Va. Tech families urge gun control

RICHMOND (AP) — People on both sides of the gun control debate clashed yesterday as families and friends of Virginia Tech shooting victims and survivors of the tragedy flooded the Capitol in support of legislation designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms at gun shows.

Tensions escalated as about 100 supporters of a bill that would close the so-called gun-show loophole lay on the Capitol lawn to honor victims of gun violence. About 200 opponents surrounded the group holding signs that read, “Here Lie Disarmed Victims,” both sides jostled for turf and one gun rights advocate posed questions to a survivor of the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings.

“Today, united with the families of our fellow Virginians whose loved ones have been lost forever, we fight back for change!” protest organizer Abigail Spangler told supporters, many wearing ribbons in Tech’s colors of maroon and orange.

At issue is legislation that would require unlicensed sellers at gun shows to run criminal background checks on buyers. Such checks now are required only of federally licensed gun dealers.

Seung-hui Cho, who killed 32 students and teachers at Tech before committing suicide, passed a background check and bought one gun from a store and a second online, despite having been deemed mentally troubled by a Virginia court. Gov. Tim Kaine afterward signed an executive order requiring that anyone ordered by a court to get mental health treatment be added to a state police database of people barred from buying guns.

Colin Goddard, who survived despite being shot four times by Cho, was taken aback when a member of the Firearms Coalition approached him and said students could have stopped the rampage if they were allowed to carry handguns on campus.

“I would have stopped him,” Jeff Knox, director of operations for the Manassas-based group told Mr. Goddard. “Because when I went to school, I carried a gun. It was legal, I did it.”

Mr. Goddard responded quickly.

“I feel sorry for you — the fact that you feel you need to protect yourself in every situation,” the Virginia Tech senior said. “You’re afraid of crazy situations happening. I’ve lived through this, and I know that I can’t continue in my life afraid of things. Things are going to happen out of my control.

“There are people within our society who we deem capable and correct, our police forces who are supposed to protect us — and I put my full trust in them.”

Mr. Goddard and fellow survivor Lily Habtu, both strong supporters of closing the loophole, watched the lie-in but did not join those on the ground.

“I was one of the people who were lying down when [the shootings] happened,” Mr. Goddard said. “So I’ve done my lying down.”

Earlier in the day, families and friends of the Tech shooting victims packed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee’s public hearing on the gun-show loophole legislation. Bill supporters were outnumbered 3 to 1 byopponents with buttons reading “Guns Save Lives.”

Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, Richmond Democrat and committee chairman who sponsored the bill, said the panel will vote on the measure tomorrow. He said he wants to give the public a couple more days to be heard on the issue. Similar legislation was killed quickly and with little explanation Friday by a House committee with a long history of resisting gun control.

Several law-enforcement officers spoke in favor of the bill, but senators seemed most captivated by the testimony of Tech families.

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