@Publisher your posts are generally good but this one is rather disappointing as you have pretended to know Colorado even though you don’t live here, the 83% you quoted includes Hispanics which make up about 17% of the population. The gun culture here is fairly typical of most western states so not atypical at all. Sadly I was right across the street when this all happened but unknown to me as I didn’t hear anything until the police showed up. Colorado gets more than its fair share of copycats because of the notoriety of Columbine, and strangely enough more than the fair share of shooters moved here from California.
I know Colorado very well. Sorry that my observation offends you.
ABC News has a current story documenting the 11 mass school shootings since Columbine. Says most shooters study past mass shootings & that Columbine “resonates” with the shooters.
I live in Colorado and have lived in Florida. Guns are everywhere in Florida.
@privatebanker I think you hit the nail on the head. While safety regulations, in whatever format we enact them, are a step in the right direction, shooting up a school is, in my opinion, the symptom of a greater underlying problem. What makes kids want to shoot up their school? I watched a TED talk on this: I Was Almost A School Shooter by Aaron Stark.
Regarding an earlier comment somewhere in this thread that said something to the effect that making our schools into fortresses isn’t good for the kids either: I don’t see why higher security for schools is a bad thing. Almost anywhere you have a big group of people assembled, you have to pass some form of security. This is true of airports, concert halls, sporting events, etc. What makes schools different? This is an honest question as I really don’t know what I think of security measures
I’d be interested to know if there were any “social” reasons for this shooting. Maybe it was a case of mental illness or maybe a case of excessive bullying.
They have released the name and some info on the 18 year old shooter but not on the ‘juvenile’ (only that he’s under 18) and that they were both students at the school.
The shooter(s) took the gun out of a guitar case. While the country debate guns, the fact is million are already in circulation regardless of past, present, or future laws. It’s time to have some real security so guns can not be brought in our schools. I don’t understand why we can make it safe to get on an airplane but not safe to spend the day in a school.
Because it slows school entry by a lot (remember 1995 airports and how that experience changed in 2001-2002? Now, take the new lines and fill them with kids or teens; prepare for constant problems and high ineffectiveness) and there are far fewer access points in airports than in schools (you need one or more at each access point). All of this would require significant budget boosts when most school districts already have trouble buying textbooks/fixing facilities/Getting rid of black mold not to mention reached paying a normal/nonsubpar salary.
So we just ask all students, faculty and visitors to check their arsenal at our schools’ front gates? And then those intending to do harm won’t just waltz into our malls, stores, and restaurants to wreak havoc on our children, selves, friends, and neighbors. Sorry, I just don’t think upgrading security is enough. We need to move toward addressing the underlying causes and melting down the arsenal.
When the right to bear arms conflicts with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, something needs to give. Which one to bail on seems obvious to me.
I’m ok with slower lines entering the school. Where I live the urban schools all have metal detectors, scanning wands and a personal security entrance system on the way in schools. Nothing like that in suburban schools except for a single point of entry. I wonder if this is why we are seeing these shootings in suburban rather than urban schools. Also, in my state the urban schools are given tremendous state and federal money compared to the suburbans/rural.
We had one guy try to conceal explosives in a shoe and now we take our shoes off in security. Why are we so complacent about these school shootings?? My kids attended a suburban affluent high school and I was quite happy when they graduated as I felt it was the type of school where a school shooting would occur. I find myself always sitting at the end of a row when I attend church. I shouldn’t feel that way in church but no place is safe. Honestly I’m surprised there haven’t been more church shootings.
@partyof5 my current senior told me about a year ago that she makes sure not to be the first one out the door during a fire alarm anymore and keeps watchful for guns when leaving the classroom during one since she knows it could be a set up.
Every time I go to church or the movies, the thought in the back of my mind is to listen for the popping sound and be prepared to pull my kids down quickly to the ground.
This is awful. This is NOT normal. That this has become the new normal as if we lived in a war zone, that we have to have soldier reflexes in civilian life is not normal.
This makes me quite depressed.
CO is very similar to pretty much any other state in the north/non-coastal west. Cities are more diverse than more rural areas. Guns are loved.
Shootings happen anywhere. Shooters (from all over) often copy or reference Columbine, but that’s because it was the first major one they know about. It has nothing to do with CO itself.
I had listed 4780 gun deaths last night. As of this morning the gun violence site lists 4798. For those not wanting to do the math, that’s 18 more in 9 hours. I wonder what other first world country has similar numbers (or percentages anyway). Anyone know?
The Denver channel is reporting that at least one shooter, and it believes both, were in therapy. Apparently that did not work.
To have an honest conversation about guns, all facts need to be included. Millions of law abiding citizens carry guns and don’t shoot people. Every year, legal gun owners who are not military or police stop personal crime(to self, home, etc) - some studies put it at close to a million times per year. These stories are out there, but usually buried.
We have gun laws on the books that are poorly enforced- I can recall recent shootings where a law existed to keep guns out of someone’s hands but the person fell through the cracks or someone messed up. That’s unacceptable.
I agree we need to deal with this, but the rabid attacks, followed by the politics, followed by everyone getting his hackles up is going nowhere.
I wish I had the answers.
@Leigh22 we would also need to have honest conversations about irresponsible gun owners. You would think the toughest on that subject would be gun rights activists, but they are not. When a gun owner leaves a gun in a public bathroom, when parents leave unsecured guns in reach of children, when gun owners accidentally shoot innocent people, the legal consequences should be harsh. When they face no legal consequences whatsoever, which too often happens, and they get to retain their guns anyway, it sends a message that people care more about guns than people and that even guns rights activists don’t believe there can be responsible gun owners.
Me too, @partyof5 . I think about the threat of a mass shooting every time I sit in my church pew.
My H and I usher once a month at our church. Last month we went to an active shooter class at our Presbytery. The instructor (some ex-LEO now with a security firm) said that church groups are now their biggest customer.
Reports of a suspect hating Christians, and another being transgender.
The 2nd shooter has been identified as a female juvenile. I didn’t see that coming!