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Adeshola
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World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 10:35 AM
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UNITED STATES (U.S.) worst university attack where a gunman evaded detection between killing two people and two hours later 30 others, including two professors, were eliminated, has sent shock waves around the world drawing condemnation.
Leaders and press criticised the deadly Virginia's university rampage, delving into the American psyche and raising stakes for debate on issues of gun controls in the country with most private arms.
Across Europe where some of the toughest gun laws in the world are in place the gun curbs debate was echoed.
But while most leaders have expressed shock at the attack, a few said they were surprised and criticised the availability of guns in the U.S., lax gun controls and the number of Americans who cling to the constitutional right that allows them to bear arms.
From London, Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "I would like to express on behalf of Britain and the British people our profound sadness at what has happened and to send the American people and most especially, of course, the families of the victims, our sympathy and our prayers."
"The Queen was shocked and saddened to hear of the news of the shooting in Virginia," Buckingham Palace said.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, are scheduled to visit Virginia May 3-4.
British Home Office Minister, Tony McNulty, who earned a masters degree in political science at Virginia Tech in 1982 said: "I think if this does prompt a serious and reflective debate on gun issues and gun law in the states then some good may come from this woeful tragedy."
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the shooting underscored the problems of a U.S. "gun culture."
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Adeshola
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 10:38 AM
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Howard staked his political leadership on pushing through tough laws on gun ownership in Australia after one of the world's deadliest killing sprees 11 years ago by a lone gunman.
"We took action to limit the availability of guns and we showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country," Howard said.
The gunman killed himself in a classroom at the Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg after opening fire on students and staff in an apparently pre-meditated massacre on Monday morning.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger yesterday told Cable News Network (CNN) that the attacker whose identity he did not disclosed, was an Asian a student and a dormitory resident.
Two professors from India and Israel were among those shot dead in the attack, Associated Press (AP) reported.
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Adeshola
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 10:42 AM
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Liviu Librescu, 75, an engineering science and mathematics lecturer was fatally shot as he tried to ward off the attacker by closing the classroom door, his son said yesterday from Tel Aviv, Israel.
"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview of his father, who immigrated to Israel from Romania, and then moved to Virginia for his sabbatical.
Also, a 51-year-old Indian-born lecturer in the engineering department was killed, his brother told local media.
The terrifying scenes of television images of students and police dragging out bloody victims revived memories of the infamous Columbine High School massacre of eight years ago and were expected to reopen U.S. gun-free zone debate.
Police said the gunman appeared to have used chains to lock doors and prevent victims from escaping, Reuters reported.
"This man was brutal," Dr. Joseph Cacioppo, an emergency room physician who treated the wounded, told CNN. "There wasn't a shooting victim that didn't have less than three bullet wounds in them."
Many students were angry that they were not warned of any danger until more than two hours after the first attack at a dormitory -- and then only in an e-mail from the university.
east reduce the number?"
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Adeshola
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 10:43 AM
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"We knew that there was a shooting but we thought it was confined to a particular setting," Steger told reporters, explaining the lack of more urgent measures such as evacuating the sprawling grounds or shutting down the whole campus, which has more than 25,000 full-time students.
The first shooting was reported to campus police at about 7:15 a.m. (1115 GMT) in West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory housing some 900 students. Two hours later, dozens of shots were fired a half-mile away at Norris Hall, site of the science and engineering school.
Witnesses said the killer was a black-clad Asian male, about six feet tall, who calmly moved from room to room shooting students and staff.
The New York Times in an editorial on Tuesday, said the shooting was "another horrifying reminder that some of the gravest dangers Americans face come from killers at home armed with guns that are frighteningly easy to obtain."
"What is needed, urgently, is stronger controls over the lethal weapons that cause such wasteful carnage and such unbearable loss," the Times said.
President George W. Bush on Monday in reaction to the deaths said : "Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom in every American community."
The Times of London 's editorial yesterday delved into the American psyche and the weak gun laws across the country.
"Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at l
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Adeshola
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 10:46 AM
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Gun crime is extremely rare in Britain, and handguns are completely illegal.
"What exactly triggered the massacre in Virginia is unclear but the fundamental reason is often the perpetrator's psychological problems in combination with access to weapons," Swedish daily Goteborgs-Posten commented.
The shooting also drew intense coverage by media in China. The school has a relatively many Chinese students. Private citizens are forbidden from owning guns in China.
"Why are there were so many shooting incidents in American schools and universities?" said a comment posted on the popular Internet portal Sohu.com. "People should think why an American-educated student would take revenge against America?"
An American studies expert, Yuan Peng, was quoted by state-run China Daily as saying the shooting showed America's problems with gun control and a lack of security at U.S. universities.
"This incident reflects the problem of gun control in America," said Yuan, from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a Beijing-based think-tank.
Of the seven per cent foreigners among the more than 26,000 students at Virginia Tech Chinese undergraduate and graduate students comprise nearly a third. There are about 600 or so students and teachers and their family members from China at the school, said Xue, the Chinese student union president.
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idreeskhan
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 11:13 AM
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Its Crazy, he looks a mad guy, must be sick in his head, some thing wrong with him, he not only kill 32 people he killed generations, its killing of humanity, doesn't make a sense to kill the people like that, he was an animal, we need secure & peacefull world for that we need to make amendment in our Arms Law/ Regulations & getting Guns Licences.
I Request All world to pray for the victims & we hereby condole to all the families of the victims.
Thanks
Idrees Khan
CEO, HRSWS International
Pakistan
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a
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 02:21 PM
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In actual fact he did have mental health problems..
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Jack
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 06:13 PM
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While I aknowledge this as a tragedy, and agree what people are saying about stricter gun control laws, no one has pointed out the fact that much more than 33 people, mostly civillians are killed every day in Iraq. I understand that their country is at war, but why don't we think of them and show such outrage as is shown for this incident of violence. Just today in Baghdad the AP estimates that 233 people were killed in attacks. Like I said, I feel for those effected by the Virginia Tech shooting, but I feel as though more attention should be devoted to people being killed horrifically everywhere, wether it be in the US, Iraq, Sudan... all over the world.
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Owulezi
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 18, 2007 - 07:02 PM
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Many said gun should be guided with effective laws, it is reasonable likewise considering effect of drugs, I hope the guy wasn't on drugs or unconscious.
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esra
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 19, 2007 - 04:15 AM
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It's really worrying He has a huge problem mentally...
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Becky
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 20, 2007 - 11:04 PM
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This horrible event has saddened many people across the country and it sounds like around the world. Certainly, we all support the families of those who were senselessly killed.
As some have hinted at, I think this event is not just about gun-control. In my opinion, this doesn't highlight just a fault in gun-control but a much deeper failure of our mental health system. Every year, there are crimes of varying degrees committed by people who suffer from mental health issues. Most of these could have been prevented with major reforms to our system. The current mental health system is failing its clients and, therefore, failing society. Budgets continually get cut, serves chopped back and in the end its the people who suffer the most. Furthermore, social stigmas attached to mental health disorders remain strong which sometimes prevent people from getting the help needed. There is still the incorrect assumption guiding practice (and funding) that mental health disorders are choices. Mental health disorders need to be viewed in a similar light as physical illnesses like cancer or heart disease. We need to work to create a society of acceptance and support for each other.
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Nickybol2323
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Re: World outrage at U.S. worst school shooting
April 23, 2007 - 04:51 PM
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I think that the US really needs to look at itself and its gun policy. Most of these school shootings happen in the US and I think the US gun policy is one of the major causes contributing to this. In most other countries, with laws restricting the owning of guns by civilians these tragedies do not take place at schools.
I also agree with a previous comment that has been made about the publicity regarding this shooting. This shooting has dominated frontpages and television for two/three days in The Netherlands, while deaths in Somalia and Iraq were mentioned somewhere on page 7. It is a strange world we are living in, a world where an American person is worth more than a Somalian person or an Iraqi person.
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