school shootings Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Mass Shootings since Columbine

From TP:

On Friday morning, 27 people were reportedly shot and killed at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT. According to sources, 18 of these casualties were children. This is the second mass shooting in the US this week, after a gunman opened fire in an Oregon shopping mall on Tuesday, killing 2. ABC News reports that there have been 31 school shootings in the US since Columbine in 1999, when 13 people were killed.

The rate of people killed by guns in the US is 19.5 times higher than similar high-income countries in the world. In the last 30 years since 1982, America has mourned at least 61 mass murders. Below is a timeline of mass shootings in the US since the Columbine High massacre:

December 11, 2012. On Tuesday, 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts killed 2 people and himself with a stolen rifle in Clackamas Town Center, Oregon. His motive is unknown.

September 27, 2012. Five were shot to death by 36-year-old Andrew Engeldinger at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis, MN. Three others were wounded. Engeldinger went on a rampage after losing his job, ultimately killing himself.

August 5, 2012. Six Sikh temple members were killed when 40-year-old US Army veteran Wade Michael Page opened fire in a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Four others were injured, and Page killed himself.

July 20, 2012. During the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, CO, 24-year-old James Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 58. Holmes was arrested outside the theater. (more…)

By ecthompsonmd|2018-06-06T15:38:27-04:00December 20th, 2012|Domestic Issues|Comments Off

School Violence

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not understand everything. They’re just some things that are beyond my meager comprehension. For instance, I’m not sure that I understand why the universe is saddle shaped. Similarly, why aren’t our schools safer? We’ve had a number of school shootings throughout the country recently. The latest act of violence that caused me to scratch my head happened at a Baltimore high school. A teacher was beat up and physically assaulted by her own students. How do we know this? Some knucklehead student– instead of helping– decided to use their cell phone to videotape the ordeal.

I suspect that Reginald F. Lewis High School is no different than many other high schools in Baltimore or the U.S. for that matter. These are institutions that border on lawlessness. Certain bathrooms are off-limits because girls will be molested and guys will be beat up. Discipline is opposed. This is not an atmosphere in which you can learn.

We need to be able to create institutions of learning. In my book, “A Letter to America: Is President Bush Leading Us in the Right Direction?” I write that we know how to teach students. There is no mystery. Three groups of people must get together and decide that education is their primary focus — teachers, parents and students. These institutions must be safe for the teachers and the students. There is no excuse for us to provide an environment that is anything less than safe.

By ecthompsonmd|2008-04-13T21:34:29-04:00April 13th, 2008|Domestic Issues|1 Comment