Virginia Closes Lethal Gun Loophole

Virginia governor Tim Kaine has issued an executive order closing the loophole that allowed Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui to purchase a gun, the AP reports. Effective immediately, Virginians diagnosed as dangerously mentally ill will be added to a national database that gun-store owners use for background checks. The order puts Virginia in compliance with federal law.

Under previous law, only individuals who were involuntarily committed were added to the database; Cho was diagosed as a danger but not committed. Gun control advocates are quick to point out what the law doesn't change: Cho would still have been able to obtain a gun from trade shows and gun swaps that don't require background checks. (More Virginia Tech stories.)