#21 years after Columbine

[operationandre]

any movie recommendations for people who like zero day?

Movie Recommendations for Zero Day (2003) fans! pt.2

*Movie descriptions are from Letterboxd.*

1. Spree (2020)

MURDER IS TRENDING.

Desperate for an online following, a rideshare driver has figured out a deadly plan to go viral and he will stop at nothing to get his five minutes of fame.

2. The Fallout (2021)

NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME.

In the wake of a school tragedy, Vada, Mia, and Quinton form a unique and dynamic bond as they navigate the never linear, often confusing journey to heal in a world that feels forever changed.

3. The Dirties (2013)

WE'RE JUST HERE FOR THE BAD GUYS.

The line between reality and fiction begins to blur when two best friends start making a movie about getting revenge on bullies.

4. Mysterious Skin (2004)

TWO BOYS. ONE CAN'T REMEMBER. THE OTHER CAN'T FORGET.

Two teenagers with similar childhood traumas cope differently: one becomes a gay hustler and the other obsessed with aliens.

5. Scream (1996)

SOMEONE HAS TAKEN THEIR LOVE OF SCARY MOVIES ONE STEP TOO FAR. SOLVING THIS MYSTERY IS GOING TO BE MURDER.

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

6. Heartstone (2016)

THE SUMMER THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

A remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland takes back its rights, it's time to leave the playground and face adulthood.

7. Zero Hour: Massacre at Columbine High (2004)

This movie covers the final hour leading up to the Columbine High Massacre. On April 20, 1999, two boys from Columbine High School in Colorado embarked on a massacre and killed 12 students, one teacher, and injured 21 other students, before turning the guns on themselves.

8. My Own Private Idaho (1991)

WHEREVER, WHATEVER, HAVE A NICE DAY.

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

[woman1festo]

big info post about the Maryland mall shooting and the shooter, Darion Aguilar.

( i have compiled this post in my notes from all different news articles, sources and google searches. it wasn't too easy to find much, but i hope this is enough insight/info.)

Darion Aguilar was a 19 year old, as described by his mother as a as 'a gentle, sweet kid' who has never been interested in guns.

'If you were to go in his room you would see what a gentle sweet kid he was,' she said, adding that he was a vegetarian because he was concerned about animal welfare.

He was also described as a "good kid" who "is quiet, kept to himself. Nice, normal, calm demeanor."

That was until January 25, 2014. He took a taxi around 10:15am, then he had entered the The Mall in Columbia where he was dropped off.

He went downstairs to a food court directly below the store, authorities say surveillance tapes show him sitting and walking around for nearly an hour. this may have been due to the fact that he was obsessed with the Columbine shooting. it's suspected that he waited until the time of the shooting had lined up to the original one in 1999.

(Investigators found thousands of searches on Aguilar's computer related to mass murder, school shootings, guns and explosives.

He also looked up websites for people with mental health problems, and he told a doctor he was hearing voices in the months before the shooting.)

Reports have said that Aguilar took a picture of himself inside the dressing room at Zumiez in the minutes leading up to the shooting and posted the photo to tumblr with a caption reading,

"I had to do this. Today is the day. On previous days I tried this I woke up with anxiety, regret and hope for a better future this day I didn't, I woke up felt no emotions no empathy no sympathy. I will have freedom or maybe not. I could care less."

It was said in mentioned selfie that some of way he is dressed, wearing a white t-shirt, boots and cargo pants with his shotgun in a sling around him, is reminiscent of one of the Columbine killers.

Police say he bought a shotgun last month – a 12-gauge Mossberg – and kept it hidden as a taxi cab dropped him off at the mall. before exiting the dressing room, Aguilar dumped his backpack out, changed his clothes and assembled the gun.

As soon as Aguilar stepped out, he raised his gun, took a few steps, aimed at his first victim, Brainna Belolo (21), and fired, killing her instantly.

He continued on to aim at his next victim, Tyler Johnson (25) , who was said to be near the front of the store, hitting him multiple times. he also died instantly.

Aguilar then stepped out of the store and fired two shots across the mall on the upper railing. One struck a railing while the other struck a woman in the heel. He then turned towards the food court, fired one shot and struck a wall right outside the Great American Cookie store, very narrowly missing more victims.

Next Aguilar turned back to Zumiez and fired through the glass at a mannequin before re-entering Zumiez, sticking the shotgun in his mouth and shooting, killing him instantly.

A total of nine shots were fired by Aguilar, out of the 54 rounds of ammunition he brought with him. The backpack he had with him contained homemade explosives, most likely made with fireworks, but were not powerful enough to cause major structural damage, police said.

"(Aguilar) was just silent. Focused. There was no sort of expression or emotion," an eyewitness recalled.

Despite officers arrived less than two minutes after the first 911 call, they entered to find Aguilar dead.

Desperately searching for a motive, police discovered his journal, which was about 20 handwritten loose-leaf pages in roughly chronological order. In a portion police released, Aguilar makes an angry, expletive-laced statement in which he anticipates the killings in "a couple of hours."

"I'm going to [fucking] kill you all in a couple hours I'm anxious, I hate you all so much you are pathetic pieces of [shit] who deserve to die. Worthless you all are [fucking] worthless. Everything seems fake. I think that I may already be dead," one journal entry read.

He apologized to his family for what he was about to do, that he wrote he was ready to die, that he wanted to die and hated others. He never mentioned to his family that he needed any help for his mental illness. While he talks about killing people, he never gave any specific targets.

Sources say it also shows a hatred of certain groups and a general unhappiness with life. 

[org4n-failur3]

The Columbine Effect

Repost plus fixed cuz I got termed. Again this is PURELY informative.

—-

The columbine massacre happened April 20th 1999 in Littleton Colorado. This post isn’t about the sh00ting itself but the effects on the world and the years to come.

Since the day over 338,000 kids have experienced gun violence at schools in America. Lead cause of child d3aths? Guns. 1-10 gun d3aths are kids 19 or younger.

The attack caused Americas ‘no tolerance’ policy where any unqualified individual found with weapons on school grounds would face consequences.

The first related incident happened only a few days after the attack, the teens friend Eric Veik had thr3atened to ‘finish the job’ of his friends. After police interrogation he claimed it was simply a joke.

Since 1999 the world has seen a resurgence in school attacks many being copycat crimes. There is 74 known plots 21 played out attacks and the rest being thr3ats or plans. 95% of them were men, 4/5 of them were white. 53% used guns, 18% used explosives and 14% used knifes. 67% obtained the weapons via household. The average age being 17.

