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Massacre at Virginia Tech!

I was absolutely shocked when I read the local newspaper in China..
Being a bit emotional..I am feeling insecure of my coming college life in US..I was aware gunshot in campus happens sometimes in US,but this tragedy intensified my worries...


I just wanna know how u guys think of the tragedy ..
Is gun really that accessible in US(and UK)..?
Will u feel insecure living in a country like this...Do you guys think it should be controlled?
Will it cause fear or futher discrimination against yellow ppl(i am actually more concerned about this cuz i am Chinese..)...

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Reply 1
Avatar for Scuttle
Scuttle
Lareina&#23706
I was absolutely shocked when I read the local newspaper in China..
Being a bit emotional..I am feeling insecure of my coming college life in US..I was aware gunshot in campus happens sometimes in US,but this tragedy intensified my worries...


I just wanna know how u guys think of the tragedy ..
Is gun really that accessible in US(and UK)..?
Will u feel insecure living in a country like this...Do you guys think it should be controlled?
Will it cause fear or futher discrimination against yellow ppl(i am actually more concerned about this cuz i am Chinese..)...


Yes, America has higher gun crime rates than most anywhere else in the world, because they read the consitution and then cut out the bits where it says "GUNS ARE FOR THE ARMY/MILITIA, FOOL".
Anyway, this shooting is in the news because it is so extraordinary, if it were an every day occurance then it wouldn't be newsworthy.
No one will care that it was an asian person either, any more than they will label students who study English as more likely to go on a shooting spree on their campus.

In American, guns are everywhere, and that is entirely their fault, but you aren't going to get shot at every time you go to a lecture.
In the UK, guns are essentially totally banned, and very rare - only found in the hands of a minority of scumbag criminals. You will probably never see a gun in the UK except in the hands of police at the airport - in the US you will probably see one in a lot of houses.
Scuttle
No one will care that it was an asian person either, any more than they will label students who study English as more likely to go on a shooting spree on their campus....



Haha...thank u 4 saying this....relived a bit~~~

[QUOTE=In American, guns are everywhere, and that is entirely their fault, but you aren't going to get shot at every time you go to a lecture.

I hope so~~~:p:
[QUOTE=In the UK, guns are essentially totally banned, and very rare....
Ya...same in China..and I think it's much safer than guns everywhere.
Reply 3
Avatar for WokSz
WokSz
17
Gun crime is high in the US, but having said that crime is high anywhere you go. If you were to come study in Geneva, the chances of you getting hurt, mugged, etc... are very high as well. Don't let this incident affect you.

As for the race issue, American colleges are filled with Asians. There will be the occasional, pathetic comment diverted towards them, but nothing too serious or significant.
WokSz
Gun crime is high in the US, but having said that crime is high anywhere you go. If you were to come study in Geneva, the chances of you getting hurt, mugged, etc... are very high as well. Don't let this incident affect you.

As for the race issue, American colleges are filled with Asians. There will be the occasional, pathetic comment diverted towards them, but nothing too serious or significant.

Thank u ~~~
Ya..i think there're indeed a large number of Asians in US...
Hope it's not gonna affect us...and that's actually what S.Korean President is worried about...
Reply 5
Avatar for Bismarck
Bismarck
13
Lareina&#23706
I was absolutely shocked when I read the local newspaper in China..
Being a bit emotional..I am feeling insecure of my coming college life in US..I was aware gunshot in campus happens sometimes in US,but this tragedy intensified my worries...


I just wanna know how u guys think of the tragedy ..
Is gun really that accessible in US(and UK)..?
Will u feel insecure living in a country like this...Do you guys think it should be controlled?
Will it cause fear or futher discrimination against yellow ppl(i am actually more concerned about this cuz i am Chinese..)...


You have a higher chance of being hit by lightning than getting killed on a college campus.
Reply 6
Avatar for IB-more
IB-more
Scuttle
You will probably never see a gun in the UK except in the hands of police at the airport - in the US you will probably see one in a lot of houses.

That's an exaggeration. Most Americans have never seen anyone whip out a pistol and threaten to use it in real life. Also, it's pretty uncommon to own a gun for household protection.
zackinbaltimore
That's an exaggeration. Also, it's pretty uncommon to own a gun for household protection.



In the US, 30% of households have a gun.
In Texas, gun ownership is around 45% for households.
acolyte
In the US, 30% of households have a gun.
In Texas, gun ownership is around 45% for households.


What is the source for your statistics? I lived in a very urban area of DC for eleven years and I've never known anyone, or heard of anyone who has a gun or has considered buying one. The chances of you, your friends, or your family being injured by a gun rise very considerably, I have heard thirteen fold, if you have a gun in your house or on your person. I got that statistic from my uncle, an emergency room physician, who has seen many many gun injuries. A big majority are accidental, apparently.
Reply 9
Avatar for Carl
Carl
14
Bismarck
You have a higher chance of being hit by lightning than getting killed on a college campus.

