Updated:At Least 33 Dead in Va. Tech Shooting

Unfortunately non US citizens do have the right to purchase firearms under federal law. The states can't override that. However, carry concealed permit holders must be citizens. There are two types of aliens - permanent residents and non-immigrants.

Permanent residents are subject to the same criminal background check as citizens, but they must also produce a valid permanent resident card, a valid state ID and 90 consecutive days proof of residency. I have never felt that aliens should have the right to purchase firearms. Especially non-immigrants since they are only in the country for short periods of time.

The thing people should be concerned most about with regards to our current gun laws is that people like me who issue permits to purchase can't ask someone if they've ever been treated for a "mental condition". I can only access records for those who have been formally committed, adjudicated incompetent, or deemed mentally defective. There are a lot of people out there who suffer from serious disorders who seek treatment on their own and they are never formally committed or found incompetent by a lawful authority. Those are the people who scare me the most and I can't do anything about it. In the past, we asked people about prior mental health histories, but I was told last week by our attorney that I couldn't do it anymore because it didn't meet the statutory requirements. I showed him numerous examples of people who suffered from schizophrenia, paranoia, delusions, bi-polar disorders, etc. and whose doctors recommended they not be given a firearm. He said he shared my concern, but they didn't qualify under the statute and he was bound by the law.

NICS can't get mental health records from some states as well because of their privacy laws. So all the crazies who want to purchase firearms at WalMart can usually do so. NICS is currently in litigation with those states because they are directly violating federal gun laws by not releasing the information. It is truly sad and it pisses me off to think that these people are getting firearms so easily. I think physicians should be required to file some sort of notice with NICS anytime they have a patient that exhibits behavior that is deemed dangerous for them to have a firearm. That's just my two cents and no one usually listens to the peons like me who have to deal with these people on a daily basis.
I don't think that its a federal law that non citzens can purchase guns its a state by state issue. No one can by a gun in NY so thats why I think its a sttate issue

This kid was definitely twisted......click on the link below and you can see the plays he wrote...

Cho Seung-Hui's Plays - News Bloggers (http://newsbloggers.aol.com/2007/04/17/cho-seung-huis-plays/)I'm sorry if you can call that creative writing and if this is what goes on in those classes it no wonder some kids turn out the way they do. I would have never even thought of turning in something like that to a teacher and for a college "Of Higher Learning?" to acept this crap as writing is total BS. I hear about all this liberal BS that our colleges except as art and its a wonder that things are not any worse than they are. It is just disrespectful to even turn something like that into to an adult and for a teacher of " So Called Higher Learning" its scary.

probably the most emotional i have gotten during this whole time is the story about the romanian-israeli professor who was a holocaust survivor. he was put into camp when he was just a kid and has already had to deal with so much in his life. his class heard the gunshots, so he barricaded the door with his desk to let his class escape from the windows 2 stories above. this man was 76 years old holding the barricade, and he died doing so to save their lives. RIP to him and all who died yesterday.

i attended the memorial, which brought everyone closer and helped to start the recovery process, i was about 10 rows back from the speakers which included president bush, governor kaine, and a very charismatic english professor who brought us to end the ceremony with us all chanting "lets go hokies" louder than ever. truely a special occasion and one i will never forget

WORD. That was a truly noble and selfless act. He gave his life for others. Respect!

RIP to all the victims.

No offense, but I don't think the plays are that deviant as people say it is. It's just a lot of cursing.

Im one of millions of consumers who already have guns. I'll carry one more often given the recent days events. Its a tool. I personally believe the laws and requirements to qualify someone to carry a weapon at all should be tightened a bit... to ensure that armed people DO have some sense, but people who are able to shoulder some of the burden for public protection should be more encouraged to do so.

It is not the governments responsibility to be everywhere at all times, and they cannot be... and if they were we would not be a free nation anyway...