2018-23

2022- 46

This is the number of school sh00tings that happened pre pandemic and post. 2022 has had more school sh00tings than the other years after columbine. One of those being the Kerch Polytechnic sh00ting of 2018. Which down to the end was a copycat. Many refer to it as the Columbine 2.0.

In 2022 34 children and adults died and more than 43,000 children were exposed to gunfire.

Sources: crimetraveller, FBI, sandyhook promise

Again if I got anything wrong tell me.

-Vivi

[archivaltrigger]

Swedish school attacks and adjacent crimes + FUP (preliminary investigation report) PDFs when available

PART 1

Ove Conry Andersson (17)

School: Kungälvs läroverk Location: Kungälv, Västra Götalands län Student ages: 15-18* Date: March 4, 1961 Weapon: Semi-automatic pistol Dead: 1 Injured: 6

Shooting happened at a school dance. Students hurt were between 15 and 18 years old, but even older students may have attended.

Kent Korva (15) + 3 onlooker friends

School: Svartedalsskolan Location: Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län Student ages: n/a Date: Dec 13, 1979 (Saint Lucy's Day) Weapon: Knife Dead: 1 (teacher)

Drunk, anger-fueled attack outside the school entrance. History of previous threats. Not an attempted rampage, but in my opinion there was a similar psychology behind the motive.

Rafael Argueta Villacorta (19)

School: Västermalms gymnasium Location: Sundsvall, Västernorrlands län Student ages: 16-20 Date: Oct 25, 2001 Weapon: 2 Knives Dead: 1 Injured: 1

First case were the perpetrator without a doubt fits the criminal profile of the average school attacker.

Jacob Roya (16) + 1 or 2 other boys

Planned Attack School target: Slottsstadens skola Location: Malmö, Skåne Län Student ages: 12-16 Planned date: April 20, 2004/2005 (Columbine (5th) anniversary) Planned weapons: Hunting rifle, various plastic bottle bombs, Shotgun

News media information about this case is extremely sparse and contradicts itself. Jacob got investigated after he tried to firebomb another school (Sorgenfriskolan) as a test.

FUP: Denied. Will check if an appeal is possible.

Anton Niclas Lundin Pettersson (21)

School: Kronan Location: Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län Student ages: 6-16 Date: Oct 22, 2015 Weapon: Cold Steel 88VS Viking Sword, Bowie knife Dead: 4 (including the perpetrator, suicide by cop) Injured: 2

First racially motivated school attack. Often mistaken as Sweden's first school attack.

FUP: x

UNNAMED MALE (12)

School: Råslättskolan Location: Jönköping, Jönköpings Län Student Ages: 6-12 Date: Sep 5, 2018 Weapon: Knife Dead: n/a Injured: 2

FUP: Unavailable due to perpetrators age

School names, ages etc. reflect what they were when the crimes were committed.

[kindsoulbuddy]

The thing about praise and worship music at church is that

It’s catchy

Repetitive simple lyrics

It’s played on repeat every Sunday

So even though I’ve been deconstructing for years from evangelicalism, most days praise and worship music from my youth plays in my head.

So every once in a while I’ll sing to myself something joyful like “I got peace like a river I got peace like a river I got peace like a river in my soul!” 🎶

Or maybe “ Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere!” 🎶

Or maybe something peaceful like “As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee…”🎶

Mostly it doesn’t bother me.

But then 90s/Y2K Christian pop music gets stuck in my head.

Like sometimes Rebecca St. James lyrics go through my head like this one glorifying purity culture:

“I am waiting for, praying for you darling! Wait for me too, wait for me as I wait for you! Darling Wait!”

Or you know just songs from DC Talk..

“What if I stumble, what if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?”

Or

“There’s no time to change your mind, the Son has come and you’ve been left behind.”

I think about the awful Rapture Anxiety I had for years and years…

And then i think about being in youth group and yes the fun times but also the moments when we had alter calls.

And the crying and sobbing. The speaking in tongues. The teenagers falling on their faces.

The sensationalized, sometimes violent “Human Videos” (just look up human videos on YouTube there are many).

Teens vowing to die for Christ.

When the Columbine shooting happened all we heard about were the apocryphal stories of students being martyred for Jesus.

I wondered “will a shooter come into our church today and ask us to deny Christ or be shot? What will I do if that happens??”

And what if I lose my salvation just because I had doubts? And what if I get possessed by a demon?

Not to mention purity culture and what it does to a young girl. (All kids suffered but we girls had to be modest and never cause any man to stumble by looking at our shoulder or something)

Abstinence class and signing a pledge to remain a pure virgin until my wedding night.

All the teenagers in every youth group were running around with raging hormones and couldn’t do anything about it. So a lot of us got married quickly. (I was engaged at 19, married at 21).

I mean I’m not even getting into young earth creationism or anti-gay rhetoric or pro life marches, etc..

But you can see that so much of my life (as good as it was for the most part, I was fortunate)was fear based?

And the thing is most of the people (congregation, I can’t speak for all the pastors and church leaders) at church didn’t mean for it to happen that way.

See, I was taught that there is freedom in Christianity. But why didn’t I feel free? That must mean my faith is weak, right?

It’s just so exhausting.

And I went to church regularly for my first 33 years of life. I volunteered, I taught Sunday school classes. I was trying to do it the right way.

Then Covid 19 happened.

I was forced to stop going to church for the first time in my life.

And honestly for years before this I was deconstructing. What really sped this process along was a certain Orange president and his very un-Christianlike followers.

And like Paul in the book of Acts, the scales fell off my eyes. I was blind but now could see. Really see.

The way my Christian peers were acting. The way they refused vaccines and even wearing masks. The cult-like behavior toward Donald Trump. The Christian nationalists.

And after a few months of no church…I realized I didn’t miss it.

After 2020, my deconstruction days really took off. I still don’t go to church (outside of a few weeks trying a gay-affirming congregation).

I used to compulsively pray.

And for hours i would pore over the scriptures trying to glean special meaning. Taking copious notes deep into the night.

(have OCD and I now realize that this brand of religion made my OCD symptoms so much worse.)

But it’s weird…

I have religious trauma. I’m learning about how I was literally in a cult. I’m still trying to unlearn stuff. I still get fearful sometimes about “what if I’m wrong?”.

But I still have good memories of growing up in church. Just like how I still sing old church songs in my head.

