Today's Youth Dealing With Too Much Gun Violence

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We are living in a different world these days. It seems every time the news comes on there are reports of shootings and deaths involving young people, either targeted or caught in the crossfire of somebody elses beef with another person or group of people.  When I was in middle and high school, the biggest threat one might face is an actual fist fight.  Your hair might get pulled and you may be called names, but never did we fear a gun would be introduced and used in a schoolyard fight.  What is happening to our world?

My sister and her husband are both high school teachers, and I have to say I honestly fear for their safety. They don't have much security at their school and they deal with some angry young people on a daily basis.  Who will protect them?  School security?  The police?  By the time anybody responds to an active shooter, a lot of damage can be inflicted.  From Columbine, to Virginia Tech to Sandy Hook - it's happening at an alarming rate.  Columbine has been glorified by a number of unhappy and perhaps inbalanced teenagers who long to become part of this violent history.  This would be their fifteen minutes of fame - and they want to set records of becoming the worst of the worst.

While there seems to be no clear cut answer, GUN CONTROL of some kind seems to be an obvious place to begin.  The NRA is so influential and powerful that few dare to challenge them and their "right to bare arms" mantra. It's true, we do have that right. But what we don't have the right to do is bare arms and blow away dozens of innocent tax paying citizens with families, hopes and dreams. Nobody had that right. The NRA can't even admit there is a problem.  Blame the people SOLEY and not the gun laws that make is pretty simple to get a handgun - even felons find a way.

The kids who tote these guns to school in their backpacks with their turkey sandwich get them from their parents for the most part.  Parents, LOCK UP YOUR GUNS....or be held 100% responsible.  Now I'm really sounding like an old crackpot, but violent video games don't help the cause. This is where the training for the future killers takes form.  Training grounds,so to speak. Corporate America has a responsibility in all of this too - I firmly believe it. Obviously not everybody who plays these video games go out and commit mass murder. But quite a few of them seem to admit to being familiar with them.

Deadly school shootings since Columbine:

Theo J. Buell Elementary School
Feb 29, 2009

6 year old boy shoots and kills classmate Kayla Roland, also 6, at a school at a school in Mount Morris Township. The boy was not charged because of his age.

However, Jamelle James, 19 at the time was living with the boy was sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison for storing the gun where the boy could easily access it.  The boy's uncle who owned the house the boys were living in plead guilty to possessing the stolen gun.



Lake Worth Community Middle School
May 20, 2000

Honor student Nathaniel Brazill, 13, shoots and kills his teacher Barry Grunow on the last day of classes in Forth Worth, FLA.  He was sentenced to 28 years in prison.










Santana High School
March 5, 2001

15 year old Charles "Andy" Williams opens fire inside the Santee, CA high school killing 2 students and injuring others.  He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.









Sept 24, 2003
Rocori High School

15 year old freshman John Jason McLaughlin shot and killed classmates 17 year old Aaron Rollins and 15 year old Seth Bartlett.  McLaughlin was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for killing his classmates.

March 25, 2005 - Red Lake Senior High

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16 year old Jess Weise killed 5 students, a teacher and a security guard before taking his own life at Red Lake Senior High School. The High School is located on an Indian Reservation. Law enforcement later discovered Weise had also killed his grandfather and a companion of his grandfather in addition to the killing spree at school.

November 8, 2005 - Campbell County Comprehensive School

15 year old Kenneth Bartley shot and killed assistant principal Ken Bruce and wounds two others at a Jacksborough, TN school.  Bartlett avoided a first degree murder conviction somehow, but was instead convicted of reckless homicide.






August 30, 2006 - Orange High School

Former student Alvaro Castillo, 19, is arrested after murdering his father and then opening fire in the Hillsborough NC school's parking lot - wounding two.  He was allegedly obsessed with the Columbine shootings and police found two pipe bombs and two rifles in the van he was driving.  he was later found guilty of murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.  In an eerie side note, prior to the shootings he allegedly sent a letter to the principal at Columbine forewarning him of the horror yet to unfold.

Sept 27, 2006 - Platte Canyon High School

Adult gunman Duane Morrison takes six girls hostage at the Bailey CO High School and fatally shoots 16 year old Emily Keyes before killing himself.











September 29, 2006 - Weston High School

Weston High School

15 year old Erik Hainstock shoots and kills school principal John Klang. Hainstock had received a warning the prior day for getting caught with tobacco.













As you can see, I'm only on 2006 events and will have to finish up at a later date..  Just goes to show just how many of these school shooting have occurred and continue to happen..  We need CHANGE N OW!!