VA Tech tragedy. 33 dead. *Shooter sent photos and video to NBC*

[quote name='Dogpatch']The racial issue is overkill. Thought I heard one report where one of the professors killed was asian. Which honestly doesn't matter. 33 people died. No matter what race, religion, and/or sex of the individuals.

As for Jack Thompson, get a flippin clue. It's not rocket science to walk into a room, point a gun, and fire.[/quote]

One of the victims was an asian female, from Alexandria actually. Her last name is Read so by just looking at the name you wouldn't have known. A lot of false reports about him dating or obessing over the first shooting victim. In his "manifesto" he did not mention being spurned by any woman, just general anger at the students that came from upperclass families.

I think he went to West AJ first to commit his rampage but quickly realize that there really weren't people around. Usually dorm halls are empty until after 12 noon at VA Tech (that's how I remember it). So I think maybe plan A was to shoot up a dorm but since he had a lack of targets he quickly left and decided to go for plan B, shoot up a bunch of class rooms. The reason why I think he chose the dorm first is pretty obvious, there are a hell of a lot more people on one floor of AJ than you will find in the class rooms.
 
[quote name='SpazX']
And I didn't mean anything bad DoK or anybody else, it's just that when you give special legitimacy to the deaths of some you're taking it away from others. As if their lives are worth less.[/QUOTE]
I'm not trying to do that at all. Just was surprised and shocked that people so close to home have had their sons taken away from them from this.
 
[quote name='Dogpatch']As for Jack Thompson, get a flippin clue. It's not rocket science to walk into a room, point a gun, and fire.[/quote]

In the manner he did so, very calm and almost numb to the act, one is led to believe that he has done this before. To believe that his lifestyle (including violent video games) had nothing to do with it is silly in it's own. I'm not saying that violent video games made him do it, I'm just saying that playing them is the closest you'll get to preparing yourself for what happened.
 
My highschool was roughly 50% Korean. Of all the Korean boys I knew, I didn't know one which didn't play video games (most I knew played Counterstrike ando/or StarCraft). Then again, most of the males I knew played video games...
 
[quote name='ananag112']So he DID play video games!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041700563_3.html

Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly Counterstrike, a hugely popular online game, in which players join terrorism or counterterrorism groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns.[/QUOTE]

I CALLED IT!;)

And it doesn't fucking matter for Jack Thompson, even if they didn't find this out, he'd still blame this on videogames. This gives him more of an edge before, but like I said he doesn't care about the facts.
 
Again, I don't think a videogame has ever killed anyone. Really, this guy easily obtain guns because of VA's lax laws on how to obtain a gun. For pete's sake, we have a concealed gun license in VA. I really would like this country to repeal the second amendment.
 
The whole video game argument is a cop out...it's people trying to point the finger elsewhere.

Like I said before, its disgusting that people will use this tragedy for their own political gain.
 
Sorry if it has, but has it been mentioned that this guy had an imaginary girlfriend?

I saw his roommates talking about it earlier today.
 
I am surprised no one is talking more about psychological evaluations instead of gun control. It really doens't matter. Nothing can be 100% prevented or predicted.
 
[quote name='MadFlava']Again, I don't think a videogame has ever killed anyone. Really, this guy easily obtain guns because of VA's lax laws on how to obtain a gun. For pete's sake, we have a concealed gun license in VA. I really would like this country to repeal the second amendment.[/quote]

:wall:

You're just as bad as the people who blame videogames - where is the evidence that legal access to guns naturally lends itself to tragedies such as this one?
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']listening to conservative radio earlier today, they're not pushing for more gun control because of this, they're pushing for MORE guns.[/quote]

Jesus Christ, I agree with conservative radio on something.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']I am surprised no one is talking more about psychological evaluations instead of gun control. It really doens't matter. Nothing can be 100% prevented or predicted.[/quote]

Or

we could calmly realize that every 10 years a whacko goes crazy and the police don't catch him in time.

And fix security policies on campus.

I like that much better then forced psyche evaluations - as doubleplus good as that sounds.
 
[quote name='camoor']Jesus Christ, I agree with conservative radio on something.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[/QUOTE]
Because you touch yourself at night.
 
