Memories Of Va. Tech Permeate Gun Debate

Lying on their backs to represent people killed by guns in Virginia last year, protesters called for requiring background checks for all gun-show purchases. (By Steve Helber -- Associated Press)

"It comes down to: Guns are a legal commodity, a right under the Constitution," said Nick DeLeon, 29, a sporting goods salesman from Springfield. Like many of the gun-rights advocates, he came toting a pistol, a .45-caliber semiautomatic, over his right hip.

At one point during Monday's hearing of the Senate's Courts of Justice committee, Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, said gun laws are already "onerous." For example, he said, an instant background check can take more than 24 hours, a complaint that drew sarcastic cries of sympathy from the anti-gun activists.

It also prompted an angry response from Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), who sits on the committee. "How onerous do you think this has been on the family sitting to your left?" he said, referring to relatives of Samaha.

The tensions flared again during the protest when families of victims of gun violence made emotional and sometimes fiery pleas for more restrictive gun laws. Gun-rights advocates quietly held up signs that said: "Life is precious. Guns protect it," and "Freedom is not a loophole."

The sentiment inspired quiet anger in Colin Goddard, 22, a Virginia Tech senior and a survivor of the shootings, who said lax gun laws were partly to blame for the incident.

"People tell me I am alive because of God or luck or a bunch of other stuff," he said. "I don't know how much I can accept any of those, but one thing I can't accept is that it was just criminals being criminals and I was just caught in the wrong situation at the wrong time."

Staff writers Tim Craig and Anita Kumar contributed to this report.