This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Friday was a statewide day of mourning in Virginia for the people shot
to death Monday at Virginia Tech. But other Americans also honored the
thirty-two students and teachers. Some of the victims at the university in
Blacksburg were from other countries. The attack by a student, Cho Seung-hui,
who also killed himself, was the deadliest shooting in modern American history.
The tragedy brought back memories of other school shootings, including what
had been the worst. In fact, Friday was the eighth anniversary of the attack at
Columbine High School in Colorado. Two young men killed twelve other students
and one teacher, and themselves.
Often, when a shooting captures national attention, debate about gun control
follows. This week some of the calls to restart that debate came from political
leaders in other countries.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard spoke of the gun culture in the United
States. He noted that his own country took action to limit the availability of
guns after a man killed thirty-five people in Tasmania eleven years ago.
British Home Office minister Tony McNulty studied at Virginia Tech. If the
tragedy starts a serious debate on gun laws, he says, then some good may come
from it.
The White House said Friday that President Bush has ordered federal officials
to study issues raised by the shooting. These include how to deal with people
whose mental health problems can make them a danger.
On Monday, a spokeswoman said the president believes that people have a right
to arms, but all laws must be followed.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution says: "A well regulated militia,
being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep
and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Gun laws are not the only issue. Others involve privacy laws and disability
rights that protect people with mental disorders.
Cho Seung-hui was born
in South Korea but lived most of his life in the United States. He was known at
Virginia Tech as a troubled person. He studied English and some of his writings
were so violent they scared other students and his professors.
But schools may worry about legal action if they expel a student who has not
made direct threats. Virginia Tech officials say they did what they could within
the law.
The shooter was armed with two handguns that he recently bought after passing
a criminal history check. There are federal laws but each state also has its own
laws on buying and selling guns. Virginia is among the states with fewer
restrictions than others.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says an estimated thirty-nine
percent of American homes have a gun. The campaign points to national injury
reports from 2004, the most recent year available. There were almost thirty
thousand gun-related deaths. About forty percent were murders. Most of the
others were suicides or accidents.
And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve
Ember.
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