I bet lightening is protected by the US Constitution too :rolleyes: :p:
In our history, amendments to the Constitution have been written, and it's time to write another on the right to bear arms. In my view, it is scandalous and just plain wrong that a disturbed private citizen, or any private citizen, can go to a local gun store with $500, present three forms of identification, purchase a Glock 9mm and fifty rounds, and walk out with these goods twenty minutes later.
Reply 11
Avatar for Bismarck
Bismarck
13
dismal_laundry
What is the source for your statistics? I lived in a very urban area of DC for eleven years and I've never known anyone, or heard of anyone who has a gun or has considered buying one. The chances of you, your friends, or your family being injured by a gun rise very considerably, I have heard thirteen fold, if you have a gun in your house or on your person. I got that statistic from my uncle, an emergency room physician, who has seen many many gun injuries. A big majority are accidental, apparently.


That's because D.C., like most major cities, has very strict gun control laws. I believe there are 200 million guns registered to 120 million Americans.

dismal_laundry
In our history, amendments to the Constitution have been written, and it's time to write another on the right to bear arms. In my view, it is scandalous and just plain wrong that a disturbed private citizen, or any private citizen, can go to a local gun store with $500, present three forms of identification, purchase a Glock 9mm and fifty rounds, and walk out with these goods twenty minutes later.


Most places have mandatory background checks that should have revealed this guy's mental status. Not sure why it wasn't performed here...
It didn't reveal his mental status because he was not officially noted anywhere as being unstable. He'd been confined to no institution, had no criminal record, was as crazy as a loon, and breezed out with his Glock. The law needs major reform at the Federal level. Remember Port Harcourt in Tasmania, Australia, when another sociopath killed 35 people? The Australian Government had a much stricter set of gun controls on the books and in practice within one year (1997). Gun crime is very significantly down in Australia. Now there's a sane people.
dismal_laundry
It didn't reveal his mental status because he was not officially noted anywhere as being unstable. He'd been confined to no institution, had no criminal record, was as crazy as a loon, and breezed out with his Glock. The law needs major reform at the Federal level. Remember Port Harcourt in Tasmania, Australia, when another sociopath killed 35 people? The Australian Government had a much stricter set of gun controls on the books and in practice within one year (1997). Gun crime is very significantly down in Australia. Now there's a sane people.


He HAD been in a mental health facility in 2005, and the local police were aware of his strange behaviour... complaints had been made against him.
Reply 14
Avatar for WokSz
WokSz
17
Lareina&#23706
Thank u ~~~
Ya..i think there're indeed a large number of Asians in US...
Hope it's not gonna affect us...and that's actually what S.Korean President is worried about...


It's understandable. Unfortunately, rationality is lost from peoples' mind when situations like this occur. Like I said previously, minor occurances will happen with the occasional derogative slur directed towards someone who has South-East Asian features - but in general, Universities are places where the people tend to be fairly cultivated.
WokSz
It's understandable. Unfortunately, rationality is lost from peoples' mind when situations like this occur. Like I said previously, minor occurances will happen with the occasional derogative slur directed towards someone who has South-East Asian features - but in general, Universities are places where the people tend to be fairly cultivated.


it's reported that the number of VISA approvals on that day in China dropped sharply due 2 the suspection that the gunman was Chinese....:s-smilie:
i've never been to US before...so dunno the real situation there that much.
but i have 2 say,from my persepective(and probably all chinese),gunshot seems so "common" in US.cuz we "always" got some news on this.
When i told my friends about the tragedy,they were like "it's not tat big deal in US" until i showed 'em the newspaper...
and indeed,it triggers their fears.
i can see tragedies like this may not be tat "common",but the "freedom" to own guns is definitely not a good idea...:frown:
dismal_laundry
What is the source for your statistics? I lived in a very urban area of DC for eleven years and I've never known anyone, or heard of anyone who has a gun or has considered buying one.


I accidentally UNDERSTATED US gun ownership !

"The percentage of American households that reported having any guns in the home 34.5 percent in 2006.
The percentage of Americans who reported personally owning a gun: 21.6 percent in 2006. "

"This information comes from the General Social Survey (GSS) which is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Except for the U.S. Census, the GSS is the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences"
more adventurous
He HAD been in a mental health facility in 2005, and the local police were aware of his strange behaviour... complaints had been made against him.


Only very briefly, for evaluation- it wasn't on the kind of records available at everyday sporting goods stores, apparently. Complaints were made within the university community, but not outside of it.
acolyte
I accidentally UNDERSTATED US gun ownership !

"The percentage of American households that reported having any guns in the home 34.5 percent in 2006.
The percentage of Americans who reported personally owning a gun: 21.6 percent in 2006. "

"This information comes from the General Social Survey (GSS) which is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Except for the U.S. Census, the GSS is the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences"


OK thanks for that. That is just a sad set of statistics. We (the US) need gun control in a major major way, and as there is this much gun ownership, then any reforms in the gun laws will be slow to take effect. But at least we need to start some process of change, for example, one federal law, no state laws or opt outs allowed. No more getting a gun in Virginia and bringing it to DC. The US Government is running two hot wars, has a hugely distended arms industry, much popular culture lionizes violence...it's enough, please stop. In '99 my cousin lost two members of his high school class- they were Andre and Natasha, 17 and 16 years old. They were going out together, and Andre had an argument over nothing, really nothing, with another kid (16 years old) at a school basketball game. The second kid followed them home after the game and shot them both outside their homes. Enough.
Reply 19
Avatar for usa1981
usa1981
15
There was a law passed in Virginia a year or so ago prohititing guns on College capuses. Did it stop the shooting form occuring?

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