An imminent danger...

...to himself as a result of mental illness," concluded the judge after examining Seung-Hui Cho in December 2005. Yet Cho, with this disturbing history, succeeded in buying not one but two guns and ended up by becoming the deadliest threat to himself and 33 other innocent people at VA Tech and creating the scariest nightmare our college campuses have ever seen!

Some of you may remember Lisa Duy, who went on a rampage in 1999. Despite a long history of paranoid schizophrenia and being committed to a mental institution a year earlier she managed to obtained access to gun by providing false information that could not be verified!

True the Federal law prohibits people who have been committed involuntarily from buying a gun. However most state laws deny access to patient information citing privacy issues. The only safeguard is the veracity of the answer a gun applicant fills in the mandatory federal handgun application. Ironically we put more faith in the mentally ill person to answer accurately!

Back in 2006 Attorney General opined that the Governing Board of public colleges and universities in Virginia "...may regulate conduct of students and employees to prohibit them from carrying concealed weapons on campus.." Interestingly places off limit to carrying include school property. I do not know if VA Tech took any steps in this direction.

While the gun control debate will continue to rage endlessly around us, is it too much to ask that any person who had had a history of mental trouble (whether requiring committing involuntarily or voluntarily or had been adjudged as a danger to himself or others) to be first declared mentally fit before allowing to possess a firearm?

Kiss Kiss: Law Law

Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty indulged in public display of affection in India causing some self appointed moral police to move the court to restrain them from leaving the country!

The reasons "...advocates pleaded that Gere continuously kissed Shilpa who did not resist which gave the reflection of a planned conspiracy to defame the Indian culture" !

Phew! Does anyone care!

Where were these guardians of Indian culture when a prominent TV channel in India exposed selling of minor girls by their families in Andhra Pradesh early this year? Did they put their energy into starting a crusade to curb female infanticide being openly practiced in some villages in southern part of India? Do these practices preserve our cultural identity in the world? Do these saviors know the dedication Richard Gere has shown for fighting AIDS in India? Above all do they now what Indian culture means?

This law suit reeks of cheap popularity, at best a gimmick in bad taste and at worst a public disservice. It is well known that our judicial system is overwhelmed by large number of cases that lead to justice not only delayed but more often denied. Load the system with such frivolous law suits and you ensure that courts in India get completely gridlocked.

Sean