[quote name='camoor']:wall:

You're just as bad as the people who blame videogames - where is the evidence that legal access to guns naturally lends itself to tragedies such as this one?[/quote]
Maybe he would have been able to obtain a gun illegally if we had gun control. The fact is that this suburban kid would probably not have the first clue on how to obtain a gun illegally. Maybe he would have gone on a knife rampage like they have in the UK, but if he went crazy with a knife, no way he would been able to kill 32 people. Hand guns are made for killing people. There is no reason why we can not be more like the UK when it comes to gun control.
 
[quote name='MadFlava']Maybe he would have been able to obtain a gun illegally if we had gun control. The fact is that this suburban kid would probably not have the first clue on how to obtain a gun illegally. Maybe he would have gone on a knife rampage like they have in the UK, but if he went crazy with a knife, no way he would been able to kill 33 people. Hand guns are made for killing people. There is no reason why we can not be more like the UK when it comes to gun control.[/quote]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/16/1699.asp

Our forefathers knew what they were doing when they created the second amendment.

It's true - if we didn't have guns then the King of England could just walk in your house anytime he wants and start shoving you around. Do you want that? Huh? Do you?
 
[quote name='camoor']Or

we could calmly realize that every 10 years a whacko goes crazy and the police don't catch him in time.

And fix security policies on campus.

I like that much better then forced psyche evaluations - as doubleplus good as that sounds.[/QUOTE]

No because I COULD BUY A MACHINE GUN IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS AND THEN TRAIN WITH IT ON DOOM!
 
[quote name='MadFlava']Maybe he would have been able to obtain a gun illegally if we had gun control. The fact is that this suburban kid would probably not have the first clue on how to obtain a gun illegally. Maybe he would have gone on a knife rampage like they have in the UK, but if he went crazy with a knife, no way he would been able to kill 32 people. Hand guns are made for killing people. There is no reason why we can not be more like the UK when it comes to gun control.[/QUOTE]


You sound like the Brits I bang my head against a wall talking to on a football forum. I'm tired of hearing how the UK has higher sensibilities when the law was only passed ten years ago. Give it a fucking break.

And, as I said there, firearms deaths in the UK was extremely low to begin with. 358 in 1995. Out of (now) around 60 million. The low for the numbers I have is 163 in 2003. It may have dropped 54%, but if you factor in the entire population, it's not a large enough sample size to be statistically significant (less than .0003% IIRC).

Also, the number of people affected by the ban was less than 1% of the entire population, so no one raised a ruckus about it. 1% is 3 million people here, and that's not anywhere close to the number of people who own firearms here.

I'm tired of the comparisons to the UK, because you can't compare them.
 
what the fuck...he was a "regular" guy, not a hardened criminal, of course he could get a gun.

Once again, just like race and video games, this guy's act isn't good fuel for gun control or anyone's cause for that matter, until there's hard proof. This was obviously a very personally motivated thing he did. Killing all Koreans, banning guns, nor banning video games is going to prevent this from happening again.

He probably didn't say:
"Hey, I'm Korean, I'm gonna go shoot everyone up!"

or

"Hey, I'm Master Chief, I'm gonna go shoot everyone up!"

or

"Hey, I can buy guns in America because of the second amendment, I'm gonna go shoot everyone up!"
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']listening to conservative radio earlier today, they're not pushing for more gun control because of this, they're pushing for MORE guns.[/QUOTE]


Umm... no fucking shit? i mean you have to be a complete dumbass if you think Conservatives want gun control.

Gun control wouldn't have stopped this, if you think otherwise you are an idiot. Nothing was going to stop this except for the part where the cops had two fucking hours to warn people but instead sat on their ass and eat donuts. That could have saved 30 lives.
 
[quote name='camoor']Or

we could calmly realize that every 10 years a whacko goes crazy and the police don't catch him in time.

And fix security policies on campus.

I like that much better then forced psyche evaluations - as doubleplus good as that sounds.[/quote]

I just don't know what to think any more. I just wish it never happened.
 
Right, people forget to look at the entire environment around the guy. He was being suppressed, most likely in punishment-like ways, and snapped. Check up on the research, it happens.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I agree with Rush Limbaugh 100%.

I need a stiff drink.[/QUOTE]
Pour me one too.:beer:

Hell must have frozen over: Rush Limbaugh has said something intelligent.
 
