What our other readers have said:
Privacy should come second when a person is deemed dangerous
The tragedy at VT is one of political correctness run mad. You had signs the young man was ill. Did anyone think to call his parents? I know that the medical privacy law (HIPPA) would prevent this, however this disaster should show to us all that a common-sense override needs to be put in place for doctors when someone is deemed a danger to themselves and others. Depending on a sick person to intervene on their own behalf when they are in the depths of mental illness is stupid and dangerous to them and those around them. A call to his parents would have allowed them to engage and possibly have prevented this from happening.
Tom Scolarici, O'Fallon, Ill., USA
National background-check database should be mobilized for gun purchases
The national database used for background checks prior to firearm purchases needs to include a record of court-determined mental incompetency. Such a determination disqualifies a prospective buyer under the original 1968 Gun Control Act. The mechanism to enforce that provision has been neglected. Courts need to be trained in reporting the data for use in the database. It need be no different than recording a felony conviction which also disqualifies buyers. Commercial gun-show operators should be required to have the means on site to access the instant background-check system. The system should be such that no more than a one hour wait is required for results. Any state firearms license or concealed-carry license, which typically require a more rigorous background check than the current federal system, should be valid for gun purchases in any other state at gun shows, auctions, or storefront dealers.
Marc Reid, St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA
Freedom to bear arms vs. freedom from fear...
...In all cases of school shootings, guns were obtained easily by young people with severe mental problems. I think we have a choice as a nation between locking down our high schools and universities — making them the equivalent of police states — and introducing serious gun control. I vote for serious gun control.
To those who would say that introducing gun control will limit freedom, I would say that the current state of affairs in which we live in constant fear, and a potential state of affairs in which high school and university campuses and students are constantly subject to repeated searches is a much more serious threat to freedom.
In order to grow a generation to take America to the next level of greatness in the twenty-first century, we need our high schools and universities to be places of intelectual exploration and open dialogue. This can't happen in an atmosphere of fear. So, do we move forward with an education system that builds on our nation's strengths, or do we retreat in fear in order to be able to continue to supply tools of death to society in general and then somehow try to protect our campuses?
Mark Ford, Salem, Ore., USA
Prevent bullying early, prevent attacks
We must do more to prevent bullying, teasing, and harrassment of children in elementary, middle, and high schools. Mr. Cho said his actions at Virginia Tech were our fault, that we had had many chances to prevent this from happening. Actions like his come out of a past – we should be more attentive to the way the young are treated by their peers. It seems difficult to get anti-bullying legislation through state legislatures and school boards. We reap what we sow.
Joseph Schaaf, Bennington, Vermont, USA
'It is possible to be more safe than we are'
As a university educator, I am particularly disturbed by this event and shocked that warnings sounded by Cho's teachers were ignored by VT. Such warnings should be sufficient to trigger a court order for psychiatric help and should also cause a search and seizure of any guns or other weapons.
VT authorities also erred in not having a strict policy of campus-wide lock down for any incident involving guns. Such lock downs should be automatic (i.e. at no one's discretion) and should persist until rational leaders can see that any danger is past. It does not matter that campus activities would be interrupted by such measures. It is far more important to save lives.
It is impossible to be completely safe, but it is possible to be more safe than we are.
Gary Margrave, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Less fear, more compassion
Total security and safety is both unattainable and undesirable. Increased security only risks creating more tensions and difficulties in the future. Instead of closing down our minds and our campuses behind walls of fear and hate, it is time to embrace feelings of uncertainty as a way to open up to others and express true compassion.
David Pettersen, Oakland, Calif., USA
Gun control is the solution
The gun culture is the problem. Random violence would be reduced if we would eliminate handguns and automatic weapons and regulated the number of bullets that a clip can hold. Access to todays guns could not possibly have been imagined by the framers of the constitution -- IMO, the constitutional case for keeping them is completely lame.
