UNDATED - The Virginia Tech shooting spree is renewing the debate over gun control in the United States.

Investigators say Seung Hui Cho legally purchased two firearms in the weeks before the deadly shooting that claimed 32 lives. Cho shot himself in the head at the end of the rampage.

Officials looking into how Cho procured his two guns, a Walther .22 semi-automatic pistol and a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, say Cho bought the 9mm gun at a shop about 30 miles from campus.

The shop's owner said he was unaware the firearm purchased at his business was used in the killings until he was approached by federal investigators. He says he regrets that he sold a weapon used in the shootings.

But he says Cho passed mandatory background checks and nothing in his behavior would have led him to not sell Cho the gun.

Cho was a legal immigrant in the U.S. and had the right to buy the weapon, according to local laws.

Investigators say both weapons had their serial numbers filed off, making it difficult to trace their purchase point.

The deadly shooting comes almost exactly eight years after the Columbine school shooting, which claimed 16 lives including the two suspects, who committed suicide at the scene.

The suspects at columbine purchased their weapons at a gun show, which are exempt from federal laws that require running background checks. 

Following the Columbine shooting, there were calls to close the gun show loophole, but the Republican-controlled Congress squashed the effort.

Now, with Democrats holding a slight majority, gun control proponents think they may have a better chance at reinstating bans on large-capacity clips and perhaps on some assault weapons.

Cho used high-capacity ammunition clips in his guns, allowing him to fire over a dozen rounds in quick succession, killing and injuring over 50 people.

Over 10 years ago, a former Virginia governor said the state had the "unenviable reputation as the gun-running capitol of America."