I’ve been to many churches, but I grew up in a small country church. I knew it like the back of my hand. It’s how I met some of my best friends and in turn, it’s how I met my husband of 17 years.

I can’t say I regret it. Like anything in life it’s complicated and complex.

I miss the social aspect of church too. I’ve never found another social space like it. I’ve tried! I can’t figure out any other “3rd place” that resembles it.

I’m not sure why i wrote so much down except to say i know a lot of people understand where I’m coming from.

In the meantime, I like to go on r/fundiesnarkuncensored, also i watch Fundie Fridays on YouTube…and I do quite a bit of reading on the subject of others who left the church. Recently I just read Tia Levings’ new book “the Well Trained Wife.”

I’m more at peace about it.

But I think my complex feelings and even some doubts will follow me forever.

[reasoningdaily]

I know y'all are not planning on letting this mass murderer out of jail knowing that he is mentally unbalanced and still totally in need of care

This weekend marks 25 years since Thurston High School student Kip Kinkel murdered his parents, then opened fire on classmates in a cafeteria the next day.

Two students, Ben Walker and Mikael Nickolauson, died, while two dozen others were wounded.

The bodies of Bill and Faith Kinkel were discovered in their Springfield home shortly after. Their 15-year-old son was ultimately sentenced to 112 years in prison for four murders and multiple charges of attempted murder.

Dan Hagengruber visits the Thurston Memorial and Wall in Springfield, Ore., on May 20, 2023. He was among the staff at Sacred Heart Hospital who treated two dozen shooting victims from Thurston High School on May 21, 1998.

Brian Bull / KLCC

“Sacred ground,” he said, taking in the scene. “It’s good to be here. Good to see what’s been done, and the memory of those who were lost and injured, and some of the heroics that happened that day.”

Though it was Hagengruber’s first visit to the memorial site, he’s very familiar with the details of the shooting.

On May 21, 1998, Hagenbruber was on duty as an anesthesiologist at Sacred Heart Hospital in Springfield. He remembers seeing more than 20 kids rushed in that day: all had been shot by their classmate, Kip Kinkel.

“I grabbed as many drugs as I could hold in my pockets, not knowing how long I’d be there, or who I’d be taking care of,” he said. “I’d never responded to something like that.”

At the time, the Thurston school shooting was seen as an anomaly. It preceded the mass shooting at Columbine by nearly a year.

In the decades since, mass shootings in schools and elsewhere have become a frequent occurrence in the U.S., including Sandy Hook, Parkland, and Uvalde. Gun control, juvenile justice reform, the role of mental health in mass shootings, and school security remain issues in a recurring debate.

Not only did he handle shooting victims from Thurston, Hagengruber said, but he would later see a couple more from the 2015 shooting at Umpqua Community College. Despite the tragic deaths of the two students and Kinkel’s parents, Bill and Faith Kinkel, Hagengruber said, he’s heartened by seeing the survivors grow up and live their best lives.

Related: Years after school shooting in Springfield, Oregon, wounded student’s life has taken on a remarkable trajectory

“Hope we can use this as a place to reflect and learn and grow, so that we can be a safer society overall,” he said.

Kinkel is 25 years into a 112-year prison sentence. The Oregon Supreme Court recently rejected his petition for a murder review hearing, which his attorney says he was entitled to after concurrently serving his four 25-year sentences for murder. Kinkel’s attorney says they will now go through the “more typical channels of legal review.”

In a statement shared with KLCC ahead of the anniversary, Kip Kinkel said he continues to have “tremendous remorse” for the harm he caused in May of 1998. He said he’s declined requests for interviews out of respect for the victims of his crimes and their loved ones, adding that “the sound of my voice may cause additional and unnecessary trauma.”

A file photo from May 2018, when roughly 200 people gathered in Springfield's William S. Fort Memorial Park to hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Thurston school shooting.

yes I deleted the replies of the other person because they became downright disrespectful. I also blocked them so don't expect to see any whiplash

[thebreakfastgenie]

Like the thing about FOB we didn’t start the fire is that it’s structured differently than the og we didn’t start the fire. In my opinion it’s not really important that it covers 33 years of time instead of 40 because none of the events described in the song are described in linear order. The first verse of the song jumbles things from 1993 and 2020 in the same line.

This could be because FOB didn’t understand the brief but a charitable interpretation is that in choosing the cover the song they also chose to put a spin on it. Their cover may be “about” something different than the original song was about; in the days of the 24 hour news cycle and especially in the days of everyone being as online as they are, all sense of when events happen in relation to each other are lost.

Later in the song, by listing “Sandy Hook, Columbine”, that’s perhaps a commentary on how each new “biggest school shooting” calls back the discourse and the frenzy of the previous one.

As a Billy Joel purist that’s probably not something that you like, but it isn’t as though this is the first cover of a song — or hell, adaptation of a piece of media to recontextualise it and in so doing use the bones of the original to say something different.

And of course if you are not a FOB fan you might just want to be uncharitable and say that they weren’t trying to achieve anything by doing it and they just missed the whole point of the song. And that’s fine. But I think quibbling about whether the song spans 33 years or 40 (i.e: the singer’s entire lifespan) is really missing the point because the song isn’t about that anymore.

If they’re gonna do something completely different they should have just written their own song because the melody of We Didn’t Start the Fire kinda sucks. Like they’re not writing the next chapter of it because they went out of order so?? I don’t have a problem with Fall Out Boy, I'm not super familiar with their usual music but I think it's pretty good, but I think this song is bad and misses the point of We Didn’t Start the Fire and I’m gonna say so! I’ve been very self-aware about insane I’m being about this but at this point I think you’re being weirder??

I want the song to span 40 years because I like the neatness of two 40 year installments, but there are a couple of other things behind it. First of all, 40 is a milestone age, and Billy Joel always talks about how he had just turned 40 when he wrote it and that was one reason he was reflecting on events that had happened in his lifetime. But also, I started the "not until 2029" refrain because when people call for an "updated" We Didn't Start the Fire, it's almost always in the context of "so much shit has happened recently" and suggesting it can or even needs to cover less time because "so much more" has happened. This feeling is contrary to the very point of We Didn't Start the Fire.

