Statement by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
For Immediate Release:
04-16-2007
Contact Communications:
(202) 898-0792
Blacksburg, VA – Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the Virginia Tech University community, and to the families of the victims of what appears to be one of the worst mass shootings in American history.
“Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to act, and how he was able to arm himself. It is well known, however, how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country.
“Eight years ago this week, the young people in Littleton, Colorado suffered a horrible attack at Columbine High School, and almost exactly six months ago, five young people were killed at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania. Since these killings, we’ve done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities. If anything, we’ve made it easier to access powerful weapons.
“We have now seen another horrible tragedy that will never be forgotten. It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur.”
Yes, I guess that’s the sad thing about all this. It sounds like his behavior was effected by high school experience and exacerbated by his college experience.
Thanks for writing.
And, as someone else said in another post, since an election is coming in the not too distant future, the candidates won’t want this as a hot button issue. I agree with them on this one. It’s too touchy of a subject and too divisive.
I have been thinking about the perpetrator all day especially since reading prior classmates observations of his antisocial behavior. Many of them tried to reach out to him; others mocked him. If only he might have responded to one kind person’s attempt to befriend him…