Va. Tech. Weapons Dealer Visits Campus

School Spokesman Calls Visit "Terribly Offensive"

(AP)  The online dealer who sold one of two guns used in the Virginia Tech shootings visited the school tonight to support a campaign in favor of concealed weapons on college campuses.

Extra campus police officers were on duty in case students protested the visit from Eric Thompson, but no trouble erupted.

About 60 students listened politely as Thompson spoke. The dealer said people who want to arm themselves should be free to do so.

Ken Stanton of the university's chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus says the visit didn't stir controversy until a school spokesman denounced it.

Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said he found it "terribly offensive" that Thompson would set foot on campus.

The school last week marked the first anniversary of the shootings in which 33 died, including shooter Seung-Hui Cho (sung wee joh).

Cho bought a Walther .22-caliber handgun through Thompson's Internet gun store, which also sold handgun accessories to the man who killed five Northern Illinois University students.

"The organizers appear to be incredibly insensitive to the families of the victims who lost loved ones and to the injured students still recovering from this horrendous tragedy," said the statement issued Hincker.

Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin was injured in the shootings, said it is Thompson's First Amendment right to speak at the school but added: "I think it's rather insensitive of him, though."

Ken Stanton, president of the university's chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, the group advocating weapons on campus, said that he lost a friend in the April 2007 shootings and that it taught him "firsthand the importance of self-protection."

Virginia Tech last week marked the first anniversary of the shootings in a dormitory and classroom building in which 33 died, including shooter Seung-Hui Cho.

Cho bought a Walther .22-caliber handgun through Thompson's Web site, based in Green Bay, Wis. Through another company Web site, Thompson also sold handgun accessories to the man who killed five Northern Illinois University students and himself in February.

Thompson told WBAY-TV in Green Bay this week that "what I'm really hoping to do (during the visit) is just lend a voice. Unfortunately, a set of coincidences and circumstances, I've been in the media, and I think with that I have a special responsibility to help out."

"And this is a case where I think my advocacy here will help change some people's minds. I hope, anyway," Thompson said.

Goddard said he thought the idea of people carrying concealed weapons on a sprawling campus like Virginia Tech's was "absolutely ludicrous."

"It's straight out of the movies," he said. "Bruce Willis can do it because he doesn't have to worry about people shooting back with live ammunition."

Stanton, a Virginia Tech graduate student, said he began receiving complaints about the planned appearance only after Hincker's statement was issued. He said he had never considered carrying a gun until the shootings, in which his friend Jeremy Herbstritt died.

Members of the student group, which claims a membership of 25,000 nationwide and 200 at Virginia Tech, are wearing empty holsters to classes this week to protest laws and policies that restrict concealed weapons on campuses. Thompson said he has helped provide hundreds of holsters on nearly 30 college campuses.

[dat1guysd]

you can lay a gun on a table , it isn''t going too do anything but stay there. violence uses someones bad intentions, doesn''t matter what kind of weapon is used, once the intention is there that is when the violence can erupt.
vehicles alone account for more deaths and are used in more crimes than guns are. i guess we should ban cars, trucks, motorcycles and anything else that burns gas.

[billorights]

I can tell you one thing. If I had sold weapons that were used in two major incidents where people died (large numbers of people) and others grieviously injured I might consider changing occupations. - Posted by lindaredtail at 11:20 AM : Apr 26, 2008

Thompson is the owner of a business which sold a gun to Cho and accessories (not a gun) to the NIU killer.

Perhaps you think that pointing out the facts, as reported and readily available in the above article, is merely splitting hairs. However, have you considered that your willingness to jump on the bandwagon of condemnation of this man, without even realizing the facts, may be an excellent illustration of an erroneous knee-jerk reaction?

Would you have the same opinion of the owner of a car dealership if Cho had used an automobile to run down his victims instead of using a gun? If not, you should think about the consistency of your positions.

Thompson committed no crime, nor did he at any time act recklessly or in bad faith.

The process that is supposed to provide relevant information to the National Instant Background Check system, which would have precluded Cho from buying this gun, is what failed here.

[ann3332]

How stupid this is I think if student were allowed to carried gun there would be no end to violence. i think that gun dealer was using his head when he came to the campus especially when there wer marking the first anniversary of the massacre. that was poor timing oin his part.

[lindaredtail]

Doesn''t anyone think that this gun dealer is promoting anything other than his own interests? We wants people to buy guns. I can tell you one thing. If I had sold weapons that were used in two major incidents where people died (large numbers of people) and others grieviously injured I might consider changing occupations. I would feel terrible that I sold the weapons that had done this. Instead he goes to the campus to sell more weapons. He''s taking advantage of his infamy. What kind of morals is that?

[billorights]

Shouldn''t laws be passed on the federal level? - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 03:45 PM : Apr 25, 2008

Such as the ones already included in the Constitution?

[billorights]

Does that include weapons sold to and sold from pawn shops? - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 02:03 PM : Apr 25, 2008

Any pawnshop buying or selling a firearm must have Federal Firearms License (FFL).

If you are asking whether a secondary buyer of a pawned weapon will also receive all original documentation that accompanied the gun when new, I do not know, and would tend to doubt it.

Regardless, the buyer in many states (like California) must have a Handgun Safety Certificate, which is issued upon successfully passing a written test that includes safe gun handling.

[usbrit-2009]

I must have missed the testimony of the gun manufacturers telling Congress that guns cannot cause serious injury or death.

Posted by BillORights

Nice come back BillO - ya got me there!!

