The Virginia Tech shooting media blame game...

Within hours of the Virginia Tech shootings on Monday we had people running around playing the blame game. Who’s fault is it that this terrible thing has happened. Someone must be at fault. God forbid that we actually blame the shooter for his actions. It could not have been his fault alone.

Of course, to no ones surprise, the anti-gun crowd came out in full force to blame the NRA and gun right advocates. I will have a lot more on that later.

The focus seemed to be on the campus administration and security. The issue was the two hours that separated the first shooting from the second. Two students died in the first shooting. Campus authorities believed (apparently correctly) that this was a domestic situation and that there was no further threat to other students. There were also reports that police had "a person of interest" in custody. Other reports were that a gunman was in custody. Two hours later the shootings occurred in Norris Hall and 31 more people were killed.

Some people are trying to place the blame on society. They claim that this is the result of bullying that led to a life of social isolation for Cho Seung Chui. Maybe so, but isn’t he still responsible for his own actions.

It also seems we have a new group of players in the blame game. They see a tragic event and immediately try to place blame. As soon as they figure out who they think is responsible, they start calling for resignations or firings.

The blame in this particular game seemed to be placed on the campus administration and security. The issue was the two hours that separated the first shooting from the second. Two students died in the first shooting. Campus authorities investigated the incident and decided it was a domestic situation and that there was no further threat to other students.

Two hours later all hell breaks loose in Norris Hall and 31 more people were killed.
Now we have parents along with members of the media demanding that the president of Virginia Tech be fired because the entire campus was not locked down after the first shooting.
Why would the administrators lock down the campus when they had no reason to believe that there was any further threat to the other students? Why don't we fire the administrative staff of Virginia Tech for not possessing the skill of hindsight.

This is amazingly insane to me. We don't live in a perfect world! The proper course of action here is to figure out how this tragedy might have been averted, not to go hunting for the scalps of college administrators who, in all likelihood, took every reasonable step they could think of to contain this situation after the first shooting.

So where there steps that the university could have been taken that may have prevented this tragedy from ever happening. Maybe, or maybe not.

Within days we found out the Virginia Tech killer was a mentally disturbed with suicidal thoghts and the university knew it! One professor had expelled the killer from her classroom. At one point he was sent to a mental health facility and was later released.

Cho committed suicide on Monday. He took 31 people with him. The university knew he was a threat. Nothing was done. Why was this student still going to school at Virginia Tech? Why did the administration not kick him out? Perhaps the university administration do indeed have blood on their hands. Well not so fast, it turns out the university’s hands were tied.

Virginia legislature unanimously passed legislation within the past year that barred Virginia colleges and universities from expelling a student on the basis of mental instability. Virginia colleges and universities were also banned from suspending or expelling a student because of an attempted suicide or the expression of suicidal thoughts. The law also forces schools to provide services to mentally ill students.

Are these educational institutions or mental health wards? Why should we expect them to fulfill both functions?

Here's another food for thought…What if the Virginia legislature had passed HB 1572 and signed into law? The bill would have made the Virginia Tech campus like the rest of the state and students and faculty could have carried a concealed handgun with permit. Then the shooter would have known that there was a strong likelihood that there would be some students, professors and administrators on the campus with a gun. Would there be 32 people dead if someone would have been able to defend themselves and fire back? Which leads to our next topic. Gun Control....