Well, it looks like I'm going to be off topic locally, but on globally.
I found it really disturbing that:
1) With obvious mental problems, and a history of violent/suicidal fantasies, this guy had no problems whatsoever getting his hands on guns in a completely legal and above-board way.
2) He (an English major) killed a bunch of engineering students and a professor(s?). That really hurt.
One more thing, someone earlier said he was here on a student's visa, when in actuality he was here legally, had a green card, and had lived here for a very large portion of his life.
This isn't just about the problems with gun control in the US, it's also how we treat and view mental illness. Think about it, almost every other disease (barring STDs) garners you sympathy and compassion, but we still have this knee jerk reaction that "crazies" are somehow personally responsible for how their brain chemistry is fubared, and they become pariahs. The stigma is still incredible, and I can't see it changing anytime soon.
Anyway, just wanted to interject, go back to the "US, my country right or wrong" vs "Europe stereotyping/baiting the silly Americans" argument that was doing such a great job of reconciling the two points of view.