No fence or security measure can stop someone from doing this again, but sensible gun control
would limit the scope and incidence of this sort of event in the future.
David L. Smith, Washington, D.C., USA
Local cell phone-based alert systems?
Suggestion: record all student, faculty, and staff cell phone numbers into a university database with an ALERT software application ready to notify everyone of threatening events or potential dangers via text messages. This method, though not a solution as strong as gun control, will at least disseminate needed information very quickly to those who need to watch out for danger.
Don Spanyer, Louisville, Ken., USA
Smaller is better
Smaller is better, and friendlier. I like how European Universities divide themselves into smaller colleges. For instance, at Oxford University, Keibler College is for English majors. The dorms, dining halls and classes are all in the same areas for those students. This smaller approach allows students and teachers to get to know one another easily, which is vital to spotting students in mental distress as well as to fostering friendships and social bonding.
American universities are large, impersonal campuses where sometimes students' individuality can get lost and this can lead to feelings of loneliness.
De Dean, Athens, Ga. USA
Let's not jump to action
In the wake of such a tragedy it is natural for people to want to do something, enact some legislation, or make a policy change. In reality, I am afraid that random outbreaks of grievous violence are inevitable over the long run, and there are isolated incidents throughout the world and throughout history. Considering the number of campuses around the country and world, this sort of disaster is an anomaly and should not lead us to turning our schools and colleges into fortresses. I still feel as safe as ever on my college campus in Denver – after all, there is always a potential danger wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Let us grieve for the loss, but keep our eyes on attainable positive changes we can make in the world.
Sean Perkins, Denver, Colo., USA
From an educator
As I work at a university. I have several opinions:
* College officials should have more legal authority to dismiss students who fail to get help when needed, who stop their treatment program, or who demonstrate violent signals. The sanctity of life and the safety of the campus community must trump a student's individual rights to privacy, etc.
* Semi-Automatic and automatic weapons must be much harder to purchase. And background checks to purchase weapons must include criminal as well as mental checks.
* Keep campuses open; with perhaps more video monitoring.
O. Leonard Trudo, St. Louis, Mo., USA
Increase communication, not number of guns
I don't think that beefing up security alone is going to work. Security without training in communication will not work. It will only put a lot more gun-happy people around. I think that since parents aren't doing this, the school is the next best place to have really good trained personnel who give classes in communication skills, in listening, and in being aware when a child is having problems either at home or at school. For heavens sakes, you had some well trained people who told people that this gunman was in trouble. Why didn't anyone listen!? If guns worked we would have less people who would risk behaving badly. Don't go this route.
Lee Dabney, Denver, Colo., USA
An emergency contacts list for suspected mental instability?
When you start a job or go to school, you inevitably have to fill out a form for emergency contacts. Why not a policy, a requirement, that each student fill out a form for emergency contacts in the event faculty or other students believe that person is a danger to self and/or others. The contacts listed could be parents or friends or anyone trusted, with the burden on the student to report the contacts properly. This way, the liability is shifted slightly off the school and also there is another opportunity to get the student help. Privacy is important, so the concerns, records, reports could only be released to the listed names--provided by the student.
Sarah Fahrendorf, Columbia, Maryland, USA
Dangerous equation
...here is a simple addition: serious mental disorders plus automatic weapons equals disaster.
Subtract guns from the equation.
Jennifer Macaire, Paris, France
Stopping a killer
The way to stop the killing is for everyone to agree that one person with one gun can not stop a group of people rushing him and take the guns from him before he kills anyone else. It will take courage and resolve, but the last Airliner on 9/11 proved that a group of people can stop some terrorists from crashing an airliner into another building. They gave their lives to save others, and we all must be willing to do the same.
If a killer knows that if he starts shooting anyone, everyone around him is going to attack him he will think twice knowing that the majority of the people are going to disarm him or break his neck with their bare hands.
