I find a correlation to lax gun laws, pro gun carry states and poor education scores, as a reflection of poor political priorities and failed value systems. Virginia, in the preceding post, ranked the best of the states named where they allowed guns in bars, states which have generally had lax regulation.
It is not in our state's interest to follow the bad examples of these states, including the proposed 'Shoot First' legislation.
The Republican majorities are now trying to undo the legislation passed after the Virginia Tech Massacre in 2007 in which 32 people were killed, 25 were wounded and the shooter then committed suicide. The problems with the laws of other states and their failures at background checks only serves to underline the problems with the loose reciprocity provisions of the Shoot First legislation.
During February and March 2007, Cho began purchasing the weapons that he later used during the killings. On February 9, 2007, Cho purchased his first handgun, a .22 caliber Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, from TGSCOM Inc., a federally licensed firearms dealer based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the operator of the website through which Cho ordered the gun.[76][77][78][79] TGSCOM Inc. shipped the Walther P22 to JND Pawnbrokers in Blacksburg, Virginia, where Cho completed the legally required background check for the purchase transaction and took possession of the handgun.[80] Cho bought a second handgun, a 9mm Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol, on March 13, 2007 from Roanoke Firearms, a licensed gun dealer located in Roanoke, Virginia.[76][81]
Cho was able to pass both background checks and successfully complete both handgun purchases after he presented to the gun dealers his U.S. permanent residency card, his Virginia driver's permit to prove legal age and length of Virginia residence and a checkbook showing his Virginia address, in addition to waiting the required 30-day period between each gun purchase.
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| Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol, | model used by Cho |
The adverse results of such lax regulation was noted in the following article, where the problems with lax gun laws is outlined. Large type/ bold is my emphasis to the original article,
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One of the photographs of Seung-Hui Cho
that he sent to NBC News
on the day of the massacre
Va. Gov. McDonnell Considering Opinions Before Repealing Gun Law
Va. Tech shooting victims reach out to Gov. McDonnell on gun law repeal.
Parents of Virginia Tech survivors and victims of the 2007 campus massacre urged Gov. Bob McDonnell on Saturday to keep in place a law that allows the purchase of only one handgun a month.McDonnell held a conference call Saturday with the families of Virginia Tech survivors and victims. A spokesman for the governor told the Associated Press that McDonnell "appreciated hearing directly from the families on this issue.''"It was a straightforward and substantive discussion,'' said the spokesman, J. Tucker Martin. "His thoughts and prayers remain with them as they continue to deal with their tremendous loss. We will have further comment on the legislation at the appropriate time.''Andrew Goddard, whose son was wounded in the Virginia Tech shooting that left 33 dead, including the gunman, told the AP that "I hold out hope that [the Governor] will take into account the 66 percent of the people in the polls who want to keep this thing.'' Goddard said that the Governor vowed that he would inform the families of his decision early next week.The Virginia Senate passed legislation earlier this month repealing the 1993 law, all but ensuring the demise of a statute enacted after the state became a notorious supplier of guns used in crimes in major East Coast cities. In 1991, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found that 40 percent of the 1,236 guns found at crime scenes in New York had been purchased in Virginia.
The families of Virginia Tech students, as well as survivors of the 2007 campus massacre, have been active in Virginia and elsewhere to limit the sale of handguns.
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