31 Students killed at Virginia Tech

[MURACU]

How do you define "illegal possesion"? How many americans are in illegal possesion of firearms? Also how hard is it to acquire gun illegally?

[MrLinus]

Surveys here might be of help. Ultimately, no matter what is decided there are still 33 lives gone. One life is one too many no matter what is used.

[JPnyc]

Illegal meaning not having a license. I think it's a helluva lot easier to get an illegal weapon than it is to get it legally.

[MURACU]

Not in europe! So how many americans have illegal weapons and are they all criminals or just people who haven't registered they have a gun?

edit : just took a quick look at the first file on the site posted by Ms Mittens isin't it strange that in a country where you need to be 21 to buy alchool you can buy a gun from the age of 12 up. Most states dont have restrictions on assault weapons which are very usefull i suppose for when you go hunting.

[DarkCarnival]

Well.. Honestly (being a non-american) I cannot understand why you would think an incident such as this will really move people to pass an ammendment outlawing guns.

As I understand your system, such a proposal would have to first:
pass the house of representatives (representatives are sitting for periods of 2 years, so they're almost always "on campaign" in some way or another, thus they're unlikely to pass unpopular bills)

-IF- it passes, then it'll have to pass the Senate (senators are sitting for six years in a row, so they're more likely to make unpopular decisions [which may be wise!] )

Even if it passes the senate, then the president could refuse to let it pass, in which case it must go back to the senate and two thirds of the senate would have to vote yes to passing the bill in order to make it pass.

Now. As I understand it, the republicans are most often in favour of giving the citizen the right to arm himself while some (maybe the majority?) of the democrats would appreciate if that right would be suspended -- because, as you point out, guns are often used to harm people.

Now.. With that in mind. Don't you honestly agree that the chances of outlawing guns look bleak to say the least ? You can be almost certain that Bush would use his veto-rights and it's doubtful (to say the least) that two thirds of the senate would let it pass.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[JPnyc]

Not in europe! So how many americans have illegal weapons and are they all criminals or just people who haven't registered they have a gun?

edit : just took a quick look at the first file on the site posted by Ms Mittens isin't it strange that in a country where you need to be 21 to buy alchool you can buy a gun from the age of 12 up. Most states dont have restrictions on assault weapons which are very usefull i suppose for when you go hunting.

Well the drinking age limit is a federal one. Gun laws are under state jurisdiction, so you'll find they differ from state to state. Some states have a tradition of owning firearms, like many of the southern states, and the midwest. Yes, the overwhelming majority of those committing crimes are using illegally gotten weapons and they are criminals.

[MURACU]

Actually from what i can read from Msmittens post most of the guns are leagally bought. you should run through it it makes for interesting reading. especially the section on how the buying and selling of arms in the US works.

[MrLinus]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n2692899.shtml

A student gunman originally from South Korea was behind the deadliest massacre in U.S. history, killing 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech, before taking his own life, police said.

The shooter's name is Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old, who was a senior and an English major at the school, police said.

Paperwork found in the gunman's backpack allowed authorities to trace one of the two handguns used in the shootings, though the serial numbers for both weapons were wiped clean, CBS News reports.

Ballistics tests show one of the guns found after a deadly shooting at Virginia Tech was used in both shootings, at the dormitory and at the classroom building, police said.

[JPnyc]

If the guns were legally his, why wipe the serial numbers off? That's only done so a gun isn't traceable when sold illegally.

[gore]

I was born in the US and I kind of like being able to shoot. My best friend has an AK and an M-14 we would use most of the time. We don't have many school shootings in Michigan but I've personally been stabbed 3 times.

Guns and the laws seem to really have people goign here so I'll go ahead and point out the obvious yet forgotten:

A butcher knife makes a better horror movie

It doesn't run out of bullets

It costs a WHOLE lot less than a gun

A 12 year old can buy one.

Hmm...

And let's not forget Jack the ripper, he didn't use a gun to kill hookers.

In fact most remembered Serial Killers used everything BUT guns. I realise this guy wasn't a Serial Killer.

It's easier to shoot someone with a gun from a distance than trying to throw a knife at them but from what I saw on the news here the guy wasn't exactly a long distance shot.

Now, just for the sake of arguement to make sure both sides are well represented, I could easily shoot someone in the head and take them out, but it's a hell of a lot more news worthy if I gut 12 people like a fish and cut through a few limbs with a knife that isn't running out of bullets.

Hell, in Michigan, I could then SELL that knife in a garage sale to a random person as it's fairly common to sell kitchen items in a sale, and no one would think twice. However if I sold a gun that way someone would remember and I'd probably be facing charges if I didn't have papers.

Also I won't go into how there wouldn't be gun powder residue left on clothing as evidence.

EDIT:

Neg come on now, don't tell me you forgot about Meiwes If he used a gun that would have been a LOT harder (Literally *giggle*).