Where the heck did this kid get an assault rifle? I have a 13 year old boy.. my God. I can't even imagine in a million years my child doing this... what is going on?


JOPLIN, Mo. — A 13-year-old student wearing a dark green trenchcoat and carrying an assault rifle fired one shot in a middle school Monday morning and told two administrators, "please don't make me do this," officials said.
No one was injured, and the student was taken into custody.
The student, who was not identified, pointed the gun at two other students as he entered Memorial Middle School and was confronted by an administrator, who tried to talk him into putting down the Mac-90 assault rifle (javascript:siteSearch('Mac-90 assault rifle');), said Joplin police spokesman Lt. Geoff Jones.
The administrator, Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr, told the student, "You don't have to do this, there is another way," Superintendent Jim Simpson said.
The boy refused to put the gun down and fired one shot into the ceiling. Doerr then went into a nearby office to call police.
The student kept trying to fire, but the rifle jammed. The student then left the building, followed by another administrator. Police arrived shortly after and arrested the boy as he crouched behind a nearby building.
Joplin police Officer Curt Farmer said officers found a note in the student's backpack saying that he had placed an explosive in the school, which has about 750 students. The backpack also contained military manuals, notes on how to build an improvised explosive device and detailed drawings of the school.
"This was quite well thought out," Farmer said. "He had been planning this for a long time."
Students in the school were moved to a nearby building.
Later Monday, police searched the suspect's home and removed rifles and handguns. A patrol also used bomb-sniffing dogs and officers to search the school but nothing was found, Jones said.
Simpson said police told him the boy had a fascination with the deadly Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999, but police declined to verify that information.
School administrators said Simpson told them the student had no major disciplinary problems and "no indication of why he was doing this."
Jones said the weapon belonged to the suspect's parents. Police said it was not uncommon for people in the area to own assault weapons.
The shooting happened about 7:45 a.m. (1145 GMT), 10 minutes before school started.
Deron Moore, an eighth-grader, said the school was locked down and an announcement was made that someone with a gun had come into the school.
"A lot of the kids were scared," Deron said. "After they said on the intercom that there was someone with a gun, I kind of went into shock."
Schools across the United States have been on alert after three deadly school shootings in three states in the span of a week, and several schools have been locked down or closed entirely during the past two weeks because of threats.
In Pennsylvania Amish country Monday morning, church bells tolled across the region in remembrance of the five young girls who were shot to death at their one-room schoolhouse one week earlier.

SEARCH

He probably didn't have any firearm safety classes when he was younger.

Y'know, I've actually decided to stop looking at some of the news lately...it's really depressing. Between the school shootings, Foley and his molestations, a recent story I just saw about a baby being thrown into the garbage, and another story today about a woman who used her infant as a weapon to hit someone, I just don't want to read it anymore. What on earth is going on?

I know the answer isn't to stick my head in the sand, but sometimes it's just way too much for me. There are some really sick people out there...

Thats the reason I don't wach the news anymore because of crap like this, I get tired of seeing it, what about other stuff locally going on, events good deeds, don't ever hear of it.

Thats the reason I don't wach the news anymore because of crap like this, I get tired of seeing it, what about other stuff locally going on, events good deeds, don't ever hear of it.

I get tired of all the stories too, being about crime, death, and destruction. Watching the news starts to have the tone of attending a funeral. I watched one of our local newscasts go all three prime-time slots without doing a single feel-good story. The anchor never got to smile the entire day to the viewers.

When a broadcast like that is over, I don't feel glad I tuned in.

They all want to claim that they're so useful to us, but how useful is it really, just to find out that someone was shot on the south side, or that one house burned down, etc. It's just for shock, it doesn't materially affect your life in a way that you can use, other than to depress you.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel this way.. it's horrible.. I actually find myself getting really depressed when stories like this are run over and over.. watching all the sadness lately - it can't be a good thing.

They all want to claim that they're so useful to us, but how useful is it really, just to find out that someone was shot on the south side, or that one house burned down, etc. It's just for shock, it doesn't materially affect your life in a way that you can use, other than to depress you.

What do you think would happen to the ratings if a news station started focusing on improper relationships between lobbyists and Oklahoma legislators? Misuses of county funds (e.g., Brent Rinehart's $9,000 worth of office furniture). How about covering the relationships between road and bridge contractors, their lobbying groups, and our public officials? All very complicated issues which affect our lives in a very real way.

One thing I've learned from my curent position working in a law office which on occasion handles what should be a 'high profile case,' I've learned that the best way to ensure the media drops your story like a hot potato is to sell to them the fact that "it's complicated." If they can't sell it to a high school dropout as "interesting" within 1 minute, 30 seconds, it's not newsworthy.

