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Subscribe to RSSRADFORD, Va.-- A friend says the man who authorities say killed a Virginia Tech police officer had visited a shooting range this year but hadn't gone for several months because he didn't have bullets for his gun.
Matt Dailey tells The Roanoke Times that he considered 22-year-old Ross Truett Ashley his best friend. Authorities say Ashley killed police officer Deriek Crouse on the Virginia Tech campus while the officer made a traffic stop, then killed himself not long after.
Dailey says the two had made two or three trips to the shooting range — the same one used by Seung-Hui Cho, the gunman who killed 32 people and then himself on the campus in 2007.
However, Dailey dismissed any comparisons between Cho and his friend.
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Leave a Comment:
going to a gun range,when you own a gun.makes sense.
One can only wonder the purpose of this inane article.
Guns need to go. They don't belong in America.
Close all gun ranges, anyone that goes to a gun-range is a potential killer, regulate who can go to a gun range, do not use bullets at a gun range, my God their are guns at a gun range, what kind of people would go to a gun range, this is needed some congressional legislation . ( that is what the article is meant to say )
ah, troubled young males, easy availability of guns: yee-haw - let's have us a party!!!
Those who do not care about the rights of their fellow americans need go, they don't belong in America.
I don't see the significance of this article. I've gone target practicing at shooting ranges many times, but never killed anyone. This article appears to be implying that there is something wrong with going to a shooting range.
Exactly Mickey. That is the whole point of the article. Make going to the gun range for a little target practice an evil activity that leads to violence so gun ranges and target practice must be stopped.
So, what is your point? Am I a suspect or NFG because I was on a gun range? Very poor choice of headline there Associated Press writer!!!
Those who wish to ban guns are in good company, Hitler, Mao, are the first two on the long, homogenous list. That is preciously the type of knee jerk reaction which leads to most violence in the first place.
Hey why not sell guns at McDonalds??? Gas stations?? Like slots in vegas.
Gun culture, wild wild wild west ???? Yeah why not ?
Civilization, rule of law, higher principles, reasoned debates - goodbye!!!
Oh those gun lovers are a fun bunch...
@ Newt,
How insipidly over-reactive you are. Apparently, in your mind guns at gun ranges = guns in happy meals? You engage in some peculiar leaps of logic that you might want to get sorted out...
And by the way: "Civilization, rule of law, higher principles, reasoned debates" -- every country on earth owns firearms in one aspect or another, yet that has not stopped these attributes from manifesting-- quite the opposite in fact. Remember that the founding fathers, who are often described as beacons of wisdom and pragmatism, were adamant that firearms ownership was integral to a free state-- and they were also very focused on the attributes you mentioned. You have erroneously concluded that firearms ownership predicates an abandonment of these values (again, one of those leaps in logic that don't quite add up) when they are not nearly as disparate as you apparently imagine. In fact, you may want to ruminate on the fact that firearms were developed during the renaissance, a moment in history that saw heretofore unseen advancement in the values that you have (again, erroneously) determined are incompatible with firearms. That seems to be a preeminent indictment of the fallacy in your over-reaction. How can firearms simultaneously have been present at a moment in history that saw the greatest expansion of western civilization, art, architecture, rule of law and philosophical debate when they are, according to you at least, the antithesis of these virtues? Your argument is flawed.
Point of article : Make guns available to everyone, but charge big bucks for bullets
This just in: Gunman Ate Breakfast.
Formerstew
good point.
Ban breakfast or at least regulate it. It is good to be regular.
Probably went to Walmart and visited Bank of America too.
Walmart does have some inexpensive ammo........
You are never going to be able to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill or criminals plain and simple. One can own a gun legally then become mentally ill or be a law abiding citizen right up to the minute of commiting your first crime.
one less legal gun owner.........
This is just about the dumbest comentary that I have ever read. Hopefully you are not trying to say we should view everyone who visits a gun range as a homicidal maniac. I would be willing to bet that most of America's career criminals, people we should all be very concerned about, have never set foot on a range. And our police officers, people we depend upon to preserve order in our society, are required to spend time on one. Yesterday my wife, my daughter and I enjoyed a great day at our local range with hundreds of our fellow citizens. Not one homicidal maniac in the bunch, I'll wager. Keep in mind that before the advent of baseball, basketball, and football, marksmanship was America's favorite sport. Yet we somehow survived.
