A 16-year-old student holding two knives went on a stabbing rampage in the hallways of a Pittsburgh-area high school early on Wednesday, injuring 20 people, at least nine of them seriously, officials said.
The suspected attacker, who was not identified, was in police custody, Dan Stevens, deputy emergency management coordinator for the Westmoreland County, told reporters.
The attacks began around 7:13 a.m. EDT in several classrooms and hallways as the classes were starting at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, officials said.
The school was evacuated quickly after a student or staff member pulled the fire alarm, said Murrysville Police Chief Tom Seefeld.
Gun rights advocates like to point out that there are a number of methods that can be used to injure or kill people, other than the use of firearms. And of course that is true.
Keeping that in mind it is worth noting that here is a case of a young man who clearly wanted to cause harm to a great number of people, and he did cause significant injuries.
What he did not do however was kill anybody.
Apparently this young man only had access to these knives, and not to handguns or assault weapons, so his violent attack did not result in the taking of a life.
One can only imagine how much worse this would have been, if instead of two knives he would have walked down the hallways spraying bullets from two military assault rifles.
Of course we really do not have to imagine, we already know how much worse it could be.
The 2nd Amendment advocates are correct, there are a number of ways to take a human life.
However for those seeking a high body count, nothing beats the assault weapon.
Fortunately for the students at this school, the angry young man was unable to exercise is constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.
I imagine the NRA is quite disappointed.
It will be Karma smacking the NRA morons in the face if it turns out that the kid tried to get a gun but was prevented by a "gun control" law.
ReplyDeleteOne of the Moms in my neighborhood has two daughters, one that is special needs, and she should be checking the Twitter for the one that is going to an expensive Catholic high school. Lots of angst, revenge, and unhappiness. Confusion about religion also too. The special needs kid is bullied and generally made fun of by the the other Tweeters and also the sister.
ReplyDeleteIf this old broad down the street can pick up this kind of stuff lurking, it should be clear to parents and school employees that school can be a breeding ground for violence. And, lately there have been several teachers in the news for having sex with students. Things haven't changed for the better since I was a kid in one of those country schools. It was bad then but at least we weren't armed.
So parents, take the time to check up on our kids. Help them with their homework and take a real interest in their activities. And, check their social media.
Sarah could have learned a lot doing homework with her kids. She might have learned some basic history and geography also, too.
I would tell this neighbor what I know but she would tell me to mind my own business or worse. It's prom weekend and there is a lot of hate going around.
This makes me think of the couple of loner kids in my school way back who made casual threats about bombing everyone. They never panned out, but it shows that times haven't changed.
ReplyDeleteLook at the history od school shooting. They increase with the population and ahve been happening since the 19th century.
What's your point?
DeleteSorry for the o-t, but saw that Katherine Heigl is suing Duane Reade for millions because they tweeted a pap pic of her leaving the store, saying it's her favorite.
ReplyDeleteThis is why famous people are cautious to give even an opinion.
This is sad that something like this is politicized, especially to defend the erasure of a right, recognized by the constitution.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that they would pass laws against assault and murder. Oh, yes. They did. CRIMINALS do bad things, and ignore laws.
If I want to protect myself from intruders with a gun, that should be my choice. It does not infringe upon your rights.
Why isn't there an open and honest discussion about WHY these things happen. How is not nearly as important. Warning signs, other medication, etc. Whether or not I am armed is not nearly as important as how to stop the criminals.
You have a right to have a gun. And the rest of us have a right to make sure the people who have guns are responsible and sane and not too quick to "stand their ground."
DeleteOther people's rights to have a gun infringe on my rights when those gun owners are not mentally competent and responsible enough to keep their guns secure, or when those guns find their way into the hands of people who are determined to end innocent lives with them.
DeleteVery few of the people who have committed these multiple killings were considered 'criminals' before blood was shed, so your argument for focusing only on criminals is weak at best.
All rights have limits and responsibilities. Those limits and responsibilities become even more important when the right in question has the potential for ending someone's life.
Just like using the internet is still protected by free speech (or should be), owning a gun without having to prove that you need one, or without jumping through hoops of fire should also be protected.
DeleteBy registering guns, it DOES make it easier for any government official to target or abuse it. Baden himself stated that there were already too many laws on the books to enforce them all. Of the several thousand people denied a gun because of background checks, only 40something were even prosecuted.
Besides...if you think that MORE gun laws will take guns from criminals, then I have a drug enforcement officer for you to speak with, so that you can explain to drug lords that drugs are illegal.
You need a license to drive a car and insurance and registration to own one.
DeleteBut any jackass can go out an buy a gun without any proof that he knows how to use it or that he's not mentally unstable.
This must be today's NRA meme it's on fb, too. well, STUPID NRA asswipe, take away the means of causing fatal injuries and guess what you eliminate fatal injuries. just because your dick is too short doesn't mean you get to endanger others so you can compensate for your SHORT comings.
DeleteFive twelve, in short fuck off. Longer explantion, I hope you are the victim of the policies you endorse and soon.
DeleteHe meant to cause harm, not superficial wounds, but deep, penetrating abdominal wounds. He went for the gut.
ReplyDeleteAnd it wouldn't have to be an assault military style weapon, it could be any manner of a handgun or shotgun, people would still flee, and people would still die.
