Another Scool shooting, this time closer to home: St. Mary's MD

[YoungTheShow1984]

11 hours ago, Bang said:

Sorry man, news is news. It's the world we're in. I appreciate you feel that way, it's an uncomfortable situation all the way around. In the community some folks want to know, others are having the worst day of their lives today. It's a balance we have to walk a lot,

Nothing was intended to be offensive, or to exploit the situation. It's our community, we feel we do our best at covering it fairly.

Speaking for all of our staff, we always listen to what our readers have to say, positive or negative. So thanks for speaking up, sincerely. Often when people comment on our stories on our pages or our social media pages it sparks debates that can serve our community, and helps guide our focus as a news organization.

 

~Bang

 

I certainly appreciate the work you guys do, i guess the only part that really bothered me was the initial report of 2 fatalities, while stated to be unconfirmed, was later proven to be untrue. Maybe in the future, in the articles title block or even the comments section, state that it was incorrect or something of that matter. I saw quite a few people on facebook stating there were multiple fatalities well into the evening. Just a suggestion that could help clear some confusion when something serious happens....

 

Keep up the good work! 

[Larry]

19 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

The same could be said about gun control.  That doesn't keep us from discussing it.  Yet this aspect doesn't get nearly the coverage.  Odd.

 

Just an observation, but IMO, it's a lot easier for the government to control access to firearms than it is for government to control teenager's emotions.  

 

There is a difference between problems which we can solve, but won't, and those we can't solve.  

[Larry]

18 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

I appreciate you sharing this.  It makes me wonder even more what it is in a persons head that makes them do this.  It would be easier to understand if you said he had bad parents.  Knowing that isn't the case creates more questions.

 

Speaking with absolutely no firsthand knowledge about school shooters, or this particular kid, but merely imagining hypotheticals.  

 

I assume that "school shootings" can come in lots of different flavors.  

 

It can be the Nazi wannabe who has visions of being the star in his own personal first person shooter, and a glorious death.  

 

But it also can be the guy who's girl just left him.  Somebody who not only isn't planning on killing dozens, who really isn't planning at all.  Who's simply got "a case of the stupids".  

 

15 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

And the GOP blocking studies doesn't keep us from pontificating about our thoughts.  

 

Nope.  

 

Just keeps us from having actual scientific evidence to use, in our pontificating.  

 

[LD0506]

[PeterMP]

3 hours ago, grego said:

 

I think we agree that the data suggests that white men account for more deaths per shooting, as opposed to number of events (and that's a distinction worth researching).

 

It would be interesting to see if this was an anomaly or a pattern, where one or two events - like Vegas, or 9 11 for radical Islamic terrorism,  where the numbers or fatalities are so far from the norm it dramatically skews the numbers. And these huge events and their coverage (because they are so massive) affect our perception. 

 

I strongly suspect that if you called a mass shooting something over where more than 8 people were shot (instead of 3 or 4), you'd see a clear bias towards white males.

[Springfield]

How’d he get the gun?

[RonArtest15]

Just read that Virginia approved license plates that say "stop gun violence." 

[grego]

1 hour ago, PeterMP said:

 

I strongly suspect that if you called a mass shooting something over where more than 8 people were shot (instead of 3 or 4), you'd see a clear bias towards white males.

 

not the easiest data to find, but wiki has a list of rampage killers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers

the list is the top 15 deadliest rampage killers in 'the americas', 11 of which are in north America.

its definitely more diverse than one might expect, it seems that the worst ones have been recent- say, the last 10 to 20 years. its also interesting how these kinds of killings are divided up- I was looking for the Orlando shooter on that list, but he's listed separately under 'religious, political, or racial crimes', (which i'm not even sure of in his actual motive/s).

I think where there seems to be a disparity is in school shooters in north America where they seem to be disproportionately Caucasian. what drives school shootings and why are they usually white males is an interesting question.

[Zguy28]

2 hours ago, Springfield said:

How’d he get the gun?

No one knows yet. From what I know, the dad didn't have any handguns. But it is Lexington Park/Great Mills, which is like St. Mary's version of Waldorf, just smaller.

I saw this video on a Facebook feed and thought it captured a lot of common sense. I don't vouch or agree with the site its on though, which is basically a pro-gun site, nor the reason they posted it.

 

https://ijr.com/2018/03/1076514-brave-student-confronts-classmates-during-gun-control-walkout/

 

[visionary]

 

[visionary]

 

[PeterMP]

3 hours ago, grego said:

 

not the easiest data to find, but wiki has a list of rampage killers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers

the list is the top 15 deadliest rampage killers in 'the americas', 11 of which are in north America.

its definitely more diverse than one might expect, it seems that the worst ones have been recent- say, the last 10 to 20 years. its also interesting how these kinds of killings are divided up- I was looking for the Orlando shooter on that list, but he's listed separately under 'religious, political, or racial crimes', (which i'm not even sure of in his actual motive/s).

I think where there seems to be a disparity is in school shooters in north America where they seem to be disproportionately Caucasian. what drives school shootings and why are they usually white males is an interesting question.

 

Just to add, I found this list

 

https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/20-deadliest-mass-shootings-in-u-s-history-fast-facts/index.html

 

And to my surprise they aren't significantly Caucasian (65%).   Now in a few of the non-Caucasian cases, they are robberies so that would push things a little further.

 

But it certainly was not as far towards Caucasians as I thought it would be.

[Springfield]

42 minutes ago, visionary said:

 

 

Of course it was.

 

Poor guy cost his son his life.  I don’t see why he shouldn’t be imprisoned for this.

