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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6560685.stm

At least 20 people have been killed and more injured after a gunman went on the rampage at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia, US.

Police say there were two separate shooting incidents - one at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a student dormitory, and Norris Hall, an engineering building.

The incidents were about two hours apart. Police say that the gunman at Norris Hall is dead.

The state university in the town of Blacksburg is home to 26,000 students.

"We have a ballpark figure on fatalities. It's at least 20 fatalities," Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum said.

Mr Flinchum said it was unclear if the assailant was a student, but said that a number of the victims were.

"Some of the victims were shot in a classroom," he said.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said, adding that the university was in the process of informing the next of kin of those killed.

So what's your opinions on this? Two seperate incidents on the same campus makes it kindda scary that two people had the same idea at the same time. My thoughts go out to the families of the students killed and I hope people who were only injured weren't hurt too badly.

Details sound kinda sketchy but I think the two shootings were by the same gunman, which obviously raises huge questions as to why nothing was done in the time between them. It reminds me of the Columbine incident where the police just waited outside for too long.

I hope the death toll doesn't keep rising, I read 15 earlier now another site says 29.

That does raise some serious questions. Like, How did the gunman manage to elude the authorities long enough to execute a second attack?

That, on top of the usual "How could someone do such a thing?!" that people ask after any major tragedy. Is there any word on what the gunman's motive was? Did he get spurned? Was he failing? Did he snap from the pressure? Or is it something else entirely?

On the subject of Columbine, I was a freshman in high school when that happened. I was just entering the world that drove those gunmen mad. Soon after, security was massively tightened at my school. Everyone had to show their school ID and pass through a MEHTUL detector to get in. That and the huge amount of aggravation that was caused when the system broke down. There would be a long line of angry students waiting for it to be fixed. It's a real shame that such measures had to be taken to remain safe.

Back to the present day, may the injured recover quickly, and may the dead rest in peace.

This is what I've heard since this was originally posted:

32 dead
28 injured
Gunman was apparently upset about a girl, though I'm not sure of the details
Two HANDGUNS were used

(Again, this is what I've heard. I make no claims as to the accuracy of this.)

My main question here is how did the guy have time to kill 32 people and injure others by using only handguns? That's a lot of reloading. You'd think something could have been done during all that time, though I don't fully know the circumstances.

'Tis a tragedy, I must say.

Wow. This is the first I heard of this.
I don't even know what to say. It's just bad.

I heard about this while I was at school today. And going along with what Javs said, its really scary how it seems that a guy armed with only 2 handguns can murder 32 people and injure many more without any sort of interference that would stop it. Its really sad when this happens.

So what's your opinions on this?

Umm... It SUCKS?

This is a terrible tragedy. There's not much else I can say about it...

I was talking to my RHD and apparently, the campus security didn't even report the first round of shootings until right before the second batch.

heard about it a few hours ago, but damn.. two handguns? 32 people? i've heard of massacres with fully auto weapons with less deaths.

and yea its 33 dead (including the shooter himself) and 28 wounded

ah there we go, report said he walked in, chained the doors, and started firing, so no way for them to escape

also, this is the biggest civillian gun massacre in US history, so its big

All my thoughts go out to the victims, their families, and also the family of the gunman/gunmen. Don't forget that they'll be suffering just as much as any other family.

It pantsless BOGGLES my mind that the USA STILL say "blah blah right to bear arms blah pantsless blah"

It took the UK ONE school shooting to ban handguns for private ownership...

And they say that the US is the most advanced and democratic nation on earth...show me pantsless proof.

It pantsless BOGGLES my mind that the USA STILL say "blah blah right to bear arms blah pantsless blah"

It took the UK ONE school shooting to ban handguns for private ownership...

My government class had a discussion about this today, and it seems that, if the various people around here are any indication, most of my generation is against the right to bear arms shite. Hopefully that means things will be changing soon.

I read all about it this morning. It saddens me greatly that something like this could happen.

I don't know where to stand on guns. There's also an argument that the incident wouldn't have been nearly as bad if the other students were allowed to carry guns in school so they could shoot the one maniac.