On 16th April 2007, the world was shocked when the news of Virginia Tech massacre—the deadliest single-perpetrator mass shooting in modern US history came to their knowledge. It had killed 33 people, including the perpetrator himself, Seung-Hui Cho. He had a history of incidents at the school, including allegations of stalking, referrals to counseling, and a 2005 declaration of mental illness by a Virginia special justice. No doubt, this might be the key reason that caused the tragedy as reported by most of the mass media. However, this will not happened if he does not have weapons with him, which are the two guns he used to shot the students, professors and himself.
Although the sale of firearms to permanent residents in Virginia is legal as long as the buyer shows proof of residency, Cho should have been prohibited from buying a gun after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in 2005 and sent him for psychiatric treatment. A gun in the hands of an enraged or desperate individual could be a sure recipe of disaster or tragedy. In addition, Virginia Tech has a blanket ban on possession or storage of firearms on campus. However, this policy has been challenged, how can Cho brought in the guns and no one realizes it? All this can be prevented if the school has strong security enforcement. Besides, the accessibility of firearms in US should be re-examining to as the mass shooting reminded us once again how disturbingly common guns fatalities are in the US.
When the citizenship of the shooter became known, South Koreans expressed shock and a sense of public shame. South Korea’s ambassador to the US even asked the Koreans living in America to fast for repentance in apparent reference to fears of possible reprisal attacks against Koreans in US. A minister official expressed hope that the shooting would not stir up racial prejudice or confrontation. News reports noted that South Koreans seemed relieved that American news coverage of Cho focused not on his nationality but rather on his psychological problem.
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