More Senseless Violence

[musicman]

Will it ever end???

A 14 year old Grade 9 student was shot and killed in school today in Toronto.

A friend of mine actually teaches at that school...hit a little too close to home for my liking...

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/05/23/4202634.html

[Lilith]

No it will never end. Not until adults get their heads outta their asses and do what is necessary.

[IowaMan]

Simply unbelievable. :mad:

[1nutworld]

I just don't understand the senseless violence............kids with guns at school.

That being said, Lil you said "not till adults get their heads outta their asses and do what is necessary".

What is that? I'm not trying to be a smart ass (in this case anyway), but what is "necessary"?

I don't own a gun, but at some point I plan on owning a hand gun, because in the past I have gone target shooting and fully enjoyed it! Is banning guns the answer? NO.

I'm not an NRA apologist, but I have the right as an adult to own a gun provided that I secure it properly, and keep it out of where "just anyone" can have access to it.

If guns aren't the problem, yes they contribute, but banning them won't stop the violence that happens, then what is the problem? Video games?

Yes GTA ,and some of the shooter games, desensitize kids from the fact that killing someone has consiquences, that go beyond hitting the "restart" or "off" buttons. I have GTA and have played shooter games on the computer, but I have YET to go off on a killing spree, so that's obviously not the answer.

Movies, TV? Yeah they far more violent these days then when I was a kid, but at the same time, I grew up watching Buggs Bunny, Roadrunner, Wile E. Cyote, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck and (what was the name of the sheep dog that guarded the flock), and I never once attempted to strap an ACME rocket to my little sister, or the neighbor kid who bugged the holy CRAP outta me, or hit anyone in the head numerous times ( OH, 3 or four!!) as happened to Pete Puma, with the nearest baseball bat. Nobody I know ever chased anyone off the nearest cliff, so........why do TV and movies get the blame as well?

So who is to blame?
guns? maybe.
TV? maybe.
video games? maybe, but not a definate YES on ANY count.

The credit card companies?? Who work very hard to make themselves money and keep people in debt.

Maybe if people weren't so in debt, the wouldn't have to work 820,136,479,250-gazillion hours to get their asses out of debt, so they could be at home with their kids, KEEPING them from finding the guns to take to school.


Musicman, I hope that your friend is ok, and came thru the tragic event in good health.

Everyone else, before you rip me to shreds, please know that I'm sorry and feel terrible for the family and friends of the child who was killed, and I DO, yes I DO, I REPEAT!!

I DO, feel sorry for the loss that resulted from this terrible act.

But there just is not one simple answer, because 50 years ago this kind of thing was world-wide NEWS, and sadly, today it's become just another "Size 4 font-ed" headline on page 8 of your newspaper, behind "Paris Hilton begins jail sentence."

[scotzoidman]

Not meaning to be a smartass here either, but is there any violence that isn't senseless?

I'm thinking there's some connection in nut's last paragraph, but I'm still sorting out just where the link is...I was thinking after the Virginia Tech massacre, that I was around when the granddaddy of school shooters, Charles Whitman, did his thing in Texas over 40 years ago, & how shocked & stunned we all were then...& how we're no closer to figuring out how to stop this kind of madness, & how it doesn't raise an eyebrow anymore unless the body count sets a new record...maybe we're all a little too desensitized now...

[musicman]

thankfully, other than being in lockdown for 6 hours, my friend is unscathed...probably scarred a little since he saw the boy after he was shot covered in blood with the paramedics working on him...

turns out, it was apparently a "revenge" thing for a prank...I'm sorry - but killing a kid over a prank is ridiculous...

Yes, maybe he shouldn't have pulled the prank - but aren't there better ways to deal with things than pulling out a gun and shooting a 15 year old in the chest? And what are guns doing in school? A place which is supposed to be safe for our kids?

Sorry for the rant...but after Columbine, VT, this - it not only irks me, but saddens me deep to my core that this can still happen.