On April 16, 2007, Cho Seung Hui went on a shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus leaving 32 innocent people dead, and then he took his own life.
His actions not only took innocent lives, but also tore the families of the victims as well as his own apart.
Cho purchased the guns used in the shooting legaly, though recent evidence has proved that a Judge had declared him to be mentally ill and ordered him to be confined to a mental hospital. He spent one day at the hospital and was released after doctors at the hospital declared that he wasn't mentally ill. None of this was reported, thus allowing Cho to pass the required FBI background check at the point of a gun purchase. You can read the entire story at MSNBC.com.
So in the wake of all of this, my questions are
1. Should legal gun ownership in the U.S. be banned ?
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ?
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ?
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ?
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ?
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ?
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns wern't available ?
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 20
Cho used semi-automatic weapons which require one to pull the trigger each time a shot is fired.
Timothy - to answer your questions:
1. Should legal gun ownership in the U.S. be banned ? No
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ? No
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ? Yes
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ? I think you mean "Mental Health system" and yes, it should. We tried being really nice by closing down many institutions (some deserved to be closed down but not others) and tried to mainstream too many people who were dangerous to themselves and others. This same type of thinking didn't allow us to take decisive action against a person like Cho.
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ? Improvements can always be made.
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ? Absolutely
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns wern't available ? Yes. The worst school killings took place - with no guns - in Michigan in 1927. There the guy used homemade bombs, fire accelerants, and his own truck to run over those fleeing the school. He wound up killing 45 with 37 being elementary school kids. If Cho didn't have guns at his disposal - he would have found something else.
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ?Nope
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ? Absolutely, probably more so!
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ? yes
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ? possibly...it definately needs to be improved upon
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ? Absolutely we should!!!
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns wern't available ? Without a doubt
1. Should legal gun ownership in the U.S. be banned ? No
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ? Probably as good as a ban on drugs has worked.
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ? Yes, arming the bad guys and weakening the good guys.
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ? It should be enforced, not ignored when a school is afraid of the PC police for pointing out a minority with problems.
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ? No I think it is sufficient.
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ? That's an asinine question.
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns weren't available ? Possibly but guns SHOULDN"T have been available to a non-American.
The benefits of Gun bans have been limited at best, and never last for long. So no they should not be banned.
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ?
No it would not. Due to the amount of trafficing in this country, of drugs, weapons, and other materials, no ban would work on guns.
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ?
Most guns used in crimes are either purchaced through the black market, or can stolen from owners (not using good security) and stores.
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ?
In many ways yes, especially with the state run hospitals. Removing the PC ideas, and the "Poor Me" views would help immensely.
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ?
This is a hard one, as the one in place has done a lot of good, but there are always the few that slip through any system. There might be some ways, but I don't know exactly how.
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ?
There are many reasons for the wording of the second amendment, and most are correct. One thing to remember is what Jefferson said about being able to defend yourself from a tyrannical goverment, if one should happen in this country. So yes we do have that right.
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns wern't available ? If not with a gun, or even a gun if he really wanted to use them, he could have used explosives, vehicles, knives, a table leg would even have worked.
1. No, legal gun ownership should not be banned in this country.
2. A gun ban would not work in our country in my opinion.
3. Guns would still be available on the black market, as they are now, if we did have a ban on them in the US.
4. Yes, our mental health system in this country needs some help.
5. Improvements can always be made to this background check system.
6. Yes, we do have a right to keep and bear arms, it's the 2nd Amendment.
7. I believe that Cho would've pulled this off with other weapons if guns were banned, or maybe even with guns. There are always ways to get around the law, and he would've found a way. And he's a criminal, he murdered 32 people, he doesn't have much respect for the law anyway, so he would've found a way to get a gun if they were illegal if he really wanted one.
Seriously, Gun laws don't keep criminals from guns. And even if they could, criminals would use other methods. Cho could have used a bomb belt like terroists seem to favor, and easily killed as many people. People bent on depriving others of their lives will find a way, and no laws will stop them.
No. Even though I do not use or own a gun, I do believe there are reasonable cases where one is needed.
2. Would a gun ban actually work in our country ?
No. Every law has a breaker. There are plenty of people who don't follow rules.
3. If guns were banned, would guns still be available through the black market ?
Duh. Of course.
4. Should our Metal Health system be overhauled ?
I think it's more like the individual doctors/facilities. Why did they release him? Is any money (or lack of) involved?
5. Should the automatic FBI background check be overhauled ?
It's not their fault because it's the mental hospital who didn't report this case.
6. What about the 2nd Amendment ? Don't we have the right to keep and bear arms ?
Except you can't harm other people.
7. Would Cho have pulled this off if guns wern't available ?
Maybe, maybe not. He might have found another way to do harm, although maybe not as deadly.