[quote name='Lobsterjohnson']In the manner he did so, very calm and almost numb to the act, one is led to believe that he has done this before. To believe that his lifestyle (including violent video games) had nothing to do with it is silly in it's own. I'm not saying that violent video games made him do it, I'm just saying that playing them is the closest you'll get to preparing yourself for what happened.[/QUOTE]

Maybe true. Just hard to believe. Being face to face to a person seems to be a whole different experience than sitting in front of a tv or monitor. I guess when the mind goes over the edge, anything is possible.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Pour me one too.:beer:

Hell must have frozen over: Rush Limbaugh has said something intelligent.[/QUOTE]

Make it a double. :beer: :beer:

I'm gonna hate this. I agree with him.
 
[quote name='camoor']Or

we could calmly realize that every 10 years a whacko goes crazy and the police don't catch him in time.

And fix security policies on campus.

I like that much better then forced psyche evaluations - as doubleplus good as that sounds.[/QUOTE]


I don't think there's any way to impose psych evaluations on everyone either (serial killers are known to be manipulative and wise to these kinds of things), but what security policies would you fix short of metal detectors on every building on every campus?

Universities will review their policies and come to the conclusion that if it does happen, they'll just have to find a way to react to the particular situation at hand (probably with more urgency after VA.) there's no way to prevent this kind of thing.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']http://kotaku.com/gaming/rush-limbaugh/limbaugh-games-arent-to-blame-253132.php[/quote]

Well, I don't know how he could blame videogames when he is a conservative and probably wants a gun in everyone's hands. Conservatives want every 18 year old college student to carry a semi automatic handgun 'for protection', but they don't want them to play videogames? That's supposed to be where we learn how to shoot that gun, right? Even Rush realizes how stupid that sounds.
 
[quote name='dragonreborn23']Well, I don't know how he could blame videogames when he is a conservative and probably wants a gun in everyone's hands. Conservatives want every 18 year old college student to carry a semi automatic handgun 'for protection', but they don't want them to play videogames? That's supposed to be where we learn how to shoot that gun, right? Even Rush realizes how stupid that sounds.[/QUOTE]

Wow, those aren't overgeneralizations at all.
 
Here's the Fox news video of Thompson for those who were asking for it earlier:

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weG7A4lTGtg[/MEDIA]

For some reason, my video went down for a few hours today but it's working again now.

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWJm5cZ3SNM[/MEDIA]

If you needed more proof that Thompson is just an attention whore with nothing substantial to say, just compare the two videos. He immediately jumps into a videogame hate speech both times despite it having little to do with the questions at hand. And each response was practically the same in each interview. He did a great job at tricking someone into thinking that he would be a relevant guest.
 
Back when this topic was on the general gaming board and Guile was talking about how it was off topic, I was going to make a joke about it being "on-topic once Jacko hears about this." However, I refrained from posting it, since:
1) I thought that it would be in poor taste to post a joke.
2) I thought that Jacko wouldn't be crazy enough to try to gain from this tragedy, at least until much later.
In the end, I guess I overestimated Wackie Jackie...

...Then I watched the first 20 seconds on each of those videos, and stopped watching them out of rage.

1) Right off the bat, before we even know a thing about the shooter, Tommy goes off and politicizes it with his usual "We gotta look at teh games!" spiel.
2) To the news channels: School Shootings Expert? SCHOOL SHOOTINGS EXPERT!? WHAT THE SHAQ-FU DOES A PERSON HAVE TO DO TO BE CALLED A "SCHOOL SHOOTINGS EXPERT!?" Hell, if you want a real expert, try getting a *gasp* DETECTIVE or an ACCLAIMED PSYCHOLOGIST, NOT A SHAQ-FUING AMBULANCE CHASER, who, without hesitation, gladly politicizes the tragedy off the bat, before any information whatsoever is released.

Sorry about the caps, I normally can't stand that guy's antics, but I'm getting very angry to see him already pulling his antics, while being hailed as an "expert" by the saps at the news networks.

EDIT: Just read Limbaugh's statement and my reaction is :shock: Rush of all people? Going against the "gaems are teh cause of teh ebil" lobby? And dang, his description of "drive-bys" fits Thompson perfectly. :)
 
It turns out my cousin lived in the same building as the shooter at VA Tech. Actually right down the hall from my cousin. So observations my cousin made for seeing him in the building "He'd always be watching wrestling shows in the first floor lounge", "I'd try to say "hi" but he'd always just look away or at the ground", "He would always eat alone".