Could not agree more Tuna
and NICE post as well HESS

I am a life-time hunter, sportsman, shooter, (conquerer of small countries), etc, as several generations were in my family before me.
I would REALLY hate to see legal gun ownership go away in this country. That would make me an outlaw. I do not believe for a minute that would solve any of our problems with guns either.
HOWEVER, I would not have problem with a more thorough, reasonable, productive investigative process to weed out some problem children.
In reading Anrgy's......vent, one thing that make things simple when purchasing a firearm is the "right to carry permit". I have one, which came with a background check before they issued it. One of the things it affords me is the ability to purchase with NO waiting period. Naturally it cost a couple of hundred bucks to get there. This will not appeal so some for that reason. If the Fed could get behind some type of universal program with the states of this type. This might go along way to solving some of the obvious probs and placate the sporting community as well.
It would have to be a REAL departure for the Fed to adopt a USEFUL plan that is not all window dressing, like the assault weapons ban. This was completely useless and purely a political move.

probably the most emotional i have gotten during this whole time is the story about the romanian-israeli professor who was a holocaust survivor. he was put into camp when he was just a kid and has already had to deal with so much in his life. his class heard the gunshots, so he barricaded the door with his desk to let his class escape from the windows 2 stories above. this man was 76 years old holding the barricade, and he died doing so to save their lives. RIP to him and all who died yesterday.

i attended the memorial, which brought everyone closer and helped to start the recovery process, i was about 10 rows back from the speakers which included president bush, governor kaine, and a very charismatic english professor who brought us to end the ceremony with us all chanting "lets go hokies" louder than ever. truely a special occasion and one i will never forget
Wow. The true epitome of hero!

It is my constitutional right to bear arms damn it! Some people like their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, I like to own weapons. Does anyone have to wait in a line fill out forms and get their background checked If they want to say something, or if they want to go to church and pray? No, but I have to if I want to go hunting or I want something for home protection.
First of all, let's put that whole constitutional right into perspective. This was written when you could be walking down the road and be attacked by a bear. When there were no police services, and most people needed a gun in order to eat. This is no longer the case. We don't need guns anymore. While I think the whole "gun in the home" thing is overblown. More kids die because of swimming pools than because of guns. However, there needs to be gun control.

When I was 17, a bunch of my friends and I got drunk. We decided hey, let's shoot those clay things you toss in the air (can't remember their names), so we drive to Wal-Mart, buy two guns, ammo, and a shooter for those clay things. I was 17, and within 45 minutes we had two firearms, a ton of ammunition, and we were drunk.

They need to lock down gun laws a bit, because most people don't need guns. Especially hand guns. They just aren't necessary. I can definitely see hunting rifles, etc. However, I'm not sneaking a hunting rifle anywhere.

There's nothing that can be done to stop people like the guy who shot up VT. It's just impossible, if they want to attack someone, guns are easy enough to find, and even easier to obtain with a little money. People like this, unfortunately, will always be very difficult to stop.

No offense, but I don't think the plays are that deviant as people say it is. It's just a lot of cursing.Ok, maybe that's one of the problems that you can look at this and just think its a lot of cursing. So, that's what HIGHER LEARNING is now days. May I ask your age?

I don't think anyone said they were "good" plays. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and took some of these liberal classes you're talking about and I have to say that there were some people who did stupid crap purely for shock value, similar to this kid's plays.

For ALL, not most, not some, but ALL of my professors took this type of stuff and thoroughly scoffed at it. Anyone can write something that's a metaphor for something else. It's all in the thought process, in the meaning behind it that makes it something creative and worthwhile. Basically, change the names in his pieces of crap, and it's nothing but a stupid story his twisted mind came up with.

In my classes, I've also seen plenty of artwork involving cursing, nudity and more that were actually very moving pieces of art.

With all due respect Daseal, the opinion of many of the second amendment is the right to "keep and bear arms" provides for:
feed ones self
protect the homestead
stand against a tyrannical government
etc.

As I stated in my other post, I would have no problem with some revision of the current laws, IF it really accomplish's something productive, and not viewed as another way to disarm the public. I think many (though not all) would share this view.

I don't think that its a federal law that non citzens can purchase guns its a state by state issue. No one can by a gun in NY so thats why I think its a sttate issue
Sorry, but that's incorrect. 18 USC 922 (g) 1-9 & (n) allows for aliens to purchase firearms. NY has different levels of permits and they do allow non-citizens to purchase. At minimum, the each state must require the applicant to provide proof of residency within the federal requirements. If the states choose to have an alien comply with additional restrictions, then they have that option, but they can't be less restrictive than the feds. We're taking about purchasing firearms here. It the concealed permit laws that prohibit non-citizens from carrying.