Gainako Newspaper

An exclusive interview with Gainako's editor Demba Baldeh. Here at his residence in Seattle,
Washington State ,USA Demba speaks on the school tragedy at Virginia Tech that claims so
many innocence lives and the larger issue of gun control as an underlining factor in the level
of violence that many find shocking and difficult to comprehend.
(Below is the full interview.)

GON: Good morning Mr. Editor. Here we are again, having to address another
student Massacre similar to Gambian April 11th, 2000, but this time by a fellow
student (Cho Seung-Hui) and not Government orchestrated. Do you have any
comments?

Baldeh: This was really a very sad and tragic incident. My prayers and sympathy goes out to the
victims' family, friends and fellow students at Virginia Tech. It is very disturbing to see such horrible
crimes happen time and again in such an incredible society. This is certainly not supposed to happen in
a society with so much hope and opportunities for young people.

GON: What do you make of the tragic event? Could the warning signs have been seen aforetime?

Baldeh: At first I though the whole incident was just another one of those unfortunate circumstances
where a deeply trouble kid was overtaken by evil and life's overwhelming pressure which led him to
take so many innocent lives including his own. But when his videos and statements were aired by
NBC, I became very upset over why he portrayed himself as a victim and not even reflecting on the
several young promising innocent lives he was going to take away prematurely.

There were obviously serious misjudgments and missteps at several levels that could have prevented
such a horrendous crime from happening. If only people in society will take responsibility in making
sure that such suspicious activities are reported to law enforcement, then a lot of these senseless
crimes can be prevented.

With all honesty, how could a 23 year old student be able to purchase not one gun, but two within 60
days without raising any red flags? How can the gun shop owner allow such a mentally disturbed
student purchase a gun without alerting law enforcement? Did the gun shop owner really question why
such a kid (man?) would want to own a gun, or what he was going to do with it? One could argue that
the gun shop owner followed the law by doing a background check, but the reality is that if he cared
so much about what the gun would be used for, then he would have alerted law enforcement.

I further think that law enforcement made the biggest blunder in this unfortunate incident. The system
drastically failed the community especially when there were reports that a judge once declared this
Cho as a threat to himself and others. How that could be missed in his background screening is
beyond me?

GON: In the aftermath of this tragic event, a lot of people are calling for tougher gun-control laws.
What is your take on strengthening the laws?

Baldeh: It is obvious that the gun control laws have failed terribly. It is also evident that the
background check system is fundamentally flawed. What do we need to do now to prevent such
tragic events from happening? Well, let me explain one thing before I move to the need for new laws.

You know people ought to be able to differentiate between your rights as an individual citizen to own
a gun versus the right to security and protection of innocent citizens in the society. Your rights as an
individual has a direct correlation to the rights of society to live a free and secure life without fear of
harm from any individual or group of individuals. I respect the laws of this land and belief that the laws
are not made to harm society. The laws are suppose to protect society and if they fail, they should be
changed regardless of which party are in power, or whose interest is at stake. In this case and in many
other instances it is clear that the gun laws in this country have loopholes that must be filled in other to
prevent such tragedies from happening again.

I would advocate a strong enforcement of the gun control laws that we already have in the books. The
background check system should be thorough and should include nationwide database to that will
incorporate all law enforcement agencies in the nation instead of limiting it to individual states. It is easy
for someone to commit a crime in one state and move to another.

Laws like the nationwide amber alert for abducted children are a good example that can prevent such
tragedies. Within few minutes of a child being abducted in several states the police and the general
public and be on the alert for such criminals. Similar things can work in the gun control laws.

While I am mindful of the second amendment protecting citizens to own guns, it comes with
responsibility and anyone who cannot show that sign of responsibility should not be able to purchase a
gun.

We should also remove politics in such policies like gun control. When criminals or evil people are out
to kill they don't differentiate between Republican and Democrat. So therefore the issue should be
about protecting our children and society in general instead of protecting interest groups like the
National Rifle Association among other groups. These interest groups are the ones that lobby for
flawed laws or weak system to be put in place.

GON: Now that it has been established that Cho Seung -Hui was truly delusional, especially with the
kind of poetry and multimedia messages he dispatched to NBC, in your own analysis, what do you
make of Cho?

Baldeh: Am not really sure how much delusional this Cho guys was in totality. Even thought he was
delusional, he was well aware of the publicity he could get from sending those tapes to NBC. He
knew where the post office was and when exactly to mail his stuff. His display of arrogance in those
tapes did not show he was someone ill. Instead he acted like a hero displaying his guns and showing
how much damage he can cause. Without medical proof that he was truly a sick man, it would be hard
to convince me that he was delusional. Instead I think he was a trouble kid to an extent brought up in a
culture of violence. He was overcome by his anger and the system made it easy for him to commit his
crimes.

GON: Two professors and 31 students including Cho himself were victims of the trigger on that day.
How sad?

Baldeh: It is truly sad and devastating to many innocent families including Cho's own family. One
cannot over estimate the physiological impact this would have on the students of Virginia tech. Those
victims should never have died they way they died. May their souls rest in perfect peace

GON: What is your message to the American people?

Baldeh: I will emphasize that every citizen has a responsibility to police ourselves. Community
policing should be a mental alertness for each and every one of us. We should not let the liberty and
freedom we enjoy in this great country come back to hunt us. It is time we start to look out for each
other and report suspicious activities to law enforcement. We must care about our neighbors and the
people we associate with everyday being at the work place or school.

It is not about privacy or individualism; it is about protecting the very freedom we all worked so hard
to build. Freedom comes with responsibility, kindness and compassion. It therefore makes sense for
us to stop crimes before they happen. Such tragedies should not happen in a land with such hope and
promises.

My heartfelt condolence and prayers once again goes out the victims and their families. Thanks for the
opportunity to hear my view.

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