I'm still shocked how close he was to the shooter. And my cousin was in the dorms that morning until 9:50 AM. I honestly think if the campus went into lock down after the West AJ shooting, he would have just gone on his rampage at the most convenient location which would have been his dorm. I think my cousin is actually very fortunate that he is alive today.
 
[quote name='Apossum']I don't think there's any way to impose psych evaluations on everyone either (serial killers are known to be manipulative and wise to these kinds of things), but what security policies would you fix short of metal detectors on every building on every campus?

Universities will review their policies and come to the conclusion that if it does happen, they'll just have to find a way to react to the particular situation at hand (probably with more urgency after VA.) there's no way to prevent this kind of thing.[/quote]

Well - technically he was a spree killer, not a serial murderer.

However there are plenty of non-intrusive policies that could be instituted. Here's two, for a start:

1. After every shooting, put a notice on the loudspeakers.
2. After every shooting, send a notice to student's cell phones.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances before offering more suggestions, but I think any rational observer can see that campus security policies left something to be desired.
 
As bad as the tragedy was, it gives you some insight into some of the idiots that go there. They've had a bad reputation for a reason in the sports world, now we've expanded into the general student population.
 
[quote name='camoor']Well - technically he was a spree killer, not a serial murderer.

However there are plenty of non-intrusive policies that could be instituted. Here's two, for a start:

1. After every shooting, put a notice on the loudspeakers.
2. After every shooting, send a notice to student's cell phones.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances before offering more suggestions, but I think any rational observer can see that campus security policies left something to be desired.[/quote]I've never seen any loudspeaker system at any campus I've been to, I was surprised Va Tech even had one. And no one registers their cell phones with the school, that would be a logistical nightmare.

No campus security policy will ever have answers for every situation that may arise. The only thing that would have lessened this particular tragedy was immediately identifying and apprehending the gunman, which wasn't possible because no one seemed to have seen him at the first shooting.
 
[quote name='botticus']

No campus security policy will ever have answers for every situation that may arise. The only thing that would have lessened this particular tragedy was immediately identifying and apprehending the gunman, which wasn't possible because no one seemed to have seen him at the first shooting.[/QUOTE]

I like how my college newspaper's front page had an article that stated that campus police said they are "prepared" for this type of situation.:roll: No, they aren't. No college is.
 
[quote name='botticus']I've never seen any loudspeaker system at any campus I've been to, I was surprised Va Tech even had one. And no one registers their cell phones with the school, that would be a logistical nightmare.

No campus security policy will ever have answers for every situation that may arise. The only thing that would have lessened this particular tragedy was immediately identifying and apprehending the gunman, which wasn't possible because no one seemed to have seen him at the first shooting.[/quote]

Yes, they had a loudspeaker - why not use it.

Why would collecting cell phone numbers from students would be a logistical nightmare? Something tells me that if they can work out payment plans, housing, food, and class schedules for 20,000 students, then the main office should be able to come up with some system for collecting voluntarily-given cell phone numbers to be used to text messages in emergency situations only. Mass texting can't be that hard (my cell company does it all the time for dopey ads) - and the school is VA Tech for goodness sakes.

Sure - you can't be prepared for every situation, but you can always learn from a case where security measures failed.
 
[quote name='camoor']Yes, they had a loudspeaker - why not use it.

Why would collecting cell phone numbers from students would be a logistical nightmare? Something tells me that if they can work out payment plans, housing, food, and class schedules for 20,000 students, then the main office should be able to come up with some system for collecting voluntarily-given cell phone numbers to be used to text messages in emergency situations only. Mass texting can't be that hard (my cell company does it all the time for dopey ads) - and the school is VA Tech for goodness sakes.

Sure - you can't be prepared for every situation, but you can always learn from a case where security measures failed.[/QUOTE]

The problem is, that costs money. Not only for the school, but the person who receives it, too.

Loudspeakers and cell phone messages only work when the student is in a position to hear it. If those kids were taking a test, it wouldn't have mattered. I see your line of thinking, but your solutions aren't going to work. Maybe a light in each classroom, but what happens when classes don't meet conventionally? And as was said, many students don't live on campus. How to get word to the people driving in? Someone shot in a dorm doesn't break lightning speed to get on the news.
 
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