School shooting in Parkland, FL

[sam_gordon]

I have ideas, but I'm not allowed to post most on here as it involves politics and politicians.

Feel free to PM me. I'd like to hear some practical ideas.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Saw this on Megyn Kelly and thought it was interesting...

Wow!! That was powerful, and I was totally focusing on the main character.

Mental illness is also a factor, obviously. But why? What societal pressures are causing an apparent rise in mental health issues? I'm sure there is no easy answer there either, but let's not ignore it.

I agree. We need to figure out the reasons people are "snapping" nowadays, and and work to fix them.

 

[cabanafrau]

One of the things I find particularly unsettling about this case is the fact that it was openly known to so many people in positions of authority and those in positions to understand this shooter's personal circumstances that there were problems and warning signs here on so many levels, yet no one truly intervened until it's too late for too many. The FBI and law enforcement had information pertaining to the report made about the social media comments. The school system had awareness of severe issues AND would have had details regarding his family circumstances. Family members knew he had lost his only surviving parent and seemingly didn't reach out.

It's conceivable that just one person deciding to dig in and respond a bit differently to whatever it was they were aware of might have made a world of difference.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

So how do we make them pay attention?
What change can we enact?

Make you get a license before becoming a parent.

Honestly I don't know. But I don't think banning guns is the solution. There is a much bigger issue here.

 

[dlavender]

Perhaps yes to either of these. Being negligent may deserve a trip to jail. Foster care seems like a better alternative than turning into a mass murderer.

Who says uprooting the child and placing them in a foster care situation makes them less likely to be angry and commit these types of atrocities? I would argue that it would add "fuel to the fire". Are there enough foster homes for this to even occur?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Exactly, so in reality it doesn't prevent anything.

If anything, it would just accelerate the incident.

I suppose that might be a possibility, but it could also stop others.

 

[morgan98]

Let's face it, the parents of the Charleston shooter knew he had issues. So did the wife of the Pulse nightclub shooter.

The people closest are the people with some level of responsibility to report.

 

[Klayfish]

The constitution can be changed. It has 27 times, in fact.

Yep. Not only that, the constitution was written nearly 250 years ago. I don't think our founding fathers envisioned this type of world.

 

[asta]

Or parents can start paying more attention to their whack job kids instead of just saying he's "different." I personally think it starts at home with these young school shooters.

I whole heartedly agree with this. But this case is hard because both of the killer’s parents are deceased, I think the mother died last year. It looks like this guy fell through the cracks. It is easy to see that he had very little support or someone monitoring him.

 

[morgan98]

Who says uprooting the child and placing them in a foster care situation makes them less likely to be angry and commit these types of atrocities? I would argue that it would add "fuel to the fire". Are there enough foster homes for this to even occur?

Perhaps it would add fuel to the fire. However, perhaps someone else would be watching close enough to intervene and help the situation.

We are just discussing possible solutions. I think the answer is some combination of several methods. This needs to be dealt with from several angles.

 

[PollyannaMom]

And then we have adults like this:

http://uproxx.com/news/football-coa...tudents-florida-school-shooting-nikolas-cruz/

How many parents are waking up with their children still alive because of his brave sacrifice?

I couldn't bring myself to "like" your post, but had to thank you for finding it. It brought tears to my eyes, and I agree he was a true hero.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I couldn't bring myself to "like" your post, but had to thank you for finding it. It brought tears to my eyes, and I agree he was a true hero.

Me too. I cried (still am actually) when I read it. Thank God for him.

 

[erin1715]

This may have already been mentioned (this thread is moving fast) but I've been hearing the Sheriff and others stressing that if you see something, say something. I can think of a couple people off the top of my head who have history of mental illness and post "crazy" things on social media. One of them I'm sure is already on police radar, and yet he's still basically free to do as he chooses.

My point is, if we say something, what good will that do? The police can't arrest someone for posting pictures of their weapons. What can the police realistically do if someone like this shooter was reported? He wasn't breaking any law before this shooting, that I'm aware of.

 

[lifesavacation]

Or parents can start paying more attention to their whack job kids instead of just saying he's "different." I personally think it starts at home with these young school shooters.

I agree. Unfortunately, some people have no business being parents and could careless about their child’s outcome in life.

 

[DopeyDame]

I don't think anyone would disagree with that.
There are things that render you ineligible for owning firearms, there is no reason why there can't be things that take away that right if you do them after you legally purchase one. I should say there is no reason why some things can't be added to that already.

You wouldn't think, would you? And yet, my state representatives vehemently opposed a bill that would do exactly that. It would have required those convicted of domestic abuse to turn their guns in immediately. Hard to argue with that, right?
It seems that *literally* any restriction on gun ownership is opposed by many legislators.

 

[erin1715]

I also somewhat agree that the people closest to the person should be held somewhat responsible IF they knew something. A little while back I read the book of the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, and from what she wrote, she was very involved in her son's life. I realize it's only her side of the story, but by all accounts they were very involved in their son's life, and he still was able to do what he did.

I don't know what the answers are. I do think schools should have armed guards as a start.

 

[Action City]

Does anyone follow Josh Gad on Twitter? A family friend of his attended that high school and was shot yesterday. He died overnight in the hospital. Gad is a Florida native.

 

[morgan98]

I have another thought that is probably somewhat controversial, but it just makes me mad that this guy is still alive and we are going to waste time, money and resources to bring him to trial and keep him in jail.

In these extreme cases, I am all for immediate capital punishment.

Luckily, many shooters end up taking their own lives...

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I also somewhat agree that the people closest to the person should be held somewhat responsible IF they knew something. A little while back I read the book of the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, and from what she wrote, she was very involved in her son's life. I realize it's only her side of the story, but by all accounts they were very involved in their son's life, and he still was able to do what he did.

I don't know what the answers are. I do think schools should have armed guards as a start.

This was a long time ago but didn't these kids have homemade bombs in their rooms? My son is almost 18 and I still go into his room and "clean up." I honestly don't think my kid could have rifles and bombs in his room and I wouldn't notice. There has to be some disconnect somewhere.

 

[PollyannaMom]

One of the things I find particularly unsettling about this case is the fact that it was openly known to so many people in positions of authority and those in positions to understand this shooter's personal circumstances that there were problems and warning signs here on so many levels, yet no one truly intervened until it's too late for too many. The FBI and law enforcement had information pertaining to the report made about the social media comments. The school system had awareness of severe issues AND would have had details regarding his family circumstances. Family members knew he had lost his only surviving parent and seemingly didn't reach out.

It's conceivable that just one person deciding to dig in and respond a bit differently to whatever it was they were aware of might have made a world of difference.

This is true, but I'm wondering what avenues were open to the far-away relatives? In their place, I certainly would have tried to check up on him to see if there was anything practical he needed...but I have to admit that, knowing what he was like, I would have been afraid to invite him to come live with my family.

But I agree that there need to be trained resources for "kids" in this situation. (I put kids in quotes because I know 19 is technically an adult, but our typical picture of a 19-year-old is still in college and still dependent on his or her family both emotionally and as a source of advice in life decisions.)