Virginia Tech: Two Potential Paths

The political response to the unspeakable tragedy at Virginia Tech can go two ways.

#1: Put the responsibility on the citizenry. Encourage people to be more suspicious of each other, and to report anyone they think might rampage. There is no one-size-fits-all profile for a potential murderous psychopath, but if you think there's a chance someone might fit the bill, be on the safe side and make a call. Simple logic dictates: Surely this gunman had signs of instability before he killed 32 people--if only those who knew him had sniffed it out and reported him to the proper authorities, nothing would have happened.

#2: Put responsibility on the soft gun laws that allow anyone who wants guns to obtain as many of virtually whatever they want, especially at gun shows, where in Virginia there are no regulations or background checks. Put an onus on lawmakers to take the weapons out of the psychopaths' hands. Simple logic dictates: If the mass murderer at Virginia Tech couldn't get his hands on guns, 32 people might be alive today.

As a country we must decide: do we go paranoid (#1) or tactical (#2)?