School Shootings

[Drewbie]

I don't agree with having gun control or one were only certain people can have them, but maybe with younger kids yes, but getting strict gun control will be tough, NRA will not allow it.

 

And some kids do it for the attention I know how crazy that sounds.

 

but also though at least here, people will probably use knives, should we ban knives too?

Edited February 17, 2008 by Drewbie

[Graeme]

Also, worse, sometimes the parents will even bring their kids hunting and show them how to work it

I have to disagree here. If a kid is interesting in hunting, and you don't have a moral objection to hunting, then I see no harm in teaching a kid responsible gun use. I've got two nephews, both under 18, who know how to use guns. I don't see a problem.

 

I DO agree with your comment about the parents being responsible if the kids get hold of the guns without adult supervision. I wouldn't mind seeing the law altered so that if someone underage gets hold of one of their parent's guns, then not only is the parent charged with inappropriate storage offences, but also charged as an accessory to whatever the kid does with that gun. In this case, they'd be charged as an accessory to murder. It might make the parents more responsible (but then again, I tend to be optimistic about these sorts of things). Oh, and the parent gets charged as an adult, even if their child doesn't.

[Bondwriter]

but also though at least here, people will probably use knives, should we ban knives too?

Though I haven't tried yet, I'd say it's more difficult to off 5 to 25 people with a knife than with a gun.

 

Too lazy to quote Graeme underneath, I'll say that I went hunting with my relatives as a kid, and that my dad had showed me how to use a gun by the age of 15, which I think was illegal, but I didn't develop any homicidal tendencies thereafter. So there must be some cultural issue at stake, in having guns available from a very young age, but there must be yet other personal problems triggering the shooting spree.

 

(Sorry for posting such pointless contribution, but, well...)

[FrenchCanadian]

I have to disagree here. If a kid is interesting in hunting, and you don't have a moral objection to hunting, then I see no harm in teaching a kid responsible gun use. I've got two nephews, both under 18, who know how to use guns. I don't see a problem.

 

Well I'd have to say here that it depends on the kids if they're responsible enough, ya there's no harm in teaching a kid responsible gun use.. but usually when that works, it also comes down on having responsible parents to show all that,,,

 

 

Though I haven't tried yet, I'd say it's more difficult to off 5 to 25 people with a knife than with a gun.

 

LOL, I'm guessing one could still manage to do enough damage,

[Drewbie]

Both good points, and like Bondwriter, yes you can't kill many people, but still a kid could try to stab someone at school.

 

having some restrictions on guns is good, There is supposedly guns that will have thump device, so if you doesn't match you can't fire it.

 

and if there was really strict gun control or to get rid of guns inless it's police or military how would we get rid of the 2nd admentment, and defeat the gun lobbyist?

[JamesSavik]

A few thoughts:

 

It is estimated that there are 3 1/2 guns per person in the US. Other sources makes the ratio go even higher.

 

We forget that teenagers, kids 14 to 18 have always been the the foot soldiers in insurgencies, rebellions and civil wars. Students have long been a target of political adgitators because they can easily be moved to action.

 

I could make something in any chemistry lab that would be more deadly than any gun. So could any kid with the smarts and motivation. Frankly I'm surprised no one has done it. If you liked school shootings, waith till you get a load of school nerve gassings.

 

I live about 20 minutes from Pearl, MS where the first high profile school shooting ocurred. The shooter was a kid who was tormented for years in the most cruel sort of ways by the "in crowd". One of the girls he shot had played like she liked him and was his girl friend for a couple of weeks and then humiliated him in public. Some of the wounded were the children of city officals and the powers that be- you know: the kids who could and did get away with anything. Many people here believe that the Shooter was an easy scapegoat and there should have been a deeper investigation which looked at the environment created in the school for the "in-crowd" and everybody else. What actually happened is that kids that played D&D with the shooter the year before were arrested and charged with a conspiracy in the form of a Cult that required the shedding of virgin blood. This fell apart but branded seven geeky kids as guilty but got away with it because of legal trickery.

 

In these school shooting situations, we have to ask: what has the administration done to discourage and/or punish bullying in the affected school.

 

When the Pearl HS shooting happened, I angered some people when I said that while I deplore the action, I understand why it happened and was surprised that it hadn't happened already.

 

 

BTW- I worked with several of the Pearl 7 to help them get jobs and get on with their lives.

[Tiger]

The problem is that the parents of those kids do have guns, and sometimes don't store them right. or simply is too easy to find... Also, worse, sometimes the parents will even bring their kids hunting and show them how to work it

 

I'm not giving all the blame on the parents,,, but, lets give the blame that they should have

Parents need to tell their kids about gun safety. Also, parents shouldn't like 13 and 14-year-old-children hunt, especially without adult supervision.

[FrenchCanadian]

I could make something in any chemistry lab that would be more deadly than any gun. So could any kid with the smarts and motivation. Frankly I'm surprised no one has done it. If you liked school shootings, waith till you get a load of school nerve gassings.

 

Ummm, that is a very scary thought. but that is totally right. Tho again,, doing something in a chemistry lab need preparation,, and usually those that do school shooting does it out of an impulse,, very few does it with preparatrion.

