Echoes of Columbine

When searching for solutions to mass violence, the guns are only one factor in the overall picture. There have been several cases of mass murder that did not involve firearms at all. What follows are some of those incidents, which had many of the same hallmarks as a school shooting without the guns. Some feel these incidents are proof that gun control will not stop mass killings, which is sadly true. Some people are broken beyond what society can ever really understand. In places where guns are difficult to access, people have found other weapons sometimes to even more deadly effect. Deadliest by far has been fire, which is why all public buildings are required to have sufficient fire safety measures in place. Overhead sprinklers, multiple exits, posted exit plans, fire safety drills. These are all in place to prevent further mass fire casualties. Bladed weapons are the most often used in mass attacks, especially in places with strict gun control. Rarely do mass stabbings end w...

The Cult of Columbine now dictates that the crimes be more shocking and the body counts be higher with each attempt. Including explosives. Ways to carry more ammo. Ways to prevent people from escaping. Though they usually worked alone, sometimes in pairs, they all worked towards a singular goal. Destruction of our society from within. They wanted to make us hurt, this much is true but more than they they wanted that hurt to be known, and impossible to forget. Mass shooters are all copy cats now, carbon copies of carbon copies. The goal of mass shootings isn't just to kill people. Mass shooters are often suicidal as well as homicidal. They have usually already decided to end their own lives through suicide by cop. If death was their eventual goal, why did they feel the need to create such a spectacle around it? Part of that power they are looking for comes from the media attention. The attention previous crimes have gathered is usually part of their overall plan. If they jus...

School children being treated for injuries after 29 were wounded and 6 were killed in Stockton, CA. 1989 AP Photo/Stockton Record, File Date: January 17 Year: 1989 School: Cleveland Elementary School Location: Stockton State: California Wounded: 29 Fatalities: 6 Shots Fired: 106 Time lapsed: 3 minutes Police response time: N/A How ended: Suicide (before police arrived) Civilians involved: Shooter died before police were on the scene. Perpetrator:  Patrick Purdy Age:  24 Family history: Father was in the military, mother and father divorced when Purdy was a toddler after father threatened mother with weapon. Mother remarried, and neighbors report obvious signs of abuse and neglect through his and his siblings childhoods. It was said the children would be locked out of the house with no coats on, no supervision or guidance. He They moved frequently, and Purdy developed a reputation with the law at a very young age. Child p...

Date: September 28 Year: 1988 School:  Oakland Elementary School Location:  Greenwood State: South Carolina Wounded: 9 Fatalities: 2 Shequila Bradley, age 8, died at the scene. Tequila Thomas, (no photo available) also 8, died 3 days later Shots Fired: 18? Time lapsed: Unknown Police response time: Unknown How ended: A teacher confronted him, he shot the teacher in the mount. Teacher talked him into dropping the gun and waiting. He was arrested without further incident. Civilians involved: An unarmed physical education teacher talked him into surrendering and waiting for police. Perpetrator:  James William Wilson Jr. Age: 19 Family history: Father was abusive, threatened to shoot his son to discipline him on at least one occasion. He often lived with his grandmother, who rented the movie Psycho over and over and made him watch it with her. Bullied: Yes, teased for being overweight and dressing funny. Red flags: Trouble in scho...