There was great interest in finally finding out the name of the gunman at Virginia Tech. Why is there no interest in finding out the manufacturer of the gun, where the manufacturer is located, where the gun was purchased, who produced the ammunition?
When we hear of an "improvised explosive" or "homemade bomb"; reporting the origin of manufacture is an important detail of the news. Why is it that the origin of the manufacturers of guns never seem to be reported in the news? Why not report the origin of manufacture of weapons of war as well?

Sent by michael andersen | 10:23 AM ET | 04-17-2007

Because only someone with a sub-conscious firearm fetish would find that information useful. Remember it wasn't as if the gun, using it's own free will, got up and started shooting at Virginia Tech students. That would be illogical. In actuality, it was crazed young man who had psychologically justified the massacre. If he didn't do it with a gun, he would've found out another way to kill. Humans have been killing each other long before the invention of the gun.

Sent by sim j. | 10:42 AM ET | 04-17-2007

With all due respect to "Sim J.," Perhaps Michael Andersen's comment is meant to point out that sometimes it is the ease with which handguns and ammunition can be acquired that facilitates the scale of tragedy that occurred at Virgina Tech yesterday. It is difficult to believe that 33 people would have died, and almost as many injured, had Seung-hui Cho been forced to rely on other means to achieve his murderous intentions.

Sent by Julia McCurdy | 10:58 AM ET | 04-17-2007

Yes, but it would have been rather difficult for this young man to kill 33people with his bare hands... or even wth a knife

Sent by Marty D. | 10:58 AM ET | 04-17-2007

"Because only someone with a sub-conscious firearm fetish would find that information useful"

hahahahahahaha

its true though

Sent by Peter | 11:05 AM ET | 04-17-2007

"Because only someone with a sub-conscious firearm fetish would find that information useful"

Which might very well include atleast half of the population of the US.

Sent by Alex | 11:35 AM ET | 04-17-2007

I just want to say one thing that i have been telling all my friends and family. Guns don't kill people. People kill People. Whether with guns, bombs, knifes, cars, planes, or trains. People will always find ways to kill each other. I feel sorry for the students and family of Virgina Tech. But blaming guns is not the way to solve this issue. Blame the people who buy them to kill people with them.

Sent by Sextuple | 11:51 AM ET | 04-17-2007

Once again the debate is going to be channelled away from "real" underlying problems in this country in favor of stumping for gun control. What a waste of time and in the end - of humanity.

Sent by Eddy | 12:33 PM ET | 04-17-2007

As much as a don't like guns and have no desire of owning one, the underlying problem is the folks who use the guns in such barbaric means. It takes one to pull the tigger. What happened to accountability?
We may never know what possessed this kid to go on a killing spree. The reality is, it happens and it will happen again. The best we can do is raise our children will compassion, accountability, honesty, kindness, openess and all the other positive attributes that make up a caring mind. And even THAT, won't guarentee us another tragedy like yesterday.

Sent by rob ashito | 1:51 PM ET | 04-17-2007

I agree that if the bloke wanted to kill, he'd do it anyway, but there's quite an important factor there and it's that Americans can acquire guns too easily. We'll never know the should-have-been or could-have-been of these sorts of events, but IMHO it's a dead cert that permissive laws make it easier for troubled people to be led into temptation.

Sent by Sebastian S.H. | 2:20 PM ET | 04-17-2007

While the events that happened yesterday are lamentable, the manufacturer of the gun is somewhat irrelevant and will do little more than create a scarecrow for misdirected blame. Had he not used whatever make of weapon he chose to, he would have simply used another. All firearm producers will continue to make profits and selling their wares, and it is thus in the hands of society to decide how prolific guns and gun-related violence are.

Sent by Grant D. | 2:40 PM ET | 04-17-2007

The issue here isn't gun control, it's the social dynamics of America which produces 'loners' and then ostracizes them. "Rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans:" this is the case of an outsider lashing back at the insiders. But the mass media will depict it as some 'crazed maniac' who got his hands on guns, and while I certainly agree that a person must be 'off their rocker' in order to massacre thirty-two innocents, why not examine the circumstance that produce the psychopath.

