The fear of mass shootings changes our daily life-the clear plastic backpacks, metal detectors at many public events, quarterly practice in schools. Both of my kids have feared certain classmates as potential shooters; one was overly nice to the boy in the hopes that if he massacred, he might remember her kindness and spare her. Seriously. In high school our kids need to think about This?
It’s actually not hard to profile at all. There is one thing every single shooter has in common: access to guns.
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world-2018-table-country-scores rates the US at 86 aggregate score (100 = most free). There are 50 counties with a higher score.
All the shooters have another thing in common. They are unhinged. Everyone in this country has access to guns, legally or illegally. That’s hardly a profile. This family had warning signs that this woman was ‘off’. The police, social services, the school had warning signs that the Parkland killer was ‘off’. The FBI had warnings about the Parkland killer and the Pulse nightclub killer. They all telegraphed that they were at risk of being killers, but we are not the Soviet Union so until those who are ‘off’ actually commit a crime, nothing can be done.
@roycroftmom Did you read the article I linked to?
“That means the statistical likelihood of any given public school student being killed by a gun, in school, on any given day since 1999 was roughly 1 in 614,000,000. And since the 1990s, shootings at schools have been getting less common.”
The odds of winning the Powerball lottery is 1 in 292,000,000.
My kids go to a large public school(2,000+ students) in a blue collar suburb just outside a major city. They do not have clear backpacks. There are no metal detectors. They don’t worry about school shooters and they don’t worry about a fire…even though there are drills for both.
Actually no, I dont know that. You have any proof?? And the police were not very inquisitive. Why are you here sleeping your car. Are you armed?? A few pointed Q’s could cause a telling reaction. http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/04/police-warned-youtube-shooter-nasim-aghdam-anti-meat-videos/ Or bring out the dogs http://forensicoutreach.com/library/sniffing-out-the-evidence-4-things-you-should-know-about-detection-dogs/
Romani: The one thing that every shooter (and bomber and knife-wielder etc) has in common is the desire to hurt other people in a misguided attempt to get revenge. And that’s the issue.
TatinG: "All the shooters have another thing in common. They are unhinged. Everyone in this country has access to guns, legally or illegally. That’s hardly a profile. This family had warning signs that this woman was ‘off’. The police, social services, the school had warning signs that the Parkland killer was ‘off’. The FBI had warnings about the Parkland killer and the Pulse nightclub killer. They all telegraphed that they were at risk of being killers, but we are not the Soviet Union so until those who are ‘off’ actually commit a crime, nothing can be done. "
Exactly. Anyone in this country has access to any number of means to harm others.
Dog sniffs can violate a person’s constitutional rights in certain situations.
Ask your kids, time2shine, if they think any of their schoolmates could be shooters. Their answers likely will surprise you. The police were as inquisitive as they had any right to be. Millions of Americans would like “revenge” for some perceived wrong, including our current political and many corporate leaders. We continue to lack the political will to address the issue as every other country in the world has done despite widespread support for changes. The kids are right, we have truly failed them
There are also many “off” people who merely become annoying, rather than criminal. It is one thing to say that the police were tipped off about a potential criminal. It is another thing when the police receive thousands of similar tips about potential criminals, only one of whom actually commits or attempts a crime.
@barrons What was your reasoning as to mention her religion (if she even practices it) and not other aspects of her life? Such as job, her being a vegan etc?
Statistically speaking, that isn’t much of a tell. Probably about as effective as looking over your shoulder for vegans.
^^I’m also guessing that there are other things that shooters have in common. Heads. Arms. Legs. They are human. They have fingers.
Of course maybe some are missing a finger, or an arm or leg, so I guess that’s no guarantee.
