But "in reality, federal laws and their state counterparts afford ample leeway to share information in potentially dangerous situations," the panel members found.
The panelists also noted that while Virginia is one of only 22 states reporting any mental health data to a federal database, which is used to do background checks on people who try to buy guns, Virginia law is fuzzy about the need to report information on people ordered into outpatient care, as Cho was, but who were not committed to an inpatient facility.
"Cho purchased two guns in violation of federal law," the panelists wrote. "The fact that in 2005 Cho had been judged to be a danger to himself and ordered to outpatient treatment made him ineligible to purchase a gun under federal law."
After his assault, Cho took his own life, leaving behind grieving families and friends, a rambling videotaped screed, and a multitude of unanswered questions.
