20 People Shot Dead on Virginia Tech Campus

[Miss Whiplash]

Reloading is as easy as pushing a button (and removing the spent magazine if it doesn't fall out on its own), putting a full magazine in, and pushing another button.[

He had two pistols, which meant that he could alternate reloading. So even if he couldn't reload quickly, he could make sure that he had one loaded at all times. This could be done to keep people from rushing him while he reloaded.

He still has to chamber the first round unless they've invented a gun that will do it for you.

Also, and this is a very minor point but it is a pet peeve of mine, they were not clips. While the word clip is used often to describe a magazine, it is technically incorrect. Clips are used to quickly load multiple rounds into a magazine (either internal or external), while magazines hold rounds and load them into a firearm's chamber. I am unaware of any modern 9mm handgun that uses clips to load rounds directly into the gun itself.

True, but banana clip sounds better than banana magazine

My condolences to anyone who is touched by this tragedy.

My feelings exactly.

 

[ponderingturtle]

That's what's so unbelievable. He could only shoot one at at time. Why didn't someone rush him? Of course, thinking what we would do is not the same as if it was happening to us.

But rush someone with out a gun? Never going to happen. The gun is a nessacary part to resistance.

 

[Katana]

{snip}

Also, and this is a very minor point but it is a pet peeve of mine, they were not clips. While the word clip is used often to describe a magazine, it is technically incorrect. Clips are used to quickly load multiple rounds into a magazine (either internal or external), while magazines hold rounds and load them into a firearm's chamber. I am unaware of any modern 9mm handgun that uses clips to load rounds directly into the gun itself.

{snip}

Oops. Thanks for the correction (and education).

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

Yeah you would have been too smart for him; he never would have been able to kill you. Unlike those idiot stupid virginia tech. students!

1. Nobody here has said they were idiots.

2. The fact that they died tragically does not preclude the possibility that they were idiots.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

Yeah you would have been too smart for him; he never would have been able to kill you. Unlike those idiot stupid virginia tech. students!

I've had to defend myself before and I've had to use firearms. I don't recall anywhere that I've said the kids were stupid.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

But rush someone with out a gun? Never going to happen. The gun is a nessacary part to resistance.

A moving target is much harder to hit though.

 

[azazal]

He still has to chamber the first round unless they've invented a gun that will do it for you.

2 buttons really,and depending on the gun used, both easily manipulated by the firing hand's thumb. On the last round, the slide of the gun locks back and stays, press button one to drop the mag, slid in a new one with the off hand, press button two to unlock the slide allowing it to move forward chambering a new round in the process. Firing hand never leaves the gun. Casually I can do this in a few second at the target range. If the shooter was practicing and getting ready for today, he could reload in a second.

 

[jimlintott]

I just can't share the point of view that more people having guns would make this better. It is really easy to claim that more people carrying concealed weapons would save the day. I think that is narrow minded and lacks imagination.

I can easily see other guns effect on this as ranging from saving the day to making it much worse. It is possible that someone may have been able to spot the shooter and sneak up on him and just shoot him (That would take some balls. How do you know the shooter isn't a cop on a legitimate job?) or persuade him to drop his weapons and surrender. It is much eaiser to imagine a bunch of guns coming out. More innocent people killed in a wild cross fire and or from very confused law enforcement. With lots of guns out, law enforcement would have to treat them all as the potential shooter. I think it gets crazy and it is easier to imagine the situation being made much worse, not better, by having all the extra guns around.

If you can't imagine a scenario where the extra guns make things worse you aren't trying hard enough or you are fooling yourself.

 

[Tailgater]

How did the gunman die the first time this happened? I tried looking for the story, but I'm having a hard time getting around the present one and the 1964 shootings for more info.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

2 buttons really,and depending on the gun used, both easily manipulated by the firing hand's thumb. On the last round, the slide of the gun locks back and stays, press button one to drop the mag, slid in a new one with the off hand, press button two to unlock the slide allowing it to move forward chambering a new round in the process. Firing hand never leaves the gun. Casually I can do this in a few second at the target range. If the shooter was practicing and getting ready for today, he could reload in a second.

Understood.

As I'm a woman with small hands, I still have to use two hands to chamber.

 

[darnell11]

Oh its the TRUTH, is it? Pathetic.

Hmm, blood bath with one or two shooters vs. blood bath with 50 potential shooters.

But there aren't that many potential maniacs running around. It's pretty rare for someone to go on a murder spree. Just because more people have guns doesn't mean more people will become murderes. If there had been some people who were armed, lives would have been saved.

Those wanting to kill bad enough will find a way to get a gun, regardless if it's legal to have them or not.

