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VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS A WAKE UP CALL FOR ALL

The C B C’s National report on Monday 17th documented the shootings at Virginia Technical University. A total of thirty-two students/teachers were cut down in a hail of bullets in their classrooms/residence by a fellow student.

Cho Seung-Hui fit the description of an accident looking for place to happen.. He was a loner who didn’t interact with his fellow students. Young women on campus had informed the administration that he had a tendency to act in a bizarre manner of unwanted visits in person and via e mail intrusions. The English professors were concerned with the violent tones of his writings and had referred him to Student Services for help. All to no avail.

We have a very disturbed young man who wants to hurt his fellow students . To be able to do the most harm he needed an automatic pistol. In Virginia purchasing a hand gun is oh so easy.

The Second Amendment ratified in 1791 ‘guarantees United States citizens that their’ right to bare arms not to be infringed upon.’ Cho bought two hand guns with one having the capacity to fire off 32 bullets before he had to load another clip into the chamber.

It is estimated that there are over sixty million hand guns that are owned by Americans. Welcome to O K coral where Joe Citizen defends his family/property from harms way.

Who/what is to blame ? Check out the disturbing vast array of T V, videos, movies, computer games that are out there for our kids to view. The movie theater lobbies have violent video games to while away our youngsters time.

How many senseless acts of violence do our children have to view before they too become immune?

Could it happen in London ? I still remember my time at Saunders Secondary School when I received a note from an anonymous student: ‘Tom” brought a shot gun to school this morning.’ I ran down to the auto shop. The troubled student accompanied his teacher to his car where we found his shot gun. We called the police and his parents and we got him some needed help. His best friend had committed suicide the week-end before and Tom was angry.

Thank God Canadians can not buy/carry hand guns as they can in the States.

Sad that the N B C Television stations aired a deranged young man’s video for all to see. There are perhaps hundreds of mentally disturbed individuals who may want to copycat and gain some notoriety.

When I was at Lucas I attended a funeral of a young women who had committed suicide. As fate would have it one of her friends sat next to me in the church. She whispered how envious she was of the limos, eulogies, fan fare that her friend had been awarded for taking her own life.

How many more innocent youngsters have to die before we become concerned? You can become involved by writing letters to the news paper, government officials and tell them how you feel about the increasing availability of media violence in our city.

I am interested in your opinion.

Len Lesser