Billy Joel wrote We Didn't Start the fire after spending time with Sean Lennon and a friend of Sean's who had just turned 21. The younger men were talking about how hard it was to turn 21 in the late 80s, and Billy Joel told the how he felt the same way when he turned 21 (in 1970). Sean's friend responded by saying "yeah, but you grew up in the fifties, and everybody knows nothing happened in the fifties!" And Billy Joel said "have you ever heard of the Korean War?" The point isn't "so much is happening right now" it's "so much has always been happening." It's "everyone who came before you felt the same way you feel right now." It's about taking off the generational blinders and looking at the bigger picture of history. Things have always been happening and they're still happening. That last verse is probably a lot of the things Sean Lennon and his friend were stressing about: foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, okay... maybe not Bernie Goetz, but you get the idea. "China's under martial law" is the penultimate reference because Tiananmen Square happened shortly before he finished writing the song.

"Haha, you'd need an entire verse just for 2020!" There are a ton of major headlines missing from We Didn't Start the Fire just from the year 1968. He rushes through the seventies because he realized he was running out of song. It doesn't mention the Cuban Missile Crisis! But there are two references to the Dodgers, because it's mostly things Billy Joel remembered (obviously some of the early stuff isn't direct memories).

I've actually come to believe that We Didn't Start the Fire can never be replicated in a way that does justice to the original, because without setting out to, Billy Joel documented the Cold War because of when he happened to be born and when he happened to write the song. There's another song on the same album called Leningrad that is intentionally about the Cold War and Billy Joel's place in it (and does mention the Cuban Missile Crisis) that also highlights that he was born in 1949. I'm not sure if there's a Fall Out Boy equivalent to that or not. I don't think it's necessarily bad to try. But I'm not sure what they did do, here. It's not chronological, so it's not a reflection on their lifetime. The only thing that's really impressive about We Didn't Start the Fire from a songwriting perspective is that it's chronological and it still rhymes. I also pity anyone trying to write a sequel because they have to make it fit the melody. Billy Joel wrote the lyrics first (something he never did with any other song) and fit the melody to them, but if you're covering that melody you have to reverse the process. I don't see what bones of the original are left besides being a goofy novelty song that lists a bunch of events and a pretty lame melody.

[remembertheplunge]

9/22/2004. Wednesday 6:10am 

In the wisp of eye..a wink..Summer’s flashed by. Summer ends at 9:30am today. Still dark. Cool Last entry in the is journal was 5/21/2004.From  5/21/04  to 9/22/04. Just light out there now at 6:13am.  The Democratic Presidential Convention and Olympic shows came and went. Rather dull. Ruth and John cruz the Panama Canal for two weeks. Jim and I alcohol free for 30 days! We may hook up our first DVD video player today. We’ve taken up morning walking and breakfast again (post giving up booze). Night sweats and alcohol related night horrors pass. Feet heal, as do teeth, hair, and bodys. I started going through “closed” boxes in the garage yesterday which turned out to be fascinating. A study of the last 7 years, and more. Oh, about 9:30am, Fall equinox time, Jim got our DVD player hooked up and we watched the first part of “Bowling for Columbine”. Great show. DVD worked fine.

Notes:

John and Ruth were Jim’s cousin Ruth Ann and her husband John, the year before Ruth died. So, here, you get to see them in happier times.

Also, in this entry, Jim and I enter the DVD world. The first DVD we watched was “Bowling for Columbine”by filmmaker Michael Moore.   The  DVD era between VCR cassettes and You tube videos  had begun.

In the last three sentences, I describe life post drinking. I think I did this in the journals to remind  and to warn a future drinking self about the tremendous adverse impact of drinking on our lives.

When Jim was alive, we used to take walks along Magnolia street or over to the Hilton house. After Jim died, I rarely took walks  in the neighborhood. But, when I did, I imagined and almost felt him  walking about 10 feet behind me. Still there.

[chorusfm]

Filter – The Amalgamut

The third studio album from Alternative rockers, Filter, came with immense pressure to deliver after their first two records (Short Bus and Title of Record) both went platinum. The band was also battling with lineup changes, lead vocalist/band leader Richard Patrick’s addictions, and a record label wanting Filter to deliver the goods with another hit. The Amalgamut found moderate success due in large part to the lead single “Where Do We Go From Here,” and “The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)” getting a prominent placement in a Hummer commercial. Recently reissued on a beautiful gatefold double LP set, and making its debut on vinyl for the first time via Craft Recordings, Filter’s third album gets its moment in the limelight. The Amalgamut’s themes range from Richard Patrick’s battles with addiction (“My Long Walk To Jail,” “God Damn Me”) to more worldly themes that are still prevalent in today’s society like “Columind,” written about the tragic school shooting at Columbine High School. The second, and final single to be released from the set, “American Cliche” tows the line between how tragedies can be prevented with political action, yet that seems to be a standstill each time a new act of senseless violence emerges. In many ways, Filter grew up a lot during the writing and recording of this LP that embraces a hard-nosed rock approach to these songs that leave a glimmer of hope to others going through their own addictions and struggles. The back half of the album features a few depressing themes found on raucous tracks like “So I Quit” and the reflective “It Can Never Be The Same.” What stands out to me while re-listening to this album with fresh ears today is the crisp production by Richard Patrick and Ben Grosse (with some co-produced tracks by Rae DiLeo and Geno Lenardo) who are able to bring the soul out of these songs to create a blueprint of how to navigate through the darkest times in our lives. The vinyl packaging on this Craft Recordings set is vibrant, with full-color printed inner sleeves housing the two discs that are evenly spaced out to ensure the best audio quality possible on this half-speed mastered set. The album’s lyrics are printed on the inner part of the gatefold packaging, and features some liner notes on the bottom edge. It’s hard to believe this album is nearly 21 years old, as these hard-hitting songs still pack plenty of punch and purpose behind them. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/reviews/filter-the-amalgamut/

[r3druger]

Machine guns have been heavily regulated since the Gun Control Act of 1932 and the sunset for registration for them ended in 1986 after Reagan passed the Hughes Amendment, not the 90s. And not once has one been used in a mass shooting.

We did however have an Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004. Which was focused on SEMI automatic rifles. Those are not interchangeable terminologies and are not indicative of the same classification of weapons at all.

And during this AWB, the FBI studied for a decade the affects if said gun control and found NO. DISCERNIBLE. EFFECT. On crime rates involving firearms of any kind during this time period. In fact in the decade since it ended, violent crime rates with firearms was HALVED.

During this Assault Weapons Ban, Columbine happened. Every single weapon obtained for this attack were restricted by the National Firearms Act, the AWB, or illegal for both people under the age of 21. That didn't stop them. Sawed off shotguns, handguns, and a HI Point Carbine with extended magazines. All of which were banned. By. Name.

