EDITORIAL: Kaine works toward safer gun laws
Staff Editorial
The Collegiate Times (Virginia Tech)
05/02/2007

(U-WIRE) BLACKSBURG, Va. — In the aftermath of Seung-Hui Cho's violent rampage across the Virginia Tech campus, many details came to light regarding his unusual and often disturbing behavior, both in and out of class, prior to his death. Students recalled his withdrawn nature and awkward social skills.

Many of us are left wondering how he was able to legally purchase guns, given the details of his unsettling past and mental problems. However, despite Cho's past, Virginia law allowed him to purchase a 9-millimeter and 22-caliber handgun with seemingly no trouble at all. The ease in which a deranged student was able to come into possession of these weapons has created a bigger push to expand mental health databases, requiring all states to submit judicial sentences to a nationwide screening system.

On Monday, Gov. Tim Kaine issued an executive order in an effort to increase safety and responsibly monitor gun purchasers. According to The Roanoke Times, Kaine would require that "the names of people deemed dangerous and ordered by a court to receive treatment."

Copyright ©2007 The Collegiate Times via UWire

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