One reportedly dead in Virginia Tech shooting (Update: Now 33)

[blindndead]

(CNN) -- One person was killed and one person was wounded in a shooting on the Virginia Tech university campus in Blacksburg on Monday, The Associated Press reported, quoting a state government official.

Roanoke's WSLS reports that one person has been taken into custody, but it is unclear whether more suspects are being sought.

Student Matt Waldron said he did not hear the gunshots because he was listening to music, but he heard police sirens and saw officers hiding behind trees with their guns drawn.

"They told us to get out of there so we ran across the drill field as quick as we could," he said.

Waldron described the scene on campus as "mayhem."

"It was kind of scary," he said. "These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape just lying on the ground."

The shooting comes three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported.

After the Monday shooting, students were instructed to stay indoors and away from windows, police at the university said.

"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows," read a warning from the university.

The shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed dormitory that houses 895 students. The dormitory, one of the largest residence halls on campus, is located near the drill field and stadium.

"Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus," a statement on the university Web site said.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/

 

[blindndead]

How can this be true? That is a gun free zone. I cant understand how this can happen.....

 

[vellnueve]

VT has a gun storage program where you can leave your gun with the police if you live on campus and take it when you want to go use it. Obviously that won't help in this kind of situation.

My younger sister is going to enroll there next fall. Not too happy about the continued crap that goes on down there. I have a feeling she might get a going away gift of a 20 gauge Mossberg and a free trip to Gunsite, plus an off campus apartment.

 

[News Shooter]

OMG!! Now they're saying 21 dead

At Virginia Tech





View larger image

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people and wounding another 21 before he was killed, police said.

On the Web site, Tech reported the shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and said there were "multiple victims" at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

All entrances to the campus were closed and classes canceled through Tuesday.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said student Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put.

"They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again."

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said.

Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN, said, "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible."

It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

In August 2006, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus.

The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

 

[TomH]

Yet another reason to carry...

 

[Mikey]

HOLY CRAP! 22 DEAD NOW!

 

[Scully714]

22 dead now, and from what I'm hearing it sounds like it may rise further, unfortunately.

 

[Chris]

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on,"

That's easy...

The only person on campus with a gun is the bad guy and the rest of you are officially declared by your government as "targets".

Do you suppose any of these students will actually realize this?

 

[News Shooter]

Sorry didn't mean to dupe post

This is undoubtedly going to result in the gun grabbers coming after us

Please God, don't let this be a licensed shooter

 

[TomH]

No, they will probably all support gun bans after the incident... college campuses are extremely liberal, and college kids are for the most part completely nieve to the world around them and it's reality. Being liberal and supporting socialist programs/anti-gun laws etc makes them feel important and justified. Being fresh out of college I've seen a lot of this. They probably won't even consider that if they had a gun they could have saved their friend's lives... but I hope they prove me wrong.

-Tom

 

[Chris]

<hijack>
Best way to cure a liberal is to kick them out of the house and make them start paying their own way
</hijack>

Seriously, I still can't believe that people think bans in schools are a great idea and not equivalent to hanging a sign that says "Please come shoot our defenseless youth".

ARGH.

 

[Cross-X]

All law-abiding gun owners in the rest of the country, including Massachuestts in particular, are going to suffer for this senseless tragedy.

I hate this state.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I merged the two threads into one and updated the title.

 

[Will Brink]

At Virginia Tech





View larger image

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people and wounding another 21 before he was killed, police said.

On the Web site, Tech reported the shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and said there were "multiple victims" at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

All entrances to the campus were closed and classes canceled through Tuesday.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said student Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put.

"They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again."

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said.

Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN, said, "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible."

It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

In August 2006, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus.

The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

It really sucks to be right some times. We were just talking about the general ban states have on CCW on college campus. Regarding this ban I said:


"Which why they are magnets for a-holes to go shoot up. This one, in particular colleges, makes zero sense. Why on earth can't a legal gun owner CCW on a college campus? It just has no internal logic to it."

 

[Chris]

"Which why they are magnets for a-holes to go shoot up. This one, in particular colleges, makes zero sense. Why on earth can't a legal gun owner CCW on a college campus? It just has no internal logic to it."

Because it feels good to the people who support this kind of BS. And there are more of these clueless idiots than there are people who really know the facts.

 

[drgrant]

I can already hear the antis WHAAAAAAMBULANCE starting to howl its
siren once again.

Gee, I wonder if their campus is a "gun free zone"?

-Mike

 

[Jose]

Please God, don't let this be a licensed shooter

There is no such thing as a "licensed shooter" in Virginia, or most of the US for that matter.

Walk in, fill out your ATF 4473, dealer call it in, get the OK, pay and walk out with new gun.