I have made that promise to myself and many of my friends and coworkers have also promised that no person is going to kill anyone in my presence without me trying to stop him.
David Hermes, Arvada, Colo., USA
Risk is part of existence
There is no such thing as absolute security. Americans increasingly see being completely safe as some kind of birthright. Never was and never will be. For me, freedom is far dearer than safety. Keep campuses open; stop making us take off our shoes and confiscating our water bottles at airports. Sensible security where it's practical, but risk is and always has been part of existence.
Steve Stults, Carlsbad, Calif., USA
Dig deeply for the real answers
Dig deeply for the real answers, not just for surface corrections.
1. Kindness to one another must be vastly more important than all else, starting from day one - more important than popularity, success, fame, fortune, cliques, tribalism, competition, etc. The lost sheep must be fought for and brought back home - not through psychology and anti-depressant drugs, but through Christly love and deeply committed caring.
2. There must be laws for strict and severe gun control and these must be enforced.
3. The extreme violence allowed into our culture through movies, television, books, video games, etc. must be stopped. This is not destroying the first amendment. A law, to really be law, must induce humane and moral behavior. We can say "no" to evil without breaking any laws.
4. We must cherish our youth - go the extra miles it takes to help them love themselves and others - teach them to be strong and wise - teach them how to protect themselves.
Susan Gill, Maple Valley, Wash., USA
Ask: 'Is there any action I can take to prevent such tragedies?'
I don't want to see our campuses and public spaces turned into armed camps and/or people fenced away from each other. That will only create more anger and more separation. I don't think there is anything the government can do or the schools can do. The people – each of us – must act to make this a better world.
I think the question should be, "Is there any action I can take as an individual to prevent such tragedies?"
So many people are lost in this world, and it is very easy to pass them by and not engage them. Pray for each other. At the very least, smile as you pass one another.
MJ Grace, Waterbury, Vermont, USA
Evaluate the need for guns
We really need to evaluate ourselves as a nation and as a global village as to what value guns really need to play in our lives. Some people need low technology, non-repeating hunting rifles, but beyond that it becomes an ego thing to own a gun.
When we start to evaluate people who want to buy handguns and assault weapons with the same level of scrutiny as shrinks evaluating depressives then we are headed in the right direction.
We don't need handguns and assault weapons. Get rid of them all! Some people like them; some people play with them; but we don't need them.
We need to keep guns away from our schools!
Christopher Grove, Ypsilanti, Mich., USA
Gun free zones need adequate protection
If you are going to enforce a no weapons policy on campus, then you need to have the resources and manpower to enforce such a policy. Clearly VT did not do so, despite having such a policy. I would advocate either allowing students who have been properly trained and investigated to keep their firearms on campus, or else training your faculty and keeping a certain number of firearms in a lock box or safe within each building or classroom. When you think of the hundreds of students and faculty that heard Cho firing, if even 1 percent of them had been allowed to own a firearm on campus, it would have been enough to overpower him.
Joe Dolder, Richmond, Texas, USA
Closed campuses are necessary, as is adequate counseling
As a former teacher at a large high school with an open campus, I support closed campuses for middle and high schools. Our school was vulnerable, especially to rival gang members. Even with full-time campus security and a police officer on staff there were many times when we had problems with violence.
Another important issue that needs to be addressed is providing adequate counseling services for students identified as needing help. Unfortunately, community counseling services are often maxed out and there is limited counseling at the schools.
Bonnie Minardi, Aptos, Calif., USA
An internal problem
It seems the tendency to look outside the problem gets people looking in the wrong direction. There was a woman professor who had alerted, on a number of occasions, school officials to the problems she was seeing arise with this student. It seems the institutions of higher education would be peopled with higher thinkers. It would also seem that these people would think enough of their professors to heed such a warning, so explicit in detail, obvious insight, and concern. The problem was internal, not external, and it usually is!
