Virginia Tech massacre candlelight vigil Burruss

The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on Monday, April 16, 2007 on the campus of Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) in Blacksburg, Virginia. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many others before committing suicide. The massacre (spree killing) is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.

Cho, a senior English (English studies) major (Academic major) at Virginia Tech, had previously been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. During much of his middle school and high school years, he received therapy and special education support. After graduating from high school, Cho enrolled at Virginia Tech. Due to federal privacy laws, Virginia Tech was not informed of Chos previous diagnosis or the accommodations he had been granted at school. In 2005, Cho was accused of stalking two female students. After an investigation, a Virginia special justice declared Cho mentally ill (mental illness) and ordered him to attend treatment. Lucinda Roy, a professor and former chairwoman of the English department, had also asked Cho to seek counseling.

The attacks received international media coverage and drew widespread criticism of U.S. laws and culture. It sparked intense debate about gun violence (Gun violence in the United States), gun laws, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrators state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, privacy laws, journalism ethics (Journalism ethics and standards), and other issues. Television news organizations that aired portions of the killers multimedia manifesto were criticized by victims families, Virginia law enforcement officials, and the American Psychiatric Association.cite web title=APA Urges Media to Stop Airing Graphic Cho Materials publisher=American Psychiatric Association url= format=PDF date=April 20, 2007 archiveurl= archivedate=June 5, 2007

The massacre prompted the state of Virginia to close legal loopholes that had previously allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns without detection by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure (Gun law in the United States) in more than 13 years. The law strengthening the NICS was signed by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2008.cite news first=John last=Cochran title=New Gun Control Law Is Killers Legacy url= publisher=ABC News date=January 12, 2008 accessdate=January 14, 2008

The Virginia Tech Review Panel, a state-appointed body assigned to review the incident, criticized Virginia Tech administrators for failing to take action that might have reduced the number of casualties. The panels report also reviewed gun laws and pointed out gaps in mental health care as well as privacy laws that left Chos deteriorating condition in college untreated.