[RTS]

In the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14th we find ourselves with yet another debate on gun control in this country. If you're on Facebook, I'm sure you've seen the constant barrage of memes from both sides on the issue.

I'm of the mindset that there is no gun law that will stop this tragic phenomenon. With that said, something over the past couple decades has changed and it isn't the guns. When I was in high school in the late 70s, there where quite a number of guys that drove pickup trucks with gun racks and rifles in them. No one ever thought of going into the school and shooting people, it never happened. We never heard of it happening elsewhere.

What is going on? What has driven people to commit such heinous acts? What has happened with our younger generation that they even consider these acts?

[RTS]

I did see this article posted on another site. A somewhat lengthy, but interesting read if anyone cares to check it out.

[URL="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/thresholds-of-violence"]Thresholds of Violence
How school shootings catch on[/URL]

[Granny Bear]

Thank you for the link. It is quite interesting.

I don't have the answer to your questions but I believe I know a few reasons why we find ourselves in this predicament.

Parents used to teach their children respect, accountability, work ethic and selflessness during childhood. Drugs were not tolerated in ANY form. I don't believe that kind of dedication to children exists like it did when I was a child.

Granted, it has been a long long time since I was a child. My mother was sick a lot, so I had some pretty heavy responsibilities at a young age. I remember in second grade, getting up at 4 a.m. to make breakfast for my dad who had to be at work by 5 a.m. I remember standing on a milk crate, so I could reach the ironing board and doing laundry for a family of 4. As difficult as my childhood was, I really didn't see it as an issue. Things needed done, I did them. AND I lived through it without committing a mass murder.

So many issues are intertwined and not many seem to care very much about mental health problems.

Wish I had an answer for you, but some of these things may be a start.

[MayfieldCardinal]

I wish the media would stop nation wide reporting. I think in the shooters minds they can commit these acts and go out as some sort of heroes. If these acts are not so heavily reported on they might not copy cat them

[Granny Bear]

I do think that's an issue.

But where do you draw the line?

Not reporting, censorship etc. It's a slippery slope.

[Stardust]

The world no longer relies on the media to broadcast it. Trust me, the copycats are are trying to become infamous are not relying on ABC, CBS, CNN, they want to be 1M tweets! So you can't just "stop reporting" it, because it will be reported nationwide through FB and Twitter.

[Stardust]

In the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14th we find ourselves with yet another debate on gun control in this country. If you're on Facebook, I'm sure you've seen the constant barrage of memes from both sides on the issue.

I'm of the mindset that there is no gun law that will stop this tragic phenomenon. With that said, something over the past couple decades has changed and it isn't the guns. When I was in high school in the late 70s, there where quite a number of guys that drove pickup trucks with gun racks and rifles in them. No one ever thought of going into the school and shooting people, it never happened. We never heard of it happening elsewhere.

What is going on? What has driven people to commit such heinous acts? What has happened with our younger generation that they even consider these acts?

Since 1990, there have been 22 shootings at elementary and secondary schools in which two or more people were killed, not counting those perpetrators who committed suicide.

Thanks to Wiki, school shootings is NOT something that just started. This is a sad understatement by the media who have made everyone believe this has just started.

20th century
total
There were 228 shootings during the 20th century:

break-down
During the first decade of the 20th century there were 15 (1903 (2 shootings), 04 (3), 05 (2), 07 (2), 08 (2), 09 (4).
During the 1910s there were 19 (1910 (3 shootings), 1911, 12 (2), 14, 15 (2), 16 (2), 17 (2), 18 (2), 19 (3).
During the 1920s there were 10 (1920 (7 shootings), 22 (2), 26).
During the 1930s there were 9 (1930, 31, 34, 35, 36 (2), 37 (2), 38).
During the 1940s there were 8 (1940 (2 shootings), 42, 46, 47, 48, 49 (2)).
During the 1950s there were 17 (1950, 51 (4), 52 (2), 53, 54 (2), 55, 56 (2), 57, 58 (2), 59).
During the 1960s there were 18 (1960 (3 shootings), 61 (2), 66 (4), 67, 68 (4), 69 (4)).
During the 1970s there were 30 (1970 (5 shootings), 71 (2), 73 (2), 74 (4), 75 (3), 76 (3), 77, 78 (7), 79 (3)).
During the 1980s there were 39 (1980 (4 shootings), 81 (3), 82 (3), 83, 84 (4), 85 (5), 86 (5), 87 (5), 88 (6), 89 (3)).
During the 1990s there were 63 (1990 (2 shootings), 91 (6), 92 (7), 93 (10), 94 (10), 95 (4), 96 (7), 97 (6), 98 (7), 99 (6)).

Now, mass shootings is a whole different story. What has changed? Well let me first preface by saying that I am a conservative gun owner, so I am not arguing for or against weapons of any type. But, there has indeed been changes in our society over the last 30 years that has made this more prevalent.

