I work with guns of all sizes and calibers on a daily basis, local sheriff's dept. But am a advocate of gun control.

Sent by Rob Fiedler | 1:13 PM ET | 04-18-2007

No Equalibrium: The Market for Guns

Guns can be purchased whether legal or not in areas of most cities that cater to contraband items, be they drugs or pirate dvds. As a Canadian, I think that access to guns should be restricted, but it is somewhat of an idealistic proposal. If someone so psychologically unsound as the zombie that tormented V Tech wanted to carry out his plan, then nothing would stop him; he would get the weaponry- legal or illegal.
I have read that this zombie was not an American citizen: he was not born in the USA. Perhaps that could be a start for implementing gun control; Must be born in the United States.
I just feel so very sad and angry about what happened at Virginia Tech.
Perhaps control should stem from the people in our society like Lucinda Roy.

Sent by Frank Greco | 2:19 PM ET | 04-18-2007

My brother is an engineering professor at Tech. One of my close friends is Joe Librescu, whose father was shot. I am a VATECH, grad which is one of the reasons my brother went there.
Regarding gun control, why control the guns? Why not control the bullets? I think it's insane that I can't buy sudafed without having my ID registered on a list but I can go buy 500 bullets without even showing an ID. I also think raising the price of ammunition, and adding a hefty tax, is a good idea. That would help pay for systems to monitor large purchases of ammunition, and could possibly fund programs to educate people on firearm safety.

Sent by Franki | 2:26 PM ET | 04-18-2007

My feelings about gun control are mixed. Guns don't kill people; people do. However, despite the fact that I know many responsible gun owners, we cannot ignore events like the one at Virginia Tech.

I think a provocative question about this tragedy is: "Should all Americans have the right to bear arms?" In other words, are limits when it comes to age, physical condition, criminal background, and psychological stability warranted?

Sent by Steve Petersen | 2:50 PM ET | 04-18-2007

When my home was vandalized, to the tune of about $10,000, by a deranged neighbor who we could prove was the perpetrator, who threatened a judge, and who so alarmed my lawyers that they urged me to sell and move immediately, the police told me that they would do nothing about it until--an officer's actual words--"he kills you or puts you in the hospital."

When a gay couple across the street suffered a home invasion by five thugs, one of whom was female, one of whom inflicted a concussion on one victim, and one of whom chased the other victim down the street waving a .45 at him, the police responded by remarking that the two long-term, monogamous gay partners must have hired the woman as a prostitute and been rolled by her pimp.

Evidently there's nothing the police can or will do to "protect" citizens. You think I shouldn't have a gun? Fine. But before that thought gets turned into law, how's about providing some form of credible police protection?

As for the hideous events at Virginia Tech, maybe the problem is less that a sick young man could get his hands on a couple of guns but that a sick young man could NOT get effective mental health care. The collapse of America's medical system is nowhere more evident than in the abysmal state of mental health care--or the absence of it--in this country.

The VTU shooter was mentally ill. People around him recognized that he was mentally ill and possibly dangerous. They tried to get help for him, but there was no viable help to be had.

If we want mentally ill people to quit shooting up our schools and restaurants, then we must provide real, consistent mental health care for everyone who needs it.

Sent by Victoria Hay | 3:19 PM ET | 04-18-2007

Guns are not allowed on school campus, so even if students owned guns they wouldn't have them to use in this situation. I live in Atlanta where a 92 yr old woman was shot to death in her home when Police broke down her door in a drug raid. She had a gun. She used it. She was killed. There were no drugs in the house. It was all a tragic mistake. I don't want a gun in my house nor would I use one. Statistics show that countries with gun controls have far fewer deaths from guns than the USA. I believe that there should be far more requirements for owning a gun than for driving a car or buying sudafed. I'm in favor of major gun control laws.

Sent by Mary T. James | 4:29 PM ET | 04-18-2007

Can I take a third position. Several times in my life I've been unarmed and threatened with firearms. I'm still leery about gun control, though. I worry about our instinct to use the levers of government to treat the symptoms of what we won't do in our communities. I also worry about our tendency to take dramatic action in response to rare events and do little about what happens every day in our neighborhoods. To me the war on terror and USAPATRIOT act are examples of what goes wrong when we pass laws in panic and I would worry about any legislation following this tragedy.

Sent by Doug | 6:18 PM ET | 04-18-2007

It is easier to talk about guns than it is to talk about mental illness. We have no thorough system for helping people with severe mental disorders. We allocated little resources to this problem. We act as though if we ignore it, mental illness will just go away on it's own. Not going to happen. We need to openly discuss and develop strageties for dealing with this devastating illness

Sent by Judy Kann | 7:54 PM ET | 04-18-2007

I'm sick of hearing about this. Everyone is taking the oppurtunity to present an agenda on the backs of 30 dead students and professors. Some are calling for more gun control, some for less. Some are blaming the school, some are blaming video games, and others, oddly enough, are blaming al Qeada (it was a terrorist attack??!?)

I am going to have to keep hearing about this on my local news and NPR news breaks for the next four weeks? The same think happened to Columbine. It was a tragedy, people died. Please, isn't there anything else going on to talk about?

Sent by Scott K. | 11:17 PM ET | 04-18-2007

These are thoughtful and important comments, and I don't underestimate how hard it is to keep emotions in check at a time like this. I am going to ask our producers to contact several of you to ask if you'd be willing to discuss your ideas on the air. as always we appreciate your thoughtful contributions whether or not you wish to speak about them further..

Sent by Michel Martin, for the Tell Me More team | 11:25 PM ET | 04-18-2007

There are three reasons that this country allows the easy sale of guns - hunters who fear that any regulation will progress to the complete elimination of guns, others who imagine they'll save their lives with a gun, and those groups who profit from the sale of firearms. My guess is that the latter is our biggest problem. They have somehow drowned out the message that countries with more gun control have far safer citizens and that allowing hunting rifles is a compromise that is not threatened by proposals to ban the kind of automatic handguns that can come out of a backpack and kill 33 people. A better look needs to be taken at the money trail that continues to block logical legislative solutions.

Sent by Les | 12:02 AM ET | 04-19-2007

One of the stories that can come from this is a discussion of mental illness and domestic violence and how it is viewed through various ethnic groups. Clearly this young man was disturbed and from the video released today was full of rage.
Although I don't own a gun, I was raisedin the South and grew up around them. I would describe myself as a raging liberal but am more on the conservative end when it comes to issues of gun control. But I do wonder how he could have purchsed a gun if had a history of mental illness? Maybe laws should be in place to consider this. Of course there is the issue of privacy. I also think if there was less of a stigma surrounding the mentally ill, maybe these privacy concerns would not be an issue. I am not one to blame the media and I do enjoy my share of action fliks, but the photos him posing with his guns were very reminiscent of scenes from film. Just a few thoughts.

Sent by Kimberlie | 12:53 AM ET | 04-19-2007

Here's a rather interesting thought; apparently, Cho Seung-Hui has accused at least one specific person -- perhaps all of us as a society -- of greed that does not fulfill "hedonistic needs" along with persecution of him and Christ. I doubt that we could agree upon an answer, but why not consider the validity of his charges? Granted, this would prove very thorny and controversial, but it should also spark a fecund and interesting discussion.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 12:49 PM ET | 04-19-2007