Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Va. Tech Probe Points to Privacy Laws

Muddled regs impede information flow; House OKs gun-control bill

By Peter Fearon, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 14, 2007 12:15 PM CDT

(Newser) – A tangle of privacy laws helps prevent officials from sharing vital info about mentally ill individuals who may be dangerous, making it possible for them to buy handguns—and setting the stage for incidents like the Virginia Tech massacre. Greater awareness of the leeway officials... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Washington Post (Source Grid »)

Virginia Tech Massacre

Text of the report to the president (PDF)
Washington Post

The path to new gun-control legislation
Los Angeles Times

The issue that motivates Carolyn McCarthy
Washington Post

US • Politics

NRA • gun control • Seung-Hui Cho • privacy • House of Representatives • Virginia Tech shootings

More Newser Stories

Va. Tech, NIU Gun Dealer: Arm Students

Looser rules will deter school shooters, says man who sold to 2

(NEWSER) - 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»

Shooting Report Levels No Blame at Virginia Tech

School's response deemed okay, some upgrades recommended

(NEWSER) - 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

Investigators reveal new details of deadly April rampage

(NEWSER) - 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»

Virginia May Close Gun Loophole

Governor's order would give more mental health info to dealers

(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. More»

Cho Guns Were Legal Despite Police Record

Judge's ruling of "mental illness" no deterrent in Virginia

(NEWSER) - Killer Cho Seung-Hui's gun purchases were completely legal, despite his 2005 brushes with the police for stalking fellow students and threatening suicide. The judge who deemed him "an imminent danger to himself because of mental illness" ordered Cho to outpatient treatment; Virginia blocks gun sales only to those who have been involuntarily committed. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Va. Tech Probe Points to Privacy Laws

Muddled regs impede information flow; House OKs gun-control bill

Virginia Tech Massacre

NRA • gun control • Seung-Hui Cho • privacy • House of Representatives • Virginia Tech shootings

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Va. Tech, NIU Gun Dealer: Arm Students

Looser rules will deter school shooters, says man who sold to 2

Shooting Report Levels No Blame at Virginia Tech

School's response deemed okay, some upgrades recommended

Va. Tech Shooter May Have Practiced

Investigators reveal new details of deadly April rampage

Virginia May Close Gun Loophole

Governor's order would give more mental health info to dealers

Cho Guns Were Legal Despite Police Record

Judge's ruling of "mental illness" no deterrent in Virginia

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?