state gun laws at work.
The panel also recommends that all guns be banned from college campuses. The only justification for this that I could find in their materials was the problem that alcohol plays (with cars and guns), and that the police said that they would have shot anyone they found with a gun. I believe that recognizing at least the faculty's right to bear arms could only help in this sort of situation. If the police are going to start shooting anyone with a gun in the US, that's going to end badly. There are 90 guns for every 100 Americans.
So, a mixed bag. Many things went well, and many things went badly. What do we get? More gun restrictions, upgraded "alert" systems, and otherwise business as usual.
http://www.vtreviewpanel.org/report/index.html
So, I haven't read the whole thing, but I have read about half. The good news is that people put some thought into what happened, made some conclusions and recommendations. The bad news, is that some of the conclusions and recommendations are terribly wrong.
Cho was barred under Federal law from buying firearms. However, Virginia had not reported his mental health problem to the Federal database used to check gun purchasers. This has been fixed now, but it's almost a guarantee that every other state is reporting less. There are rumors that Massachusetts doesn't even report it's felonies.
So, any conclusion that has to do with "gun show loopholes" or "registered dealers" or "waiting periods" is a load of shit. Garbage in -> garbage out. Cho passed two background checks. He committed two felonies by making false statements on 4473's. There are your nanny-state gun laws at work.
The panel also recommends that all guns be banned from college campuses. The only justification for this that I could find in their materials was the problem that alcohol plays (with cars and guns), and that the police said that they would have shot anyone they found with a gun. I believe that recognizing at least the faculty's right to bear arms could only help in this sort of situation. If the police are going to start shooting anyone with a gun in the US, that's going to end badly. There are 90 guns for every 100 Americans.
So, a mixed bag. Many things went well, and many things went badly. What do we get? More gun restrictions, upgraded "alert" systems, and otherwise business as usual.