Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 6, 2008 12:13:50 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Virginia May Close Gun Loophole

Posted Apr 25, 07 6:04 AM CDT in Politics,  US 

(Newser) – Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine is considering closing the loophole that allowed Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung Hui to buy guns despite his dangerous and conspicuous mental illness. A judge ruled Cho mentally ill in 2005, but didn't commit him, so his records were not in the data base dealers consult.

Kaine's executive order would send information, like Cho's diagnosis, to the database, even without involuntary commitment; other states are currently reviewing comparable shifts. Both sides of the aisle have applauded the move. "Someone who's declared a threat to others should not be able to purchase a firearm," said GOP lawmaker Mark Cole.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Virginia Tech Families, State Reach $11M Deal

    Apr 10, 08 1:09 PM CDT
    Virginia Tech Families, State Reach $11M Deal Victims’ families in the Virginia Tech shootings have settled with the state for $11 million in a deal to prevent future lawsuits, lawyers said today. The lawyers, who represented 21 families, are mum on details pending finalization, reports the Roanoke Times. At least 20 families had earlier warned they might sue over the tragedy last April 16, when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded more at the school before killing himself. More »

  • Va. Tech, NIU Gun Dealer: Arm Students

    Mar 5, 08 1:29 PM CST
    Va. Tech, NIU Gun Dealer: Arm Students Eric Thompson sold guns to both the Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech shooters, but he’s not apologizing for it. “I’m a businessman,” he tells the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a product.” But Thompson thinks he knows how to stop such violence: allow students to carry guns. “We know it’s going to happen again. It’s time to hit it head on.” More »

  • FBI's Mental Health Gun-Ban List Doubles

    Nov 29, 07 5:38 PM CST
    FBI's Mental Health Gun-Ban List Doubles Spurred by April shootings at Virginia Tech, new reporting of mental health data has doubled the number of Americans banned from purchasing guns on such grounds, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said today. Nearly 220,000 names have been added to the FBI list, highlighting the data-sharing gap that allowed shooter Seung Hui Cho to buy guns though a court deemed him mentally defective. More »

  • Shooting Report Levels No Blame at Virginia Tech

    Aug 22, 07 7:17 PM CDT
    Shooting Report Levels No Blame at Virginia Tech Virginia Tech's response to the April shootings that left 33 dead got a free pass in an internal review today, CNN reports. Although the university should improve its communications systems and means of monitoring troubled students, the report says, it found no fault with how school officials and police handled the incident. The spree was the worst school massacre in US history. More »

  • Va. Tech Shooter May Have Practiced

    Aug 10, 07 3:49 PM CDT
    Va. Tech Shooter May Have Practiced The Virginia Tech killer may have rehearsed his rampage 2 days before the massacre of 32 people on April 16, police investigators said today. One witness reported spotted a suspicious-looking hooded male near doors inside the academic building where the shootings took place on April 14, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports; another witness saw chains on the door that same day. More »

Governor Kaine on campus   (Associated Press)
Governor Kaine lays a wreath   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Gun Laws Under Scrutiny

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

Virginia  • gun control  • Virginia Tech shootings  • mental health  • mental illness  • Seung-Hui Cho  • Timothy Kaine


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »