Last week my little sister was sent home from school with a letter for my parents stating that there were some boys planning a shooting on the last day of school. Apparently, these 4 boys thought that it would be cool to shave their heads and become skinheads. Another group of boys didn't think that this was such a good idea. So,now we have a gang war between suburban 12yr olds. I've been seeing this kind of thing on the news but i never thought I'd see it in my own town. What's wrong with these kids? Can anyone tell me why some kids today are stupid enough to think that its ok to shoot each other? You are not suppose to be afraid to send your kids to school. Your thoughts.......

And in hindsight, is this problem all that new? I remember hearing about American kids being screened for knives and other weapons back when I was in high school in the early 1980s. Don't remember hearing about too many mass killings/suicides, but the weapons were still there. Seems to me like it only takes one of these things to start off a whole spate of them: some disturbed kid in some neighbouring school sees the perpertrators as some kind of hero, maybe sees their solution as his... self-matyrdom is a typical delusional behaviour. Kids suffer worse from psychoses than adults and are more susceptible to disappear into fantasy worlds to escape their problems or conceive of solutions to their perceived "problems". It's no good pointing the finger and looking for scapegoats by blaming parents or teachers or the church or whatever. A lot of these problems could be avoided by bridging the communication gap that exists between kids and older people. Kids often find it hard to talk about school problems, peer pressure, etc. with their parents, and parents often dismiss their kids' strange behaviour as normal teenage rebellion or disobedience instead of acknowledging a real problem. Most kids know the difference between fantasy and reality. If they didn't then we would really be in trouble. I don't think it's a question of them being stupid enough to think that it's cool to shoot someone but more a case of being so desperate that they think it's the only solution. Let the descrying begin!

: And in hindsight, is this problem all that new?
: I remember hearing about American kids being
: screened for knives and other weapons back
: when I was in high school in the early
: 1980s. Don't remember hearing about too many
: mass killings/suicides, but the weapons were
: still there. Seems to me like it only takes
: one of these things to start off a whole
: spate of them: some disturbed kid in some
: neighbouring school sees the perpertrators
: as some kind of hero, maybe sees their
: solution as his... self-matyrdom is a
: typical delusional behaviour. Kids suffer
: worse from psychoses than adults and are
: more susceptible to disappear into fantasy
: worlds to escape their problems or conceive
: of solutions to their perceived
: "problems". It's no good pointing
: the finger and looking for scapegoats by
: blaming parents or teachers or the church or
: whatever. A lot of these problems could be
: avoided by bridging the communication gap
: that exists between kids and older people.
: Kids often find it hard to talk about school
: problems, peer pressure, etc. with their
: parents, and parents often dismiss their
: kids' strange behaviour as normal teenage
: rebellion or disobedience instead of
: acknowledging a real problem. Most kids know
: the difference between fantasy and reality.
: If they didn't then we would really be in
: trouble. I don't think it's a question of
: them being stupid enough to think that it's
: cool to shoot someone but more a case of
: being so desperate that they think it's the
: only solution. Let the descrying begin!

Here in the States, the National Rifle Association is running an infomercial (a program-length, usually 30 minutes long, commercial) showing what has happened in Australia since they put strict controls on guns, and showing home invasions up sharply, and those attacked say there was nothing they could do because of Australia's strict gun-control laws, and the Australian government can't even put a definition on the term "home invasion"! In the States, the Second Amendment to the Constitution allows citizens to keep and bear arms "in order to keep a strong militia." And those NRA wackos don't want their Second Amendment rights infringed.

: Here in the States, the National Rifle
: Association is running an infomercial (a
: program-length, usually 30 minutes long,
: commercial) showing what has happened in
: Australia since they put strict controls on
: guns, and showing home invasions up sharply,
: and those attacked say there was nothing
: they could do because of Australia's strict
: gun-control laws, and the Australian
: government can't even put a definition on
: the term "home invasion"! In the
: States, the Second Amendment to the
: Constitution allows citizens to keep and
: bear arms "in order to keep a strong
: militia." And those NRA wackos don't
: want their Second Amendment rights
: infringed.

Australia's gun control laws are abbout the only positive and right thing this government has done since it's been in power. They were written up in direct reaction to the Port Arthur massacre when a gun-obsessed fruit loop went berzerk and killed everyone he saw -- including hunting down a killing a 7 year old girl who'd just seen her mother and younger sister murdered. The NRA -- Heston in particular -- LIED. Home invasions and gun killings have NOT increased dramatically here in Australia since gun control laws were introduced. It's a scaremongering tactic which they have used in fear of losing their political might. "A gun in your hand makes a fool out of you/A gun in your hand makes a target out of me" -- Rollins Band.

: The NRA -- Heston in particular -- LIED.
: Home invasions and gun killings have NOT
: increased dramatically here in Australia
: since gun control laws were introduced.

So invasions and shootings HAVE increased since the law was passed? Just not as much as is being claimed?

Hopefully the statistics will be compiled in a year or so, which will clear up any misconceptions. Let's hope they aren't doctored by the governmenet before being released, hmm?

It's
: a scaremongering tactic which they have used
: in fear of losing their political might.

Trust me, with Bill the Clown and the threat of Al Gore looming, NRA membership is booming even with Australian gun control being a moderate success. All they had to do is show pictures of shotguns and hunting rifles being tossed in wood chippers. That got the message across *real* fast.

Actually home invasions and gun crime have never been significant factors in Australia's crime figures. They're just more newsworthy because they don't happen very often. Far be it from me to argue with anyone who believes they have a right to bear arms. I'm not suggesting anyone's right be taken away, but this discussion started out asking why school shootings happen. When disgruntled people get their hands on guns, killings ensue. If I was in a McDonalds and a maniac burst in with an automatic weapon and started opening fire, it wouldn't help me if I was a gun-owner or not--I'd probably be killed in the first spray of bullets. If a guy came into my home with a gun, would it really do me any good if I had one too? Unless I was sitting there waiting for him with it across my lap, I doubt if I could get out to the gun cabinet, grab my gun, flick off the safety and prime it in time for it to do me any good. If you believe you'll be safer with a gun, if you think your liberty would be at risk without one, then by all means own a gun. Just be responsible with it and remember that it won't make you any more or less a target than if you don't have one, and you're more likely to shoot someone if you have a gun than if you don't.

Actually, I would rather own a gun to go hunting with or for protection. That is what the NRA really wants to stand for, and they've always said, "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." They are trying to close all the loopholes in the laws in America to try to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the last loophole is the gun show, where guns are displayed, bought and sold without background checks whatsoever. A criminal can walk into one of these gun shows and buy a gun with no questions asked.

Actually now they're really cracking down on the background checks at gun shows (at least the ones ATF is involved in!)

Exactly. Australia's gun laws don't ban people from having guns, only certain types of guns, like assault rifles and semi-automatics, automatic hand guns etc., and you also need to state a valid reason for owning one. ie. sports shooting or farming. Merely wanting one for personal protection is not considered a valid reason, nor should it be. I don't have a problem with people owning guns, but there should be better controls on who owns them and what they're allowed to own. That's all.

: Exactly. Australia's gun laws don't ban people
: from having guns, only certain types of
: guns, like assault rifles and
: semi-automatics, automatic hand guns etc.,
: and you also need to state a valid reason
: for owning one. ie. sports shooting or
: farming. Merely wanting one for personal
: protection is not considered a valid reason,
: nor should it be. I don't have a problem
: with people owning guns, but there should be
: better controls on who owns them and what
: they're allowed to own. That's all.

All the gun control laws in the world are not going to stop criminals from getting a gun if they want one. I agree caution should be taken, but how many of our rights are we willing to give up in the name of caution?