Shootings also seem to be a daily fact of life in Sydney.
But don't worry the laws protect us.

I think that this is a maliase of most Western democracies.The Legal disease has reduced the police to guidelines and lobotomised public servants who cannot think for themselves.The "Nanny State" is alive and well.

Before Monash: in the late sixites (I think) a sniper mounted one of the towers surrounding the quad at The University of Sydney and started picking off people.

It strikes me that mass murders will probably always occur because they are, like suicide bombers, all so different; and solo. Yep, we could have alarms in all rooms in a Uni, set them off and have staff, students and visitors running all over the place, including into the path of the killer or just simply trampled to death in a panic.

After the first two people were killed at Virginia who would have had the insight (or courage) to take responsibility to risk a panic?

I just love hindsight.

http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/parents-demand-firing-of-virginia-tech-president-police-chief-over-poor-handling-of-mass-shooting/
and:
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/virginia-tech-woefully-unprepared-for-an-emergency/
and:
http://www.nowpublic.com/questions_abound_for_vt_prez

I believe the same things the parents do.

Yes, because I'm sure parents of the recently deceased will approach their discourse with calm objectivity.

Interesting article. All universities and TAFEs in Australia have an evacuation plan not unlike a fire drill. That gets people out of the buildings but there's no plan, as far as I know, to evacuate a campus.

Some unis are the size and spread of a small suburb. That causes some massive logistical problems.

Apropos, I understand why the American Founding Fathers included the 'Right to bear arms' in the Constitution, fearing invasion or requiring weapons to over thrown a despotic government.

It's just unfortunate that mid west and southern Republicans seem to have most of the arms and vote for Bush.