Posted on 10/09/2006 9:47:46 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
JOPLIN, Mo. — A 13-year-old student fired an AK-47 inside his middle school this morning after confronting two others students and his principal, but no one was injured, authorities said. The student was wearing a mask and pointed the assault rifle at Principal Steve Gilbreth, Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr and two students, saying, "not to make me do this," Superintendent Jim Simpson said. Simpson said the teen then fired a shot into the ceiling, breaking a water pipe, and said again, "Please don't make me do this."
"It was a very close call," Simpson said. Doerr and Gilbreth persuaded the student to leave the building, where he was confronted by two police officers with weapons drawn. The student dropped the rifle and was taken into custody, Simpson said. The student's identity was not released. Joplin police Officer Curt Farmer said officers found a note in the student's backpack indicating that he had placed an explosive in the school, which has about 700 students. Students in the school were moved to nearby Joplin Memorial Hall, and the school was closed while officers searched the building.
The student was wearing a mask and apparently had been planning an attack for a "long time," Simpson said. He didn't elaborate and said authorities did not know whether others were involved. Joplin, which has about 40,900 residents, is in southwest Missouri, on the Kansas border about 140 miles south of Kansas City. Schools across the country have been on alert after three deadly school shootings in three states in the span of a week, and several schools have been locked down or closed entirely during the past two weeks because of threats. In Pennsylvania Amish country this morning, church bells tolled across the region in remembrance of the five young girls who were shot to death at their one-room schoolhouse one week earlier.
Yes. If I believed that way, I would have shot someone a long time ago.
And a lot of them are improperly prescibed.
Valid point. I wonder why not? Hmmmm...armed guards at the schools? On a lighter note -- why not commission a multimillion dollar Federal study to find out why?
No, it is not the same. Three different studies now have shown strong evidence of "violent outbursts" or "rage events" in children who have no prior history of such behavior, as a result of combining multiple antidepressants or an antidepressant with a stimulant.
Moreover I disagree further with you that medicating kids gives parents and teachers a "false sense of security". What is far worse is the epidemic of children being medicated for "not sitting still" and "class-disruptive behavior" (which means basically just 'being a boy'), and being put on psychotropic drugs such as Ritalin, Prozac, Paxil, etc. The result is a child unneccessarily sedated, and an increased risk of future violence from that child as a result of the drugs, where that behavior never existed prior.
HAMMER MEETS NAIL!!!!
I think he wrote it because Brenda Spencer, a 16 year old California high school student opened fire on her school from a house across the street, injuring eight students and killing the school's principal and custodian. Although that's just a guess.
And no I'm not suggesting censorship.
I am curious did you buy your gun in Port Saint Lucie?
I only ask because years ago there was a gun shop owner here that was one of the first to import AK-47s after the break up of the Soviet Union. Fact is his shop was opened expressly for that purpose. I don't know if he is still in business but he was a fascinating guy.
Another hammer meets nail.
I think you're right. But following the left's template, the song only encourages "copycat" behavior.
Case in point, CNN.com is sans report of a drive by shooting @ a school in StLouis that injured three.
This seems like a very polite kid. Detention would be too harsh.
And it's obviously not his fault. Someone made him do it.
Having had kids in three school systems, I'd say a lot of times the problem is the other kids preying on kids and then the 'victim' either keeping it to him/herself until he/she explodes or em(im?)plodes or (with or without parental help) tries and tries to get school officials to help stop the torment and nothing is done.
What I've personally seen is that a lot of times the kids that run in shark packs attacking other student are the 'perfect' ones (popular, athletic, decent grades, family money or at least a 'family name') and the officials don't like to ruffle those feathers by living up to their 'zero tolerance' policies.
Other kids get landed on HARD for infractions (even self-defence), but the perfect kids get away with any and every thing (or so it semes). It causes a horrific sense of 'no way out' in kids being tormented.
Yes, some kids are likely to snap at things and times most of us don't understand in our mature years (like a suicide after a boy/girlfriend break-up or getting a bad grade), but some kids are literally driven insane by years of torment.
I'm glad I could help my daughter as much as I could, and thank God every day that I was always home for her when she either called from school or came home in one of her moods (the helpless fury or sorrow). She's said many times in the years that have gone by that she could see very easily why some kids could do these things...
What we really need is a massive change in our culture.
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