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{{Infobox civilian attack
|title=Virginia Tech massacre|image=Virginia Tech massacre candlelight vigil Burruss.jpg
|caption=Students gather to mourn after the shooting.
|location= [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]], [[Virginia]], [[United States]]
|target=[[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University|Virginia Tech]]
|date=Monday, [[April 16]], [[2007]]
|time=7:15&nbsp;a.m. and 9:41&nbsp;a.m.–9:51&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="collegiatetimes">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Bowman |title=Panel receives details, roadblock |url=http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/1/ARTICLE/9039/2007-05-21.html |work= |publisher=Collegiate Times |date=2007-05-21 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref>
|timezone=[[UTC-4|EDT]]|type=[[School shooting]], [[mass murder]], [[murder-suicide]], [[massacre]]
|fatalities=33 (including the perpetrator)<ref name="August panel report"/>
|injuries=23<ref name="August panel report"/>
|perps = [[Seung-Hui Cho]]
|weapons = [[Glock 19]], [[Walther P22]]
}}

{{Virginia Tech massacre}}

The '''Virginia Tech massacre''' was a [[school shooting]] comprising two separate attacks about two hours apart on [[April 16]], [[2007]], on the [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University|Virginia Tech]] campus in [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]], [[Virginia]], [[United States]]. The perpetrator, [[Seung-Hui Cho]], killed 32 people and wounded many more,<ref name="August panel report">
{{cite web
| title = Report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel
| url = http://www.governor.virginia.gov/TempContent/techPanelReport.cfm
| accessdate = 2007-08-31
| format = pdf
| publisher = Commonwealth of Virginia}}
Cho shot and wounded a further 17 people and caused injury to 6 others as they tried to flee.</ref> before committing suicide, making it the deadliest [[school shooting]] in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18140540/ |title=Fact File: Deadliest shootings in the U.S.|accessdate = 2007-04-28 |work=MSNBC}}There have been several deadlier shootings in U.S. history, but not by a single gunman, and not on a school campus.</ref>

Cho, a [[South Korea]]n who had moved to the United States at age eight, was a senior [[English studies|English]] [[Academic major|major]] at Virginia Tech. Cho had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe [[anxiety disorder]] in middle school, and he continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. While in college in 2005, Cho had been accused of [[stalking]] two female students and was declared [[mental illness|mentally ill]] by a Virginia special justice.<ref name="NYTgun-421" /> At least one professor had asked him to seek counseling.

The incident received international media coverage and drew criticism of U.S. laws and culture from commentators around the world. It sparked intense debate about [[Gun violence in the United States|gun violence]], [[gun law]]s, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrator's state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, [[privacy law]]s, [[Journalism ethics and standards|journalism ethics]], and other issues. Television news organizations that aired portions of the killer's multimedia manifesto were criticized by victims' families, Virginia law enforcement officials, and the [[American Psychiatric Association]].<ref name="NBCright">{{cite news | first=Bronwen | last=Maddox | title=Why NBC was right to show those demented ramblings | date=[[2007-04-20]] | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1680113.ece | work=The Times | accessdate = 2007-04-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | title =APA Urges Media to Stop Airing Graphic Cho Materials | publisher = American Psychiatric Association| date = [[April 20]] [[2007]] | url =http://www.psych.org/news_room/press_releases/07-25OpenLetteronChoMaterials.pdf | format =PDF | language =English | accessdate = 2007-04-22 | quote = }}</ref>

The incident prompted immediate changes in Virginia law that had allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns. It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure in more than 13 years, a law that strengthens the [[National Instant Criminal Background Check System]], signed by President [[George W. Bush]] on January 5, 2008.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Cochran |title=New Gun Control Law Is Killer's Legacy |url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4126152&page=1 |work= |publisher=ABC News |date=2008-01-12 |accessdate=2008-01-14 }}</ref>

The Virginia Tech Review Panel, a state-appointed body assigned to review the incident, criticized Virginia Tech administrators for failing to take action that might have reduced the number of casualties. The panel's report also reviewed gun laws and pointed out gaps in mental health care as well as misinterpretations of privacy laws that left Cho's deteriorating condition in college untreated.

==Attacks==
{{main|Virginia Tech massacre timeline}}
Cho used two firearms during the attacks: a [[.22 Long Rifle|.22-caliber]] [[Walther P22]] [[Semi-automatic pistol|semi-automatic handgun]] and a [[9 mm caliber|9&nbsp;mm]] semi-automatic [[Glock 19]] handgun.<ref name=roatimes_nomotive /> The shootings occurred in separate incidents, with the first at West Ambler Johnston Hall and the second at Norris Hall.

===West Ambler Johnston shootings===
Cho was seen near the entrance to [[Virginia Tech campus#Ambler Johnston Hall|West Ambler Johnston Hall]], a [[co-ed]] [[residence hall]] that houses 894 students, at about 7&nbsp;a.m. [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]].<ref name=roatimes_nomotive>{{cite news |first=Reed |last=Williams |coauthors=Shawna Morrison |title=Police: No motive found |url=http://www.roanoke.com/vtshootingaccounts/wb/114655 |work= |publisher=The Roanoke Times |date=2007-04-26 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref> The hall was normally only accessible to its residents via magnetic key card before 10&nbsp;a.m. However, Cho's student mailbox was in the lobby of the building, so he had pass card access after 7:30&nbsp;a.m. It is unclear how Cho gained early entrance to the building.<ref name="August panel report"/>

Cho shot his first victims around 7:15&nbsp;a.m. in West Ambler Johnston Hall. A freshman, Emily J. Hilscher, aged 19, of [[Woodville, Virginia|Woodville]], [[Rappahannock County, Virginia|Rappahannock County]], [[Virginia]], and a male [[resident assistant]], Ryan C. Clark, a senior, aged 22, of [[Martinez, Georgia|Martinez]], [[Columbia County, Georgia|Columbia County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], were shot and killed in the room Hilscher shared with another student.<ref name=Time>[http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1613010,00.html Witness: The Dormitory Murders]. ''[[Time Magazine]]''. [[20 April]] [[2007]]. Retrieved [[23 April]] [[2007]]</ref> Cho left the scene and went back to his dorm room. While police and [[emergency medical services]] units were responding to the shootings in the dorm next door, Cho changed out of his bloodstained clothes, then logged on to his computer to delete his email. Then he removed the hard drive. About an hour after the attack, Cho was believed to be seen near the campus Duck Pond. Authorities suspected Cho threw his hard drive and cell phone into the water, but it was searched and the devices were never found.<ref name="roanoke1">{{cite news |first=Anna L. |last=Mallory |title=Investigators leave Tech Duck Pond empty-handed |url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/122648 |work= |publisher=The Roanoke Times |date=2007-06-30 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref><ref name="timesdispatch">{{cite news |first=Rex |last=Bowman |title=Cho may have practiced attack |url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-08-11-0121.html |work= |publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=2007-08-11 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref> Almost two hours after the first killings, Cho appeared at the nearby post office and mailed a package of writings and video recordings to [[NBC News]]; the package was postmarked 9:01&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="NBC Package 4-19"/> He then walked to the site of the second set of murders. In a backpack, he carried several chains, locks, a hammer, a knife, two guns, nineteen 10- and 15-round magazines, and almost 400 rounds of ammunition.<ref name="August panel report"/>