Prior to the last 30 years, semi-automatic weapons were a rare item to acquire. Now, anyone with a clean record can acquire one. This makes things like Florida and Las Vegas a possibility. So, had their been bumb stocks 200 years ago for muzzle loaders, my guess is we would have had mass murders.

Sensationalized murder! Mortal Combat, Doom, Call of Duty all created a sensation of killing as many as possible before you are killed.

As mentioned below, Facebook and Twitter gives instant fame, get a Million twitter hits on your name you become viral, thus famous.

That is what has changed. Not mental health issues, access to guns, or poor parenting!

[Granny Bear]

You have a viable point, but I strongly disagree with your last statement. (not including gun accessibility)

[Hoot Gibson]

Trump is now demonstrating the very big differences in the election of a populist president versus a conservative one. If we "do something" to fix things every time that there is a tragedy such as a mass shooting, then we will continue the quick paced liberal descent into chaos and loss of liberty, regardless of which party controls our government. Trump's focus is on himself and his popularity. That means that we will continue to see massive federal deficits, increased gun restrictions, unabated illegal immigration, and the implementation of other pieces of the liberal agenda.

This is not the third Obama term and it is not Hillary's first term - but whatever this is, it is not a conservative president's first term. It is sickening to watch people make excuses for Trump enacting some of the same liberal policies that Obama would have enacted - had he not been too lazy to work with his liberal Congress to do so legally. Sure, the economy is booming now, but Trump is not immune to the laws of economics, Huge deficit spending will destroy our economic growth no matter what letter our president chooses to place by his name and loss of Constitutional rights at the hands of a Republican is in some ways worse than losing them at the hands of a Socialist like Obama.

[Stardust]

You have a viable point, but I strongly disagree with your last statement. (not including gun accessibility)

I'm not sure what you disagree with? If there has been shootings since guns have become available, are you saying that they were NOT influenced by Mental Health issues? So we never had mental health issues in the 1910's when there 19 shootings? So we can blatantly blame parenting now, but not in 1910? No, those are excuses. As I have mentioned time and again, this has been going on since the beginning of time and had Cain had a machine gun, Adam and Eve may not have survived his rampage at that time! It is human nature, and as has human nature has evolved, so has the interest to take it to the extreme. We are far from removing this threat. Take guns away, and violence goes away??? No Way!

[Granny Bear]

I'm not even close to suggesting that!

BUT I see a decline in parents teaching their kids responsibility. There are always excuses why their kids are not accountable for any negative situation. It's all about "me" these days; and no empathy. Work ethic has badly eroded.

This may not fix the problem, but it would go a long way in making a dent.

[Stardust]

^ I'm fairly certain that every generation throughout time has always said the current generation has failed to meet their expectations...

[Granny Bear]

MY generation didn't fail!

[RunItUpTheGut]

People wear vagina hats in todays world.
Enough said

[Stardust]

MY generation didn't fail!

Oh, so your generation is the one that ONLY had 18 school shootings??? hh:

[Stardust]

Oh, so your generation is the one that ONLY had 18 school shootings??? hh:

And I contend that if automatic weapons were available, those would have been mass shootings as well ;-)

[Granny Bear]

Actually MY generation was the one who invented the vagina hats.

[SwallowedMyWhistle2]

Actually MY generation was the one who invented the vagina hats.

Best Times of my Life!!!!!

[RTS]

Thank you for the link. It is quite interesting.

I don't have the answer to your questions but I believe I know a few reasons why we find ourselves in this predicament.

Parents used to teach their children respect, accountability, work ethic and selflessness during childhood. Drugs were not tolerated in ANY form. I don't believe that kind of dedication to children exists like it did when I was a child.

Granted, it has been a long long time since I was a child. My mother was sick a lot, so I had some pretty heavy responsibilities at a young age. I remember in second grade, getting up at 4 a.m. to make breakfast for my dad who had to be at work by 5 a.m. I remember standing on a milk crate, so I could reach the ironing board and doing laundry for a family of 4. As difficult as my childhood was, I really didn't see it as an issue. Things needed done, I did them. AND I lived through it without committing a mass murder.

So many issues are intertwined and not many seem to care very much about mental health problems.

Wish I had an answer for you, but some of these things may be a start.

You make some really valid points, thanks for the response! I feel like respect for human life, or the lack thereof these days is a huge part of the problem.

Seems like you were an exemplary daughter and made your parents proud!

[Granny Bear]

Oh I wouldn't say I was exemplary at all!! I did what most girls my age and in my community would do.

I was also mean as a striped snake.

[pjdoug]

Oh I wouldn't say I was exemplary at all!! I did what most girls my age and in my community would do.

I was also mean as a striped snake.

shame on ye