Or just hand over the cash to a private seller and take your new gun home.

I have a license to conceal a handgun, but that's it. None needed to own or use what I have.

 

[Chris]

Please, don't get me wrong.

I grieve for the families that have lost loved ones. Nothing changes the fact that such loss is senseless. I also feel for the responders who had to go and clean up this mess.

None of that changes, however, the fact that the political reality that created, continues to support, and will push the policies that enable this kind of tragic event will not change and we will only wonder when the 'next' one will occur.

 

[TomH]

The truth is if a student nearby was carrying and was trained enough to handle the weapon well, there may have been one or two deaths, including the shooter. Instead, because of the liberal brainwashing that guns are bad, they can never be allowed somewhere like a college campus so they can feel safe in their dorms, blah blah blah. Well we see how safe it is now.

 

[News Shooter]

Right

There is no such thing as a "licensed shooter" in Virginia, or most of the US for that matter.

Walk in, fill out your ATF 4473, dealer call it in, get the OK, pay and walk out with new gun.

Or just hand over the cash to a private seller and take your new gun home.

I have a license to conceal a handgun, but that's it. None needed to own or use what I have.

That's what I meant.

The only thing we can hope for is that the guy is a criminal who obtained and possessed the guns illegally. If he has any kind of lawful connection, purchashing, passing the background check, etc., it's going to be bad for us.
They will use that as ammunition to toughen the laws even more. I'm sure Sarah and her ilk are en route to Tech as we speak.

 

[Chris]

Isn't there a federal law that bans guns from schools unless the state issues a license with background checks? I thought that was the reason they passed the ban in schools here in MA.

 

[drgrant]

That's what I meant.

The only thing we can hope for is that the guy is a criminal who obtained and possessed the guns illegally. If he has any kind of lawful connection, purchashing, passing the background check, etc., it's going to be bad for us.
They will use that as ammunition to toughen the laws even more. I'm sure Sarah and her ilk are en route to Tech as we speak.

In the end game all of that will be meaningless- the media will not be
discussing whether or not someone was "licensed"- there will only be whining
about "gun violence".


-Mike

 

[drgrant]

Isn't there a federal law that bans guns from schools unless the state issues a license with background checks? I thought that was the reason they passed the ban in schools here in MA.

GFSZ does exist but is a nullity for anyone with a CCW/LTC etc.

I think the MA anti-school laws are their own bundles of crap and has
nothing to do with GFSZ at all.

-Mike

 

[1903Collector]

Just heard that this scumbag used two 9mm handguns.

 

[depicts]

Holy shit...does this suck.

Here's a story from COMCAST

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/04/16/637926.html

Up to 25 Dead now.

Damn

 

[Marcus in the Darkus]

First, I grieve for the kids who were murdered, injured, or traumatized and their loved ones.











Second, I have a feeling this will have very bad repurcussions for law-abiding gun owners everywhere, especially here in Massachusetts. I wouldn't be surprised to find that this nutcase was active on some gun boards and had obtained his handguns legally.

What a senseless waste of life. Why can't these shitheads take themselves out first, and not last?

 

[drgrant]

This is nicely incriminating.... I hope one of the victims/bystanders
was a CHL holder that was "denied" by this barrier being in place
so the world will know how despicable the administration is. Course even
if that is the truth, it will never "get airtime".

Gun Bill Gets Shot Down by Panel
Jan. 31, 2006
HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.

By Greg Esposito

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.

House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.

The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." Mr. Hincker, the state legislature did nothing to keep those souls safe.

Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.

Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon entering campus. The legislation was designed to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit ... from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun."

The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training programs.

Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university's authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.

In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.

 

[Jose]

That's what I meant.

The only thing we can hope for is that the guy is a criminal who obtained and possessed the guns illegally. If he has any kind of lawful connection, purchashing, passing the background check, etc., it's going to be bad for us.
They will use that as ammunition to toughen the laws even more. I'm sure Sarah and her ilk are en route to Tech as we speak.

Agreed.....

 

[John2]

Can you imagine the carnage going on in the House and Senate as Schummer, Fienstein, Boxer, McCarthy and other anti-gun crowd all rush to their news conferences? Don't wait for the facts, just push for 1022 ban. Their aids will be burning the midnight oil crafting more legislation, to disarm America and prepare the way for Al-Quada. Useful idiots! This seems too contrived. Like "on que". Maybe I'm synical. Nevertheless, I'm sorry all those people were executed like sheep, denied any chance at self defense. I understand a Bill to allow campus carry in VA was defeated this morning.

 

[Jose]

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

I am blown away by the level of stupidity and naivete that exists in so many people.