===Norris Hall shootings===
About two hours after the initial shootings, Cho entered [[Virginia Tech campus#Norris Hall|Norris Hall]], which houses the [[Virginia Tech colleges#College of Engineering|Engineering Science and Mechanics]] program among others, and chained the three main entrance doors shut. He placed a note on at least one of the chained doors, claiming that attempts to open the door would cause a bomb to explode. Shortly before the shooting began, a faculty member found the note and took it to the building's third floor, so as to notify the school's administration. Concurrently, however, Cho had gone to the second floor and began shooting students and faculty; the bomb threat was never called in.<ref name="August panel report"/><ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=US university shooting kills 33 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6560685.stm |work= |publisher=BBC |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref>

[[Image:Norris WestAJ Map scale.jpg|thumb|250px|Aerial photo showing location of [[Virginia Tech campus#Norris Hall|Norris]] and [[Virginia Tech campus#Ambler Johnston Hall|West Ambler Johnston]] Halls]]
Before Cho began shooting, several student eyewitnesses said he poked his head into a few classrooms. Erin Sheehan, an eyewitness and survivor who had been in Room 207, told reporters that the shooter "peeked in twice" earlier in the lesson and that "it was strange that someone at this point in the semester would be lost, looking for a class".<ref>{{cite news |title=Student Survivors Recount Shooting |url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3048457&page=1 |work= |publisher=ABC |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate = 2007-04-25 }}</ref> Cho's first attack after entering Norris occurred in an Advanced Hydrology engineering class taught by Professor [[G. V. Loganathan]] in Room 206. Cho first shot and killed the professor, then continued shooting, killing 9 of the 13 students in the room and injuring 2 others; only 2 survived unharmed.<ref name="August panel report"/> Next, Cho went across the hall to Room 207, in which instructor [[Jamie Bishop |Christopher James Bishop]] was teaching German. Cho killed Bishop and then commenced shooting students, killing four and wounding six others.<ref name="August panel report"/> Cho then moved on to Norris 204 and 211, reloading and shooting students and professors in classrooms and in the hallway, returning to most classrooms more than once. By the end of this second attack, which lasted nine minutes, Cho had fired at least 174 rounds,<ref name=collegiatetimes /> killing 30 people and wounding 17 more.<ref name="August panel report"/><ref name="nine minutes">{{cite news |first=Kristen |last=Gelineau |title=Police: Va. Tech Bloodbath Lasted 9 Min. |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/25/AR2007042502453.html |work=Washington Post |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-04-25 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref> Sydney J. Vail, the director of the trauma center at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, said that Cho's choice of 9&nbsp;mm [[hollow point bullet|hollow point]] ammunition had worsened the injuries.<ref>
{{cite news |coauthors=Sandhya Somashekhar and Nick Miroff |title=Injuries Heal, but Mental Scars May Last Much Longer | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042101219_2.html |publisher=Washington Post |date=2007-04-22 |accessdate=2007-05-21}}</ref>

Police took nearly five minutes to gain entry to the barricaded building. When they could not break the chains, an officer shot out a deadbolt lock leading into a laboratory; they then moved to a nearby stairwell.<ref name=roatimes_nomotive/> As police reached the second floor, they heard Cho fire his final shot.<ref name=roatimes_nomotive/><ref name="NYT Diagram">"[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/us/20070417_SHOOTING_GRAPHIC.html Deadly Rampage at Virginia Tech]" diagram of Norris Hall ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[April 22]] [[2007]], retrieved [[April 22]] [[2007]].</ref> Police found Cho dead in [[Jocelyne Couture-Nowak]]'s classroom, Room 211, from a self-inflicted [[Wound ballistics|gunshot wound]] to the temple.<ref name="nine minutes"/> During the investigation, State Police Superintendent William Flaherty told a state panel that police found 203 live rounds in Norris Hall. "He was well-prepared to continue on," Flaherty testified.<ref name="msnbc 200 rounds">{{cite news |title=Va. Tech gunman had 200 more rounds to fire |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18789921/ |work=MSNBC |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-05-21 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref>

[[Image:Virginia Tech massacre Damiano photo from Holden Hall modified2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Elementary French class students take cover in Holden Hall Room 212.]]
Virginia Tech student Jamal Albarghouti used his [[mobile phone]] to capture video footage of a part of the attack from the exterior of Norris Hall; this was later broadcast on many news outlets.<ref name="postVideo">{{cite news | title = Virginia Tech Shooting Video Online: 33 Killed, 29 Injured | url = http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=14&num=75318 | publisher = Post Chronicle | date = 2007-04-16 | accessdate = 2007-12-26}}</ref>

Student Nikolas Macko described to [[BBC News]] his experience at the center of the shootings.<ref name=HaveYourSay>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6561733.stm Student describes shooting spree]". [[BBC]]. [[16 April]] [[2007]].</ref> He had been attending an issues in scientific computing [[computer science]] class in Room 205, taught by graduate student Haiyan Cheng, who substituted for the professor that day.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Maraniss |title=Victims valiant in the face of horror |
url=http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1216&u_sid=2370467 |work=Omaha World-Herald |publisher=Washington Post |date=2007-04-22 |accessdate=2007-05-10 }}</ref> They heard gunshots in the hallway. At least three people in the classroom, including Zach Petkewicz, barricaded the door using a table. At one point, Macko said, the shooter attempted to open the classroom door and then shot twice into the room; one shot hit a podium and the other went out the window. The shooter reloaded and fired into the door, but the bullet did not penetrate into the room. Macko stated there were "many, many shots" fired.<ref name="BBC"/>

In the aftermath, high winds related to the [[April 2007 nor'easter]] prevented emergency medical services from using [[MEDEVAC|helicopters for evacuation]] of the injured.<ref name="holley">{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Holley |title=Students Recount Shootings |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/16/AR2007041600826.html?hpid=topnews |work= |publisher=Washington Post |date=2007-04-16 |accessdate=2007-12-27}}</ref> Victims injured in the shooting were treated at [[Montgomery Regional Hospital]] in Blacksburg, [[Carilion New River Valley Medical Center]] in Radford, [[Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital]] in Roanoke, and [[Lewis-Gale Medical Center]] in Salem.<ref name="wp hospitals">{{cite news |first=Candace |last=Rondeaux |coauthors=Jackie Spinner, Debbi Wilgoren |title=Rampage Strains Area Hospitals |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041700562.html?hpid=topnews |work= |publisher=Washington Post |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2007-12-27 }}</ref><br clear="all" />

===Victims===
{{main|List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre}}
During the two attacks, the shooter killed five faculty members and 27 students and wounded many more. Eleven students died in an intermediate [[French language]] class in Norris Room 211. Nine students died in an advanced [[hydrology]] class in Room 206. Four students died in an elementary [[German language]] class in Room 207. One student died in a [[solid mechanics]] class in Room 204.<ref name="NYT Diagram"/> Two students died from the earlier attack in West Ambler Johnston. The Virginia Tech review panel reported that Cho's gunshots wounded 17 other people; 6 more were injured when they jumped from second-story windows to escape.<ref name="August panel report" />