 

[casebro]

Lessee, we have 300,000,000 people in this country. We live to 75, so we must die at the rate of 4,000,000 per year. That's 10,000 per day. Of todays 10,000, 32 were killed by some wacko in Virginia. I don't know anybody in Virginia. So I don't see any reason it should even be on the national news. Unless it is part of some kind of national trend. I don't think it is. My guess is that the murder rate has been stable to down, and 32 more or less isn't any big hoo-hoo.

However, these discusions can be entertaining. Isn't that ultimatly why we are each here on the net?

At least it will get the media off of A N Smith's dead body. News has been so slow lately that O'Reilly has been hosting a trivia quiz.

 

[OMGturt1es]

It is really easy to claim that more people carrying concealed weapons would save the day.

i don't think anyone's claiming that a student carrying concealed weapons would have saved the day. i think it's being argued that it may have helped.

as a student, i'd rather have concealed weapons permits extended onto campus than not. as a student, i break the weapons code daily, as i carry a knife with me. it's not a large knife, but it's something. when i'm leaving the lab at 2-3 AM, i want something, in case the unthinkable happens.

if i'm ever in a bad position, i don't want my options legislated away from me.

regardless, this is an awful story.

 

[pvt1863]

He still has to chamber the first round unless they've invented a gun that will do it for you.

That is what the second button push is for. Most handguns lock the slide in the open position when the magazine is empty. Once a new magazine is loaded, the slide release can be pushed and the slide will close, loading the first round in the process.

If the handgun is poorly made, poorly maintained, or of an unusual design, then the slide might close when the magazine is empty. In this case, the first round of the new magazine would have to be loaded by manually pulling the slide back and releasing it. This is the exception and not the rule, though.

Edit: Man, my slow work connection is really causing me to lag in this conversation.

 

[Mince]

In a terrible irony, this story from January, 2006:
Yes, everyone at Virginia Tech is much safer today, I'm sure, now that guns were outlawed on campus.

Jesus. Why not start out with "Gee, I feel really bad for the families of the victims. I hope the victims who lived recover quickly and are not physically or psychologically marred for life."

Then degenerate the discussion into a vitriolic argument against gun control.

 

[LawnOven]

But there aren't that many potential maniacs running around. It's pretty rare for someone to go on a murder spree. Just because more people have guns doesn't mean more people will become murderes. If there had been some people who were armed, lives would have been saved.

Those wanting to kill bad enough will find a way to get a gun, regardless if it's legal to have them or not.

No, that is a complete misrepresentaion of the point I was trying to make.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

He still has to chamber the first round unless they've invented a gun that will do it for you.

That is what the second button push is for. Most handguns lock the slide in the open position when the magazine is empty. Once a new magazine is loaded, the slide release can be pushed and the slide will close, loading the first round in the process.

If the handgun is poorly made or poorly maintained, then the slide might close when the magazine is empty. In this case, the first round of the new magazine would have to be loaded by manually pulling the slide back and releasing it. This is the exception and not the rule, though.

Read my answer above. As I said, as a woman will small hands I still have to use both to chamber-that is at least with my P89 and that's about all I use. With my PPK there is no button at all.

 

[LawnOven]

Jesus. Why not start out with "Gee, I feel really bad for the families of the victims. I hope the victims who lived recover quickly and are not physically or psychologically marred for life."

Then degenerate the discussion into a vitriolic argument against gun control.

No! come on! Are you kidding?! Not when there are political points to be scored!

Please deep serious debate in here only. Very serious. 31 people were just murdered, under circumstances barely known; therefore guns should be handed out for free on every street corner. Come on, any idiot can see the logic in that argument.

 

[Katana]

No, that is a complete misrepresentaion of the point I was trying to make.

No! come on! Are you kidding?! Not when there are political points to be scored!

Please deep serious debate in here only. Very serious. 31 people were just murdered, under circumstances barely known; therefore guns should be handed out for free on every street corner. Come on, any idiot can see the logic in that argument.

And you complain about your "point" being misrepresented?

 

[azazal]

From the BBC

Nikolas Macko was in a mathematics class in Norris Hall when they heard a series of loud bangs in the hallway which prompted a female student sitting near the door to move to close it.

"She peeked out into the hallway, and saw the shooter, so she immediately closed the door. Three other students moved a table that was in front of the room - it seats approximately 40 students at capacity - and barricaded it against the door.

"A few seconds later, the shooter tried to open the door, but my classmates kept it well shut, as they held the table against it from floor level.

"The shooter shot the door twice at chest level, which resulted in two holes in the door, one of which hit the podium in the front of the class room and the other continued out the window. At this point he reloaded, shot the door again - this shot did not penetrate - and moved on to the other classrooms," Mr Macko added.

Looks like some of the students did act quickly and were able to keep the number of those killed and wounded lower.