<p>^ That would be a massive invasion of privacy requiring a database of all web searches and site visits everywhere that would be hugely prone to abuse, first of all. Second, if would be very easy for any criminal with half a brain to get around. And third, its not illegal to buy guns or ammunition online - nor is it illegal to read about things like making explosives - none of those things indicates criminal or nefarious intent. </p>
<p>You can’t monitor every aspect of everyone’s lives and hope to catch the 0.01% who will do something bad. Things like this happening are the price of living in a free society.</p>
<p>Another thing, I don’t know if this has been discussed somewhere, but how did he afford all those equipment? I’ve read somewhere that his collection of weapons are worth more than 20K. </p>
<p>If he is a student, and unemployed. Who pays for all these?</p>
<p>Graduate students aren’t exactly unemployed - they generally receive stipends to assist with living expenses plus a little extra (admittedly with an emphasis on little). He also would have access to student loans. I don’t think $20k is a huge hurdle for someone that likely wouldn’t ever need money again for the rest of their life.</p>
<p>Or maybe he was put up to it by the FBI :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Interesting article, ThisCouldBeHeaven. I attempted to read Dave Cullen’s book on Columbine-- he is an expert. I ended up so disturbed by it that I not only had to stop reading but threw the book in the trash so I could not be tempted by it again. There are a lot of theories about Columbine which are heralded as fact to this day that are just not true and only caught on because of the media’s mad rush to provide the explanation everybody wanted. A timely reminder.</p>
<p>Interesting article in USA Today by an expert but don’t have link for. If you google Mass Murder is Predictably Unpredictable, it should be easy to find.</p>
<p>In post #239 there is a link that says don’t jump to conclusions about the killer’s motives. I followed that link and read the article that says that Harris and Klebold, the Columbine killers, were not the victims of bullying, therefore, we ought not to make any assumptions about what motivated this killer. </p>
<p>Hmmm.</p>
<p>Well, I am no expert on Columbine but from what I can tell from internet searches, now that I am curious, is yes, absolutely, Harris and Klebold were the victims of bullying, not that it matters, it doesn’t justify anything, but if you are wondering what kind of anger and hatred can build up in someone you have to include bullying, rejection from girls and any other thing that promotes low self-esteem. </p>
<p>It seems this latest killer was a bit alone as well. </p>
<p>Who knows? </p>
<p>I am sure we will find out soon enough. </p>
<p>I can’t believe he is alive. </p>
<p>I just heard a TV guy say “we live in a world where there is evil.” You can blame it on evil if you want, but I think it is something else on top of that. I think there are reasons besides just this kid was “bad” or “evil.” The TV guy just said we need to deal with mental illnesses. Yup. We do.</p>
<p>The most important lines, at least in my opinion</p>
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</p>
<p>Improvements to the mental health system would be great, but it wouldn’t necessarily do much to prevent these types of incidents.</p>
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<p>For what it’s worth, the author of the article I linked is also the author of what is widely recognized as the definitive book on the Columbine shootings.</p>
<p>I know. I noticed that. He did enough research to write a book but Harris and Klebold’s journals make 100% clear they were the victims of taunts, a ketchup incident in which they were covered in ketchup while teachers watched and did nothing, and were upset about being arrested for breaking into a van to steal computers (which isn’t bullying, obviously). </p>
<p>The point is …</p>
<p>Harris and Klebold were ****ed about the way the felt the world treated them and wanted to exact revenge. No, I didn’t write a book about Columbine but you too can spend 20 minutes looking things up and realize that. </p>
<p>The VT shooter/killer was mentally ill, a loner, I don’t recall his motive if he even had one. What is weird is so far this killer hasn’t shown any pattern, at least it hasn’t come out so far, that he wanted to make some kind of statement or get revenge or whatever. So why? He was seen alone in a bar drinking shortly before the murders and a witness said he looking like “didn’t have a friend in the world.”</p>
<p>But he didn’t seem angry, at least not from what I have heard so far.</p>
<p>This seems interesting. "A Comparative Analysis of North American Adolescent and Adult Mass murderers. " <a href=“Technik Blog”>www.forensis.org/PDF/published/2004_AComparativeAna.pdf</a></p>
<p>This is not a true assassination attempt, but I suspect that desire to be known that is discussed in this also motivates mass killers like James Holmes.</p>
<p>My dad was a smoker and when we would urge him to quit his reply was “Why should I when I could get lung cancer just from breathing the diesel fumes of the trucks that pass our house”. He died of lung cancer last spring and it wasn’t caused by diesel fuel fumes.</p>
<p>His argument, like the one quoted above, was convoluted logic</p>
<p>Anytime
But really, all I get is a dismissive two line non-reply?
In all seriousness, these are important policy issues that come up when a terrible tragedy like this happens. (Unless you were being sarcastic and it flew over my head) But ideas like the one you posted would be terribly harmful to society, while doing nothing to protect against madmen like this mass murderer. As many of the articles posted in this thread (and many others) have indicated, it has been shown time and again that things like this cannot be predicted with any reliability because people who commit heinous acts like this do not fit a profile.</p>
<p>There is a scientifically proven link between smoking and all sorts of cancers. There is no such link between so-called “assault weapons” and increased lethality compared to other firearms. Any argument to the contrary is one based largely on emotion and not fact.</p>
<p>I’m not sure we need a scientific study to prove that turning a semi-automatic weapon upon a crowd of innocent people is going to do more damage and claim more lives in a shorter period of time than a pistol or a shotgun.</p>
<p>Agreed, EPTR. Sometimes common sense goes a long way. The recent reports that he was turned away from a local gun club recently because he seemed bizarre and the owner was creeped out by his voicemail/answering machine message is troubling. There were red flags about this guy-stockpiling weapons, ordering massive amounts of ammo and multiple packages,etc. Very sad.</p>
<p>^ No but you do need a working knowlege of firearms, which you obviously do not have. 99% of pistols are semi-automatic (i.e. one pull of the trigger = one round fired, with the next round automatically chambered). There is nothing inherently more dangerous about a semi-automatic rifle of one type and a semi-automatic rifle of another that fires the same round. The standard issue WWII M1 Garand rifle (which would not have been covered under any “assault weapons” ban) actually fires a round that is twice as “powerful” (~4000J vs ~2000J) as the round found in the typical AR-15.</p>
<p>sad. and I feel terrible for the victims and their families. The only suprising aspect for me is that people are suprised by this. It will keep happening until we are extinct. There will always be the severely mentally ill, violent people, people who enjoy hurting others/ causing chaos, pain etc. I Guns or no guns this happens. People do awful things everyday for different reasons. If guns are all outlawed it might decrease these incidents but in my opinion, the type of person who would do this, would find a way to do it anyway, or do something just as horrible using another weapon. They are not “Evil forces” or anything of that sort in my opinion. That is the scary part.</p>
<p>“It is interesting how little info we have on him right now. Law enforcement is amazingly tight lipped on this as are his parents and relatives…” - The local enforcement and local tv has made a point that they want to downplay the shooter, not sensationalize him.</p>