===Resistance===
Several people tried to help others during the attack, including:
*Professor [[Liviu Librescu]] held the door of his classroom, Room 204, shut while Cho attempted to enter it. Librescu was able to prevent the shooter from entering the classroom until most of his students escaped through the windows, but he died after being shot multiple times through the door. One student in his classroom was killed.<ref>{{cite news | title=Israeli lecturer died shielding Virginia Tech students from gunman |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/849070.html |work= |publisher=Haaretz |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref>
*[[Jocelyne Couture-Nowak]] tried to save the students in her French classroom, Room 211, after looking Cho in the eye in the hallway.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Harper |title=Canadian's class hardest hit |url=http://www.thestar.com/News/article/204866 |work= |publisher=Toronto Star |date=2007-04-19 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref> Colin Goddard, one of seven survivors in the French class,<ref>{{cite news |title=Inside Room 211 |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-042507-na-french-g,1,3604642.graphic?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=2&cset=true |work= |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=2007-04-25 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref> told his family that Couture-Nowak ordered her students to the back of the class for their safety and made a fatal attempt to barricade the door.<ref>
{{cite news |first=Andrea |last=Stone |title=Survivor recalls moments leading up to Va. Tech shootings |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-21-virginia-tech-goddard_N.htm |work= |publisher=USA Today |date=2007-04-21 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref>
*Student Henry Lee was also killed while trying to help Professor Couture-Nowak barricade the door. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vt.edu/remember/biographies/henry_j_lee.html |title=We Remember: Biographies |accessdate=2007-12-27 |format= |work=Virginia Tech }}</ref>
*In Room 206, the movements of a wounded Waleed Shaalan distracted Cho from a nearby student after the shooter had returned to the room, according to a student eyewitness. Shaalan was shot a second time and died.<ref>{{cite news |title=Waleed Shaalan |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/waleed_shaalan/index.html |work=Times Topics |publisher=The New York Times |date=2007-04-20 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref>
*Also in Room 206, Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan may have protected fellow student Guillermo Colman by diving on top of him;<ref>{{id}} [http://www.detiknews.com/index.php/detik.read/tahun/2007/bulan/04/tgl/19/time/113218/idnews/769691/idkanal/10 Brother Mora, an Indonesian Hero]. ''Detiknews'' [[19 April]] [[2007]]</ref> Colman's various accounts make it unclear whether this act was intentional or the involuntary result of being shot. Multiple gunshots killed Lumbantoruan, but Colman was protected by Lumbantoruan's body.<ref>[http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/7091201.html Gil Colman's Story: Wounded in Tech Shooting.] WHSV News. [[18 April]] [[2007]]</ref><ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-18-vt-survivor_N.htm As shots hit, classroom turned into place of terror]. USA Today. [[18 April]] [[2007]]</ref><ref>[http://www.dailynews-record.com/news_details.php?AID=9816&CHID=1 Two Harrisonburg Students Among Those Shot In Rampage]. The Daily News. [[17 April]] [[2007]]</ref><ref>[http://colmanfamilyupdates.blogspot.com/2007/04/details.html Saved by the Blood. Guillermo Colman Personal Blog]. [[21 April]] [[2007]]</ref>
*Student Zach Petkewicz barricaded the door of Room 205 with a large table after substitute professor Haiyan Cheng and an unidentified female student in the same class saw Cho heading toward them. Cho shot several times through the door but failed to force his way in. No one in that classroom was wounded or killed.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3049678&page=1 Heroes in the Midst of Horror: Holocaust Survivor, Students Saved Others]</ref><ref name="NYT Diagram"/>
*Katelyn Carney, Derek O'Dell, Trey Perkins, and Erin Sheehan barricaded the door of Room 207, the German class, after the first attack and tended to the wounded. Cho returned minutes later but O'Dell and Carney prevented him from re-entering the room. Both were injured.<ref>[http://www.wtop.com/?nid=116&sid=1120035&sidelines=1 U.S. Marshal's Daughter Saved Students]. [[Associated Press]]. [[19 April]] [[2007]]</ref><ref name="peyserhero">
{{cite web | last = Peyser | first = Andrea | title = Out of the Horror Emerges a Hero | publisher = ''[[New York Post]]'' | date = [[2007-04-17]] | url = http://www.nypost.com/seven/04172007/news/columnists/out_of_the_horror_emerges_a_hero_columnists_andrea_peyser.htm?page=0
| accessdate = 2007-04-21 }}
</ref><ref>{{cite news | coauthors=Ashley Fantz, Jeanne Meserve |title=Witness survives by pretending to be dead |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html |publisher=CNN.com |date=[[2007-04-17]] |accessdate = 2007-04-28}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Witness: Gunman ‘didn't say a single word’ |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18139889/ |publisher=MSNBC |date=[[2007-04-16]] |accessdate = 2007-04-28 }}</ref>

* Hearing the commotion on the floor below, Professor [[Kevin Granata]] brought 20 students from a nearby classroom into an office, where the door could be locked, on the third floor of Norris Hall. He then went downstairs to investigate and was shot by Cho. Granata died from his injuries. None of the students locked in Granata's office were injured.<ref name="WashPost">{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041802551.html?hpid=topnews | title=Loss Creates a Terrible Contrast in Lives So Similar | publisher=Washington Post |date=[[April 19]] [[2007]]}}</ref>

===Perpetrator===
<!-- Old version can be found at [[User:Halo/Virginia_Tech_Perpetrator]] for merging with Cho Seung-hui-->
[[Image:ChoSh.jpg|right|thumb|300px|One of the photographs of [[Seung-Hui Cho]] sent to NBC News on the day of the massacre]]
{{main|Seung-Hui Cho}}
The shooter was identified as 23-year-old [[Seung-Hui Cho]], a [[South Korean]] citizen with [[United States Permanent Resident Card|U.S. permanent resident status]] living in Virginia. An undergraduate at Virginia Tech, Cho lived in Harper Hall, a dormitory west of West [[Virginia Tech campus|Ambler Johnston Hall]].

The Virginia Tech review panel's August 2007 report devoted more than 30 pages to Cho's troubled history.<ref name="August panel report"/> At three years of age, Cho was shy, frail, and wary of physical contact.<ref>{{cite news |first=Vicki |last=Smith |title=Cho's problems date to early childhood |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3540871 |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-08-30 |accessdate=2007-12-13 }}</ref> While early media reports carried speculation by South Korean relatives that Cho had [[autism]],<ref>{{cite news |title= A Family's Shame in Korea |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1613417,00.html |publisher=Time Magazine |date=[[2007-04-22]] |accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> the review panel report dismissed this diagnosis.<ref name="postAutism">{{cite news | title = EXCLUSIVE: Granddad's anger at uni murderer | url = http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_headline=we-are-glad-he-is-dead-by-cho-s-family—&method=full&objectid=18931479&siteid=89520-name_page.html | publisher = Mirror.co.uk | date = 2007–[[April 20|04–20]] | accessdate = 2007-04-20}}</ref> In eighth grade, Cho was diagnosed with depression as well as [[selective mutism]], a [[social anxiety]] disorder that inhibited him from speaking.<ref name="August panel report"/><ref name=”SelMutism”>{{cite news|title=From Disturbed High Schooler to College Killer|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118756463647202374-Ov_1NZv4xxHzWuURpyNEJzRhdYw_20070918.html|publisher=Wall Street Journal|author=Daniel Golden|date=[[2007-08-20]]|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref><ref name="ChoDisorder">Schulte, Brigid and Craig, Tim. (August 27, 2007). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601410_pf.html Unknown to Va. Tech, Cho Had a Disorder.] ''Washington Post''. [[August 27]] [[2007]]. Retrieved on [[August 27]] [[2007]].</ref> Cho's family sought therapy for him, and he received help periodically throughout middle school and high school.<ref name="August panel report"/> Early reports also indicated Cho was bullied for speech difficulties in middle school, but the Virginia Tech review panel could not officially confirm this.<ref name="Apuzzo 2007">{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Apuzzo |authorlink= |coauthors=Sharon Cohen |title=Va. Tech Shooter a 'Textbook Killer' |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3058493 |work= |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-04-20 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref> High school officials worked with his parents and mental health counselors to support Cho throughout his sophomore and junior years. Cho eventually chose to discontinue therapy. When he applied and was admitted to Virginia Tech, school officials did not report his speech and anxiety-related problems or special education status because of federal privacy laws that prohibit such disclosure unless a student requests special accommodation.<ref name="ChoDisorder"/>

