What can society do about School Shootings??

[shelbylovesmelby]

Yesterday in a small town about 4 hrs NW of me a principal was shot & killed. This is the first tragidy in our state that I can recall since I was in HS in the early 90's. As a mom it worries me that once they get to Jr High or High School that it could happen @ either of them @ school or any school for that matter.


Then the day before the homeless man who held those girls hostage & then took his life & one of the girls in Colorado.

What do you think the society should be doing to prevent these tragidies?

[PRICEPLUS]

It sounds as if the family had locked the firearms away. I see the problem as one of mental illness. Every time we hear of these shootings invariably the student has issues of being isolated in the school community.

Parenting has a great deal to do with how a child reacts to situations. What would cause a child to want to kill others? Counseling and early intervention might have prevented this tradgedy. I also feel the press should not sensationalize these incidents so as not to give other disturbed people 15 minutes of fame and attention.

Peer resolution groups and anti-bullying programs are also in order as I see it.

We as a society must be proactive in dealing with people who are mentally ill before they commit criminal acts!

[poundwise]

Do away with the public school system as we know it.

Oh, and parents should be like parents. That's been a problem for a while now and a source of a lot of sorrow.

It happens here in Montreal three weeks ago, a 25 years old guy killed a girl and twenty others were wounded in an English college. It influenced other teens to follow the killer footsteps. There has been ongoing issue here in Canada to ban the arms... I'm all for it.

[Broken Arrow]

This is quite a blockbuster of a controversy... because it can swing very widely from issues about the possible correlations between school shootings and violent video games to the legality of owning firearms.

In fact, If I know any better, I wouldn't touch this subject with a 10 foot pole.... But I'm feeling a bit slow today.

All of these issues has been subject to lots of debates before, and I am of a personal opinion that it's not so easy to pin down. However, I would say that our society in general are not very well-equipped in dealing with people who have mental issues for example. Many who need psychological help are often times arrested, thrown in jail, and then released back out on the streets again. The infrastructure for taking care of the mentally ill are, IMHO, inadequate at best.

There is more. I think it is human nature to need to have some freedom of expression. The more inflexible and intolerant a society is, the more extreme I think this need for expression is until it breaks down in an ugly way. A classic example is the Salem Witch Trials. Remember how those girls lead to the deaths of many town citizens before they were exposed as fakes? Why did they act out?

In a more disturbing and recent example, Japan may be one of the safest (and strictest) societies on the globe, but they also have some of the most disturbing serial killers I've ever heard of. They all make Ted Bundy look like a boy scout. Why is that?

Again, my pet hypothesis is that when you have a society that is intolerant and incapable of dealing with deviant behaviors and severe mental disorders, well, this is the result. If we want to do something about all this school shootings, hire more counselors, pay them more, and get them more training. Be proactive and about what's bothering your children or your friend's children, or your children's friends. Don't just sweep it under the rug. Understanding, listening, communicating... these are the first steps.

IMHO.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by PRICEPLUS

We as a society must be proactive in dealing with people who are mentally ill before they commit criminal acts!

Please, elaborate.

[Broken Arrow]

I'm... pro-firearm. I won't lie. I've owned several in my lifetime. Perhaps that's why I can't keep my mouth shut about it.

I don't think banning them is the answer, because when you ban them, only law-abiding citizens won't have them.

Japan is a famous example of this. The infamous Yakuza is known to own and carry more firepower than law enforcement, even though firearms are severely limited in that country.

The bottom line is, criminals don't follow the law. You can make all the laws you want, but it's not going to stop them. Not really.

Now, even though I'm pro-firearm, I wouldn't go so far as to say that it should be accessible to just anyone either. I am all for proper regulation and training of firearm, before being allowed to even buy one. Right now, it's too easy for the average American to get one. At least it is in my state anyway. I for one would like to see the laws regulating them tighten.

For example, I would like everyone who intend to buy a firearm to at least go through a basic handgun safety course before they are allowed to buy. Way too many yahoos out there with guns that don't know how to handle one responsibly (nevermind shooting straight).

I mean, that's hardly an unreasonable request. We all do the same when in Driver's Ed for cars, why not guns?

When I bought my first firearm, I voluntarily paid money and signed up for a basic safety class even though I was not legally required to. By then, I had also been drilled through he skull about firearm safety from a Vietnam vet and went through several thousand rounds with his firearms already. Still, I took one anyways, and I think everyone else should too.

Again, IMHO.

[PRICEPLUS]

Seepsplayer, I think insurance should cover mental health as they do a broken leg. At present our society sticks its head in the sand.

Teachers can oft times pick out troubled kids. Our jails are full of people who are mentally ill. We need to have a discussion as a society as to how to fix the situation as it now exists.

I don't pretend to have all the answers but I think depression and other forms of mental illness are not aggressively treated as are other illnesses.

[PrincessPerky]

I will only give a hsort answer here...my BP is rising just thinking about it!....

I have not gone to bed a single night that the news sneaks on without hearing of another violent problem in an area school, NOT ONE NIGHT! and yet every morning I hear those busses taking kids back to the same place! Children are at risk, and we sit and make laws! Laws do not save children.

Laws are to remind the 'good folk' of what is acceptable and what is not...

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by PRICEPLUS

Seepsplayer, I think insurance should cover mental health as they do a broken leg. At present our society sticks its head in the sand.

Teachers can oft times pick out troubled kids. Our jails are full of people who are mentally ill. We need to have a discussion as a society as to how to fix the situation as it now exists.

I don't pretend to have all the answers but I think depression and other forms of mental illness are not aggressively treated as are other illnesses.

Ok, I agree.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

I will only give a hsort answer here...my BP is rising just thinking about it!....

I have not gone to bed a single night that the news sneaks on without hearing of another violent problem in an area school, NOT ONE NIGHT! and yet every morning I hear those busses taking kids back to the same place! Children are at risk, and we sit and make laws! Laws do not save children.

Laws are to remind the 'good folk' of what is acceptable and what is not...

So what are you recommending?