Jill Matthews, Portland, Ore., USA
Kindness breaks the mesmerism
I don't believe the problem is an "open campus", but a failed attempt to help a young man that was greatly troubled and isolated. I do believe in our right to bear arms, but when a young man has undergone psychiatric help, has stalked two fellow students and been arrested, has demonstrated hostility by not participating in classes, and upset a professor to the point that she asked that he be removed from her class, there is no way that young man should be able to buy a gun. Maybe it is time to change the law that an adult who willingly undergoes psychiatric help can also buy a gun.
I am grateful to see the qualities of love; they are honoring compassion and courage that were demonstrated collectively by the faculty and students during this tragedy. They are listening to each other and embracing everyone with love and acceptance and I was especially impressed by the fact that the students did not point blame even when prompted to do so by the media. The atmosphere that is now on campus is what will deter any further acts of violence. It starts with one person listening, and asking 'How can I help my fellow students? How can I see past what may look unpleasant in someone and still want to help?' These acts of kindness can break the mesmerism of loneliness and isolation from which some students suffer.
Paulette Watkins, Kalamazoo, Mich., USA
Keep campuses open
As a college student, I am opposed to ending the open nature of college campuses. Colleges must be connected to the surrounding community. Fortifying schools with more police and turning them into a "Green Zone" with security checks will only serve to inconvenience students, faculty, and guests. I do think that most states need more restrictions on gun ownership, especially semiautomatic weapons.
The reality is that anyone can be murdered at any time. There is no way to guarantee anyone's safety. We should not spend our time worrying about it, because one is much more likely to be killed in a car accident or by preventable causes like smoking and obesity.
Eric Berg, Somerset, N.J., USA
Targeting guns: 'A cheap-seat solution'?
While one may quite easily blame current gun laws for being "too lax", the sad fact is that laws targeting inanimate objects have often proven to be singularly unsuccessful at reducing the problems that they are supposed to correct. Examples could include Prohibition and our failed effort to outlaw illicit drugs. My fear is that additional gun laws would prove to be as ineffective as our drug laws have been. We need to remember that, after World War II, Jewish residents of Palestine had managed to covertly manufacture both guns and ammunition right under the noses of the British authorities ruling over the Palestinian Mandate. If criminals want guns, they will find them, regardless of laws. Only the law-abiding will actually obey those laws. The criminal element will not.
On the whole, one must wonder if the misuse of guns is a problem or merely a symptom of larger problems in society. If certain neighborhoods were not cesspools of hopelessness, then, undoubtedly, the crime rates in those neighborhoods would be less. But, targeting guns seems to be a cheap-seat solution for problems that would otherwise be quite expensive to address.
Finally, the shooter passed an Instant Background Check. If he had been required to submit fingerprints for a complete criminal background check, he still would probably have passed, since he had, to the best of my knowledge, not been arrested for a crime that requires fingerprinting as part of the booking process.
I doubt that there is any easy solution to these types of problems, and I would point out that VT was already a gun-free zone, except for a person who didn't care about what the rules said.
Woodard R. Springstube, Ph.D., Austin, Texas, USA
More security officials on campus
The only answer is to have security officials in adequate numbers, visible throughout the campuses (high schools and universities) nationwide. They should be full-time paid officials. A visible on-going presence is needed.
Keith Coltharp, Denver, Colo., USA
Too easy to get guns
I agree with the reader from Australia. Our culture of gun availability is the reason so many of these incidents happen. True, there are other factors, but the ready availability of guns is a big reason. If the American people could be brought to the point where we restrict gun purchases or possesion, while retaining the right to have guns for hunting, collecting, or legitimate self-protection, we would go a long way toward reducing this problem. The ease with which the gunman obtained his gun is a good example. If this tragedy brings home the need for more gun restriction, there will be at least that benefit to it.
Bill Arms, Garner, N.C., USA
'Security is not convenient'
School campuses should be run like the "Green Zone" in Iraq.