The Virginia Tech review panel detailed numerous incidents of aberrant behavior beginning in Cho's junior year of college that should have served as warning signals of his deteriorating mental condition. Several former professors of Cho reported that his writing as well as his classroom behavior was disturbing, and he was encouraged to seek counseling.<ref name=Disturbing1>"[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18148802/ College gunman disturbed teachers, classmates]" [[NBC News]]. [[17 April]] [[2007]]. Retrieved [[18 April]] [[2007]]</ref><ref name=CNNmanifesto>"[http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/vtech.shooting/index.html Killer's manifesto: 'You forced me into a corner']" ''[[CNN]]''. [[April 18]] [[2007]]. Accessed [[19 April]] [[2007]].</ref> He was also investigated by the university for [[stalking]] and harassing two female students.<ref name="Stalking1">{{cite news |title=Virginia gunman was accused of stalking: police |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1091699 |publisher=Agence France-Presse |date=[[2007-04-18]] |accessdate = 2007-04-19 }}</ref> In 2005, Cho had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and ordered to seek [[outpatient commitment|outpatient treatment]].<ref name="CNN_2005_Court">{{cite news |title= Court: Cho ruled 'an imminent danger' |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/vtech.shooting/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=[[2007-04-18]] |accessdate = 2007-04-19}}</ref>
The Virginia Tech review panel report faulted university officials for failing to share information that would have shed light on the seriousness of Cho's problems, citing misinterpretations of federal privacy laws.<ref>{{cite news |first=Deborah |last=Charles |title=Report faults Virginia Tech response in shootings |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2925438020070830?src=083007_11_TOPSTORY_response_faulted |publisher=Reuters |date=[[2007]]-[[08-30]] |accessdate=2007-12-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Perilous Privacy at Virginia Tech |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0904/p08s01-comv.html |work=Opinion |publisher=Christian Science Monitor |date=[[2007]]-[[09-04]] |accessdate=2007-09-04}}</ref> The report also pointed to failures by Virginia Tech's counseling center, flaws in Virginia's mental health laws, and inadequate state mental health services, but concluded that "Cho himself was the biggest impediment to stabilizing his mental health" in college.<ref name="August panel report"/>

Cho's underlying psychological diagnosis at the time of the shootings remains a matter of speculation.<ref name="Slate Diagnosis">{{cite news |title= Psychopath? Depressive? Schizophrenic? Was Cho Seung-Hui Really Like the Columbine Killers? |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2164757/ |publisher=Slate |date=[[2007-04-20]] |accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> Media outlets routinely compared Cho's motives and [[Mental health|mental state]] to those of the [[Columbine High School massacre|Columbine]] killers; however, it remains unclear whether [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]]'s motives and mental states were similar to Cho's.

Early reports had suggested that the killing resulted from a domestic dispute between the killer and his supposed former girlfriend [[Emily Hilscher]], whose friends said she had no prior relationship with Cho. In fact, there is no evidence that Cho had ever met or talked with Hilscher.<ref name=LondonFreePress>"[http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/International/2007/04/19/4067325-sun.html Cho, Hilscher had no link]." ''[[London Free Press]]''. [[19 April]] [[2007]], Accessed [[19 April]] [[2007]]</ref> In the ensuing investigation, police found a [[suicide note]] in Cho's dorm room that included comments about "rich kids", "debauchery", and "deceitful charlatans". On [[April 18]] [[2007]], [[NBC News]] received a package from Cho time-stamped between the first and second shooting episodes. It contained an 1,800-word [[manifesto]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21275707.shtml |title=Virginia Tech Gunman Cho Seung-Hui Mails Manifesto To NBC News |accessdate = 2007-04-18 |work=Post Chronicle }}</ref> photos, and 27 digitally recorded videos, in which Cho likened himself to [[Jesus Christ]] and expressed his hatred of the wealthy.<ref name="NBC Package 4-19">{{cite news | first=Alex |last=Johnson | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18195423/ | title=Gunman sent package to NBC News | publisher=MSNBC |date=[[2007-04-19]] | accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref>

==Responses to the incidents==
{{seealso|Media coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre}}
===University response===
[[Image:Virginia Tech Balloons released over NEZ.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Before their [[2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football team|2007]] football opener, the Hokies release 32 balloons as a part of a ceremony commemorating the victims.]]
The university first informed students via [[e-mail]] at 9:26 a.m., more than two hours after the first shooting, which was thought at the time to be isolated and domestic in nature.<ref name=fox /> The state review panel, which issued its final report in August 2007, validated public criticisms that university officials erred in "prematurely concluding that their initial lead in the double homicide was a good one," and in delaying a campus-wide notification for almost two hours.<ref name="August panel report"/> The report analyzed the feasibility of a campus lockdown and essentially agreed with police testimony that such an action was not feasible. The report concluded that the toll could have been reduced if the university had made an immediate decision to cancel classes and a stronger, clearer initial alert of the presence of a gunman.<ref name="August panel report"/>

Virginia Tech canceled classes for the rest of the week, closed Norris Hall for the remainder of the semester, and held an assembly and [[candlelight vigil]] on [[April 17]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vtmagazine.vt.edu/memorial07/prevail.html |title=Photo essay: We will prevail |accessdate=2008-02-19 |work=Virginia Tech Magazine }}</ref> The university offered counseling for students and faculty,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vt.edu/remember/archive/ |title=Archived news and notices |accessdate=2008-02-19 |work=Virginia Tech University }}</ref> and the [[American Red Cross]] dispatched several dozen crisis counselors to [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]] to help students.<ref>{{cite press release |title=American Red Cross Aids University Community Following Virginia Tech Shooting |publisher=American Red Cross |date=2007-04-17 |url=http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_6578,00.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-02-19 }}
</ref> University officials also allowed students, if they chose, to abbreviate their semester coursework and still receive a grade.<ref>"Procedure for the Completion of the Spring 2007 Academic Semester" ''Letter from Dean McNamee to students'', [[April 20]] [[2007]]</ref>

Shortly following the events of April 16, the Virginia Tech Foundation, in conjunction with Hokies United, formed the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund (HSMF) to help remember and honor the victims. The fund is used to cover expenses including, but not limited to: assistance to victims and their families, grief counseling, memorials, communications expenses, and comfort expenses.<ref name="Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund">{{cite web | title =Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund | publisher =Virginia Tech | url =http://www.vt.edu/fund/index.php | accessdate =2007-07-02}}<br>{{cite web |url=http://www.hokiesunited.org.vt.edu/ |title=Hokies United |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work= }}</ref> In early June 2007, the Virginia Tech Foundation announced that [[United States dollar|US]]$3.2 million was moved from the HSMF into 32 separate named [[Financial endowment|endowment]] funds, each created in honor of a victim lost in the shooting. This transfer brought each fund to the level of full endowment, allowing them to operate in [[perpetuity]]. The naming and determination of how each fund will be directed is being developed with the victims' families. By early June, donations to the HSMF had reached approximately $7 million.<ref name="Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund has many uses">{{cite web | last =Hincker | first =Larry | title =Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund has many uses; Virginia Tech endows 32 memorial scholarships | publisher =Virginia Tech | date =2007-06-07 | url =http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=332 | accessdate =2007-07-02}}</ref> In July 2007, [[Kenneth Feinberg|Kenneth R. Feinberg]], who served as 'Special Master of the federal [[September 11th Victim Compensation Fund]] of 2001, was named to administer the fund's distributions.<ref name="Administrator of 9/11 fund">{{cite web | last =Hincker | first =Larry | title =Administrator of 9/11 victim compensation fund to administer Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund distributions | publisher =Virginia Tech | date =2007-07-05 | url =http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=385 | accessdate =2007-07-05}}</ref>