The media is supposed to be a watchdog -- the 5th estate. Our local and national media is not. It is simply there to sell cars and fast food.

midtowner...Don't forget the hard hitting consumer assistance stories where they only run the story to make themselves look good

Day 1- Show the elderly Bobbi Sue who was ripped off by a roofing company

Day 2- Shockingly they have a follow up story from a company that repairs the roof for free...She praises Channel (insert lame station here) while crying

So really the only feel good stories they show are to promote themselves

Easy:

This is why the mainstream media is so freaked over bloggers. Bloggers are literally replacing the mainstream media for a lot of Americans. We find bloggers to be more informative, to report on issues which matter, to be more accurate, and to at least be honest about their agenda.

This is why you see so much spite and fear in the mainstream media as far as bloggers are concerned.

I'm sure Bill Clinton has all of the answers to these problems. Why doesn't everyone just ask him?

I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel this way.. it's horrible.. I actually find myself getting really depressed when stories like this are run over and over.. watching all the sadness lately - it can't be a good thing.
I agree. It seems everytime I watch the news, there is always "Breaking News," and it seems to always be a fatality accident, another homicide, a drive by shooting, or another child molester on the loose.

I always wonder, when I turn the news on at 5:30 AM, just exactly what happened during the night. Has anybody noticed lately on the news that there seems to be more bad vehicle accidents happening after midnight?

People are so careless anymore.........

I'm sure Bill Clinton has all of the answers to these problems. Why doesn't everyone just ask him?

What exactly is your point.

Your comment is completely out of left... er.. right field.

I think it was meant to be a joke, Mid. Wait, unless you just made a joke.

Damn. I'm losing my touch. I can't tell who's kidding around here anymore.

You're right on target, bandnerd!

I think it was meant to be a joke, Mid. Wait, unless you just made a joke.

Damn. I'm losing my touch. I can't tell who's kidding around here anymore.

My response was partially a joke and partially to point out that his comment/joke had nothign to do with anything that came before it. Such a comment could realistically be placed after any post in the history of this board or any other and make just as much sense.

Karrie, I also have a 13 yr old (daughter). I cannot imagine...WHERE the H were his parents? My daughter goes to a school and this boy who lockers next to her is in Juvi now becuase he brought a gun to school, it was a handgun with bb's in it, and he was going to use it, supposedly...........and this is in Edmond.

We see an "increase" in violent acts, not because there is a real increase, but because the coverage is increasing.

A knife fight in a school in the Bronx is not news to anyone. ANd while it happens often (weekly? daily?) no one cares as it is no surprise.
A kid threatening with a knife on Podunk Missouri is shocking, and hits every news channel, if there isn't anything more shocking to run at that time.


It is the consumer, who stops to watch, calls the station to state their outrage, or otherwise feeds attention to the news at these times and no other, that drives them to this.

Spot on, Jedi! "If it bleeds, it leads" only works if we the consumer keep tuning in! Quick anecdote, I live with PTSD, and since I try very hard to avoid meds, periodic counseling really helps. About a year into the curent war, I was having some pretty serious symptoms so I went to see a therapist. He asked about my daily habits which include watching or listening to quite a bit of local and national news. He suggested I try avoiding news broadcasts for a week or so, and lo and behold, the symptoms abated! There can be a real detrimental effect to soaking up that much pain and violence on a daily basis! Now I try and limit myself to newspapers and C-SPAN.

Where the heck did this kid get an assault rifle? I have a 13 year old boy.. my God. I can't even imagine in a million years my child doing this... what is going on?


To expose the extremely seedy side of society:
1-Gang Banger finds slightly disenfranchised youth and cultivates a relationship, much like a pimp latches on to a runaway at the bus station.
2-Said Banger assigns his new "friend" errands, that may include providing a firearm for protection and/or to elevate his status among his peer group.
3- Now brainwashed youth takes weapon to public place to avenge all the wrongs that Mr Banger explained were "disrespect".

As I think back over the last 15 years or so, one thing has become very clear ... going off the grid for a month come April 1 each year is looking more and more appealing.

Off the grid? Does that mean no TV for a month?

TV? I don't watch TV anymore. Well, except recorded LOST episodes and The Simpsons.
Never live, and certainly not for news. I go get that off Reuter's and AP directly. Much easier to filter out the shock and fluff, and get the real news.

Off the grid? Does that mean no TV for a month?

Well, that's about 1% of it. the other 99 would be pack it up, head for the hills, the isolated beach, wherever others aren't, and not come back until just before Mama's Day in May.

I'm just cynical enough to believe that April is only a hair away from being forever scarred as the month of choice for the disgruntled statement makers. Going off grid for the month, preferably far far off grid to smack dab in the middle of no where, just seems a far more pleasant prospect these days.