Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Minnesota's Columbine

Story.
BEMIDJI, Minn. Mar 22, 2005 — A high school student went on a shooting rampage on an Indian reservation Monday, killing his grandparents at their home and then seven people at his school, grinning and waving as he fired, authorities and witnesses said. The suspect apparently killed himself after exchanging gunfire with police.
This is not Minnesota's first such incident (a 15 year old shot two people at Rocori High School in 2003), but it is obviously its worst such incident.

The scariest thing about these rampages is that they are inherently unstoppable. Even if we put metal detectors and screeners at every entrance to every school (a practical impossibility), a person determined to find notoriety could simply go to a high school football game or popular mall hangout and find a similar target-rich environment.

This tragedy in Red Lake causes me deep sadness, but the worst part for me is having to admit that we are basically powerless to stop the next such tragedy.

(Linked at OTB).

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