Searches and metal detectors should be used to ensure weapons are not allowed on campus. If you don't spend that effort, then you are letting a crazed person know that the students are sitting ducks.
Arming students is not the answer. Ensuring no weapons enter a campus is the answer. Security is not convenient.
Scott Lord, Yuma, Ariz., USA
Character references for gun purchases?
While closing most campus buildings to the public would improve security, let's not forget that the perpetrator in this case was a student and would not have been deterred by such a measure. One highly unfortunate fact is that Virginia Tech is a "gun-free" zone, a term now imbued with a sick irony. Lawfully armed citizens could have stopped the murderer before he killed 32 people, as they did in Pearl, Mississippi in 1997, and at the Appalachian School of Law in 2002. On the other hand, Cho did acquire his weapons lawfully, and we should aggressively investigate how his purchases could have been prevented. Perhaps a gun permit, contingent on character references but otherwise routinely issued to the law-abiding, should be required to buy firearms in Virginia. Given the media portrayals of the killer's personality, character references for a gun permit would have been impossible for him to come by.
Christopher Mindrum, Fairfield, Conn., USA
Mobilize students and professors
In today's dangerous world, it's quite apparent that we all need to be proactive in our safety and security. Airline passengers, since 9/11, got this message load and clear. Hence, most passengers will put their lives on the line to stop a hijacker. Since Columbine, however, schools still present a soft target for the deranged and troubled. The standard reply is "the police can't be everywhere." Though true, school administrators need to utilize all of their resources available. They need to actively enlist the students and faculty to start up campus watch programs. This tragedy will eventually be dissected, and the missed danger signals will be clearly evident. Learn from those danger signals and relay them to the students and professors. Train them in what to look for, and teach them how to respond.
Another aspect, is to certify qualified students and faculty members to carry concealed weapons on campus. The airlines have armed air marshals who remain anonymous. Why not have the same for our schools. Think of the ex-military and off duty police that currently attend these schools. Give tuition incentives for these people to apply, then give them a battery of psych tests. Finally, for those who pass, get them trained and gun qualified. Understand that these people would not replace campus security, but only augment them. After all, "the police can't be everywhere."
The students and faculty are truly an untapped resource for university administrators, and its quite possibly their last line of defense.
Randy Wise, McDonough, Georgia, USA
Reach out to troubled students
In regard to this incident, I feel deeply for the students that have passed on. Personally, I feel that colleges should work at help students feel connected, loved, and respected at a sincere level, so that those in deep conflict have a place or a person to talk to. Our need as a society is to reach out to those who would never have the courage to ask for help.
Barbara Ohannes, Carol Stream, Ill., USA
'Violence or peace?'
In the US, we often treat the symptom, but not the cause. We could debate ad nauseum about what to do with campus design, security levels, gun laws, etc. However, as human beings we act out of our beliefs and values, and one source of developing those is through written, spoken and visual media. Have you seen the volume of violent images in our media? Have you paid attention to how much our media presents violence as a way to resolve issues?
If our media were full of images of cooperation, of creative, constructive conflict resolution, we would likely not have such horriffic events occur. Monkey see, monkey do. So, what shall we see? Violence, or peace?
Paco Verin, Kennett Square, Penn., USA
Too many guns and an outdated Constitution
I don't think layout of universities is the problem. The American attitude towards gun possession is the problem. Your Constitution enshrining the right to bear arms is of a bygone era and has no fit with modern technology or mentality. You have too many guns around, too easily obtained by the average punter, some of whom may have mental problems.
Kim Prem, Australia
Stop things before they start
By all means, select staff and teachers should be allowed to be armed with stun guns or other weapons in order to deal with the many unreported incidents that take place in our educational and work place environments. Additionally, some means to detect and deal with obsessed individuals who have been rejected by their subjects needs to be studied.
Jud Williams, Cumming, Georgia, USA
