Japan is not a good example as a general rule for gun control comparision because of the vast cultural and legal differences between our two nations. And their low crime rate makes murders like this all the more shocking.
As for how far Cho would have gotten, had some VTech students/teachers been armed, we can perhaps look to the Appalachian School of Law shooting also in Virginia.
From the link; On January 16, 2002, 43-year-old Peter Odighizuwa, a Nigerian former student at the Appalachian School of Law, arrived on the campus. While numerous reports stated that Odighizuwa had flunked out of school or had been suspended, Jeremy Davis, former dean and professor of law at the school, later said that Odighizuwa had withdrawn voluntarily due to poor academic performance.
Odighizuwa first discussed his academic problems with professor Dale Rubin, where he reportedly told Rubin to pray for him. Odighizuwa then walked to the offices of Dean Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell, where he opened fire with a .380 ACP semi-automatic handgun. According to a county coroner, powder burns indicated that both victims were shot at point blank range. Also killed along with the two faculty members was a student, Angela Denise Dales, age 33. Three other people were wounded.
When Odighizuwa exited the building where the shooting took place, he was approached by two students with personal firearms and one unarmed student. There are two versions of the events that transpired at that moment, one by Bridges and one by Besen.
According to Bridges, at the first sound of gunfire, fellow students Tracy Bridges and Mikael Gross, unbeknownst to each other, ran to their vehicles to fetch their personally-owned firearms. Gross, a police officer with the Grifton Police Department in his home state of North Carolina, retrieved a 9 mm pistol and body armor. Bridges, a county sheriff's deputy from Asheville, N.C., pulled his .357 Magnum pistol from beneath the driver's seat of his Chevy Tahoe. As Bridges later told the Richmond Times Dispatch, he was prepared to shoot to kill. Bridges and Gross approached Odighizuwa from different angles, with Bridges yelling at Odighizuwa to drop his gun. Odighizuwa then dropped his firearm and was subdued by several other unarmed students, including Ted Besen and Todd Ross.
According to Besen, before Odighizuwa saw Bridges and Gross with their weapons, Odighizuwa set down his gun and raised his arms like he was mocking people. Besen then charged, got into a scuffle with Odighizuwa, and knocked him to the ground. Bridges and Gross then arrived with their guns once Odighizuwa was tackled.
Even if you go for the less armed-citizen friendly version of the story, the shooter was still stopped by students who were more proactive than those at VTech, (Which is not to suggest that there weren't SOME people who tried to stop Cho, as two teachers and a few students actually did get shot trying to thwart him.) Immediate, forceful action, whether armed or not makes all the difference in the world in a school shooting situation.
At any rate, allowing arms on campus, even in a limited capacity, (Teachers/Faculty only, or 21 year-old only, etc) certainly mitigates a school shooting.
I think it is also worth noting that 30 of the 32 victims died AFTER the police showed up. After Columbine, when students were murdered as police stood by, some departments adopted polices that allowed responding officers to form fire-teams to root out the killer rather than waiting for SWAT. One of my friend in a local county Sherriff's office has received such training, and carries an AR15 as a duty weapon in addition to the others. Perhaps VA departments will upgrade their training. Regardless one can only look to oneself for defense when things like this happen.
As for how far Cho would have gotten, had some VTech students/teachers been armed, we can perhaps look to the Appalachian School of Law shooting also in Virginia.
From the link;
On January 16, 2002, 43-year-old Peter Odighizuwa, a Nigerian former student at the Appalachian School of Law, arrived on the campus. While numerous reports stated that Odighizuwa had flunked out of school or had been suspended, Jeremy Davis, former dean and professor of law at the school, later said that Odighizuwa had withdrawn voluntarily due to poor academic performance.
Odighizuwa first discussed his academic problems with professor Dale Rubin, where he reportedly told Rubin to pray for him. Odighizuwa then walked to the offices of Dean Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell, where he opened fire with a .380 ACP semi-automatic handgun. According to a county coroner, powder burns indicated that both victims were shot at point blank range. Also killed along with the two faculty members was a student, Angela Denise Dales, age 33. Three other people were wounded.
When Odighizuwa exited the building where the shooting took place, he was approached by two students with personal firearms and one unarmed student. There are two versions of the events that transpired at that moment, one by Bridges and one by Besen.
According to Bridges, at the first sound of gunfire, fellow students Tracy Bridges and Mikael Gross, unbeknownst to each other, ran to their vehicles to fetch their personally-owned firearms. Gross, a police officer with the Grifton Police Department in his home state of North Carolina, retrieved a 9 mm pistol and body armor. Bridges, a county sheriff's deputy from Asheville, N.C., pulled his .357 Magnum pistol from beneath the driver's seat of his Chevy Tahoe. As Bridges later told the Richmond Times Dispatch, he was prepared to shoot to kill. Bridges and Gross approached Odighizuwa from different angles, with Bridges yelling at Odighizuwa to drop his gun. Odighizuwa then dropped his firearm and was subdued by several other unarmed students, including Ted Besen and Todd Ross.
According to Besen, before Odighizuwa saw Bridges and Gross with their weapons, Odighizuwa set down his gun and raised his arms like he was mocking people. Besen then charged, got into a scuffle with Odighizuwa, and knocked him to the ground. Bridges and Gross then arrived with their guns once Odighizuwa was tackled.
Even if you go for the less armed-citizen friendly version of the story, the shooter was still stopped by students who were more proactive than those at VTech, (Which is not to suggest that there weren't SOME people who tried to stop Cho, as two teachers and a few students actually did get shot trying to thwart him.) Immediate, forceful action, whether armed or not makes all the difference in the world in a school shooting situation.
At any rate, allowing arms on campus, even in a limited capacity, (Teachers/Faculty only, or 21 year-old only, etc) certainly mitigates a school shooting.
I think it is also worth noting that 30 of the 32 victims died AFTER the police showed up. After Columbine, when students were murdered as police stood by, some departments adopted polices that allowed responding officers to form fire-teams to root out the killer rather than waiting for SWAT. One of my friend in a local county Sherriff's office has received such training, and carries an AR15 as a duty weapon in addition to the others. Perhaps VA departments will upgrade their training. Regardless one can only look to oneself for defense when things like this happen.
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