[grego]

26 minutes ago, PeterMP said:

 

Just to add, I found this list

 

https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/20-deadliest-mass-shootings-in-u-s-history-fast-facts/index.html

 

And to my surprise they aren't significantly Caucasian (65%).   Now in a few of the non-Caucasian cases, they are robberies so that would push things a little further.

 

But it certainly was not as far towards Caucasians as I thought it would be.

 

It looks like over half of them have been in the last 20 years or so. (I'd do the actual math which would take all of one minute, but my head hurts).

 

Hmm.That's interesting. 

[TheGreatBuzz]

22 hours ago, Gibbit said:

Ive tried to put my finger on it, but I think its just kids growing up in the age of information. If some bullied kid is thinking some f'd up ****, it isn't difficult for him to find a place on the internet to nurture and feed those F'd up thoughts. Add in all the violence in media and general downward spiral of society

 

Our worlds were so small growing up compared to now

Interesting take.  Sort of like the echo chambers GOP voters use.

8 hours ago, LD0506 said:

 

Can't say I didn't warn ya.............

Haha.  Still long winded but I appreciate this input.  Definetly some things to consider though i think the post above may be more on point.

[Llevron]

55 minutes ago, Springfield said:

 

Of course it was.

 

Poor guy cost his son his life.  I don’t see why he shouldn’t be imprisoned for this.

 

Wait why would they lock up his pops? Unless he broke a law by making it available to the kid I don't know if I want to start going down that road. Kids steal from thier parents all the time and they are getting better at it every generation. That's the kid of stuff the NRA would jump on as needless and a sign that they "wanturgunnssss"

[Larry]

5 minutes ago, Llevron said:

 

Wait why would they lock up his pops? Unless he broke a law by making it available to the kid I don't know if I want to start going down that road. Kids steal from thier parents all the time and they are getting better at it every generation. That's the kid of stuff the NRA would jump on as needless and a sign that they "wanturgunnssss"

 

You're right.  Parents should not be held responsible for failing to keep their guns away from children.  

 

 

[Springfield]

8 minutes ago, Llevron said:

 

Wait why would they lock up his pops? Unless he broke a law by making it available to the kid I don't know if I want to start going down that road. Kids steal from thier parents all the time and they are getting better at it every generation. That's the kid of stuff the NRA would jump on as needless and a sign that they "wanturgunnssss"

 

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect people to keep their guns secured.  In the case that they can’t, then they should be held accountable for their actions (or lack thereof).

[Llevron]

I very clearly said unless he broke a law. I'm saying don't punish the pops if his kid is a thief. It's very possible he son stole it and in that case he is a criminal not his dad. 

 

Let's go ahead and extrapolate that to not being held responsible for your child at all cause that's what I'm saying right?

[Zguy28]

I seem to recall somebody saying that the sins of the child should not be visited on the father... you could substitute anything for gun. The kid was 17. Its easy to condemn people when you don't know them.

[Larry]

54 minutes ago, Llevron said:

I very clearly said unless he broke a law. I'm saying don't punish the pops if his kid is a thief. It's very possible he son stole it and in that case he is a criminal not his dad. 

 

Let's go ahead and extrapolate that to not being held responsible for your child at all cause that's what I'm saying right?

 

If Dad leaves a loaded pistol laying out on the table beside his bed, and the son picks it up and takes it to school, has Dad broken a law?  (Note:  I'm not claiming that's what happened, here.  I'm asking a hypothetical.)  

 

I'm not aware of one.  

 

If that's the case, then is Dad blameless because his son is a thief?  

 

But I suspect that we're arguing about "what's illegal?" vs "what should he be responsible for?"  

 

I'm not saying that leaving a gun laying around in a house with teenaged children is illegal.  (I'm assuming that it isn't.)  

 

I'm saying that it should be.  

[Springfield]

It’s easy to get caught up in emotion when you’re so close to the situation.

 

 

As I said earlier, what happened was a “best case scenario”.  Someone with a gun came in and shot someone else.  The SRO acted and killed/neutralized the person shooting.  Still, this is a reaction not a pro-action.

 

So my line of thinking goes to, how could this person have been stopped from doing this.  Obvious answer, limit his easy access to a gun.  Or we could lobotomize him even though people have claimed that he was a seemingly normal kid with no warning signs.  So mental health is out.  Access to weapons is the next logical choice.  How did he get it?  Who is responsible for his ability to get it?  Should that person face punishment?  These are all fair questions to me.

 

If we want to prevent this, so that a SRO doesn’t have to shoot a 17 year old to death then perhaps we start thinking about what we can do to stop it.

 

 

It’s sad that a man will have to live with the fact that his son took his firearm and attempted murder with it... and now he’s gone.  He’s going to have to carry that burden for the rest of his life.

[twa]

Just now, Larry said:

 

 

 

I'm saying that it should be.  

 

Would you say the same about a knife ?

How about car keys?

 

I agree with your intent, but in application it gets squirrely.

[sportjunkie07]

3 hours ago, Springfield said:

 

Of course it was.

 

Poor guy cost his son his life.  I don’t see why he shouldn’t be imprisoned for this.

Lol. Cost his son his life? That dude was 17. He's not a baby. He chose to try to kill someone else. 

 

Maybe the dad should face punishment but he didn't cause his sons death. 

[Llevron]

Y'all getting real deep in the weeds and we don't even know what happened. All I'm saying is that unless dad did something wrong we shouldn't be trying to lock him up already. 

 

Dam liberals lol

1 hour ago, Zguy28 said:

I seem to recall somebody saying that the sins of the child should not be visited on the father... you could substitute anything for gun. The kid was 17. Its easy to condemn people when you don't know them.

 

That's all I'm saying. Obviously I don't talk good