Another school shooting

[happy daze john in oz]

In so many instances the killer si to be found with an unsound mind.

Mental illness is on the increase across the globe, how to combat that is any ones guess.
Then there is the guy who gets up after a bad night and decides he will go on a killing spree.

How do we combat such when in nations such as USA it is considered 'normal' to own a gun?

All the laws in the world no matter how much you change them will not stop such actions.
It will only stop when there are no guns in the world.

Heard of a gut who went to Joburg not so long ago, was asked at the hotel desk what sort of side arm he would like to carry.
I do not want a gun he tole the guy.
Well sir we do reccommend you take one if going out on the streets particularly at night!!!!

[James Curry]

His good lady looked to me, not to be squirming in the background but to be be trying her best to keep it together. I am sure like most people she was genuinely upset at such a terrible atrocity that 19 children were brutally murdered along with two teachers and a husband who suffered a heart attack.

Thankfully the UK Gov did act and now has some of the strictest gun control laws certainly in the west after the Dunblane massarce.

[Bill Morrison]

#24. Three massacres in Britain come to mind. HUNGERFORD 19/08/1987. Michael Ryan 16 dead - 15 injured. Shot his self.
DUNBLANE 13/03/1996. Thomas Hamilton 16 children + 1 teacher dead. Shot his self.
CUMBRIA 02/06/2010 Derrick Bird 12 dead - 11 injured. Shot his self
We can never take things for granted. They walk among us.
Bill.

[j.sabourn]

#25 Violence is never far from the surface and unless have experienced it have to rely on others interpretation of the same. There are two different posts of two different occurances on the same ship the Rosewood one of John I Jacobs vessels . My own occurrence occurred in Daker , Senegal in the 70s . Have already described the stabbing of the Master Captain Hort. A few months later off the coast of Chile there was a murder and two more acts of violence , reported by another member of the site. Shortly after the two upsets all the senior officers in the company were approached , and to vote to putting firearms on the vessels. I voted with a Definite No. However shortly after short barrelled automatic shotguns were put on their vessels, so I must have been outvoted. My reason for voting No was because I knew if I had of had a firearm on the night of having to face the attempted murderer who had a suspected knife on him , I personally would have shot him out of hand. My attitude to a firearm is if you point it at someone you have to be prepared to pull the trigger , and I would of had no qualms about doing so, it would have been a case of acting in haste and repenting at leisure . I was happy with the normal 2 pairs of handcuffs and a straight jacket that most British ships carried . JS

[happy daze john in oz]

There is no doubt that two factors are involved in such atrocities.
Mental health and stability is maybe one of the major factors in such.
But also is drug use.

Mental illness is at times hard to diagnose where as with some instances of drug behavior the person on the drug maybe be well known as a user or will show the signs of such.

The majority of offenders either shot themselves or are taken out by the law.
It does however give reason for the death penalty to be brought back.
It may not act as a deterent but would save the nation a lot in prison fees.

[John Arton]

Love him or hate him, Donald trump very occasionally comes out with something sensible. Talking about the Texas school shootings he said that until all schools had secure perimeter fencing and airport style security with scanners to detect any pupil carrying a weapon, only then will schools be safe, then of course he went and ruined it by saying teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.
Rgds
J.A.

[Rodney Mills]

I know it sounds like the correct thing to do to increase security*in US schools with high tech fencing, barbed wire and prison-like security, but consider the cost of first, the installation of the physical construction and then the ongoing cost of operating*and maintaining*USA schools with both hi-tech and physical security systems

At the last count there were 130,930 public high schools/elementary schools, and 16,511 public combined grades schools. and an*additional 32,461 private (religious*etc.) schools. There are 5,300 universities*and colleges, in addition there are vocational schools and alternative schools for behavioral problem students, and the handicapped and those with other special needs. This is a total of 206,629 facilities plus special needs schools at $1,000.000.00 per facility*this comes to $206.629.000.000.00 plus ongoing operating costs

I'm just playing Cassandra or Devil's advocate.* It doesn't*seem much in comparison to what we give out to other countries.* As much as I am sympathetic to the plight of Yugoslavia, Africa, et al, I do know I would put the USA first.

Rodney

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Rodney.
You are right, and as Mental illness is one of the causes for these shootings, arming teachers would not be the answer, they are some of the most under mental stress as it is just doing the job.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Sadly such events will continue no matter what preventative measures are in place.
Those who want to kill, just like the crim who wants a gun, they will find a way.

So you build prison style fences etc around the school and the nutter sits outside with a machine gun and blows them away as they come out of the gate.

All any one can do is to be watchful and hope that you may at some time be able to prevent such actions.

[David Robins]

The text of the Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” What part of “well regulated” does the NRA and the Senators that they support not understand. My cousin is a retired Federal agent authorised to carry a gun who still has to partake in an annual training and examination and stay out of trouble. He is also a Vietnam vet ex marine. He sent a video explaining a Marine is not allowed a personally owned weapon on base. It must be locked away in the armoury. Yet the politicians and 80,000,000 voters allow an untrained 18 year old to purchase two military grade weapons with multiple ammunition solely designed to kill people.