Author Topic: What is up with all the school shootings...  (Read 4743 times)

justin3009

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What is up with all the school shootings...
« on: October 03, 2006, 08:45:15 am »
The school shootings are popping up everywhere.  One happened at a neighboring school here because the kid got called a fag.  So he shot the principal and killed him...That's kinda awkward, but he was in juvy before so doesn't surprise me.  I just seriously am sick and tired of school shootings going on like every 2 seconds.  They're prolly started by some psychopathic kid or something but some are just normal people and feel like shooting others..

ZeaLitY

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2006, 09:47:19 am »
I'm not sure where to go with this, but I'm beginning to worry that institutions are stripping children of responsibility and possibly worsening the problem. Around here, a gang at the east side high school has caused that school to adopt a closed campus policy, hire over ten security guards, and employ metal detectors at multiple entrances. It's like a prison lockdown over there. At my old alma mater, a gang fight participated in by only two or three students of the school nearly caused the same to happen, but we successfully argued to retain open campus. I don't like the idea of students being denied the responsibility of becoming decent people and behaving correctly of their own volition by having the school set up to be a highly controlled place. It's also apparent from examples around here that a few bad apples are spoiling it for everyone, which I'm also not keen on. But at present, I'm not familiar enough with the issues of using other methods of stopping violence or preventing this kind of thing to offer solutions. If metal detectors are justified -- well, then it's a disturbing trend.

Lord J Esq

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2006, 09:57:22 am »
To answer the question in the title, this is most likely just a grim coincidence. There is no evidence (as yet) that the shootings are related to one another, or that something has changed in the United States that would directly increase the frequency of school shootings.

Most of this is a matter of perspective. There are tens of thousands of schools in the country, holding session every weekday, and none of these is the victim of a one-time shooting event but for a handful so small you can count them on your fingers. Furthermore, the population of the United States is continuing to increase--it will pass 300 million sometime this month--increasing the likelihood of freak incidents by sheer numbers. None of this suggests a widespread problem; in fact it suggests the contrary: We have very little to worry about in terms of these shootings representing an emerging trend. Instead, we are almost certainly looking at a grim coincidence.

V_Translanka

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2006, 04:30:02 pm »
Hmmm...Maybe if everyone had guns, we'd have less problems...Yeah, who wants to have a school shooting if everyone's gonna shoot back? Eh? EH? That's right, it's the AMERICAN WAY! >_>

nightmare975

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2006, 07:52:21 pm »
I've been made fun of at school, do I go and kill everyone? No, I sit back and take it like a man, I'm more of a brains person anyway. Plus, it helps me plan out the more angry characters in my book. :D

Burning Zeppelin

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2006, 08:55:32 pm »
That is still quite a lot Lord J. You are looking at this through a staticians eyes, where these kids are just numbers, not real humans.

One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic

It SHOULD be relevant.

Lord J Esq

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2006, 03:12:13 am »
I've been made fun of at school, do I go and kill everyone? No, I sit back and take it like a man, I'm more of a brains person anyway. Plus, it helps me plan out the more angry characters in my book. :D

Not even gonna touch that with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole...

That is still quite a lot Lord J. You are looking at this through a staticians eyes, where these kids are just numbers, not real humans.

One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic

It SHOULD be relevant.

Bullshit, Z. Nobody is calling these shootings unimportant, least of all me. I'm trying to explain that we're probably not seeing an emerging trend and that recent events have more likely been an aberration. That has nothing to do with whether or not these shootings were tragic. Go sit down. You're so full of it sometimes...

Burning Zeppelin

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2006, 07:58:06 am »
No, YOU'RE FULL OF IT!
3 school shootings in a week is a frightening thing. The fact police are saying that copycat crimes could emerge, and the fact that GWB has just called a summit to deal with school shootings also says that this is a worrying sight.

ZeaLitY

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2006, 11:16:12 am »
Yes, there's reason to be worried when GW gets involved.

V_Translanka

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2006, 01:39:53 pm »
Quote from: Lord J esq
Bullshit, Z. Nobody is calling these shootings unimportant, least of all me. I'm trying to explain that we're probably not seeing an emerging trend and that recent events have more likely been an aberration. That has nothing to do with whether or not these shootings were tragic. Go sit down. You're so full of it sometimes...

Quote from: Burning Zeppelin
No, YOU'RE FULL OF IT!

Ah, the mighty intellect of the Compendium practicing the art of enlightened discussion...makes me so proud!

Quote from: ZeaLitY
Yes, there's reason to be worried when GW gets involved.

I get worried when Good Will gets involved too, but they mean well even though they stink...

Burning Zeppelin

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #10 on: October 04, 2006, 07:37:26 pm »
No you idiot, he's talking about Arsenal Gear!

Hadriel

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2006, 07:38:27 pm »
It always seems like when one guy finally works up the balls (or sufficiently beats down the reasonable part of his brain) to go shoot up his school, it gives a few other nut jobs an incentive to do the same thing.  But J's right; this probably isn't an emerging trend.  But the fact is that it's going to happen every now and then, and no solution has yet been implemented to stop it.

The chief problem with school shootings is response time; most of the time, there isn't going to be anyone with a weapon on campus.  Even in Texas, the most gun-happy state in the Union, there's usually only one cop on campus at a time.  Campuses who don't have anyone with a firearm handy allow the shooters 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted murdering time before the police arrive.

As far as a solution goes, I'd be willing to allow faculty members to carry their weapon to school, provided they get a special "right-to-carry-at-school" license, which would feature much more stringent passing requirements on the basic gun proficiency tests, a full psych workup, and training in crisis management and hostage situations.  Simply knowing that there will be armed resistance will be enough to deter most shooters.  If it came down to it, I'd also be willing to allocate money for armed guards at the school.  All this may sound like an excessive solution, but the objective is to ensure that it doesn't become a continuing trend.  There are always going to be malcontents out there who want to shoot people up; for anyone far gone enough to seriously consider it, the threat of force is the only language that carries meaning.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2006, 07:41:36 pm by Hadriel »

Radical_Dreamer

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2006, 03:58:45 pm »
I don't know about you, but there is not a single member of the faculty of the high school I went to that I would trust with a firearm of any sort. It also sets a bad message for the kids. In fact, it may be incentive for more school shootings. Look at the common themes of these kids, they are all bullied constantly. To them, school is a place they feel threatened. Giving teachers guns will only escalate the threat level. It's a bad idea.

V_Translanka

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2006, 04:05:25 pm »
How would an ultimately preventative measure send a bad message to the kiddies? If anything, it might cause a higher sense of respect for the teachers...8) Especially for the kids who are bullied! Go to the teacher w/the gun seems like a good idea to me...

Radical_Dreamer

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Re: What is up with all the school shootings...
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2006, 04:09:16 pm »
Why would you respect someone who's authority derives from the fact that they could murder you with a twitch of a finger? How much of a coward must you be to bring a gun into a classroom full of unarmed students? How could you possibly respect such a pathetic failure? I admit, the teachers have a rough time of things, too, but giving them guns won't solve anything. The whole system is broken, and needs serious fixing.