The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that unfolded as two attacks about two hours apart on April 16, 2007, on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people[4] and wounded many more[3] before committing suicide,[5] making it the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.

Cho, a South Korean who had moved to the U.S. at age 8, was a senior majoring in English at Virginia Tech.[5] In 2005, he had been accused of stalking two female students[8] and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice.[9] At least one professor had asked him to pursue counseling.[10]

The incident, which received worldwide media coverage, sparked intense debate about gun laws, the perpetrator’s state of mind,[11] journalism ethics, the responsibility of college administrations, and more.

Cho shot his first victims around 7:15 a.m. in West Ambler Johnston Hall. About two hours after the initial shootings, Cho entered Norris Hall, which houses the Engineering Science and Mechanics program, and chained the three main entrance doors shut. He then went to the second floor and began shooting students and faculty members.

Television news organizations that aired portions of the killer’s multimedia manifesto were criticized for it by victims’ families, Virginia law enforcement officials, and the American Psychiatric Association.[12][13]

The massacre also reignited the gun politics debate in the United States, and drew criticism of U.S. laws and culture from commenters around the world.[14] Cho bought semi-automatic pistols two years after being declared mentally unsound, despite federal law intended to prevent such purchases.[15] Within two weeks, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine issued an executive order intended to close gaps between federal and state law that had allowed Cho to purchase handguns.[16] Proponents of gun rights suggested that students or faculty might have shot Cho and stopped his rampage if not for Virginia Tech’s gun-free “safe zone” policy; proponents of gun control argued that Cho’s easy access to handguns was unconscionable.

President George W. Bush and his wife Laura attended the convocation at Virginia Tech the day after the shootings.[68] The Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Department of Taxation granted six-month extensions to individuals affected by the shootings.[69] Virginia Governor Tim Kaine returned early from a trip to Tokyo, Japan,[61] and declared a “state of emergency” in Virginia, enabling him to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment, and other resources in the aftermath of the shootings.[70] Governor Kaine later created an eight-member panel, including former U.S. homeland security secretary Tom Ridge, to review all aspects of the Virginia Tech massacre, from Cho’s medical history to the school’s widely criticized delay in warning students of danger.[71]

The incident also caused Virginia Commonwealth elected officials to re-examine gaps between federal and state gun purchase laws. Within two weeks, Governor Kaine had issued an executive order designed to close those gaps (see Gun Politics, below).

“Virginia Tech massacre.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 May 2007, 14:24 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 May 2007

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