They made explosives out of a propane tank (which thankfully didn't detonate) and made dozens of pipe bombs as well. The assault weapons ban did nothing to stop this attack.

I'm not sure if you're even aware of this. But the current background check system we have now didn't even EXIST during this time period. There are 20,000 federal firearms laws on the books as of right now. That doesn't include individual state and local restrictions.

That being said, evil is evil. And despite evidence from the FBI, ATF. and decades of ever increasing gun control on the state and federal levels, this problem is not. Getting. Better. Just because you pass more laws. In fact, the overwhelming majority of these attacks have been aimed at soft targets like schools, hospitals, concerts, and shopping malls which, ironically, are gun free zones.

In fact many manifestos of these psychopaths specifically mention this as the reason.

Evil doesn't stop because the law told them to. Laws aren't designed to deter crime. They're designed to punish those that are caught. These psychos have no moral obligation to play by the rules of man when they want their 15 minutes of fame. We've seen people drive through crowds. Use fertilizer to level a government building.

Hell we have seen people fly PLANES into buildings. The worst atrocities we've witness in this lifetime were done by the work of people who kill without reason. And innocent people were subjugated to being victims all because they were told by the likes of YOU that they are not in fact allowed to protect themselves.

Firearms are used in a LOW estimate from 500k to over 1 million times in self defense in this country every single year. That includes AR15s. That includes firearms of all types.

No one HANDED these idiots firearms. They lied. They stole. They used a background system that hasn't stopped a mass shooter because the system was never going to work when there was failures at EVERY. SINGLE. TIER. of government oversight.

Failure of local law enforcement to prosecute Domestic violence charges on previously known people. Failure of the US military to notify the system of dishonorable discharges. Failure of the school district and local law enforcement to charge known subjects for making terroristic threats against the schools. Multiple times.

Failure of the fucking Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and FIREARMS to do their fucking Job and prosecute people who break federal law by buying for other prohibited possessors. Trafficking, and stealing weapons while AT THE SAME TIME, these assclowns attempt to turn 50 million people into felons overnight because of a fucking pistol brace.

Miss me with this "evil will only be evil because of AR15s."

The firearm has existed for SIXTY. FUCKING. YEARS. and didn't suddenly jump on anyone's radar until 2014.

You know what happened in 2014? The news media turned mass murders into icons. And suddenly, mentally deranged people suddenly had their quick ticket to fame. Infamy. Eternal recognition. Because their faces would be plastered all over the TV and internet. Forever.

"Punch a Nazi" huh? Guess no one told you in history class that Nazis disarmed everyone and then tried to kill everyone after they did so.

Very little conversation regarding the long-term damage inflicted by active shooter incidents.

The entire school and community are affected. They are changed forever.

Guns change you.

[conradscrime]

Inspired by the Scream Franchise: The Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart

October 07, 2021

Cassie Jo Stoddart was born on December 21, 1989 and attended Pocatello High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik also attended school with Cassie, and were friends with her boyfriend, Matt Beckham. 

Brian had spent most of his childhood in Utah, before moving with his parents to Pocatello, Idaho, meeting Torey and the two soon became best friends. The two boys both shared a love of film and would often walk around the school video-taping their classmates and making their own movies. 

Cassie was a very responsible well-behaved girl and that’s why her aunt and uncle, Allison and Frank Contreras, asked her to house sit for them in northeast Bannock County on the night of September 22, 2006. They needed Cassie to come house sit because they owned three cats and two dogs that needed to be taken care of during the weekend while they were away. 

While Cassie was house-sitting that night, her boyfriend, Matt, came by around 6pm to hangout for a bit. A little while later, Brian and Torey also showed up to hangout with the couple. Cassie gave the boys all a tour of the house, including the basement before going back up to the living room to watch ‘Kill Bill, Volume II.’

Brian and Torey left the house before the movie finished saying that they would rather go watch a movie at the local movie theatre instead. Cassie did not realize that before the two boys left, Brian had unlocked the basement door so he and Torey could return back to the house at a later time. 

At one point, Brian and Torey had come back to the neighbourhood, parked down the street, and changed into dark clothes, gloves and white masks. The re-entered the house through the basement door while Cassie and Matt were still watching TV in the living room. The boys tried to make some loud enough noises to get Cassie and Matt to go down to the basement so they could “scare them.” 

When this didn’t work, they found the circuit breaker and turned off the power in the house, hoping the couple would walk downstairs to check the breaker. Cassie and Matt still did not come downstairs so the boys turned some lights back on. 

Even though Cassie had not gone down the stairs to check anything, she was still freaked out by the power outage and Matt had noticed that one of the dogs had been barking and growling near the basement stairs. Because Cassie was obviously freaked out, Matt called his mother and asked if he could stay the night with Cassie but his mother said no. Matt’s mother did invite Cassie to come stay the night at the Beckhams, offering to drive her back to her aunt and uncle’s house the next morning. Cassie felt that it was her responsibility to house sit so she decided to stay and Matt left. 

Matt left around 10:30 pm, thinking that he was leaving Cassie alone in the house. Matt called Torey’s phone and asked where him and Brian were, possibly to see if they could meet up after. Matt could not hear Torey on the phone because he was whispering, and Matt just assumed this was because they were still in the movie theatre.

Brian and Torey heard Matt leave and they decided to turn the lights out again, hoping that Cassie would come downstairs to turn the lights back on, but she did not. Eventually, Brian, carrying a dagger-type weapon, and Torey, holding a hunting-style knife, went upstairs. 

Brian opened and slammed a closet door to frighten Cassie who was on the couch in the living room. The boys then attacked Cassie, stabbing her about 30 times, with 12 of these wounds potentially fatal. The weapons the boys had used were purchased at a pawn shop with the help of an 18 year old named Joe Lucero, as Brian and Torey were only 16 at the time of the murder. 

Police originally questioned Matt, who they thought was a possible suspect because Matt did not show a whole lot of emotion. However, when Matt began to tell the police that Brian and Torey were also at the house that night, police began to look at the two boys. Matt had also passed a polygraph test.

When police questioned Brian and Torey they discovered that Brian had a crush on Cassie, but she was not interested because she was dating Matt. The boys also told police that they had been at the movie theatres that night, which they had movie stubs for the movie ‘Holes.’ However, when police began asking simple questions about the movie, the boys could not answer. Police asked the boys what the movie was about, who was in the movie, ect, and the boys could not say anything about the movie besides they remembered thinking that it was boring.

