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Virginia Tech Gunman Managed to Buy Guns Despite Mental Illness

HeadlineApr 20, 2007

This news on the Virginia Tech massacre: The Associated Press is reporting the gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, should not have been able to purchase the guns he used in the massacre. Federal regulations bar the sale of guns to individuals who have been “adjudicated mentally defective.” In 2005, a judge ruled Cho “presents an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness.” The ruling came after two female students accused Cho of stalking them. But it appears the judge’s ruling was never conveyed to federal authorities. This allowed Cho to pass the instant background check needed to buy the weapons. Virginia State police maintains the sale was legal under state law.

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