In early June, the university announced it would begin reoccupying Norris Hall in mid-June. The building is to be used for offices and laboratories for the [[Engineering science and mechanics|Engineering Science and Mechanics]] and Civil and Environmental Engineering departments, its primary occupants before the shootings. The building is to be completely renovated over time, and it will no longer contain classrooms.<ref name = "vtnorrisopen">{{cite news | title = Norris Hall to begin phased reoccupation | url = http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=330 | accessdate 2007-06-05}}</ref>

Following a board meeting on July 3, Les Saltzberg of New River Valley Community Services, a mental health agency that had a role in the treatment of Cho, resigned his position as executive director. Agency officials state that the resignation is unrelated to the April 16 incident.<ref>AP. (4 July 2007) [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/07/04/charges_dropped_in_katrina_deaths/ Daily Briefing: Va. Tech mental health chief quits] ''[[Boston Globe]]''. Accessed 4 July 2007.</ref>

After the release of the Virginia Tech review panel report, some parents of those slain called for Virginia's governor to relieve Virginia Tech's president and campus police chief of their positions. However, Governor Kaine rejected the notion, saying that the school officials had "suffered enough".<ref>{{cite news |first=Hank |last=Kurz |coauthors=Vicki Smith |title=Va. Tech president defends himself |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3543412 |work= |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-08-31 |accessdate=2007-12-13 }}</ref>

===Student response===
[[Image:2007 Virginia Tech massacre candlelight vigil.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Virginia Tech students mourn the victims at a candlelight vigil.]] <!-- 300px is the maximum image size allowed on articles. -->
After becoming aware of the incident, students communicated with their family and peers about their conditions, using telephones and [[social network service|social networking services]];<ref name="ABC">"[http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3046434&page=1 Students Turn From School to Social Networking Sites for Info]</ref><ref name=WPFacebook>Jose Antonio Vargas. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702037.html A Chain of Grief With Links On Facebook]". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. [[18 April]] [[2007]].</ref> some bodies were found with cell phones and PDAs still ringing.<ref> [http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/04/volunteer-contributes-what-he-can-body.html Cell phones of dead still rang] Anderson Cooper, CNN, [[April 17]] [[2007]]</ref>

Tech students of South Korean descent initially feared they would be targeted for retribution.<ref> [http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OIGQMO0&show_article=1 Korea Fears Prejudice with Shooting Link], ''[[Associated Press]]'' [[April 17]] [[2007]]. Retrieved [[April 17]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2874580 Korean student named gunman in U.S. massacre], ''JoongAng Daily''. [[April 18]] [[2007]]. Retrieved [[18 April]] [[2007]].</ref> No cases of discrimination against Asian Virginia Tech students were reported in the weeks following the shootings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=61031|title=Foreign students at Virginia Tech don’t expect backlash|publisher=inquirer.net|accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref>

Despite the timing of the shootings, as prospective students were replying to offers of admission from colleges and universities, Virginia Tech exceeded its recruiting goal of 5,000 students for the class of 2011.<ref>"[http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=290 Virginia Tech prepares to welcome Class of 2011; university exceeds enrollment goal] [[Virginia Tech]] News. [[May 17]], [[2007]]. Retrieved [[June 24]], [[2007]].</ref>

===Campus memorial===
[[Image:VT April 16 memorial.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Interim memorial on Virginia Tech's drillfield]]
In the hours and days following the shooting, makeshift memorials to those killed or injured began appearing in several locations on the campus. Many people placed flowers and items of remembrance at the base of the Drillfield observation podium in front of [[Virginia Tech campus#Burruss Hall|Burruss Hall]]. Later, members of Hokies United placed 32 pieces of [[Hokie Stone]], each labeled with the name of a victim, in a [[semicircle]] in front of the Drillfield viewing stand.<ref name="intermediate and permanent memorial">{{cite web | last =Hincker | first =Larry | title =University announces plans for intermediate and permanent memorial to honor victims of April 16 tragedy | publisher =Virginia Tech | date =2007-06-07 | url =http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=333 | accessdate =2007-07-05 }}</ref>

This initial memorial was replaced by an interim memorial constructed over the summer on the same site and dedicated just before the start of the [[Academic term#United States|fall semester]].<ref name="interim memorial dedication">{{cite web | last=Miller | first=Allan | title=Virginia Tech dedicates new memorial to the victims of April 16th | publisher=Virginia Tech | date=2007-08-20 | url=http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=456 | accessdate=2007-09-27 }}</ref> The location and design for a permanent memorial have not been finalized, but a campus committee has recommended that the permanent memorial be constructed in the plain between Davidson and Price Halls at the western end of the Drillfield.<ref name="intermediate and permanent memorial"/>

Following the shootings, members of the Virginia Tech community wondered whether Norris Hall, the site of the shooting, would be reopened, transformed into a memorial, or torn down.<ref name="Norrismem">{{cite web | last =Carlson | first =Scott | title =Mortar and Memory: Virginia Tech ponders a building's future | publisher =Chronicle of Higher Education | date =2007-05-04 | url =http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i35/35a01201.htm | accessdate =2007-07-11 }}</ref> Administrators decided to keep the building open.<ref name="Norrisopen">{{cite web | last =Fischer | first =Karin | title =Virginia Tech to Reopen Building Where Most of Victims of Rampage Were Slain | publisher =Chronicle of Higher Education | date =2007-06-06 | url =http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/06/2007060603n.htm | accessdate =2007-07-11 }}</ref>

===Government response===
[[Image:2007 Virginia Tech Massacre Bush handshake.jpg|right|thumb|200px|President George W. Bush with Virginia Tech Student Government Association President James Tyger after his speech at the school's convocation]]
President Bush and his wife [[Laura Bush|Laura]] attended the convocation at Virginia Tech the day after the shootings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vtmagazine.vt.edu/memorial07/convocation.html |title=Convocation remarks |accessdate=2008-02-19 |work=Virginia Tech Magazine memorial issue, May 2007 }}</ref>
The [[Internal Revenue Service]] and Virginia Department of Taxation granted six-month extensions to individuals affected by the shootings.<ref>[http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/breaking/wb/113294 Governor closes gun purchase loophole], ''The Roanoke Times'', 12:41 p.m. [[April 18]] [[2007]].</ref>
Virginia Governor [[Tim Kaine]] returned early from a trade mission to [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]],<ref name="fox">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266374,00.html|title=Virginia Tech Campus Reels From Shooting That Leaves at Least 32 Dead|author=Fox News|access date=2007-04-16}}</ref> and declared a "[[state of emergency]]" in Virginia, enabling him to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment, and other resources in the aftermath of the shootings.<ref name=stateofemergency>{{cite web |url=http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Initiatives/ExecutiveOrders/pdf/EO_49.pdf |title=Declaration of a State of Emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia Due to Shootings at Virginia Tech | date=2007-04-16 | accessdate=2007-07-02 |format=PDF |work=Commonwealth of Virginia, Office of the Governor, Executive Order 49 (2007)}}</ref>

Governor Kaine later created an eight-member panel, including former U.S. homeland security secretary [[Tom Ridge]], to review all aspects of the Virginia Tech massacre, from Cho's medical history to the school's widely criticized delay in warning students of danger and locking down the campus after the bodies of Cho's first two victims were discovered.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Turque |coauthors=Sari Horwitz |title=Kaine Gives Panel Latitude to Probe Campus Killings |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041900830.html |publisher=Washington Post |date= 2007-04-19 |accessdate=2008-02-19 }}</ref> In August 2007, the panel concluded, among more than 20 major findings, that the Virginia Tech Police Department "did not take sufficient action to deal with what might happen if the initial lead proved false".<ref name="August panel report">{{cite web |url=http://www.governor.virginia.gov/TempContent/techPanelReport.cfm?hpid=topnews |title=Report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel |accessdate=2007-08-30 |work=State of Virginia }}</ref> The panel made more than 70 preventative recommendations, directed to colleges, universities, mental health providers, law enforcement officials, emergency service providers, law makers and other public officials in Virginia and elsewhere.