Police really began to view the boys as suspects, because they were movie fanatics and went to the movies all the time. If they were huge movie buffs they should be able to remember details of a movie they were supposedly at a few days ago. The police questioned the girl who was working the ticket booth at the movies that night, and the girl said that neither Brian or Torey were at the movie theatre that night. She said she would’ve remembered seeing the two boys, as they were regulars. 

Because Brian and Torey were movie fanatics and had dreams of directing and filming their own horror movie, the police discovered later that the two had filmed their entire plan to murder Cassie, which was planned at school. They also filmed themselves right before the murder, talking in the car about how they were about to murder her. 

This video footage was played at their trials. 

Brian and Torey were both arrested on September 27, 2006, charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. When questioned, both of the boys automatically turned against each other. Brian said though he was in the room while Cassie was murdered, he did not stab her. He then later said he did stab her but only under Torey’s commands. Brian’s DNA had been found under Cassie’s nails on both her right and left hand, but Torey’s DNA was not. Brian showed police where they had disposed of the clothing, masks and knives they had used that night. 

At the trial, Brian admitted that he had been inspired by the Columbine shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Torey said he had been inspired by the Scream horror films franchise, which is often what this case is known as. Brian was found guilty on April 17, 2007 and Torey was found guilty on June 8, 2007. Both boys received a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, and 30 years to life for being convicted in conspiracy to commit murder. 

Both Brian and Torey are serving their time at Idaho State Correctional Institution and have filed many appeals since, all being denied. 

In 2010, the Stoddart family filed a civil lawsuit against the Idaho School District claiming that the school should have known that Brian and Torey posed a threat to others. This case was dismissed, saying that the actions of Brian and Torey were not foreseeable. 

In 2012 the US Supreme Court ruled that mandatory sentences of life without parole are unconstitutional for youth offenders, even in the case of murder. In 2016, it was decided that this doctrine should also be applied to cases retroactively as youth who commit such crimes have the ability to change. Brian and Torey’s case falls under this as they were 16 when the crime was committed. 

Cassie’s family suffered quite a bit after her murder. Her teenage cousin who was 13 at the time, was the one who had found her body, suffering from severe trauma, and at one point had tried to take her own life. Cassie’s aunt and uncle also had a hard time, her aunt was so depressed she lost her job and often felt responsible for Cassie’s death. 

Cassie’s aunt and uncle tried to sell the house for years, but no one wanted to buy the home because of the horrible tragedy that had occurred there. 

There was a documentary that came out and Brian and Torey were interviewed during this documentary. Brian did show some remorse, though Torey did not not. In the interview Torey’s mother refuses to believe that Torey committed murder and acts like he is the victim in this. 

The boys had a list of people they wanted to kill, and it is a tragedy that the succeeded in even one of these murders. I will never understand people who look up to mass murderers as idols, and who are so intrigued with copying popular horror film franchises. 

[lord-squidiot]

When is this going to stop

“Our broken hearts are with Uvalde”

“Today is a dark day”

“Sending thoughts and prayers”

It’s going to take more than thoughts and prayers to stop these crimes.

Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to bring back our children.

When are the adults running this god-forsaken country going to do something about this besides give a sad speech and lower a flag.

These “politicians” are supposedly so against the murder of children that they put bans on the bodies of women, yet they balk at the thought of a law preventing them from holding the weapon that killed nineteen children alone today.

Nineteen children that will never grow up

Nineteen mothers that will never see their child graduate

Nineteen fathers who will never be able to tuck in their baby again

Nineteen lost souls

All for what?

All so we can “have the right to bear arms”

All so we can “protect ourselves from the crazy people out there?”

If those people didn’t have these weapons to begin with, we would have nothing to protect ourselves from

How many thoughts and prayers are going to be enough to stop these senseless crimes

How many lives is it going to take for the people with power to make the change

Is it going to be 19?

No.

19 isn’t nearly enough

Nor the 21 that have died this year

Nor the 49 from last year

They don’t care about us

They don’t care about the 300,000 children that have been exposed to gun violence since Columbine

They don’t care because their pride and “patriotism” are more important

They put on a sad face yet don’t care enough to give up their guns

I suppose it seems inhumane to them

Take away their rights? That they were handed at birth after seeing they had white skin and a penis?

God forbid they can’t have whatever they want

While they want guns, I want my life

I don’t want to live in fear that my campus will be shot up

I don’t want to constantly worry for the safety of my little sibling in high school

I don’t want to wake up in a cold sweat after another nightmare that there was a shooting at my school

I don’t want anyone to go through the pain of losing a child, a friend, or a sibling to a murder that could have been prevented by regulating our gun laws

But what can I do

I’m just a little girl trying to get a degree at a random school in the Midwest

I don’t have the power to make these changes

Only a handful of people will even hear my message

It feels like all I can do is hope and pray

That our leaders will make a change

To save the lives of the living

And honor those of the dead.

[haiimolaf-blog]

Rant ahead

Gun control

I shouldn’t live through such times. A pandemic, multiple wars, 9/11, multiple scary diseases, the she bang of technology, women bodies being regulated by old white men who can’t find a clitoris, and now shootings have become a norm. As a woman born in the 90s, I never imagined after 1999 that the world would change for the worst. 1999 - Columbine shooting. I don’t remember that but I was 8 years old when 2000 came and everyone thought it was the end of the world. A year later, 9/11/2001 happened. I remember going to my classroom and seeing the tv on. All I saw before my teacher turned it off was a plane hitting a building and black smoke. Next was the war on Afghanistan and Iraq. Then in 2007 was the Virginia Tech shooting. I followed this one as I was becoming more interested in mental health. I am autistic, this was a huge deal as the whole nation was like oh video games make you violent or oh he (the shooter) was mental unstable. Those don’t create killers. Take a look at the history of those who shot up places. It wasn’t just mental health but bullying, unstable home life, and other factors that people over look. This pisses me off. Just because I have autism doesn’t mean I would buy a gun and shoot up a school or hospital or religious site. 2009 - first African American president. Also not surprising another shooting. A gunman on a military base, fort hood. 2011 - gabby Giffords is shot as well as 17 others. 2012 - sandy hook. Seriously. A 20 year old goes to an elementary school and kills 26 people, twenty of those being children. Fast forward ten years….. it’s may 24…. An 18 year old shoots up an elementary school killing himself and 21 others. 8 days later a man buys an assault rifle a few hours before seeing his doctor after back surgery claiming that he was still in pain after the surgery. There’s been way too many deaths by guns in this country. So many that we have started to normalize the coverage. Republicans and democrats are struggling to get this under control. The gun loving senators and representatives refuse to put their vote on gin control when ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES WE ARE ALLIED WITH HAVE HAD GUN CONTROL IMPLEMENTED AND HAVE SEEN FEWER DEATHS BY GUNS THAN US. Literally… it pisses me off that all these people who have children refuse to vote for gun control. Again I should not be afraid to have kids. Whether it be the abortion laws being taken away or crazy people with easy access to guns, I refuse to have children. End rant.