Sent by Ben | 2:56 PM ET | 04-17-2007

As I understand it, two murders occured at 7:15 am. Is not this enough of a tragedy to close campus immediately, without having apprehended the murderer? Where were all the police- campus, community, and State Police, in such a horrible act?
How could any college continue with classes as usual, with the criminal at large? Lockdown was in order.

Sent by college parent | 3:17 PM ET | 04-17-2007

Why does there have to be an issue? A troubled young man made a decision that cost innocent people their lives. Period. He wasn'tthe first and will not be the last.

Sent by jason | 4:35 PM ET | 04-17-2007

According to Dr. Martha Stout ("The Sociopath Next Door"), 4% of humans are psychopaths, and appear to be born that way. They don't have the capacity to empathize with other humans. This is not the fault of "society" or "the system." Psychopaths generally are not killers -- lucky for us -- but they can and do kill, and some of them in a big way: Hitler and Stalin come to mind. The news report in Wikipedia says that one of Cho's teachers reported him to authorities. Maybe this is where society failed. It is not because he could buy a legal firearm. Had a legal one not been available, an illegal one or some other means could have been subsituted.

Sent by MC | 7:38 PM ET | 04-17-2007

I was dismayed to listen to NPR's first coverage on the identity of the killer. Why so much emphasis on the fact that he was a South Korean immigrant to the USA? Is there some indication that this is an relevant piece of information. I have heard this repeated all day. I have never heard his birth date mentioned, or his birth order in his family, or the economic class of his family or myriad other things that might describe this individual. Many of these other factors are likely to be far more important in understanding why he did what he did. I would expect better from NPR than pandering to an obsessive fear of immigration that seems to reign in this country.

Sent by Arthur Smith | 8:11 PM ET | 04-17-2007

gun control as the first means of defense for now, and educating our children to grow up to be more than tolerant; respectful of other people's cultures and beliefs...or embracing. The latter to ease the pain of a troubled mind and the first to control a finished one.

Sent by isela | 8:12 PM ET | 04-17-2007

I live about three hours from Blacksburg in Richmond VA. i go to the Hokie football games quite often. And cant believe that this has happened. We can point the finger at the man or the gun. Either way people are dead. And in spending a number of years in the USMC i can tell one motivated person and a firearm can do alot of damage. Its a tragedy that these people are dead but the thing that really bothes me is how the media turns it into a circus and a race for ratings. Giving an event where civialns are killed for no reason, flashy catch phrases such as the VT massacre, or carnage on the campus. It sounds like they are promoting a boxing match. Its absolute garbage.

Sent by Cpl. Woods, USMC | 8:32 PM ET | 04-17-2007

Surely even an ardent supporter of individual ownership of handguns can appreciate the truth in Julia McCurdy's posting that, "the ease with which weapons and ammunition can be acquired... facilitates the SCALE of the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech." It would seem simple enough for all people of goodwill to support the reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons and related ammunition.`

Sent by M E Sinkiewicz | 8:56 PM ET | 04-17-2007

i am a student in addis ababa university, ethiopia and i was really shocked when i heard what happened. i mean that is really dangerous. the future of america seems to be in trouble. increasing school shootings, terrorist attacks. i see some weknesses there i mean they need to inform as soon as the first incident has occured, it is USA after all and not ethiopia where there are no adequate means to inform students. every thing has delayed even identifying the massacer. i don' know what is wrong. thanx

Sent by gemechis degefu | 6:16 AM ET | 04-18-2007

Quoted from Eddy: "Once again the debate is going to be channelled away from "real" underlying problems in this country in favor of stumping for gun control. What a waste of time and in the end - of humanity."

I agree. We shouldn't be focusing our efforts on more laws controlling the sale of firearms. Cho Hui-Seung played basketball alone. We should ban the playing of basketball alone.

After Columbine, I felt safe that children could no longer play violent video games and violent music.

Adolph Hitler loved Gone with the Wind and listened to Wagner. Why haven't we banned this movie and this classical musician yet?

The key is more music and movies control.

Sent by Son Nguyen | 7:15 PM ET | 04-18-2007