lizzybennet | (no subject)

Chris went to grad school at the Univ. of Arizona. We lived less than a mile from where the shooting took place and have been to that particular shopping center on more than one occasion. Chris was an adjunct at Pima Comm. College, where the shooter went to school.

At the time we lived in Tucson, there was a shooting at the Univ. in the nursing school. A failing student shot three of his professors and then himself. I haven't heard anyone mention the most recent tragedy in connection with the nursing school shooting, but in my opinion this speaks very loudly about the need for better gun control laws in Arizona. I know. They won't stand to hear of such things. We knew people out there who had oodles of guns, including automatic weapons. There is still a certain feel of "the wild west" out there, with the desert always reminding you that you live in a place where humans don't really belong.

This shooting is a tragedy. There's no question about it. But I hope we can learn something from this, as a society. I wish we could stop the poisonous, negative rhetoric and just learn to work together.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh no, there's nothing that the senator or the girl could have done.

I honestly believe that the real problem isn't so much stricter gun laws, but to ask how do we keep the guns out of the hands of criminals and mentally unstable people (although with them, how do we do that without infringing on their privacy).

Look back to Columbine: I always thought it was weird that the parents of those two boys didn't know that something was going on. You're my parent expert: if you get suspicious don't you investigate what the kids are up to? Do you get subtle feelings or hints that something is "too quiet"?

I believe, for the mentally unstable, people just aren't paying attention. People don't want to think that their kid is sick or crazy (mentally ill) because it'll bring a stigma on the whole family. My mom has said it was easier to just not do anything about my "problems" because 1. they didn't have a name for what was wrong with me back then and 2. it was just easier to ignore than deal with. Although, she admits now, that it was a shame we didn't get help considering how much that help has improved my quality of life now. (This is why I'm such a proponent for good mental health care.)

I truly believe that that guy's parents (and his friends) fall into this category. They didn't want to deal with the problem and worried about what might happen to the family and how others would see them if word got out that their son was mentally ill. The news last night reported that the shooter had built an altar in his parents back yard that included a replica human skull (showed a pic too). His friends mention how in the last couple of years he seemed to withdraw a lot and go on rants and raves, vocally. He was kicked out of school because he kept muttering to himself, shaking his head and hands violently. The school said get therapy. But that's it. His parents didn't encourage him to get help. His friends didn't. So there's this violent and sick man walking the streets. He gets a gun and shoots people. I don't think he cared who it was that he shot; I think it was the shooting that he got off on.

There's no easy solution to this problem.

I think we can reach out to our community, encourage people to really look out for each other. After the Virginia Tech shooting academic advisors and faculty at UF can take classes on how to deal with students that seem troubled. How to get them help, how to talk to them and encourage them to get help. Campus offers free counseling to our students. If the psychologists think the student needs further help they refer them out. Now it's up to us as individuals to decide if we're going to pay attention and help as needed or ignore it.

We've had a couple of troubled kids come in. It's been interesting dealing with them. Sometimes scary. But following the guidelines gives me some comfort.

If I'm not mistaken, in Arizona people are not required to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. That's what bothers me. I don't mind if people carry them, if they have a permit and have gone through the appropriate background checks.

As for the Columbine kids, I feel the parents failed in a huge way. It is so important for parents to pay attention to what is going on in their kids' lives. Granted, the Tucson kid was older and his parents may have felt like he was an adult, but still. They should have taken the recommendations of Pima CC much more seriously. Let's be honest. There are a lot of weirdos at community college. It cannot be easy to get kicked out, so he must have really had some serious issues manifesting themselves. He also had a huge youtube presence where he ranted and raved about this stuff. But who was watching it? No one until after the shooting. There is so much crazy out there, how do we know when someone is just crazy enough to actually act upon their delusions?

Our campus has a very detailed plan in place in case of a shooter. Does yours?

They don't have to have permits? AIYEEE!! Okay, now that I agree with you on! I think if anyone has a gun they have to have a permit. No permit, no gun!

I agree with you on the Columbine kids' parents. How did they not know? I had no privacy as a kid. None! And it kept me honest.

The kid at my mom's current CC that tried to jump was taken away by the police and put under 72 hour mental health evaluation. My mom thinks he was coked up and thinking he would do a "jackass" stunt but when the cops arrived he was all, "oh life sucks! suicide!" Her students agree with her though as they have told her he shoots up a lot. I think he's in jail now.

UF has an emergency service that sends out text messages, emails, and other alerts if something like this comes up. Now as to what we should do if someone comes in guns blazing...no one has told me what to do. We've been told that anyone that threatens violence or is violent we're to call campus police. They also give us a two page form on how to handle not only trouble students but troubled staff. How to encourage them to visit the counselors, who to call in we're worried, etc.