Bull stuffins...
I know what being bullied is like, I had to put up with it for 12 years. Smallest kid in school for my age, usually new kid in town, with an IQ over 150, and quite often some idiot teacher would say “he’s a year younger than you and he can do it, why can’t you?”...I was immediately public enemy #1.
Never had a nice car, I drove a 57 chevy pickup my senior year that was 16 years old. And my senior year only, wasn’t even allowed to get a drivers license until the previous summer. Nice clothes? Only if my mother made them, otherwise it was whatever Sears and J C Penney had on sale.
And did I carry a .45 to school? Not a chance, never even thought about it. Didn’t have pistol anyway, I did have a 16 gauge shotgun but that wasn’t a very good concealed carry weapon...no way I could get out of the house with that thing...
I tried my best to talk to these idiots, just get them to leave me alone. I didn’t do anything to you, go away and leave me alone. That didn’t work, so sometime around April or so after most of a school year putting up with it. I’d knock some dumbass on his butt and tell him OK maybe NOW you’ll leave me alone...they usually did.
Only one fight lasted longer than that one punch. No, two. One in 3rd grade, one in 6th. Took 3 teachers to pull me off the 3rd grader...Principal whistled and got my attention, I got off the 6th grader and told him try that again, your ass is mine. Walked off and left him to bring the baseball equipment bag inside.
That time the prinilpal surprised me. I just knew I was in trouble, but I knew he was fair too...he brought the other guy into his office first, I heard him getting whacked with the “board of education”...a 1x4 paddle with 1/8 inch holes drilled in a one inch square pattern...OUCH...about 20 licks...then he called me inside. Yes I was scared...
He told me he knew it was coming, he knew the guy had been on my case all year, and he was watching out the window so when the other guy claimed I started it, he knew he was lying. He told me just stay away from him and if he started any more trouble don’t say a word, come get him, then he told me to turn around, rules said I had to be paddled for fighting...he swatted me lightly twice with it, I swear a 2 year old can hit you harder, turned me around and shook his finger in my face and said “If anybody asks, you have been paddled for fighting”. I said yes sir and left...and never had any more trouble the remaining month or so of school.
Notice the only weapon anywhere was that damn paddle...and it was NOT in my hand...
This did not happen because of bullying, it happened because this idiot probably didn’t have a father and certainly was never taught that you just don’t shoot people. No morals, little discipline, no respect for other people, no idea watsoever that there is almost always a solution to a problem that does not involve a weapon.
Notice I did not say a solution that does not involve violence. Sometimes, especially with bullies, brute force is all they respond to. Nothing else will work, believe me, I tried. If you go to a teacher it only gets worse, much worse. So I took it for a very long time, probably too long, then finally got fed up and would knock him on his butt. Once they find out you will stand up for yourself, and they CAN be knocked down, by someone a lot smaller, they usually back off. And I always made sure I did knock my antagonist down, I didn’t just punch the guy out...down to the ground every time.
It is never necessary to carry a gun to school. I think TV and movies have a lot to do with that too, kids see so many shootings on both tv and movies, they are probably immune to it, they think of it as a normal apart of life, an do not consider the utter finality of it. One slug from a .45 in the right spot and it’s all over. They may also think it makes them a “big shot”...
And nobody ever taught this kid right from wrong. Nobody ever told him try to settle your differences without violence if possible, then do it without weapons if violence ends up being the only answer.
And why didn’t anyone else break up the fight, tell the bully(ies) to leave him alone? OK to be fair, very few ever did that for me 40 years ago, so it’s not a new thing...twice, both totally unexpected, and from people I would have never guessed would do that...but it was very uncommon. Now I don’t think anyone will stand up for the little guy at all any more except for Donald Trump...he’s done that his whole life. Literally.
I can’t explain that one, maybe it’s our lawsuiit society, nobody wants to be sued for trying to help.
I don’t believe this story, this wasn’t just about being bullied, there’s more here than we’re being told. How the hell did a high school kid get a .45 anyway? And why? I don’t remember from the articles, is he even 18 yet? I think I read he has a police record, was this about “street cred”?
Something smells around here...
A significant amount of invective was sent my way, most of it NSFW. I had teachers say to my face how “disappointed” they were with me, for making such a poor choice.
I had the last laugh...while our valedictorian received 2 $250 Reader’s Digest scholarships, I earned a full academic scholarship to Gonzaga University, worth about $60,000 in 1972 money. Upon graduation, I started my Army career, which was split between Germany and Fort Bliss, Texas.
No excuses.....takes his gun to school and opens fire. That’s the story period.