Shooting at Virginia Tech

[Hime]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...wsbreaking-hed

21 people dead.

[duck_duck]

Oh my god! How do these things happen? America should ban the guns from people.

[wolf]

If one other person on the campus had a gun and could have defended themselves, the outcome would have likely been very different.

Schools, including colleges and universities, are already designated "gun free zones."

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by wolf

If one other person on the campus had a gun and could have defended themselves, the outcome would have likely been very different.

Schools, including colleges and universities, are already designated "gun free zones."

Do you know if all students who were killed, injured, or in the vicinity of the killer were unarmed? Get back to me on that, K?

"Could have". One other person would have to not only own a gun, but be packing heat, have the presence of mind to identify the killer as a threat, so as to not kill an innocent college student, AND have the mental strength to murder someone. If only...

[wolf]

Not surprisingly, this situation has been a topic of conversation at work. Admittedly, we don't have a lot of information, but it would appear that the shooter basically lined people up and started shooting them one by one ... why didn't anyone try to rush the shooter?

If you're in the same situation ... first person gets shot, it's a surprise, it's unexpected, even if the shooter tells you that's what he's intending. After the next one or three ... the rest of the folks should start to understand that they have little to lose by trying to do something. If you do NOTHING, you do get shot, and die. If you rush the guy (especially with enough people) you might get shot ... and with a smaller likelihood of being killed.

What makes people choose to do nothing, when nothing is clearly going to result in your death?

(note: I have never had to rush an armed gunman, but I have had to tackle folks armed with screwdrivers, belts, and small appliances.)

[bluesdave]

Originally Posted by wolf

What makes people choose to do nothing, when nothing is clearly going to result in your death?

Fear. People inherently never believe that they will die, and rushing towards a mad guy who has already shot several people is almost guaranteed to get you shot, and probably killed, so human nature says, stay back, and stay alive - even if this is a hopeless position.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by wolf

What makes people choose to do nothing, when nothing is clearly going to result in your death?

99% of the people in the world are sheep. Until the first person sacks-up and does something nobody else will even think about it.

[piercehawkeye45]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6560685.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Vi..._Tech_shooting

There isn’t a lot of information on it yet. The number of dead has increased to 32.

This is really scary, especially for me since I live on a big campus and if there is a shooting, they will take out so many people and there is no where to hide since the campus is so open.

Another thing is that there isn’t much you can do to prevent this. Not all people that are sick mentally don't receive help and a lot of times if someone says something, other people will ignore it as a strive for attention or because they don't know what to do or they think they aren't going to do anything. For example, my roommate first semester was very unstable so I know how it is.

I hope the best for everyone on that campus. Something like this will live with the students, friends, and families forever. Some kid’s lives will be ruined because they will not be able to keep up with their classes and others will just be mentally scarred for life.

This is a true tragedy and I feel for everyone that was affected by this.

[Shawnee123]

You don't singlehandedly kill 32 people armed with only sticks and rocks.

It's just horrible.

OK...flame me now.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

You don't singlehandedly kill 32 people armed with only sticks and rocks.

Nope. Fertilizer, fuel oil, and a rental truck do a much better job.

(is this really the time to go into a gun control debate?)

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

Nope. Fertilizer, fuel oil, and a rental truck do a much better job.

(is this really the time to go into a gun control debate?)

I was just taking my opportunity when it arose. I certainly don't want to debate anyone, because I know how that goes here in the cellar, but it seems to me that a mass shooting is the PERFECT time to debate guns....I mean, after all, shootings are accomplished with (wait for it...) guns, are they not?

Sheesh.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

but it seems to me that a mass shooting is the PERFECT time to debate guns.

Oh fine, fine.

Why is the knee-jerk reaction in these situations to render people defenseless instead of the other way around?

[SadistSecret]

We're not really that violent, it's just oversensationalized in the media because that's what sells. It's never about the actual news anymore, it's about getting the all day coverage on something that makes everyone go "OH MY GOD/S!". News Companies, at the top levels, don't really care what is on the news, as long as it'll stop every dumbass between Maine and Hawaii so they can watch how 30-some odd people got shot today, or how some celebrity did this or that, all to make a quick buck. I suppose it's a bit cold of me to say that I really don't care about what happened in VA the other day, but I actually don't. I care most about what happens where *I* live.

It's all a big ratings contest, and that's why you see so much drugs, sex, violence, and Oprah on TV these days. All I see on the news are stories about the "war", or some sad sack story that's supposed to make you cry. They can wrap up their story on the 6:00 News, and be done with it, and that's what they should be doing, not bulletizing every little detail for an event that is happening halfway (For me, in Iowa, it's about half) across the country, because I really don't care. It doesn't change my life significantly that some guy came to a uni and shot 30 people.

So, don't go saying the USA is incredibly violent, just because that's what you see on TV. To hell with Big News corporations. There's a reason I read the small paper instead of the big one.

[freshnesschronic]

Originally Posted by SadistSecret

We're not really that violent, it's just oversensationalized in the media because that's what sells. It's never about the actual news anymore, it's about getting the all day coverage on something that makes everyone go "OH MY GOD/S!". News Companies, at the top levels, don't really care what is on the news, as long as it'll stop every dumbass between Maine and Hawaii so they can watch how 30-some odd people got shot today, or how some celebrity did this or that, all to make a quick buck. I suppose it's a bit cold of me to say that I really don't care about what happened in VA the other day, but I actually don't. I care most about what happens where *I* live.

It's all a big ratings contest, and that's why you see so much drugs, sex, violence, and Oprah on TV these days. All I see on the news are stories about the "war", or some sad sack story that's supposed to make you cry. They can wrap up their story on the 6:00 News, and be done with it, and that's what they should be doing, not bulletizing every little detail for an event that is happening halfway (For me, in Iowa, it's about half) across the country, because I really don't care. It doesn't change my life significantly that some guy came to a uni and shot 30 people.

So, don't go saying the USA is incredibly violent, just because that's what you see on TV. To hell with Big News corporations. There's a reason I read the small paper instead of the big one.

SEE I BEEN TRYIN TO TELL THIS GIRL BUT SHE DON'T LISTEN GAHHHHHHHHHH US NEWS IS ALL ABOUT DAT!

[duck_duck]

Originally Posted by SadistSecret

We're not really that violent, it's just oversensationalized in the media because that's what sells. It's never about the actual news anymore, it's about getting the all day coverage on something that makes everyone go "OH MY GOD/S!". News Companies, at the top levels, don't really care what is on the news, as long as it'll stop every dumbass between Maine and Hawaii so they can watch how 30-some odd people got shot today, or how some celebrity did this or that, all to make a quick buck. I suppose it's a bit cold of me to say that I really don't care about what happened in VA the other day, but I actually don't. I care most about what happens where *I* live.

It's all a big ratings contest, and that's why you see so much drugs, sex, violence, and Oprah on TV these days. All I see on the news are stories about the "war", or some sad sack story that's supposed to make you cry. They can wrap up their story on the 6:00 News, and be done with it, and that's what they should be doing, not bulletizing every little detail for an event that is happening halfway (For me, in Iowa, it's about half) across the country, because I really don't care. It doesn't change my life significantly that some guy came to a uni and shot 30 people.

So, don't go saying the USA is incredibly violent, just because that's what you see on TV. To hell with Big News corporations. There's a reason I read the small paper instead of the big one.

So if I look up police statistics on crime then I can assume that is just sensationalism too?