Yeah, saying everyone who visits a gun range is a homicidal maniac is like saying everyone who doesn't agree with the current interpretation of the second amendment is a tree-hugging, vegetarian, liberal.....
...right?
I'm not sure I get your point? What's to "interpret"? To paraphrase "The right to bear arms shall not be infringed" is pretty easy to understand. If your point is that certain weapons should not be in the hands of a free citizen then we have something to debate. If you'd give us a bit more we might be able to carry on a conversation. Otherwise, you're just like the writer of the article... clearly on a mission to prove your point through vague or misleading statements.
@Sbrookes
There are a lot of things that have to do with the "interpretation", such as how easily firearms should be obtainable for ordinary citizens (including background checks, training requirements, psychological requirements, etc.), and whether the liberty to carry firearms is restricted to one's own property (much like being able to do other things on your property and nowhere else).
Plus, you left out part of the 2nd amedment:
"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."
This militia part, along with the right of the "people", is interpreted by some as the right of state militias to be armed, and not some average joe buying a gun.
I don't believe in outlawing firearms (I am planning on buying a gun myself), because like outlawing drugs, abortion clinics, alcohol, etc., the situation is only worsened. But the points I mentioned above are important to keep in mind when thinking about gun rights and the 2nd amendment.
very well said...good food for thought
What other constitutional right is so tightly restricted? Do you have to get a permit to go to church? Do you have to pass a background check to speak in public? Do you have to prove competency to be entitled to due process of law? Let's ask the Syrians how they feel about gun ownership right about now.
@ comment 4.4: You highlighted the wrong part of the 2nd amendment:
"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The militia is derived from that individual liberty.
I might also point out that the militia, according to the 1903 Militia Act, is any able-bodied male of US citizenry aged 17-45 (which was really just reaffirming the law enacted in 1793). The act also created the national guard forces and specified the "organized militia" from the "unorganized, reserve militia."
WMG-21...........I would add the civil rights and anti discrimination acts would expand the militia to include women and remove the upper limit on the age.
NRA sucks, ha, ha.
James what a dumbass comment. The NRA helps keep gun in the hands of the law abiding citizens. By your comment Ill take it that your one of them crooks that cant wait for are government to take are guns away ..l.. to you jimmyboy.
Idiots.
What possible point could there be in writing or publishing this "article"?!?
I'm just sitting here shaking my head... sadly.
Some of this crap is just unfathomable.
Probably went to the store (Which one! Conspiracy time!), Gas Station, and, gasp, played video games. Once again, i hope this is some intern writing this drivel and not somebody who is actually getting a paycheck? If so, you got a great deal. Getting paid to write crap. Next up, what kind of toilet paper did he use, and, was he breast fed? Charles Manson was supposedly breast fed! Ban Breasts!
The inanity of this article is only enhanced by the moronic Libs who blogged their ignorance here. The NRA has a name for them - SHEEP! As in "Mindless Masses willing to be led to the slaughter by equally Mindless Politicians with no respect for the Constitution of the United States of America."
Remember... Guns don't kill people.
It's mostly the Bullets.
I heard this gun nut was a member of the NRA and had bought the gun at a Virginia Gun Show. Does anyone have any information on this ?
A gun range. Heaven forbid! What next, a hardware store where he was looking at a chainsaw or maybe a kitchen and found a knife. Maybe weaponized liquid drano or driving an automobile around a crowded area.....Yikes. Scary world.
Another lame-ass, anti-gun, pointless article by MSNBC designed to fire up the Brady Bunch...
Yes, folks, just focus on the nasty guns. But don't reflect why nut cases pop up here and there at certain intervals and arbitrarily kill other humans. Similar shootings occurred elsewhere in the US at about the same date. No one takes time to analyze why the nuts occur and why do they favor school grounds ( at any grade level) for their activity? Wearing blinders will not solve problems.
One reason for favoring school grounds is: except for a few colleges schools are "gun free zones".
Ah Mac you beat me to it. Funny thing is you never hear of school shootings in Utah. A friend of mine lived there for years and to his knowledge the schools there are NOT gun free zones. Concealed carry with a permit is legal.
And?
I go to the range on a regular basis. I don't go murder random strangers on college campuses.
Completely pointless article.
Neither do around 99.9999999997234% (approx) of the other 180 million legal gun owners in this country.