[josiebelladonna]

i’m omnivorous, mostly out of obligation because i’ve had anorexia nervosa which has scarred my digestive system out of sporadic deprivation. if i never had it, i would have gone vegetarian, no question about it.

i’m a fucking artist and writer with extensive background in earth science, nuclear science, and mechanics. my dad’s dad (my grandpa) had two doctorates, one in nuclear science and the other in mathematics—he and i were really close when i was a kid so naturally i picked all that shit up. in terms of math, though, i got as far as vector calculus and i tanked it.

i was an engineering student before i became an artist. hated it hated it hated it, such that it quite literally almost killed me. (it was a combination of being hastily whisked away to school so soon after my parents split, almost dying in a fire, being almost homeless and surrounded by resentful family who would’ve let me starve to death if they had their way, my high school doing fuck all to prepare me, just not being respected, and gen ed classes constantly getting in the way).

i’m a chick who can weld. and solder. and play with wood—as in timber.

i built a formula car from the ground up.

i got on tv when i was 9–my dad and i built a trebuchet for the science fair one year but we didn’t win because we couldn’t showcase what it actually did. the night of, we did, though, and we lit up the whole gym. after… 15 or so minutes, this young woman and a boy with a tv camera came over to me for an interview for a children’s science show on pbs kids (back when they had that).

i’m a singer: got my start singing to myself out in the yard, and then i took choir when i was in elementary school. i started again when i was a teenager and i was in drama club but i was singing to more rock n roll and metal than show tunes, though, because i’m a contralto (not a lot of those in theatre—everyone is either a soprano or a mezzo) and i literally hate my voice, like… who would want to hear me singing? i feel like i can’t carry a tune and i’m not cut out to be on stage. anyway, my biggest influences for singing are chris cornell, billie joe armstrong, trent reznor, eddie vedder, and amy winehouse.

i was born during the waco crisis—i remember that, the oklahoma city bombing, and columbine like how anyone born from 1997 - 2000 remembers 9/11.

i wrote my first short story when i was 6 years old, my first novella when i was 13, my first comic at 14, my first novel at 23, my first novel trilogy (with illustrations) at 26, my first full-length comic at 27, and a million word work at 28.

been reading since i was a toddler.

i can speak nine languages (english, french, german, italian, spanish, latin, danish, russian, and some japanese—i’m teaching myself portuguese right now).

i started making my stupid, butchered-manga, who-would-want-these-in-their-house cartoons when i was 13 while i was bored in class during finals week, the wednesday before christmas break.

i’m into fashion but i’m also a minimalist: jeans and a t-shirt is sometimes all you need.

i’m the first woman in my family to have a background in stem, and the first person to have that plus a background in art as well as having written a book (my grandpa came close to this: i don’t think he’s written a book, at least not from what i remember).

i’m a hockey player, and a baseball player. never broke a bone in my life, though.

i’ve fired a gun—even a shotgun.

i don’t drive, though. at least not legally. i can drive, and probably could in a pinch, but i would run the risk of getting pulled over.

i like watching formula one, cycling, baseball, football, tennis, and swimming.

i’m 41% french and belgian, 32% scottish (you would never guess it, though: i grew up thinking i was native american), 16% irish, 10% scandinavian, 2% portuguese, and 1% baltic.

i’m a blood donor—became a member of the gallon club before i turned 21.

i met and partied with tool when i was 5 years old. i met tony stewart when i was 6. i was mutuals with chris cornell the last three years of his life—he followed me on my now-defunct twitter account before my 22nd birthday. joey belladonna talked about me a couple of days before my 27th birthday. alex skolnick told me he loved me a couple of weeks before my 28th birthday (and the week before my stepdad passed; the night before is when i called alex handsome and it made him blush—for valentines day last year, i made him the cartoon that started it all wouldn’t you know). the trouble twins- i, i mean, eric peterson and steve di giorgio shared art from me this past winter when this whole house literally felt like a freezer.

i don’t have a “real” job, and, on one hand, i do not get the fascination with it—especially since i associate said fascination with apathy of the worst kind—but i also do because you aren’t seen as some freaky, freeloading, panhandling, incompetent dolt, a bump on a log, and a complete waste of space, and you’re taken 1000x more seriously when you do have one.

someone please explain to me what “being proud of your differences” means because i don’t. i’ve never had a popular fic (or popular anything). i’ve never had a “tribe” (pretty sure that’s just a bullshit myth). i’ve entered my art in contests and have gotten more rubbernecking and wide-eyed “are you sure you wanna do this???!!” from assholes in the art world than actually winning or even being acknowledged. i’ve talked about my hopes and dreams, things i want to do, only to have someone chime in with “well, honey, you need money first” or talking me out of it in some way. i’m just really uncomfortable thinking about all of this, too, like why do i have to gravitate towards all of this. and i don’t feel special or interesting for any of it, either, like it’s all just… things that have happened to me. nothing to write home about, like i don’t understand how being unique is a good thing in my eye. i genuinely want someone to explain to me what “being proud of your differences” means because i just find it completely baffling.  i’m supposed to be proud and confident? how?

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

The Good Guys with Guns Take a Coffee Break

Stephen Jay Morris

5/28/2022

©Scientific Morality

I was 11 years old in the year of 1966. I didn’t care about current events, just baseball scores and the top 10 songs on the record charts. There were a couple of news stories, however, that drew my attention that year. On August 1st, one was featured on the nightly news. Some Marine Vet had gone on a shooting spree at The University of Texas, from the top deck of its main building. His name was Charles Whitman. The night before, he’d murdered his mother and his wife. The next day, he brought a cache of weapons to the University. After he killed 14 innocent bystanders and wounded 31 others, the cops fatally shot him. I recall how this event really fired up my young imagination. For four years, my elementary school teachers and administration had terrified us with warnings about how the communist Russian air force might be dropping bombs on us at any moment, or how the USSR would be launching nuclear missiles! If that wasn’t enough, I began worrying, ‘What if a sniper gets on top of the school roof and takes pot shots at us during recess?’ That possibility scared the pants off of me!

