Columbine
April 20, 1999.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School with two 20 pound propane bombs. Intending for them to explode in the school cafeteria, which could have killed 480 students attending lunch at the time. Thankfully the bombs hadn’t gone off. But their spree hadn’t ended there. Armed with two shotguns, a semi auto blowback pistol, and a carbine rifle began to shoot at whomever they encountered while walking through the school halls. After killing 13, injuring 24, taunting, and many racial slurs, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed suicide in the school library.

Sandy Hook Elementary
December 12, 2012.
After killing his mother, Adam Lanza drove to Sandy Hook Elementary were a shooting was about to unfold. Using his mothers bushmaster rifle shoot his way through a glass panel next to the school door. Making his way in he encountered a janitor and shoot him, but not killing him. After walking around the school he made his way into a first grade classroom where he shot at 15 first graders and a teacher. Killing all but one little girl hiding in the bathroom. Lanza ended up killing 27 first graders and teachers, then later killing himself making it 28.
These two school shootings have been the most tragic and “famous” in the United States in the last decade or so. But they are countless more school shootings than the ones that are talked daily. April 2nd, 2012. One L. Goh opened fired on Oikos University, he walked into a nursing class in session, told the students to line up against the wall and then opened fired killing 7 and injuring 3. February 27, 2012. Thomas “T.J” Lane walked into Chardon High School with a Ruger MK fired 10 shots at a group of students, killing 3. He was later arrested by his car in the parking lot. Countless more have been recorded. We blame gun laws for these shootings, yet the shooters themselves are to blame. More like the people who caused them to things they did, or the violence seen every day through television and video games.
Then again people would compare us to other countries like China. “They’re doing pretty well without guns laws aren’t they.” Well in a way yeah, but our founding fathers wrote a constitution for the right to bare arms. Back to China, from the beginning January 2010 to August 2010, 27 were killed by knife wielding perpetrators. Also injuring 80, most being small children and staff members at schools across China. So instead of killing your child’s life quickly and with really no pain at all with a bullet. The Chinese perpetrators are slicing them, letting little kids suffer through pain, agony, deep cuts and major bleeding. Yeah, much better than bullets.
The thing is it just doesn’t happen overnight. Af first your little boy is asking for toy guns. Aww, how cute. Then at the age of ten, he so interested in guns and or violence he wants the new military video game all of his friends have. Being the great mother or father you are, you buy him it, he’s happier than ever. Next thing you know he’s getting bullied. He starts spending more time alone at home playing video games and browsing military websites. One day as you’re coming home from work you get a call, a call from the school saying your son came to his school armed and shoot up the place because some kids were bullying him. And I’m not saying don’t buy your kids toy guns or violent video games I’m saying, teach them right from you and notice the signs.
Now The United States leads the world in school shootings. Some blame gun laws, some blame violence, some blame mental illness, some blame easy access to guns. To no surprise all of these things play equal roles in school shootings. While some try to eliminate and remove some sides, like saying, “Violence is as American as cherry pie.” While in some aspects I can see how they may think that, but it is totally small-minded to think that Americans are just a bunch of rednecks who only care about killing things.
Mental illness is is like a whole other section when referring to school shootings. Mostly because people ask, “How does a mentally ill person come in possession of a firearm.” Well they are lots of ways. Buy one, take one, steal one, borrow one. Too many ways really. If someone is that naive to leave a person with a mental illness with a firearm, they should serve time. If anything serious were to have happened of course.
So don’t have your son end up like Dylan, Eric, or Adam. Dead on the floor at a school because of signs people or you should have noticed.