Why didn't the Tech students fight back?

Question

Same as the Jews in the holocaust, why did they go to slaughter like sheep?

Answer 1

you are sick. dont blame the victims. id like to see you fight back when u are dead from bullets. get a life you trolling creep!

Answer 2

The act caught the students by surprise. They were unarmed. We can all say that we would have done it one way or the other but the truth is we will never know until we are in that situation. We can all hope that it never happens to us but if it did we can only pray that we think quickly and react to the awful threat we are under. I hardly think that this is the same situation as the Jews during the Holocaust.

Answer 3

Because it's not nice to fight ! Especially in a fight that was so unfair......This madman came to them, the (Blessed, Never Forgotten Virginia Tech Students & Staff Members) DID NOT go to him...This lunatic went to the school to kill and slaughter them and apparently anyone in his way!!!!!! Why not go to a place you know no one is going to be able to shoot back and fight fair? At least this last sentence made the most sense of what I wrote so far!
Shouldn't we atleast consider flak jackets and helmets in schools? Or at least lazer guns, stun guns, something available, since they are (gun free zones) If not some other means of self-defense against nuts like Cho!?!? So just maybe the next time the only one getting murdered will be the next nutcase following in these crazed killer's footsteps...

Answer 4

I have no clue. I have asked myself this question over and over again. I have done extensive research on the semi-automatic weapon he was using. It was not that powerful. All I come back with is the whys and hows of the whole situation.
The Germans was using a high powered rifle that could take you down in one shot is why the Jewish people didn't fight back. They were herded together.
Much like Iraq today, why doesn't the people fight back instead of being blown up.

Answer 5

Same as if they impliment an "anti gun" law! Only the bad guys bring guns to a dormatory! They are forbidden. Law abiding people that are unarmed are going to be helpless always! What would you do, call the Army in the few minutes it took for that madman Cho to kill people? No! Some level headed person should have been trained in fire arms at least one person in every single classroom and able to protect if possible! Take away weapons from the concientious citizens and we are going to be overrun by maniacs!

Answer 6

It's really easy to sit in a nice, secure room and think "If I were there I would have..." These were mostly kids facing a horror they never knew existed. They were scared and confused and in the middle of a nightmare. They were facing a man who was firing off several rounds in a second. They had no where to run. They were in shock. It's easy to dream of being a hero until facing an unbelievable reality.

Answer 7

They didn't "go to slaughter"! They were caught off gaurd. I can assure you if they knew he was coming they would have fought back. I'll be glad when the school admits they should have acted faster to protect their students. I find them just as at fault as I the killer.

Anyways. The people who did know he was coming "fought back" as best as they could. Lets see you "fight" someone with a gun!

Answer 8

First of all there is the element of suprise. Your sitting there in class and the last thing you expect is someone to come in shooting. When it does happen you dive under your desk to hide. Its not like these people had all day to plan their defense. If you stand up to charge him, guess what...your shot. There were students who held a door shut so he couldnt come in and probably saved lives. There was also the professor who gave his life for his students. I know you're probably trying to reason why this happened, but there is no rationalization becase it was not a rational act.

Answer 9

They were just kids. Sure they were in college but still kids. I'm sure most of them were frozen with fear. Nobody can say how they would react to the same situation. No comment on the Holocaust.

Answer 10

I'm sure they were shocked that the event was actually happening and because they weren't armed. They probably also saw their lives flash before their eyes and thought, "Life is too short. Gotta do what I can to see another day." So they played dead, barricaded doors, anything to sray alive. I would've done the same. It's not a cowardly thing, it's trying to stay alive to see your loved ones again.

Answer 11

Take a look at the layout of Norris Hall. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/us/20070417_SHOOTING_GRAPHIC.html?ex=1177646400&en=809b73f9122cde2f&ei=5070 (you may have to register to view this, but registration is free). There's only one door in the classrooms; the students would have had to first make it over to the exit without being shot in order to fight back. The classroom doors are wood, so they couldn't see into the hallway with the door closed. Moreover, the doors have no locks. Due to the layout of Norris Hall, anyone attempting to confront him in the hallway would have been a sitting duck.

The first shooting started at around 9:15; Cho killed himself about 35 minutes afterwards. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/6563451.stm) The students were caught by surprise; the students in one classroom barely had time to escape with their lives while their heroic professor blocked the door with his body.

"Moments after the last student leapt to safety, Cho apparently forced the door open and shot Librescu to death." http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-heroes18apr18,1,4004941.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true

The students had presumably come to class to learn and would not normally have been expected to use survival skills during class time. In hindsight, one could possibly argue that the students could have rushed him, being shot one by one until Cho ran out of bullets or had to stop to reload. Whoever happened to be unharmed in that suicide rush might possibly have been able to overpower him. But the students didn't have all the information available to them that we read in the news reports. They were presumably just in class and heard gunshots without knowing exactly what was going on.