NRA, the only good school/base rampage is an armed school/base rampage.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for everyone here:
ReplyDeleteIs it a bad thing in your eyes to attain appropriate certification in order to work for, say, a construction company as equipment operator? What about working for 80k+ jobs on the slope that just require certif?
Life is finding where you love and who you love and charting a career course that will make you happy and bring you income.
Life shouldn't be wasting parents money and partying at football schools that are known as "Cs get degrees" establishments. Mortality rate of college students is higher than it should be. Either those people never experienced the party life in HS as they shouldve so they know how to deal or they had no real plan of action. It's that simple.
There are too many people wasting money on what pans out to be nothing.
And what did you do? Get a theater arts degree or whatnot from some private school down there in Florida? How much did you parents pay for your degree? Are you supporting yourself now?
DeleteI'm beginning to understand why you've been saying college is a waste of time and money for certain people.
The Republicans put the kibosh on voted in the 80's. My brother attended a countywide vocational high school. He worked until he got carpal tunnel and couldn't any longer. Nothing at all wrong with vocational ed. BUT a college degree will pay off far more. I have a degree, and have taught school, worked in libraries, and am now teaching music lessons in my home for $25/half hour. My husband is a chemical engineer, 37 years with the same company, and we will have a nice retirement income.
DeleteOur kids are a chemical engineer and an attorney. Neither will have employment problems...ever. Our son went to a Big Ten school, and didn't have an issue with partying. Our daughter attended a small private school, and she never even drank while there. People who go to college to party were never serious students to begin with (I can imagine the Palin kids on some campus...they'd act just like Mommy Sarah did.)
This is my alma mater and I still have family that live in the area. My cousin's kids witnessed today's tragedy. Truly awful. All I could think when I first heard the news was thankfully this kid didn't have a gun. The area is predominantly Republican with many defenders of gun ownership. When I was growing up hunting was a popular sport. I'm guessing it still is. We are all VERY lucky this kid didn't have a gun.
ReplyDeleteYes, the NRA will be disappointed. They'll claim that a well armed teacher would have put three slugs into his chest.. One death would be better than no deaths for these assholes.
ReplyDeleteJust as everyone is careful to point out that no one is "pro-abortion", I guarantee you that there is NO ONE in the NRA that wishes anyone was dead, after this tragedy.
DeleteOh right. They were SO understanding after Sandy Hill..they wanted everyone armed, which means MORE people will die. We see it every day. People are gunned down, and instead of stopping the violence, they ramp up the 'fear of Obama' and demand even LESS protections for those of us who want nothing to do with guns. I'd like my Texas grandkids to live to become adults, but I fear for their lives every time they visit someone's house.
DeleteBullshit, 5:48. the NRA wants everyone to believe it's all war, all the time. that's how you gun nuts roll. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
DeleteThe question on my mind is in the US how could a kid not get a gun, glad he could not. This reminds me of the stabbings at schools in China which are usually done by adults.
ReplyDeleteI've had a particularly harrowing couple of days involving a decision I wouldn't wish on anyone. I had to leave the hospital room to get a break, and this was playing out on television.
ReplyDeleteAs luck would have it, there were four experts on stopping school violence sitting in those double wide politically correct seats giving their commentary. "The solution is to have all teachers, administrators, janitors, landscapers and such at every school armed with automatic rifles, knives, tazers and percussion grenades, It saves lives and it's patriotic, the thing that makes people heroes"
Needless to say, I had to leave the room.
Yes, a knife can kill you just as dead as a gun
ReplyDelete...but not from across the room.
and not ten victims in split seconds.
DeleteWe just had our second teen suicide by gun in the past 11 months..and guess where they got the guns? From the family home, of course. My town is 40,000 people, and since the GOP has cut education funding, we now have one counselor per 600 kids in the high schools, and one counselor covering TWO middle schools, instead of one per grade level at all schools (which was still not enough!) So these depressed suicidal kids float through their crowded classes, and have no adult to confide in, and no one notices. Thank you, GOP, for your callousness toward our kids. And thank you, NRA, for pushing fear and hate just to sell more guns. You are killing off your voting base.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, I've said for a long time, the only way to stop a bad kid with a knife is a good kid with a knife.
ReplyDeleteIf I had kids, I guarantee you they would all be carrying razor sharp machetes when they went to school!
And after kindergarten, I'd move them right thru the NRA's classic "What Every Parent Needs to Know About Arming Their Children For Public School, Ages 5-18": machete, broadsword, battleaxe, crossbow, .22 derringer, .32 5 shot revolver, 17 round 9mm semi-automatic, 30 round.45 ACP Automatic, Magazine Feed High Cap. .50 Machine Gun, 50mm Belt Feed Chain Gun.
Plus a Trapper Keeper and a box of No.2 pencils with erasers, because every kid makes mistakes.
Yah, you can't get a high body count without guns......
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nbcnews.com/id/35759877/ns/world_news-africa/t/machete-wielding-rioters-kill-nigeria/#.U0ZXQFeW_2M
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1256293/More-500-people-slaughtered-machete-revenge-attacks-Christian-villages-Nigeria.html
Why don't you just admit when people want to kill, they find a way. People have been killing each other since long before guns were invented.
I'm in the eastern part of th state of PA. It seems this issue isn't getting much attention. Is it becasue firearms were not used? Are people immune to school tragedies now?No media coverage. No one speaking about it. WEird.
ReplyDelete