--- title: Virginia Tech Massacre: We Can Still Stop Gun Violence description: It’s been almost 10 years since the Virginia Tech massacre, where 32 students and professors were killed and another 24 were injured. canonical: https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-18T20:12:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:16:07.145Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Olympic Swimmer: There's More We Must Do to Stop Gun Violence og:description: Townley Haas' sister was injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting og:url: https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd88a566580579180/6988aa84428a9eac36cd4ab7/virgina-tech-stop-gun-violence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3044 og:image:height: 1712 og:image:alt: South Koreans light candles at a memoria og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Olympic Swimmer: There's More We Must Do to Stop Gun Violence twitter:description: Townley Haas' sister was injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd88a566580579180/6988aa84428a9eac36cd4ab7/virgina-tech-stop-gun-violence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Olympic Swimmer: There's More We Must Do to Stop Gun Violence > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=8294ed1a-a56f-4d6c-8019-3dbf1c0952ff&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=8294ed1a-a56f-4d6c-8019-3dbf1c0952ff&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=8294ed1a-a56f-4d6c-8019-3dbf1c0952ff&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=8294ed1a-a56f-4d6c-8019-3dbf1c0952ff&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Townley Haas / Medium](https://time.com/author/medium/) ## Townley Haas / Medium Oct 18, 2016 8:12 PM UTC  South Koreans light candles at a memorial in front of the US embassy in Seoul, 21 April 2007, in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. South Koreans light candles at a memorial in front of the US embassy in Seoul, 21 April 2007, in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. JUNG YEON-JE—AFP/Getty Images by [Townley Haas / Medium](https://time.com/author/medium/) ## Townley Haas / Medium Oct 18, 2016 8:12 PM UTC It’s been almost 10 years since the on-campus Virginia Tech massacre, where 32 students and professors were killed and another 24 were injured. My sister Emily was one of them. She was 19 years old—a sophomore sitting in a French class when the shooter went down the hallways that morning and into her classroom. While she was on the phone with 911, telling the police what was happening and directing them to the classroom building, Emily was shot twice in the head. Thankfully, she was one of the fortunate ones who survived that tragic day. I’m now her age when she was shot. It was an understandably traumatic event for me and my family, just as it is for so many innocent families affected by unnecessary gun violence every single day in this country. I’ll never forget that day as a 10-year-old. For me, channeling my energy into swimming allowed me to forget some of our troubles. But it’s impossible to totally escape it. The hard work, commitment to my goals and belief that I can do better has been the roadmap that has taken me a long way in my swimming career. I’m honored to represent my family and my country and was proud to bring home Olympic Gold for Team USA. Yes, it’s hard work – just like the journey to Olympic Gold. But much like in this sport, working together as a team will increase our ability to meet our goals. We have to do more to recognize that enough is enough. Reducing gun violence is also hard work but that shouldn’t sway us from trying. I’m disappointed that more hasn’t been done to curb gun violence since my sister was shot almost 10 years ago. We’ve seen way too many deadly incidents since that day in Blacksburg, enough to know we haven’t come nearly far enough. Yes, it’s hard work – just like the journey to Olympic gold. But much like in sports, working together as a team will increase our ability to meet our goals. We have to do more to recognize that enough is enough and get better. I’ve been fortunate to have the honor to represent this country. I believe in this country and know what can be done when the powers that be come together for an important cause. There is no more important goal than saving lives. Having Emily and her daughter hold my gold medal was a special moment – one that almost never happened. While Emily and our family were fortunate that she survived that day, other families live every day with their grief. Let’s save other families the heartache we experienced and the devastation and pain that families suffer when a loved one is killed. It can be done. _Townley Haas is a 2016 Team USA swimmer._ _This_ [_article_](https://medium.com/the-white-house/10-years-after-my-sister-was-shot-at-virginia-tech-theres-more-we-can-do-to-stop-gun-violence-8b9cc2a41a9f#.yqylvhtcg) _originally appeared on_ [_Medium.com_](http://www.medium.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/"},"headline":"Olympic Swimmer: There's More We Must Do to Stop Gun Violence","datePublished":"2016-10-18T20:12:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:16:07.145Z","description":"Townley Haas' sister was injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting","url":"https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/","keywords":["Guns"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd88a566580579180/6988aa84428a9eac36cd4ab7/virgina-tech-stop-gun-violence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Townley Haas / Medium"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd88a566580579180/6988aa84428a9eac36cd4ab7/virgina-tech-stop-gun-violence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"South Koreans light candles at a memoria","caption":"South Koreans light candles at a memorial in front of the US embassy in Seoul, 21 April 2007, in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.","creditText":"JUNG YEON-JE—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/guns/","name":"Guns"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4535755/townley-haas-virginia-tech-shooting-stop-gun-violence/","name":"Olympic Swimmer: There's More We Must Do to Stop Gun Violence"}}]}] ```