[billorights]

Right --- Just like the cigarette manufacturers. - Posted by USBrit at 12:51 PM : Apr 25, 2008

I must have missed the testimony of the gun manufacturers telling Congress that guns cannot cause serious injury or death.

Every weapon sold includes instructions for safe handling and operation. When used as directed, firearms are safe. When used as directed, cigarettes can and often do kill.

[billorights]

Didn''t Eric sell a leathal weapon to a crazy person? That sound''s a little less reponsible than a doctor''s mis-diagnosis. - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 12:54 PM : Apr 25, 2008

No. Eric lawfully sold a weapon to a customer who was vetted by the National Instant Background Check System, to which relevant information was not made available.

[billorights]

Can we be sure this is what happened in Cho''s case and at NIU where the gun used was also purchased from this guy''s internet site. - Posted by USBrit at 12:47 PM : Apr 25, 2008

Absolutely. Contrary to what you may believe, selling firearms is a very highly regulated business. By now, the records of every sale this man has ever made have likely been examined a dozen times by ATF and the FBI. If there were any discrepancies, he would be under indictment by now.

The flaw in this case was that Cho should have been flagged because of his previous mental health issues. This information was never reported, and a sale that should have been prevented was not.

[usbrit-2009]

Do you think we could sue the gun industry for failure to warn the public that their products are dangerous if used as designed?

[usbrit-2009]

Eric Thompson is not responsible for any deaths.

Posted by BillORights

Right --- Just like the cigarette manufacturers.

[usbrit-2009]

Are you campaigning just as vigorously for more laws to stem the tide of needless deaths due to medical error?

Posted by BillORights

Actually yes. Seriously, about half of those are from misread prescriptions. If doctors could improve their writing skills these would disappear.

[billorights]

Do you also find it insulting and disrespectful to have people like Michael Moore and Bill Clinton appear on college campuses?

Posted by BillORights

I know I would if they were in any way reponsible for 31 deaths. - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 12:38 PM : Apr 25, 2008

Eric Thompson is not responsible for any deaths. Therefore you must not have a problem with him, either.

[usbrit-2009]

A firearm purchase over the internet involves exactly the same requirements as any other firearm purchase made in a gun store. After a down-payment is made online, the firearm is sent to a licensed firearm dealer in the vicinity of the buyer. The buyer must then appear in person at the dealership, complete all required paperwork, provide all required identification, pay the balance owed, and then any required waiting period begins. At the end of the waiting period, the buyer returns to the dealer to take delivery.

Posted by BillORights

Can we be sure this is what happened in Cho''s case and at NIU where the gun used was also purchased from this guy''s internet site. Supplying the weapon for two mass killings - this guy''s gotta be proud. Not good for return business though when the perp shoots himself.

[billorights]

Look it up where? And that was sort of my point. Error or accidental vs. murder. You are comparing apple to oranges. That would make as much sense as me saying "because handgrenades are illegal, there are far fewer handgrenade deaths than handguns deaths in America." - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 12:31 PM : Apr 25, 2008

Look up %u201Cmedical error deaths%u201D on Google. You will find many results, including MedicalNewsToday which reports 195,000 preventable medical deaths due to error per year in the USA.

The comparison is valid. You would have people wringing their hands with worry over the perceived problem of American deaths caused %u201Cby guns%u201D, which you would try to solve by enacting more restrictive gun control laws.

The annual number of gun deaths in America pales in comparison to the number of deaths caused by medical malpractice, error and mistakes. Are you campaigning just as vigorously for more laws to stem the tide of needless deaths due to medical error?

[billorights]

As for Eric Thompson the gun dealer, he needs to tweak his marketing plan. For him to speak on the Tech Campus is an insult and disrespectful to all the victims and their familes. - Posted by rob416 at 06:55 AM : Apr 25, 2008

When did it become insulting and disrespectful for a businessman lawfully selling a legal product to meet, address and lend support to a group of college students on campus, at their invitation?

Do you also find it insulting and disrespectful to have people like Michael Moore and Bill Clinton appear on college campuses?

[billorights]

Q: Do doctors and nurses kill people?
A: Patients visit doctors when they are sick so disease kills people. - Posted by dragonwagon5 at 07:17 AM : Apr 25, 2008

Actually, medical errors and mistakes kill far more Americans each year than criminals with guns. Look it up. You will be surprised.

[billorights]

Yeah, an 18 year old with a "concealed" gun, more idiocy. So there will be MORE VIOLENCE." The same went for drinking; the age limit was raised to 21. - Posted by zoe2006 at 09:20 AM : Apr 25, 2008

In general, one must be 21 years of age to purchase a handgun or to be issued a permit for concealed carry.

In addition, most issuing agencies require completion of formal standardized training and a thorough background check before a permit will be granted.

[billorights]

I support my gun rights but someone should not be able to purchase them over the internet. His solution doesn''t surprise me coming from a gun dealer. It''s interesting how liquor is more regulated than guns. - Posted by Displeased at 09:42 AM : Apr 25, 2008

The purchase of a firearm via the internet is not at all the same thing as a mail-order purchase, which you seem to think.

A firearm purchase over the internet involves exactly the same requirements as any other firearm purchase made in a gun store. After a down-payment is made online, the firearm is sent to a licensed firearm dealer in the vicinity of the buyer. The buyer must then appear in person at the dealership, complete all required paperwork, provide all required identification, pay the balance owed, and then any required waiting period begins. At the end of the waiting period, the buyer returns to the dealer to take delivery.