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BY JEFF BRANSCOME

Newt Gingrich told The Free Lance-Star yesterday that he supports closing legal loopholes that let dangerous people buy guns.

Before the Virginia Tech tragedy, he said, "the law blocked the transmission of information about someone who clearly needed very substantial help."

The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and possible presidential contender was referring to gunman Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 students and faculty members in a shooting rampage April 16 before killing himself.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine recently signed an executive order closing a loophole that allowed Cho, who had been referred for mental-health care, to buy guns.

In an interview before his commencement speech at the University of Mary Washington, Gingrich also discussed criticism of his appearance and the perceived liberal bias at colleges.

"First of all, if campuses aren't the center of academic and intellectual freedom, no place is," he said after being told about some opposition to his visit.

"Second, listen to the speech and then decide. I think they'll decide it's not a political speech and it's not an ideological speech."

Gingrich didn't seem worried about a liberal bias on campuses, saying it's only a problem if it turns into censorship.

"As long as the students have the right to argue with their professors and not be punished for their dissent, I think the natural dialogue of campuses works its way out over time."

He added: "This has not become a particularly liberal country, despite the generations of professors. The students, somehow, sort it all out over time."

He said he's not going to make a decision on whether to run for president until after September.

"I'm going around the country now, and gathering up every good idea we can find and making it available to every candidate in both parties," he said.