Virginia Shooter Had No Difficulty Buying Guns
As more details emerge from the massacre at Virginia Tech, it has become tragically clear that the least remarkable aspect of the crime was the purchase of the weapons that killed 33 people. An investigation has found that Cho Seung-Hui bought two pistols quickly, affordably and, for the most part, legally.As more details emerge from the massacre at Virginia Tech, it has become tragically clear that the least remarkable aspect of the crime was the purchase of the weapons that killed 33 people. An investigation has found that Cho Seung-Hui bought two pistols quickly, affordably and, for the most part, legally.
Your support is crucial...Washington Post:
On Feb. 9, Cho Seung Hui walked into a pawnshop on Main Street in Blacksburg, directly across the street from the Virginia Tech campus, and picked up one of the guns he would use in his deadly rampage Monday: a Walther .22-caliber pistol, a relatively inexpensive firearm most commonly used for target shooting or plinking cans.
One month later, on March 16, Cho stepped into Roanoke Firearms, a 3,000-square-foot, full-service gun dealer where more than 350 guns are on display. Cho offered his driver’s license, a checkbook that showed a matching address and an immigration card.
Once an instant background check confirmed his clean criminal record, Cho had little else to do, other than pay $571, to become the legal owner of a Glock 19 and a box of 50 cartridges.
As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
Politics
Democrats spent the last four years running away from police reform — handing a dangerous man an even stronger police and surveillance state.
Prison Reform
Many incarcerated women in the state are trapped in prison for crimes committed by men or abusive partners.
Media
If you say “many Americans are worried about crime,” then many Americans are going to worry about crime — even when it’s in a steady 30-year decline.
Social Justice
Some state legislators want to establish permanent victim services funds.
Editorial Cartoons
Ear to the Ground
Examining serial killers past and present and how marginalized groups tend to be their most likely victims.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.