I was more interested in this portion of a statement of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
According to ASCA, more than half of 6th-12th graders report being involved in at least one violent act a year.
I find this difficult to believe. Any thoughts?
school shooting ping
This sort of thing was unheard of when I went to high school (72-75) - are kids so radically different now?
A fifteen year old eighth grader??????
"I find this difficult to believe. Any thoughts?"
Their definition of "violent act" is probably overly broad. It probably includes things like pushing and angry yelling. Stuff that while not placid doesn't rise to the level of violence that a reasonable person would think of. That would be my guess.
Darwin Award candidate.
No, I'm not happy that a 13-year-old is on life support.
The phrase "To Stupid To Live" comes to mind.
I shoving/getting shoved counts as a violent act, then I was probably in a violent act every school year.
Agree, I saw the two guns on the news too.
The kid was suicidal it was reported also.
Do you know what pushed him over the line to flip out and bring a pellet gun to school and do what he did?
Last I heard he was in critical condition.
Tough call in a moments notice for the SWAT team.
Also if they were at any distance it would be visually difficult to discern the type of gun being so similiar to the 9mm version.
Point a gun at a cop, get shot.
At a distance, and in a split second, you can't tell the difference between a pellet gun and a real pistol. When I was a kid I had a pellet gun that looked like a .45.
I's unfortunate, but it's not a surprise to think that a 15 year-old would bring a gun to school to kill people today.
I find this difficult to believe. Any thoughts?
Well, between my 6th and 12th grade, I was probably involved in most of the violent acts in my school. Of course none of them involved weapons.
We called them fist fights. Something boys were known for back then. They usually resulted in mutual respect for the opponent and whatever was pissing them off was done with. None of this long lasting grudges that seem to end in police situations nowadays.
FWIW, pellet guns look like the real thing.
In case you don't know...no more waiting for the SWAT team with an active, or potentially active shooter. First cop on scene goes in to stop the shooter. New national training in the wake of Columbine.
First you must determine what is considered a violent act. It appears that a lot of horseplay is now considered violent.
I had a pump .22 air pistol and it would go through a half inch board.
It could kill someone.
I used to shoot groundhogs and skunks with a pellet gun - killed them first shot in the head. So a "pellet gun" is, in fact, a lethal weapon. They are not toys and that is why they are made to look like a "real" gun - they ARE real guns. With a new CO2 cartridge the pellet comes out at almost .22 speed and it is almost the same size as a .22 bullet. A person gets shot in the head with one at reasonably close range and I would think that person is either dead or severly disabled.
And yes these violent incidents as they are called call tripping, pushing, or touching a violent act. I saw one of the surveys from our elementary school. Kids who participate in wrestling, basketball, football, or just about any sport except tennis and golf would have to answer yes to many of the questions. Even kids on a golf team would answer yes to the question "have you ever felt intimidated by another child?" - when facing a better playing kid.
IMO, the boy could have been disabled in other ways or otherwise isolated. I am sick of the 'trigger time' mentality of SWAT members. Three people have committed suicide by police since I have been here in Orlando. In all cases the police should have found a better way.
I know the public needs to be protected. Instead of colluding in a suicide, how about some alternative methods for dealing with self destructive people.
The whole thing is disgusting.
Related subject:
Why wouldn't a bad guy paint the barrel of his real gun red or pink to give him a split-second advantage over the cop? I never understood this stupid law.
I think you are correct. They may have expanded the definition of violence, even beyond the little scraps many of us have gotten into. Bullying? Harassment?
That number seems really high. Why would a counselors' organization inflate the numbers?
Self interest, perhaps.
I find this difficult to believe. Any thoughts?
I believe that the 6th-12th graders were asked questions about violence in a way that would elicit a response of at least one violent act a year. Whether the statistic is factually true of actual violence is doubtful.
In court, questions designed to elicit a desired response are considered "leading the witness" to a desired conclusion. Without the context and text of the question, the statistic is suspect.