The incident also caused Virginia Commonwealth elected officials to re-examine gaps between federal and state gun purchase laws. Within two weeks, Governor Kaine had issued an executive order designed to close those gaps (see ''Gun Politics'', [[#Gun politics debate|below]]).

Also prompted by the incident, the federal government passed the most significant gun control law in over a decade.<ref name="Reuters Gun Bill">{{cite news |first=Thomas |last=Ferraro |title=Senate passes gun bill in response to rampage |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1962838820071220 |publisher=Reuters |date=2007-12-19|accessdate=2007-12-19 }}</ref> The bill, {{USBill|110|H.R.|2640}}, mandates improvements in state reporting to the [[National Instant Criminal Background Check System]] in order to halt gun purchases by criminals, those declared mentally ill, and other people prohibited from possessing firearms and authorizes up to $1.3 billion in federal grants for such improvements.<ref name="LA Times Gun Law"/> Both the [[Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence]] and the [[National Rifle Association]] supported the legislation.<ref name="June bill">{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Abrams |title=House Tempers Background Checks for Guns |url=http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/06/13/688491.html&cvqh=itn_gunlaw |work= |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date= 2007-06-13 |accessdate=2007-06-13 }}</ref> The measure passed the [[United States House of Representatives]] on a voice vote on [[June 13]], [[2007]]. The [[United States Senate|Senate]] passed the measure on [[December 19]], [[2007]]. President Bush signed the measure on [[January 5]], [[2008]].<ref name="LA Times Gun Law">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Simon |title=Bush signs bill to tighten gun-buyer screening
|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns9jan09,1,6849462.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&track=crosspromo |work= |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=2008-01-09 |accessdate=2008-01-14 }}</ref>

===South Korean response===
When the citizenship of the shooter became known, South Koreans expressed shock and a sense of public shame,<ref name="IHT Koreans"/> while the [[Government of South Korea|South Korean Cabinet]] convened an emergency meeting to consider possible ramifications. A candlelight vigil was held outside the [[Embassy of the United States in Seoul]]. [[Republic of Korea|South Korean]] President [[Roh Moo-hyun]] expressed his deepest condolences.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.president.go.kr/cwd/en/archive/archive_view.php?m_def=2&ss_def=1&meta_id=en_speeches&id=31561c9d6fb66ec7b7a5d8d1 |title=President Says His Heart Goes to Victims, Families | date=2007-04-18 | accessdate = 2007-04-25 |work=Cheong Wa Dae, Office of the President }}</ref> South Korea's [[ambassador]] to the U.S. and several Korean American religious leaders called on Korean Americans to participate in a 32-day fast, one day for each victim, for [[repentance]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/19/wkorea119.xml |title=South Koreans Told to Fast over Massacre|publisher=[http://www.telegraph.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk]|date=[[April 19]], [[2007]]}} Retrieved [[April 19]], [[2007]]</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=More Korean Reactions to Shooting Rampage |url=http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=04-24-07&storyID=26906 |publisher=Berkeley Daily Planet| date=2007-04-24 |accessdate=2007-05-10 }}</ref> The [[foreign minister]], [[Song Min-soon]], announced that safety measures had been established for Koreans living in the U.S., in apparent reference to fears of possible reprisal attacks against Koreans in the U.S.<ref>[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/270944/1/.html "Seoul expresses shock as gunman identified as Korean"], ChannelNewsAsia.com, [[April 18]], [[2007]]</ref> A ministry official expressed hope that the shooting would not "stir up [[Racism|racial prejudice]] or confrontation".<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OIGQMO0&show_article=1 "Korea Fears Prejudice with Shooting Link"], ''Associated Press'' via ''Breitbart.com'', [[April 17]], [[2007]]</ref> Some Korean-Americans criticised the fasting proposal, saying that it directed undue and irrelevant attention on Cho's ethnicity and not other, more salient, reasons behind the shooting. News reports noted that South Koreans seemed relieved that American news coverage of Cho focused on his psychological problems.<ref name="IHT Koreans">[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/21/asia/AS-GEN-SKorea-US-Shooting-Sympathy-and-Shame.php "South Koreans balance sympathy and shame in delicate response to US rampage"] ''International Herald Tribune'', Accessed [[24 April]], [[2007]]</ref> The [[Korea Tourism Organization]] (KTO) pulled its "Sparkling Korea" television advertisements off [[CNN]] after the shootings. A KTO official said it would be inappropriate to air the advertisements featuring images of Korea's culture and natural beauty split between the news reports of the shooting rampage.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kim | first = Tong-hyung | title = More Koreans Rethink Study in US | url = http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=1317&categoryCode=117 | publisher = [[The Korea Times]] | date = [[2007-04-19]] | accessdate = 2007-12-25}}</ref>

===Other responses===
[[Image:Penn State 2007 Spring Game - VT section.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State]] students pay tribute to the fallen Hokies at the [[2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Nittany Lions]] spring [[college football|football]] game.]]<!-- Please only add info from institutions that actually offer material aid or very significant statements (i.e. not just student newspaper articles, postings to websites, or public expressions of sympathy or non-specific offers of support. -->
Hundreds of other colleges and universities from throughout North America responded to the incident with official condolences and by conducting their own vigils, memorial services, and gestures of support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vt.edu/remember/higher_ed_support.html|title=The higher education community lends its support|accessdate = 2008-02-19}} Virginia Tech website listing</ref> Some schools went beyond this and offered or provided cash donations and other forms of expertise and support, such as housing for officers and additional counseling support for Virginia Tech.
<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=ECU Pledges $100,0000 to Hokie Hope fund | date= | publisher= | url =http://ecupirates.cstv.com/genrel/041907aaa.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-04-21 | language = }}<br>{{cite news | title=Hoos and Hokies unite in spirit in dark days | date=2007-04-18 | language=English | accessdate = 2007-04-29 | publisher=The Roanoke Times | url = http://www.roanoke.com/vtreactions/wb/113670}}<br>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=2845037 Paterno, Penn St. pay tribute to Va. Tech victims] April 21, 2007<br>{{cite web |url=http://oncampus.osu.edu/osutoday/042007/04172007.php |title=Holbrook Responds to Virgnia Tech Tragedy |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=OSU Today }}</ref> Both inside the U.S. and abroad, the incident caused many universities to re-examine their own campus safety and security procedures as well as their mental health support services.<ref>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Hattersley Gray |title=Virginia Tech Tragedy Prompts Scrutiny of University Campus Security |url=http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Articles/?ArticleID=102 |work= |publisher=Campus Safety Magazine.com |date=2007-05 |accessdate=2007-12-17 }} </ref>

Some of Cho's family members expressed sympathy for the victims' families and described his history of mental and behavioral problems. Cho's maternal grandfather was quoted in ''[[The Daily Mirror]]'' referring to Cho as a person who deserved to die with the victims.<ref name="postAutism"/> On Friday, [[April 20]], Cho's family issued a statement of grief and apology, written by his sister, Sun-Kyung Cho.<ref name="Cho family">{{cite news |first=Allen G |last=Breed |coauthors=Aaron Beard |title=Cho's Family Feels `hopeless' |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3062111 |work=ABC News |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-04-21 |accessdate=2008-02-19 }}</ref>

Many [[Head of state|heads of state]] and international figures offered condolences and sympathy,<ref>"[http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=nation_world&id=5223557 The World Sends Condolences to Virginia Tech]." [[Associated Press]] [[18 April]] [[2007]]. Retrieved [[18 April]] [[2007]]</ref> including [[Pope Benedict XVI]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Virginia Tech massacre "senseless tragedy": Pope |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSL1755543820070417|publisher=Reuters |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2008-02-19 }}</ref> [[Queen Elizabeth II]], and [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]].

