A Catastrophic Cocktail : Mixing Guns And Mental Illness

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the relation between gun violence and mental disorders and/or diseases. Within we will find if the violence in society is truly an issue, or if the real issue is the mental health and sanity of our society.

Next, On April 16, 2007, Cho Seung Hui, a student at Virginia Tech College, apparently had nowhere else to turn in his life other than to go on a massive killing spree. According to CNN News, a timeline of exactly what happened during the massacre was explained. It all began at 7:15am in the West Ambler Johnston Hall, which houses close to 900 students, a 911 call was made claiming that two students had been shot. Between the hours of 7:30am and 9am police and school board members discussed who on earth would possibly do something like this. Shortly after the school began to send students notices via email to notify them of the shootings. Around 9:45am another 911 call was made claiming that more shootings had taken place in the Norris Hall and this time 31 students were killed including Cho, who shot himself after going on the viscous rampage. Several messages were sent to the students of Virginia Tech notifying them of the second shootings via email. Shortly after noon the president of the college released information that classes

Sitting through an hour-long lecture or waiting in line to speak with financial aid are some examples of an average day on campus. It is during these times when students are least expecting tragedy to strike. A student may hear a loud noise and think nothing of it until they realize that noise was the sound of a shooting rampage that has reached their area and by that time it’s usually too late. Campus safety is everyone’s responsibility and remaining on alert is the only way to ensure less people are victimized. One of the first, and most memorable, attacks happened on August 1, 1966. Charles Whitman, a former marine, took rifles and other weapons to the observation deck atop the Main Building tower at The University of Texas- Austin, then randomly opened fire on the surrounding campus and streets. Over the next 96 minutes, far longer than the average active shooter attack, he shot and killed fifteen people. Included in the death toll was one unborn child, and injured thirty-one others. The incident ended when police reached Whitman and shot him dead. During this event, civilians played a vital role in assisting first responders in the take down of Whitman and Allen Crum, a 40-year-old bookstore manager and retired Air Force tail gunner, accompanied police up the tower in pursuit of Whitman. While Crum was armed, it solely because officers handed him a firearm to assist in Whitman’s take down.

Mr. Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year old South Korean student at Virginia tech shot 32 people and himself on April 16, 2007. This incidence of shooting has been claimed to be the deadliest shooting rampage in the history of America. During his childhood years, Cho began to show signs of mental health issues and had been identified of having "selective mutism." He had problem socializing with people and thus was known as a student who merely kept to himself. Ever since Middle School, Cho began to show violence in his writings and got the attention of the teachers. He was prescribed some medication and eventually symptoms of violent and aggressive behavior began to abate. Even though, teachers had reported Cho of having mental issues during his time at Virginia Tech; no such attention was paid to his odd behavior. Cho had quit taking his medicines that were prescribed earlier and thus he was not put through any medical intervention. In 2005, Cho had been identified as a dangerous person rendering him ineligible to purchase a gun under federal law. Despite all of that, he still managed to purchase two guns that were used in the Virginia shootings.

As Cole (2007) states in his article “In hindsight, there were signs that Cho might be a threat to himself and possibly others, including complaints as far back as 2005 by two female students who reported receiving inappropriate messages from Cho” (Para. 4). Family of Eduardo Sencion had reported his violent and paranoid behavior to police two years prior to his shooting spree. Police had responded to an incident at his home but no actions were taken nor were any firearms removed from the home (Citizens Crime Commission, 2013). So the question becomes how to limit or deny access to firearms to those diagnosed with severe mental illness.

On April 16, 2007, one of the most tragic incidents in the United States occurred on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Seung- Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech ruthlessly murdered 32 people and wounded 17 others through the usage of firearms in two separate attacks. This incident is considered the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in the history of America. While people still mourn and pray for the victims, this shooting also led to many controversies. Till this day, Cho’s access to firearm and Virginia Tech’s security hazard remains to be controversial. The motive and cause of Cho’s action and what the school could have done in order to prevent this tragic incident will be addressed.