[Graeme]

Ummm, that is a very scary thought. but that is totally right. Tho again,, doing something in a chemistry lab need preparation,, and usually those that do school shooting does it out of an impulse,, very few does it with preparatrion.

That's not my understanding. It takes planning to take a gun into the school. It may be done with little preparation, but some is required. The time to produce and store a chemical weapon may be sufficient for sanity to prevail, while the time to load a gun and go into the school doesn't, but I believe the majority of school shootings involved some level of preparation.

 

The other factor would be that a chemical weapon rarely allows the perpetrator the chance to see what he/she has done. Using a gun, they can see their victims (possibly their tormentors) reaction.

 

James, I appreciate what you're saying and as someone who played D&D when I was younger, I understand some of the crazy statements made about the game. It was an easy scapegoat.... Kudos for working with the accused kids afterwards

[Tiger]

That's not my understanding. It takes planning to take a gun into the school. It may be done with little preparation, but some is required. The time to produce and store a chemical weapon may be sufficient for sanity to prevail, while the time to load a gun and go into the school doesn't, but I believe the majority of school shootings involved some level of preparation.

Murderers with that level of violent carefully plan attacks, especially mass murderers. I have heard that a rampage can take several months of planning. Their cold-blooded mentality is what makes them so dangerous.

[FrenchCanadian]

That's not my understanding. It takes planning to take a gun into the school. It may be done with little preparation, but some is required. The time to produce and store a chemical weapon may be sufficient for sanity to prevail, while the time to load a gun and go into the school doesn't, but I believe the majority of school shootings involved some level of preparation.

 

ya, that's right,, for instance,, the gunman at Dawson college stalked and did reckon there, (and also at 2 other uni in montreal) before, to see where he'd get the most victims... so ya there's preparation,

 

but the way it meant is that, it's out of impulse, for the day, or if they do. For instance, I'm sure that there people out there that has done all that preparation and that are ready to do other attacks like that. it's just the matter of waking up one day and go, today is the day, out of impulse.

 

and like you said,, for dirty or chemical weapon, you got the producing to to, that can leave time for you to think and go 'wait a min, what am i doing?'

[canundra]

A few thoughts:

 

It is estimated that there are 3 1/2 guns per person in the US. Other sources makes the ratio go even higher.

 

We forget that teenagers, kids 14 to 18 have always been the the foot soldiers in insurgencies, rebellions and civil wars. Students have long been a target of political adgitators because they can easily be moved to action.

 

I could make something in any chemistry lab that would be more deadly than any gun. So could any kid with the smarts and motivation. Frankly I'm surprised no one has done it. If you liked school shootings, waith till you get a load of school nerve gassings.

 

I live about 20 minutes from Pearl, MS where the first high profile school shooting ocurred. The shooter was a kid who was tormented for years in the most cruel sort of ways by the "in crowd". One of the girls he shot had played like she liked him and was his girl friend for a couple of weeks and then humiliated him in public. Some of the wounded were the children of city officals and the powers that be- you know: the kids who could and did get away with anything. Many people here believe that the Shooter was an easy scapegoat and there should have been a deeper investigation which looked at the environment created in the school for the "in-crowd" and everybody else. What actually happened is that kids that played D&D with the shooter the year before were arrested and charged with a conspiracy in the form of a Cult that required the shedding of virgin blood. This fell apart but branded seven geeky kids as guilty but got away with it because of legal trickery.

 

In these school shooting situations, we have to ask: what has the administration done to discourage and/or punish bullying in the affected school.

When the Pearl HS shooting happened, I angered some people when I said that while I deplore the action, I understand why it happened and was surprised that it hadn't happened already.

 

 

BTW- I worked with several of the Pearl 7 to help them get jobs and get on with their lives.

 

I agree.

 

However, I'm with Shadowgod on this one. I have absolutely no problem with capital punishment when it comes to adults. Adults should just know better. But with kids? With 14-year-olds? Absolutely not. I have a problem with throwing away 14-year-olds like wasted trash into the gutters of the capital punishment system. They're kids, for Christ's sake! Do they know better? Probably not. Obviously the kid must have been in an abnormal state of mind to even consider killing his classmates. Why not try to fix it? Why give up?

[JSmith]

Slightly off topic, but my school received yet another bomb threat today. The third in a week. It's a pain in the ass really because they completely shut down the enterance and only let students with IDs on campus and backs up one of the highways.

[FrenchCanadian]

Slightly off topic, but my school received yet another bomb threat today. The third in a week. It's a pain in the ass really because they completely shut down the enterance and only let students with IDs on campus and backs up one of the highways.

 

That's not off topic as it fits on violence in school. That's really sucky about the bomb threat. It must give so much problems.

 

Last semester someone alerted the security as they saw some guy getting on campus with an hunting gun bag. anyhow they had to close down the campus, get swat in and start emptying every building one after the other to realize that it was a false alarm.

 

So I can only guess that with a bomb threat, you get the same kind of result. now you said the third in a week... that's nasty