I hope the Tea Party is proud of itself. First in Tucson, now at Virginia Tech. The Tea Baggers' recruiting effort works, and students all over the country will suffer.
Yes, gulf. I'm certain the Tea Party works diligently to promote violence and murder, particularly towards defenseless students, and is proud of their accomplishment in this instance.
Classic liberal-progressive comment.
You sir, put the face on the crowd here that reviles the tea party, a group that it has become quite obvious is as much a mystery to them now as girls will be when they get to high school.
so wow he was a teaparty guy? where is the article saying that? id like to read it!.......... oh theres not one you are just making an assumption you kill me its that kind of crap that causes misunderstanding and hate you are part of the problem!
gulfportian,
"I hope the Tea Party is proud of itself. First in Tucson, now at Virginia Tech."
Your comment makes no sense. In the first place the Tea Party is not that big a presence here in Tucson, Arizona, and in the second place, Loughner, who shot Congresswoman Giffords, had no connection with the Tea Party anyway. He is just a troubled young man; a paranoid schizophrenic.
And the Columbine kids went bowling the morning of their attack. I've been visiting gun ranges since I was 4 years old. Never once have I even considered pointing a gun at another person. Take the weapons away from everyone and we'll have kids making bombs out of bat crap and fruit loops. We need to address the real problem here and that's to educate kids to resolve conflicts without violence. Education is the key, not more senseless laws - or senseless articles. This article is just another fine example of sensationalist media intending to manipulate the public into drinking the kool-aid. Don't let the media tell you what to think, after all they are extremely(!) biased.
1) What is the point of this article? A guy who owns a gun goes the gun range but then doesn't because he doesn't have bullets? Um - ok, this all makes perfect sense....
2) As for random shootings - I don't know what the big deal is. Sure its horrible for the victim, but if you want to have guns readily available and have lots of them around, then there are people who will kill other people and there is absolutatley nothing you can do about.
You can arm everyone and if someone wants to shoot someone they still can - after all this cop was armed, had military training and it did not do him one bit of good... Having a bunch of civilians armed, and lets be honest even if they had guns most people don't practice very much and even when they do its at stationary targets with no pressure - it would be like practicing driving on a Xbox and then saying that when its crunch time you are ready to rock and roll in an Indy car...
Nascar drivers use video games extensively to help their drivers practice. Do you have any other made up stuff to trot out here as facts?
Moved West has a good point. Education is one of the keys to violence reduction in this country. So is the legalization of drugs, moving them off the street corner and stopping popular media from portraying death by gun as painless and clean, it is neither of those.
I visit my local range at least once a week. I do this to make sure if I have to use my weapon I will do so with sufficient skill as to not endanger anyone but my intended target. When the results of these trips to the range are not satisfactory I will surrender my permit and stop carrying a pistol. Until then, I have a yardstick to judge my expertise at any given time by.
For those of you who commented this article is an anti-gun ploy, sadly, I have to agree. The media's view of guns is dysfunctional. They show lethal force as a television staple then turn around and vilify guns and their owners. Print media and news media in general are worse. Anti-gun rhetoric gets you fiascoes like FAST AND FURIOUS. It is my hope that both Holder and Obama are brought to book on that one. An armed society is a polite society. It can't afford not to be.
Stupid article...is there supposed to be some kind of link between him being a murderer and visiting a gun range? They might as well have correlated the weather conditions to this event...
This is what happens when an extreme left wing propaganda organization is presented in a format resembling a news organization.
NBC always has been, and probably always will be, anti-gun.
This, however, was pointless, even with that agenda.
The only point I could see for this article is if it suggested the shooter had practiced for this event at a gun range. Unfortunately it is poorly written, and doesn't come near to drawing that conclusion.
It is understandable people are railing against the inference that somehow going to a gun range makes you suspicious and a possible killer. I was thinking of doing some target practice today--for the safety of me and my household.
I'm more interested in what this "best friend" can possibly have to say about why dude went psycho.
That was my reaction as well--the only possible relevance for this little news-burp would be that it implies that he may have been rehearsing.