Sporting teams and leagues at both the college and professional levels, as well as sports figures from football, baseball, hockey, soccer, and NASCAR racing, paid their respects and joined fundraising efforts to honor the victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/18/sports/s200358D74.DTL |title=Vick Gives $10,000 for Va. Tech Families |publisher=AP |date=[[2007-04-18]]}}<br/>{{cite news |title=Athletes tied to Virginia Tech seek funds for 33 scholarships |publisher=Daily Press|date=[[2007-04-26]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702068.html |title=Nats Show Their Support |publisher=Washington Post|date=[[2007-04-18]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://houston.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20070418&content_id=89396&vkey=pr_hou&fext=.jsp&team=t200|title=Houston Dynamo to hold tribute and fundraiser for Virginia Tech |publisher=Houston Dynamo|date=[[2007-04-18]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/10145590 |title=D.C. United to pay tribute to Va. Tech with special jerseys |publisher=CBS Sportsline |date=[[2007-04-23]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/04/18/virginia.tech.logo/index.html |title=NASCAR to honor victims of Virginia Tech tragedy |publisher=Turner Sports Interactive |date=[[2007-04-18]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/opinion/04/20/guest.column.virginia.tech/story_single.html |title=Sports world reaches out, helps Virginia Tech cope |publisher=Turner Sports Interactive |date=[[2007-04-20]]}}<br/>{{cite web|url= http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teamphotos?photoId=1553727&teamId=194 |title=Ohio State Football Photo Gallery |publisher=ESPN.com |date=[[2007-05-08]]}}</ref>

On July 30, 2007, after it came to light that Seung-Hui Cho had purchased on eBay two 10-round [[Magazine (firearms)|magazines]] for one of the guns used in the shootings, the online auctioneer prohibited the sale of firearms magazines, firearms parts, and ammunition components on its site.<ref>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Geller |coauthors=Chris Kahn |title=Internet Key in Probe of Va. Tech Gunman |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3064807 |work= |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-04-22 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation
| last = Halprin
| first = Matt
| title = Message from Matt Halprin – New Listing Restrictions on Gun Parts
| date = July 30, 2007
| year =2007
| url = http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200707301000452.html
| accessdate = 08/26/2007 }}</ref>

===Gun politics debate===
{{seealso|Gun politics in the United States}}
The massacre reignited the gun politics debate in the United States, with proponents of [[gun politics|gun control]] legislation arguing that guns are too accessible, citing that Cho, a mentally unsound individual, was able to purchase two [[Semi-automatic self-loading pistol|semi-automatic pistols]].<ref>{{cite news |title=As the Shock of Virginia Tech Fades |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/opinion/17wed4.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |work=Editorial |publisher=New York Times |date=2007-10-17 |accessdate=2007-12-11 }}</ref> Proponents of gun rights argued that Virginia Tech's gun-free "safe zone" policy ensured that none of the students or faculty would be armed and therefore were unable to stop Cho's rampage.<ref>{{cite news |title=MSU sticks to guns on firearms policy |url=http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2007/12/06/news/45firearms.txt |author=Schontzler, Gail |publisher=Bozeman Daily Chronicle |date=2007-12-16 |accessdate=2008-01-03}}</ref>

====Background====
Law enforcement officials found a purchase receipt for one of the guns used in the assault among Cho's belongings.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bryan |last=Bender |title=Stricken campus asks why |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/18/gunman_identified_in_rampage/?page=1 |work= |publisher=Boston Globe |date=2007-04-18 |accessdate=2008-02-19 }} </ref> The shooter waited one month after buying a [[Walther P22]] pistol before he bought a second pistol, a [[Glock 19]].<ref name="August panel report"/> Cho used a 15-round magazine in the Glock.<ref name="wp-2007-04-18">"{{cite news |url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/REPOSITORY/704180366/1013/NEWS03|title=Guns were easy to come by|publisher=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=2007-04-18}}</ref> The serial numbers on the weapons were filed off, a felony, but the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|ATF National Laboratory]] was able to reveal them and performed a firearms trace.<ref name="wp-2007-04-18" />

The sale of firearms to [[Permanent residency|permanent residents]] in Virginia is legal as long as the buyer shows proof of residency.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3048534|title=Shooter Identified as Seung-Hui Cho|publisher=ABC News|accessdate = 2007-04-17}}</ref> Additionally, though, Virginia has a law that limits purchases of handguns to one every 30 days.<ref>Code of Virginia, [http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2–308.2C2 §18.2–308.2:2(P) (2005)].</ref> [[Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act|Federal law]] requires a [[National Instant Criminal Background Check System|criminal background check]] for handgun purchases from licensed firearms dealers, and Virginia checks other databases in addition to the federally mandated NICS. A [[Gun Control Act of 1968 | 1968 federal law]] passed in response to the assassinations of [[Robert Kennedy]] and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]],<ref name="June bill" /> also prohibits those "adjudicated as a mental defective" from buying guns. This exclusion applied to Cho after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in late 2005 and sent him for [[Psychotherapy|psychiatric treatment]].<ref name="NYTgun-421">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Luo |title=U.S. Rules Made Killer Ineligible to Purchase Gun |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/21/us/21guns.html|publisher=New York Times |date=2007-04-21 |accessdate = 2007-04-21 }}</ref><ref name="August panel report"/> Because of gaps between federal and Virginia state laws, the state did not report Cho's [[legal status]] to the federal National Instant Criminal [[Background check|Background Check]] System.<ref name="NYTgun-421"/> Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine addressed this problem on [[April 30]] [[2007]], by issuing an executive order intended to close those reporting gaps.<ref name="VA gun order">{{cite press release
| title = Governor Kaine Issues Executive Order Expanding Background Checks for Gun Purchases
| publisher = Commonwealth of Virginia, Office of Attorney General
| date = 2007-04-30
| url = http://www.oag.state.va.us/PRESS_RELEASES/NewsArchive/043007_Loophole.html
| accessdate = 2007-05-02 }}
</ref> In August 2007, the Virginia Tech review panel report called for a permanent change in the Code of Virginia to clarify and strengthen the state's background check requirements.<ref name="August panel report"/> The federal government later passed a law to improve state reporting to the NICS nationwide.<ref name="LA Times Gun Law"/>

The shootings also renewed debate surrounding Virginia Tech's firearms ban. The university has a general ban on possession or storage of firearms on campus by employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or other third parties, even if they are state-licensed [[Carrying concealed weapon|concealed weapons permit]] holders.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.policies.vt.edu/5616.pdf
|title = Campus and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy 5616, section 2.2 Prohibition of Weapons
|accessdate = 2007-11-21
|date = 2005-08-23
|format = pdf
|publisher = Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
|pages = 7}}</ref> In April 2005, a student licensed by the state to carry concealed weapons was discovered possessing a concealed firearm in class. While no criminal charges were filed, a university spokesman said the University had "the right to adhere to and enforce that policy as a common-sense protection of students, staff and faculty as well as guests and visitors".<ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Miller |title=Virginia Tech's ban on guns may draw legal fire |url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/xp-21770 |work= |publisher=Roanoke Times |date=2005-04-13 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref>