I used to get bullied at school and I would fantasize about bringing a gun to school and blowing the kids away; with a machine gun, no less. One of the few friends I had told me, “Why don’t you just kick him in the nuts and run like hell?” But that sniper story stayed with me for decades.

Then, beginning in the 1990’s, stories of multiple mass shootings in schools started to surface. In 1999, there was one at Columbine High School in Colorado. More soon followed. After a while, it became almost routine. Victims’ survivors were filmed, laying wreaths of flowers at the massacre sites. Debates about gun control took center stage on radio and T.V. talk shows. Politicians made speeches. Network news would report on an incident for a week, and then simply return to news as usual. Author, Gore Vidal, called America, “The United States of Amnesia.” Oh, how correct he was. Tragically, mass school shootings have continued into the 21st Century.

Fast forward to May of 2022. It was a heavy news month. First it was, “The War in Ukraine,” then a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where some White kid went into a local supermarket and shot up the store. He shot 13 people, 11 of whom were Black, 10 of them killed. Subsequent news reports revealed the shooter described himself as a fascist, a White supremacist, and an anti-Semite, based on the 180 page document he’d posted on social media. This 18-year-old male drove three and a half hours (over 250 miles) to do his horrific deed, which he’d carefully planned for months. His resident community is lily white. Now, to the subject at hand.

On May 23, 2022, some 18-year-old, Hispanic youth shot and killed 21 people, including two teachers and 19 children, ages 9, 10, and 11, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. He wounded 17 others. He carried this out after he’d initially shot his grandmother in the face. Sound familiar? Reporters later learned that there were as many as 19 cops in the hallway outside the two classrooms, for about an hour, who did nothing, as they heard multiple bullets fired inside.

One factor particularly glaring to me is that, to date, no one has addressed the obvious racial aspect of this story: the majority of the 19 victims—all but two—were Hispanic. It is a well-known fact that White Texans have a bigoted dislike of Brown people. (The 1956 movie, “Giant,” highlights this issue. It was James Dean’s last.) But, back to my point. Why did the all those cops stand idly by while the massacre was occurring, not moving an inch to try and stop it? Because they didn’t care! When a stark, crazy, Latino is shooting and killing little Hispanic kids, who cares?! You can be sure that, had those children been Aryan, the cops would have been right on it, guns blazing, in seconds! The media couldn’t hide the racial component of the Buffalo killings. But, as for this story? Nothing yet.

Have you ever seen a Conservative protesting against the Nazis or the KKK? Neither have I. The Klan and the American Nazis will brag, without reservation to you, about their hatred for non-White people. They are blatant racists. Conservatives are latent racists and are passive/aggressive about it. They will have a campaign of talking points proclaiming how America is not a racist country. Then a shooting will occur and they will turn it around, proclaiming, “It’s the Left’s fault!” Excuse me, I mean “It’s the woke’s fault!” You hear them condemn “Communism,” but never “Fascism.” Why? Maybe it’s because they are Fascists themselves. If they do condemn Fascism, they redirect their political definition and call them “Leftists.” Dinesh D’Souza does that shit. Who is he? Go to any 7/11 convenience store in California; you may see him as a cashier.

So, when will these shootings end? Unless we get new Constitution, or we have a workers’ revolution, NEVER!

Below is a photo of Charles Whitman. The shooter at Texas University 1966

[thoughtsofnaught]

I’m an older millennial, or I guess a micro generation Zennial. The first mass school shooting I remember is the Westside Middle School shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Why? Because it was close to me. Around 4 hours away. March 24, 1998. 4 female students a pregnant teacher. How it began? The pulling of a fire alarm.

I was 12. The same age as 3 of the 4 girls kid. Wanna know what policies we put in place? Cages over the alarms.

Sadly over a year later made us forget about this one, and all school shootings before it. Yes, there’s actually ones before Jonesboro.

I was 13 and ending 7th grade when on April 20, 1999 Columbine happened. We were around the state testing time period so everyone was on edge. But when we head about the shooting, we didn’t care. I remember the shock. I remember the images of the kids running out of the school. As a middle schooler, I was more frightened by the Columbine shooting because we had one more year in our building before heading to the big bad high school. We knew of the bullying.

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were inspired by Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing.

What was the policy changes? Limit the amount of fertilizer you could buy.

My high school experience was punctuated with bomb threats every semester. The closest to danger we got was a pipe bomb in a locker but the ignition fuse was in the students pocket. Honestly I think the local law enforcement enjoyed it because they got to practice bomb squad stuff.

We had vinyl backpacks that melted and mesh backpack that lasted a quarter. Walmart loved it. Wearing ID badges were something we learned and punished for not doing. I’m sure the lanyard business sky rocketed after that.

I remember becoming complacent about my Junior year. We could have regular backpacks and just carry our IDs, even with bomb threats still happening.

Eventually school resource officers and metal detectors were a thing.

By the time my classmates who had kids in high school had kids going to school, active shooter drills were a thing.

My best friend had her baby 5 months after graduation. I remember when they had a surprise active shooter drill at her kids school and how traumatized she was. I thought immediately that we were a unique generation. We saw the second terrorist attack on US soil and a place that should be safest for us become a battlefield. And now, our kids are on that battlefield.

I saw my friends enlist days after 9/11. I had friends lose fellow soldiers in battle. These same kids stood out in the school parking lot with me while we waited for the school to be cleared.

What makes my experience a bit different, my civilian school district houses the military base schools. It’s one of the last in the country to do so. So as I watched the second tower fall, I knew that 3/4th of the kids in the class I was in would have parents overseas in a matter of weeks.

I’m sad that we STILL have this issue. That this is now becoming a generational norm. It should have never gotten this far!

I don’t have the answers. I have hopes but those hopes decrease by half every time a school shooting happens.

I think we need to see some decade numbers:

List of School Shootings before 2000:

1840’s- 1 incident

1850’s- 3 incidents

1860’s- 5 incidents

1870’s- 7 incidents

1880’s- 10 incidents

1890’s- 6 incidents

1900’s- 13 incidents

1910’s- 18 incidents

1920’s- 10 incidents

1930’s- 7 incidents

1940’s- 8 incidents

1950’s- 19 incidents

1960’s- 21 incidents

1970’s- 40 incidents

1980’s- 60 incidents

1990’s- 97 incidents.

Here’s some graphs that add to the information

We need to do better.