In that case, the guys at the range may have noticed something "off" about him. My dad was a military firearms instructor and said that, while the vast majority of the people he saw were responsible with firearms, every now and then you'd find someone who was a nutter and whose passing the psych screen was in grave doubt. The other folk on the range didn't want these people around, either...and they complained that the oddball was behaving inappropriately. BOTTOM LINE: no, this fellow is not representative of people who go to ranges, but the people who went to that range may have noticed something that sheds light on what exactly happened.
As for why a 22-year-old would go round the bend, take your pick of reasons. This is the age at which a lot of mental health issues manifest strongly, exacerbated by stress.
also stupid the relation to cho theres only 1 public range in the area lol where else would he have gone but go figure they dont elaborate on that instead they try to tie the two incedents together by sayiing they went to the same range
HEADLINE: Va. Tech shooter ate Rice Krispies, Cheerios every morning
with the way news is reported these days is it any wonder most people are underinformed on most issues
lol not much sense in shooting at stuff if the gun aint ranged and sighted in
research your history fools...look at the mess satan has left in Mexico - Yes, the country sitting directly below to the south of the US the evil one convinced the citizenry and politicos to NOT ALLOW THE PEOPLE TO HAVE WEAPONS OR BULLETS!!!
this killing has been going on in Mexico for over 60 to 100 years where they just point the finger at someone and shoot to kill them and their families and loved ones...especially police and civil officials
the Mexican people have had no guns to defend themselves with...Hitler convinced Germany of this same stupidity in the 1930's before the brown shirts and NAZI's took over everything and almost the world
the German peoples and especially the Jews had no weapons or bullets
German Catholics were brainwashed by Hitler and the NAZI's to kill kill kill and carried out most of the atrocities
this dumb Virginia kid was a lost, empty soul on a hidden agenda depending on whatever evil spirit and demons he had inside of him... and that policeman (as would most police) would have willingly given up his life to take that bullet for everyone else and so that no one else would get killed
we can't ask him now but I'd bet the policeman took his duty seriously and he served there to the end seriously honoring those he was sworn to protect
if you take away the guns and bullets then the government officials who sold their souls already long ago to greedy,self indulgent Corporate lobbyists and millionaires-billionaires would immediately find a reason to start imposing their wills upon the innocent all the way up to military control
history would hence then repeat itself one only has to look back a couple of thousand years or more and learn what's been going on upon the earth in every nation. Didn't you guys wake up and take notes and listen in History class to your teachers?
it was so bad 2,00 years ago that God the Creator Himself decided to send down Jesus to assist us with the Holy Spirit. and look what we did to Him and most of His loyal friends ... the most innocent and peaceful man of us all who ever walked the Earth was mocked, tortured, and murdered horrendously
the Jews are still waiting for the Messiah and He already came and went
BUT He left us with the most excellent Teacher, Counselor so the Holy Spirit is the only one that can teach you Wisdom Knowledge, Counsel, Understanding, Fortitude, Piety, or Fear of the Lord God along with the cardinal virtue of Purity and the 7 cardinal Scriptural - Theological - and Scriptural Virtues of Peace, Love, Joy, Faith, Hope, Charity, or most importantly of all - Perseverance
take away all of the guns and mass chaos would erupt you bunch of boneheads...who do you think is being held back from mass killings across the earth = the evil one and his minions
are you kidding me? I cringe reading some really outlandish foolishness from a gaggle of ding dongs...
Judas Iscariot is the one convincing this kid to kill himself...Judas was and still is a coward serving satan roaming the earth whispering in the weak and unholy their evil sweet little nothings prodding the weak by a failed nature humans what to do
read the exorcist story Begone Satan a true story diary booklet 1st published in English in 1935 by Reverend Celestine Kapsner on Father F. Joseph Steiger's diary of Emma Shmidt, a 40 year old woman who hadn't a night's rest for 26 years since she was a little 14 year old girl when those evil demons Beelzebub, Judas, Jacob, and Mina, along with other spirits were driven out of her in Earling, Iowa in 1928 by a Capuchin Priest of Padre Pio's Order Father Theophilus Reitsinger......you all get an education in evil for sure, no doubt, and how it works its evil on earth
I for one am keeping my guns/bullets handy along with a big stick, rocks, cutting tools...whatever it takes to take care of business when the time comes
you pack of sissies spout your guns and bullets all they do is kill paranoia all you want as the predators take the candy away from your babies
it a'int happening here with me no sir no way no how it's not superstition it's supernatural
you say "bring it" I say "it's been brought"