On Tuesday of this week, a 17-year-old boy was arrested in Small Town for threatening to kill several teachers in the high school and for planning a day to "shoot up the school." The kid had a myspace page where he talked about these threats and where he posted a photo of himself posing with guns he had taken from his parents' safe. He managed to pick the lock on the safe and apparently returned the guns after taking the photo. He had warned a friend and said the friend would be spared. Fortunately for us all, the friend took these threats seriously, and the boy with a dangerous mind is now being held in jail. He is claiming it was all a joke, but no one else is laughing.
On Wednesday of this week, in Cleveland, a 14-year-old boy who had made similar threats and promised to spare a friend on the day he would "shoot up the school," actually followed through with his plan and shot four people in his alternative high school, one funded by the Bill Gates Foundation in an effort to provide hope for students in one of the poorest cities in the country. The boy had gotten in trouble for fighting and returned to the school armed and unafraid to kill. He killed only himself but seriously wounded his victims. No one took his threats seriously, and his friend didn't report the problem to authorities.
The similarities of these two cases of armed and troubled children are a bit frightening. Given what happened in Cleveland in a case where threats are ignored, I hope the reins will be tightened on the local kid, the one my daughter has described as creepy and dangerous, known for his temper and hatred for certain teachers. His parents' guns have been confiscated, and the community is not buying the defense attorney's claim that it's all a matter of an active imagination--let the poor boy go free.
I hope the boy is not allowed to go free but is made to experience the full consequences of his actions. And I hope someone is there to give him the help is parents were evidently unable to provide.
On Wednesday of this week, in Cleveland, a 14-year-old boy who had made similar threats and promised to spare a friend on the day he would "shoot up the school," actually followed through with his plan and shot four people in his alternative high school, one funded by the Bill Gates Foundation in an effort to provide hope for students in one of the poorest cities in the country. The boy had gotten in trouble for fighting and returned to the school armed and unafraid to kill. He killed only himself but seriously wounded his victims. No one took his threats seriously, and his friend didn't report the problem to authorities.
The similarities of these two cases of armed and troubled children are a bit frightening. Given what happened in Cleveland in a case where threats are ignored, I hope the reins will be tightened on the local kid, the one my daughter has described as creepy and dangerous, known for his temper and hatred for certain teachers. His parents' guns have been confiscated, and the community is not buying the defense attorney's claim that it's all a matter of an active imagination--let the poor boy go free.
I hope the boy is not allowed to go free but is made to experience the full consequences of his actions. And I hope someone is there to give him the help is parents were evidently unable to provide.
Comments
The world's becoming a scary place, Robyn.
I'm glad I'm getting old; hopefully I'll die before some kid kills me.
Remember - guns don't kill people - people kill people.
There's a use for your marshmallow shooter!
Track down the kid who makes 'em and get the government to issue them free to schools for "conflict resolution".
My Ex worked security at a "bad side of town" high school and had to witness a kid being shot by another student. The school is a gun free zone, so the only "arms" staff can carry are walkie-talkies -- while the kids are 'packing' real weapons. What is wrong with our world!!!
What makes such thoughts enter their heads, one wonders? Is it something that can be spotted in earlier youth, a sudden impulse, drugs? I am intrigued and concerned. Thank goodness his friend took it seriously; just in case. He made the right decision.
Yesterday a girl wrote a note at our local High School here which stated she was going to shoot eveyone in the school. Some people blame guns but it's not the guns as guns have been around forever, again it's bad parenting.
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/10/12/news/local/doc470f3b5e5df06170822114.txt