school-shooting in germany

Hi Bush Lady,welcome to TechSpot.
as you can see I`m new to this forum as well - enjoyed my stay so far,enjoy yours...

something like this happens several times each year in the United States. awhile back, where were 3 shootings in one week.

i went to high school with a kid who was actually planning to go shooting up the place. he ran his mouth off (outside of school) about it for years but no one took him seriously. after i graduated, he told the wrong people i guess and they contacted the chicago PD. they sent four officers to 'talk' to him one morning as he walked from his car to the building. they searched him and found 2 knives. a search of his car revealed several firearms, ammunition, knives, and a freakin' hand grenade.

Yet another tragedy of a young life lost.

How the hell did a young kid get hold of an AK-47 rifle? That could never happen here in the UK, or at least I hope not. Someone somewhere has to do something about the gun laws in the US.

Why the hell would anyone want an AK-47 assault rifle at home?

Regards Howard

I understand what you`re saying SNGX, but the fact remains that gun related incidents are far more prevalent in the US than it is in the UK. This has got to be due to the availability of firearms in the US as compared to the UK.

Responsible gun ownership isn`t the problem, it`s the *****s who have access to guns that`s the problem.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that firearms are all to easy to get hold of in the US, whereas it`s completely the opposite here in the UK. Hence the vast difference in gun related incidents.

You can find some gun statistics HERE.

It isn`t hard to see from the above, that the US has a far higher gun incident rate than anywhere else of the locations listed.

This has got to be due to the availability of firearmes in the US. If there`s another explanation, then I`m afraid it escapes me.

If guns are heavily controlled, then it follows that gun related incidents will be reduced.

This is not intended to start an argument, quite the contrary. I`m just trying to point out that the amount of firearms available in a country is proportional to the amount of gun related incidents.

Regards Howard

I wish the U.S. had the same gun restrictions as the U.K. the violence with guns is esculating and it out of control.

I am glad I do not have kids because I would worry about something like that happening to my kid.

I would agree with Smore9648, there is alot more deaths in the US with guns then in alot of other countries

Yes I have to agree with you SNGX, It's the parent's fault for not teaching the kid how to keep from killing people / themselfs

If I had a kid I would have guns ( to protect myself ) i'll teach them how to use them but teach them to control themselfs and not go crazy

Point taken SNGX.

So, why is there such a lot of gun related incidents in the US? If it`s not down to the amount of firearms and their controls, what is it down to? Surely it can`t all be due to bad parenting.

There has to be some explanation, though I can`t think of one, well, none that make any sense.

Regards Howard

I totally agree with everything SNGX said. I grew up around many guns. I was given a .30-06 for Christmas when I was 16. Today I have rifles, shot-guns, psitols.......and I play video games, and played Dungeons & Dragons as a kid. I never had the urger to go out and kill someone. Or take a gun to school or work. People that do this are already unstable. Although I do see where these things can influence these unstable people to do these things as well.
But then again whose to say that an unstable person doesnt get in there car a mow people down, which has happened. Should we put restrictions on cars too??

But tightening up guns laws or outlawing them is not the answer either. If it were then the outlaws would be the only ones with guns!

Well I would agree with Halo71 / Howard, I think it's the parent's fault for not teaching the kids

Also I have alot of guns like Halo71 and I play ALOT of videogames with violence ( only cool games have violence ) and you dont see me on the news with a M16 killing 100s of people like in Grand theft auto

agreed. i think we need a system that doesn't depend the parents being proactive, because that strategy is currently in place and is not working so well. ever since the 1998 shooting at columbine, colorado, more schools have been working with law enforcement and psychologists to help spot trouble before violence occurs. still, they have a long way to go.

yes, part of the problem is the gun laws in certain parts of the country. chicago, for instance, makes it illegal to carry a loaded weapon in public. the law-abiding citizens comply with the law, but the criminals don't. so criminals take advantage of the situation, and often correctly assume that their victim is not armed. even on the rare occasion that a would-be victim is armed and ends up repelling their attacker, they themselves usually face criminal charges for having and using a weapon.

well halo71,I come from germany and this is a country where usually outlaws have guns - but also does the police,and I like to rely on them in order to keeping germany a save place to be.

Well yeah....you are right. But what is the ratio of criminals to police? There are far more criminals running around with guns than there are police! My point is, I have guns in my house. And IF it ever comes down to someone breaking in my house and its me or them......the coroner better bring a body bag when he comes! Dont get me wrong, I am not a gun carrying redneck from the south. But I wont hesitate to protect myself or my daughter either!

What part of Germany? My great grandfather was born in Stuttgart.

Hi halo71.
Of course I would defend myself and my family against an attack.Everybody has the right to do so.but imagine a robbery in your house.the guy(it`s always guys)
is probably headed for your money;pc,stereo....and not necessarily a threat to anyone`s life - you see that guy,point a gun at him(if he has one he`s probably not holding it in his hands as he needs them to steal your hard earned stuff)
the point I`m trying to get to is : Your gun could be the one to start making a situation escalate,and have coroners bringing bodybags(and I think in the US many people have big caliber guns,endangering your entire family when shooting inside a house)
and even worse case scenario : your next child is a son(I have two 5/6)
groing up to be a teenager,getting some sort of teenage trouble.you don`t really realize what goes on in your boys head,and one day he takes the gun daddy has in his safe.
O.K.I´m sorry halo71,that is a drastic scene,don`t get me wrong
but my original post was to try and find out how to be able to understand,and of course avoid, tragedies like the one`s mentioned all over this threat

and I come from the Cologne/Bonn-area,but I must admit that if I were american,I´d probably have a gun as well...

That's funny! I think maybe you have gotten the wrong impression of America.
Thats like me saying that if I were German, I would sit in the beer garden all day!

While you make some interesting points....it does not matter if someone breaks in my house and is or is not threatening my life. At that point they have entered my personal/private space. And its not gonna be pretty for them, guy or gal!

That said, it still boils down to the parents. How they bring their kid up. Like i said, I have been around guns all my life. But I was raised to respect them and to respect life.

hi halo71.
That what they invented hotspots for ...drinking beer in the hot sun... ;-)
Americans ALL waist their time at shooting ranges...or was it:shoot at strangers?
no, come on...
and you wouldn`t shoot a girl; would you?
I got to meet some very nice Americans,in fact all of them were.
Only ones I don`t like...well,I only see them on tv

Let me ask you a question
What did your parents do right to raise you up to a "good man" and father?
(whether there was/not guns at the house doesn`t really matter, as it seems to be easier and easier getting guns in any place of the world...)
What goes wrong to make a child turn maniac on society?Why didn`t you,why didn`t I?
Is there a "concept" in raising up your daughter?Does it even matter?you have a daughter,is she endangered at all?
(I know of the fears that parents have,don`t get me wrong...)
but has there ever been a girl,shooting up a school?
plenty of questions...uups

I was going to bring up the same point that Chrissof did. Certainly parental involvement is an important factor in many cases and it's possible that sometimes that could be the difference between snapping and not snapping. However I would bet that if you looked at everyone who goes on a shooting spree (or kills themselves from listening to rock and roll or playing Everquest or any other excuse) that you would find that they didn't all have ogres for parents.

So, as Chrissof said, what's the defining factor? What makes some snap and others not. There are plenty of kids out there in horrible family situations and some ofthem become sports stars, succesfull business people or anything on the other end of the spectrum. I wish I had a clue but I think it's a mystery.