In 2006, prior to the shootings, legislator Todd Gilbert had introduced a related bill into the [[Virginia House of Delegates]]. The bill, HB 1572 was intended to forbid [[Public university|public universities]] in Virginia from preventing students from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun on campus.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=061&typ=bil&val=hb1572
|title = HB 1572 Concealed handgun permits; board of visitors establish university rules and regulations thereof
|accessdate = 2007-11-21
|author = C. Todd Gilbert
|date = 2006-01-20
}}</ref> The university opposed the bill, which died in subcommittee in January 2006. Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker praised the defeat of the bill, and stated, "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." <ref name="Roanoke Times gun bill">{{cite news |first=Greg |last=Esposito |title=Gun bill gets shot down by panel |url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-50658 |work= |publisher=Roanoke Times |date=2006-01-31 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref>

In August 2007, the Virginia Tech review panel report recommended that the state's General Assembly adopt legislation "establishing the right of every institution of higher education to regulate the possession of firearms on campus if it so desires" and went on to recommend campus gun bans, "unless mandated by law".<ref name="August panel report"/> The incident and its aftermath energized student activist efforts seeking to overturn bans that prevent gun permit holders from carrying their weapons on college campuses; 38 states throughout the U.S. ban weapons at schools, 16 of those specifically ban guns on college campuses.<ref>{{cite news |title=Virginia Tech killings underscore guns-on-campus campaign
|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/12/america/NA-GEN-US-University-Shootings-Campus-Guns.php |work=International Herald Tribune |publisher=Associated Press |date=[[2007]]-[[08-12]] |accessdate=2007-08-27 }}</ref>

====Political response====
The response to how gun law affected the massacre was divided. The White House issued a statement saying "The president believes that there is [[right to bear arms|a right for people to bear arms]], but that all laws must be followed".<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070416-1.html Press Briefing] Dana Perino, [[White House]], [[April 16]], [[2007]]</ref> The [[Brady Campaign|Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence]] said that it was easy for an individual to get powerful weapons and called for increased gun control measures.<ref name="brady">[http://bradycampaign.org/media/release.php?release=884 News Release: Nation Again Grieves Over A Tragedy Of Monumental Proportions], CNN, [[April 17]]</ref> Gun rights activist and [[National Rifle Association]] board member [[Ted Nugent]], commenting on CNN, called for an end to gun-free zones and contrasted the Virginia Tech massacre with other incidents in which mass shootings have been ended by law-abiding gun owners.<ref name="nugent">{{cite news |first=Ted |last=Nugent |title=Gun-free zones are recipe for disaster |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/19/commentary.nugent/index.html|publisher=CNN |date=2007-04-20 |accessdate = 2007-04-28 }}</ref>

Some government officials in other countries joined in the criticism of U.S. gun laws and policies.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Perry |title=Massacre sparks foreign criticism of U.S. gun culture |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSL1752333820070417 |work= |publisher=Reuters |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref> For example, former [[Prime Minister of Australia|Australian Prime Minister]] [[John Howard]] said that tough Australian legislation introduced after a 1996 [[Port Arthur massacre (Australia)|mass shooting in Tasmania]] had prevented a problematic [[gun culture]] in Australia.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paisley |last=Dodds |title=U.S. Gun Laws Draw Heat After Massacre |url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3050071 |work= |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-04-18 |accessdate=2007-12-14 }}</ref>

Responding to the Virginia Tech incident, [[Governor of Texas|Texas Gov.]] [[Rick Perry]] proposed that licensed gun owners be allowed to carry their weapons anywhere in Texas.<ref>{{cite news | author=Jay Root | title=Perry: Allow concealed handguns anywhere in Texas | publisher=Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | accessdate = 2007-05-01}}</ref> [[Governor of Virginia|Virginia Governor]] [[Tim Kaine]] condemned the gun politics debate following the massacre, saying: "To those who want to make this into some sort of crusade, I say take this elsewhere."<ref name=washtimes>"Fairfax man identified as Tech shooter" ''[[The Washington Times]],'' [[April 18]], [[2007]]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of school related attacks]]

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

==External links==
<!--Please see [[WP:EL]] for Wikipedia's external links policy. Wikipedia is not the place to promote your blog or website. Discuss any potentially controversial addition on the talk page before adding it here-->
{{commons|Virginia Tech massacre}}
{{Wikinewspar3|33 dead, 15 injured in Virginia Tech shootings|Virginia Tech shooter identified, witness reports emerge|Virginia Tech gunman sent package to NBC}}
*[http://chronicle.com/indepth/vatech/ Complete coverage] of the shootings and their aftermath in the [[Chronicle of Higher Education]]
*[http://www.eqrolc.ca/vatleg.html Timeline of legislative and executive events] that unfolded before and after 04.16.07., including [http://www.eqrolc.ca/vatcom.html chronological review] of Campus Security policies and legislative counterparts.
*[http://video.aol.com/video-search/Raw-Video-NBC-Releases-Gunman-Video-Manifesto/id/3540744790 Flash video compilation of all currently available clips from Cho's manifesto video package sent to NBC]
*[http://www.hokiesports.com/convocation.html Streaming video of the convocation ceremony on [[April 17]] [[2007]]]—HokieSports.com
*[http://www.april16archive.org April&nbsp;16 Archive] (Digital Archive project based at Virginia Tech)
*[http://www.vtreviewpanel.org/ Virginia Tech Review Panel]

{{Virginia Tech}}
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[[Category:Virginia Tech massacre|*]]
[[Category:2007 in the United States]]
[[Category:Gun politics]]
[[Category:Gun politics in the United States]]
[[Category:School killings in the United States]]
[[Category:Massacres in the United States]]
[[Category:Murder in the United States]]
[[Category:Murder-suicide]]
[[Category:University shootings]]
[[Category:Spree shootings in the United States]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in the United States]]

{{featured article}}

[[ar:مذبحة جامعة فرجينيا]]
[[ca:Matança a Virgínia Tech]]
[[cs:Masakr na Virginia Tech]]
[[da:Massakren på Virginia Tech]]
[[de:Amoklauf an der Virginia Tech]]
[[es:Masacre de Virginia Tech]]
[[eo:Masakro de Virginia Tech]]
[[fr:Fusillade de l'Université Virginia Tech]]
[[ko:버지니아 공대 총기 난사 사건]]
[[id:Pembantaian Virginia Tech]]
[[it:Massacro al Virginia Polytechnic Institute]]
[[he:הטבח בווירג'יניה טק]]
[[lt:Virdžinijos technikos universiteto žudynės]]
[[ml:വെര്‍ജീനിയ ടെക് കൂട്ടക്കൊല]]
[[ms:Pembunuhan beramai-ramai di Virginia Tech]]
[[nl:Schietpartij op Virginia Tech]]
[[ja:バージニア工科大学銃乱射事件]]
[[no:Virginia Tech-massakren]]
[[pl:Masakra w Virginia Tech]]
[[pt:Massacre de Virginia Tech]]
[[ro:Masacrul de la Virginia Tech]]
[[ru:Массовое убийство в Вирджинском политехническом институте]]
[[simple:Virginia Tech massacre]]
[[sl:Pokol na univerzi Virginia Tech]]
[[sr:Масакр у Вирџинијском политехничком институту]]
[[sh:Masakr u Virdžinijskom politehničkom institutu]]
[[fi:Virginia Techin verilöyly]]
[[sv:Virginia Tech-massakern]]
[[th:การสังหารหมู่ที่มหาวิทยาลัยเวอร์จิเนียเทค]]
[[vi:Thảm sát Đại học Bách khoa Virginia]]
[[yi:שחיטה אין ווירזשיניע-טעק]]
[[zh-yue:維珍尼亞理工大學校園槍擊案]]
[[zh:弗吉尼亚理工大学校园枪击案]]

Revision as of 00:12, 3 March 2008

stupid ness

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