Issues Arising From Virginia Tech Killings

The mass killing at Virginia Tech on 16 April 2007 has since triggered many debates in many areas of discussion. This tragedy has been much talked about and has shed light on the issues of gun policies, racial discrimination, censorship and many more. Naturally, after the shooting many became more aware of the legal laws following gun control in the USA, or rather the lack of it.

There are people who observed that now when guns are more difficult to obtain than in the past, the use of it to kill has increased. Then there are others who say that coherent and consistent laws could have prevented the South Korean killer, Cho, from acquiring weapons. Since Virginia tech is a gun-free zone, the gun should not have even brought there in the first place. However, Cho did not have much difficulty in purchasing the guns nor did he have much problem bringing the guns into the campus. In my opinion, nothing much could be done as the main reason Cho attacked the 32 people was because he was mentally unsound.

Another aspect of the arguments was that of immigration control. There is one indisputable fact about the shootings at Virginia Tech is that if Cho had not been allowed to immigrate to the USA, the incident would not have occurred in the first place. Peter Brimelow, editor of VDARE.com, noticed that mass murders by immigrants have become a real trend. In fact they are accountable for 72 deaths in the last sixteen years. However again, immigrants should not be generalized, as it could have been anyone with the same disability.

The issue of racial discrimination aroused to the much emphasis on the fact that Cho was a South Korean. The attention media has brought to this detail undeservedly links ethnic Koreans as a group to the killings rather than that of an individual. South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun also sent three messages of condolences which a gave a somewhat impression that the South Koreans were at fault even though it was an individual, that happened to be a South Korean, who was responsible for the lives of many innocent people.

In conclusion, I think that all the issues arising from the mass murder at Virginia Tech University are a straying from the main cause of the killings, which is the poor mental condition of Cho Seung Hui.