The Virginia Tech shooting was also one of the worst historical events in history that made me see things differently. On April 16, 2007, a shooting was occurred that not only changed the lives of the students, but also changed the way I see life. The reason was because one student had a mental problem which lead him to killing and hurting a lot of students. Mourning the losses of teachers, friends, and students, Virginia Tech is now forever changed, says one veterinary school spokesperson (Schultz, par. 2). It saddens me that a person would do this just to be famous or to cause physical and mental pain on innocent people.

The massacre at Virginia Tech is known as one of the deadliest shootings in the history of our nation (History, 2011). This event that occurred on April 16, 2007 brought great pain to our country but this was not a pain that was unfamiliar. Mass shooting is something that we as a nation have dealt with for a while and on April 16, 2007 was no different. This massacre left 32 dead including the shooter himself, 23 year old, Seung Hui Cho. To really understand how to put an end to mass shooting one must analyze what happened here it is necessary to look into the shooters life and the victims he took. It is also important to know the events that lead up to the shooting, what happened during the shooting and also after.

The notion portrayed by media outlets and the memory that materializes about the UT tower shooting in regards to it being the “first” violent school shooting, the “first” military-connected shooting, or even the “first” violent killing spree in the United States is a mythicized misconception. Historically the United States has witnessed many mass shootings, not originating from the UT tower shooting in 1966, but in fact predating that incident, and as early as 1891.The reasons that led to the August 1966 University of Texas sniper shootings and the perception that this incident was the first mass shootings in the country, not only demonstrates how our society acknowledges why violent crime happens, but also how the past is remembered through

A series of shots being fired in the near distance can be heard. A crew of ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks are seen speeding down the streets while blaring their sirens to warn people to move out of the way rapidly. Then, crowds of people are seen running down the street franticly. Sounds of earsplitting yells fill the air. Their eyes are filled with tears of fear and terror. They look as if they were running for their lives. There is a wave of worry and curiosity that washes over everyone’s face as they stand there from a distance watching it take place. There was a sense of wanting to run towards the chaos to see what was going on. But the panic of the people running gave off the feeling of “Warning! Do NOT come this way!” What

At 7:15 am on April 16, 2007, a shooting occurred at Virginia Tech University. Gunman Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at the university, shot and killed 32 people and left 17 injured by the time first responders even arrived at the scene. On top of that, Cho chained all three main doors to the building in order to slow first responders and prevent them from being able to provide any protection to victims inside of the school. Had students been armed inside the campus they would have been able to provide protection to themselves and their peers while waiting on help to arrive. Having been the most deadly college campus shooting, this caused states to open consideration to campus carry knowing that it would most likely have been a great way to reduce

In April 2007, the deadliest school shooting in American history occurred when Cho Seung-Hui opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech. Having spent the majority of his life living in the United States but being born in Korea, there were a few different nationalities that Seung-Hui could be associated with, and Park et al. decided to investigate the attributions and emotions affiliated with this event, focusing on four distinct groups:

On April 16, 2007.in a small town in rural Virginia, Seung-Hui Cho, a 23 year old college student shot and killed 32 innocent people on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA. On December 13, 2005, Cho was ordered to receive outpatient psychiatric help because he tried to commit suicide. How is it possible for a person that was ordered to get psychiatric help get a gun legally?

As though the two prior events were not the last straw to how unsafe America’s campuses are, another campus shooting had occurred. This tragic event took place in Blacksburg, Virginia on April 16, 2007, when a student named Seung-Hui Cho decided to go on a

Rare, but devastating incidents have occurred on campuses across America throughout the last thirty years leaving many administrators, parents and students scared and confused about their own personal safety. The Virginia Tech massacre that occurred in April of 2007 witnessed 32 people being shot down in cold blood by a disillusioned student. Government forces will also commit bloody and violent acts of violence in chaotic situations seen in the Kent State massacre in 1970. In 2008 a young male student shot three people in a school shooting at Northern Illinois University, once again demonstrating the violent tendencies at school.