Simple fact: People who commit crimes in the US by and large do not obtain guns legally. Banning legal guns will do near to nothing to prevent the gang and drug violence where the VAST majority of gun crime is taking place, and has more of a chance of affecting the average citizen than these sensational front-page crimes do. (Nobody reports your average everyday drive-by, burglary, or carjacking in the international press.) I'm all for fewer guns legal and otherwise, but the problem must be approached from a standpoint that reflects this reality, not from wishful thinking that seems "obvious" (mainly to people who don't live here) but is still wrong, and wishful.

C Lofters, New York, NY

I wish there were more (legal) guns in the US.

If guns had been legal on the Virginia Tech campus and if more students had had concealed carry permits, this psycho could have been stopped before killing so many.

The cat is out of the bag-- the criminals have guns, so the law-abiding have to arm themselves to protect themselves. That's just the way it is.

Guns being illegal in the UK have not stopped my British friend being mugged at gunpoint-- it only stopped him being able to properly defend himself.

Marie, Greenville, Illinois, USA

I am against guns, but as Peter said ,there are about 200 million guns in the U.S and many of those are unregistered. Even if they ban them tomorrow, it wouldnt change that number because people can easily buy them off the street or keep their old ones. The genie is already out of the bottle and the only thing that can be done now is to limited the damage by limiting the type of guns available and doing more background checks. I don't think guns can ever be banned so we should focus more on mental health, family services and education, because that is what is really lacking in the U.S. This type of problem doesnt happen in switzerland, where there are many guns. For those in the UK, I think that you are in a great position because gun have always been banned so you don't have face the problem of attempting to collect them all. I think simply say ban guys is not acknowlegding the problem.

cathy, Chicago,

Our founding fathers guaranteed us the right to carry a gun because the government of their time wanted to take them all away. Train a group of responsible students to carry a conceiled weapon and be able to react in situations such as these. That will definitely reduce the carnage.

Kevin M, Richmond, USA / VA

Well imagine how many would be dead and maimed if everyone was 'tooled' up with their own personal armaments in the UK and other countries that have sensible control laws.

Iain, Sydney, Australia

The point would be valid if the killer had used "rapid-action shotguns" But he didn't.
Still, never let the facts get in the way, eh? IF the NRA respond as Canter predicts, they will be correct.

Stewart Paterson, Angouleme, France

Or maybe we should be thankful that having banned handguns in the UK, the death toll is lower than it could have been.

Anthony, Greenwich, London

There are apparently 200 million guns in the US. Is it any surprise that something like this happens? With so many guns in circulation statistically there must be a chance of this happening at least once a year.

Peter Causton, Birmingham, UK

i think all guns should be banned and licence of guns should be alot harder to get owners of guns should have medical checks and highly prosicuted for having high power guns should be distroyd

linda, nelson, england

You'd have thought that after the banning of handguns in the UK we'd have a lower deathtoll than we do

John, Warwick,

in a world were only islam gets noted when its a suicide
act of murder, goes to show if you push peolpe to a
no way out situation, this will happen.

qamar, rawalpindi, pakistan

I am a law abiding citizen.I have never been arrested for any reason.I've never had a speeding ticket.I have a drink of scotch on rare occasions,I don't use drugs at all.What is the reason I can't own a gun?Why should the government restrict my ownership of a firearm?I am not the problem.
When a person picks up a gun with the intention of using it to rob the corner gas station or to shoot his spouse or his neighbor,I don't believe that person lives in the same society that I do and that person should be dealt with accordingly.Gun crimes are very serious business and the penalties should be very serious also.
Unfortunately,none of this would have stopped what happened in Virginia yesterday.That person was determined to die ,and to take as many with him as he could.One person caused this carnage today,one person out of 300 million.To find this one person before they can act is a colossal task but it has been done on many occasions.

ron, toronto,

-- if a person really wants to take their own life and kill others in doing so it is exceptionally difficult to prevent it --. That is the Gospel. Some societies
have tried stopping this by punishing their immediate families
in the hope that contemplating their black future will make the wannabe suicider
reflect and desist. Of course, unless there was previous knowledge
or cover up on the part of the family members that would be
unfair. But perhaps effective? If they let families off only in case of
extreme alertness and having done everything a good pater familas
would have done -- in other words, below culpa levis -- then perhaps
some cases could be prevented when suspicious behaviour is
denounced and confronted and solved.

Eugene, Heidelberg, germany

But why do people feel the need to own firearms?

Because the State fails in its fundamental obligation to protect good people from bad people!

Paul Neri, Canberra, Australia

A similar even happened in West Virginia. An armed student (Ted Besen) stopped the killer (Peter Odighizuwa) and held him at gunpoint after he had killed the dean and a professor, stopping him from killing more. One wonders the outcome of the day if one of the poor defenseless victims at Virginia Tech had been armed.

But of course, Virginia Tech is a "gun free school." I guess this killer forgot to read the rules.

Izaak B, New York City, USA

Would be a mite difficult to do a Sundance Kid sortie without the availability of firearms.
Other lethal weapons such as knives would hardly give these maniacs the same thrill of "ultimate power" necessary to blot out the "injustice" they feel need to avenge.

Gerald, Aarhus, Denmark