# Another School Shooting \[Stoneman Douglas\] (2/14/2018) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843 "2018-02-14T20:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/41 "2018-02-15T02:08:37Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > There’s not a whole lot that can be done to prevent these things without infringing on inalienable rights. It’s one of the prices we pay for living in a free society. A pretty high price. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/42 "2018-02-15T02:11:52Z")
Was there indeed a police officer assigned to this school that was there when the shooting occurred? Its a sad necessity but given the reality we live in where these things do occur too frequently, its probably wise to have a police officer assigned to any school with a certain number of students, it that the current policy nationwide? The other thing that sucks is it sounds like at least from one or two interviews I read of a classmate and also a former teacher, everyone seemed to think this guy was trouble and might do something like this. Legally there is only so much one can do till someone commits sufficient criminal acts to be imprisoned or monitored. Similar situation to when a woman is stalked by her ex boyfriend who tows the line of legality, and she may get a restraining order but ultimately the guy shows up at her house one night and kills her. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/43 "2018-02-15T02:12:08Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Would it make you happier if his name was John Smith or Drew? You seem a little disappointed or something. What the heck are you on about? How did you read that nonsense into what I posted? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/44 "2018-02-15T02:15:58Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > The casual racism at this place, directed to anyone white and not left-leaning, is increasingly unpleasant to read. There is zero chance that you’d make similar comments about any other culture or ethnicity, but nevertheless, you feel perfectly entitled to make that slur against whatever white boogeyman exists in your head. > > To answer your first question, though, I voted happily for Senator Ted Cruz, and while his ethnicity did not factor into my vote, I’d consider him, just looking at him, to be Caucasian. Heck, even listening to him. I work and interact with many people of Latin American ancestry, who are much whiter than I am—benefit of being so close to Mexico—so a surname of “Cruz” would not mean I wouldn’t think he was “white.” Not that it matters one way or the next, except to the statisticians. > > Second question, executing him—provided it’s proven he did these crimes—prevents this piece of filth from committing any more acts of violence against anyone else: prison guards, inmates, or the rest of the population when society deems him “cured.” See [Kenneth McDuff,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_McDuff) and others. > > Finally, while we do not as a rule in the US, punish parents for the actions of their adult offspring, I understand the impulse to do so. This guy did everything up to taking out an ad in the paper telling people he was going to do something like this. His parents were the closest ones to see what this kid was turning into, and it would have been nice for them to put this guy into the system, or hell, take away his Modern Warfare 2 and his Instagram, before he finally snapped. > > Punishing his parents incentivizes them to do their job and raise a contributing member of society. Or at least warn us before he loses it. I don’t agree with that point of view, but I sympathize with it. Your entire post is utter nonsense. Just for fun, read exactly what I posted, then have the fortitude to apologize for your ridiculous post accusing me of racism. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/45 "2018-02-15T02:20:21Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Clarify for me, then. Hispanic people are generally included under the heading “brown people” are they not? Especially when we are talking about bigoted white people and their hatred of immigrants? Is he a white guy now because he did something awful? My point is that bigoted Whites will claim he’s not really White because he’s Hispanic, regardless of census categories, and therefore those bigots will whine about people pointing out yet another mass killer is a White guy. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/46 "2018-02-15T02:20:41Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > The casual racism at this place, directed to anyone white and not left-leaning, is increasingly unpleasant to read.… Apologies for your feelings there. We have a very lengthy thread in the Pit that comes with a whole lot of links to stories about the police needlessly shitting on non-whites. Many of those people deserve(d) much less attention from the authorities, and none of them killed a bunch of innocent victims for whatever non-reason. This “casual racism” is not “casual”, it is there for a legitimate reason. I cannot even remember when one of these mass shooters was a minority. > [@](#): > > … take away his Modern Warfare 2 … This is some lame-ass nonsense. Violent games do not make people violent. They are a symptom, not a cause. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/47 "2018-02-15T02:39:39Z")
“My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.” -President Donald J Trump five hours ago ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/48 "2018-02-15T02:41:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Monty** : > My point is that bigoted Whites will claim he’s not really White because he’s Hispanic, regardless of census categories, and therefore those bigots will whine about people pointing out yet another mass killer is a White guy. If This happened in America, if race is mostly a social construct, calling someone white in America conjures up certain images. The census categories also consider Middle Easterners and North Africans as white, but most Americans probably don’t consider these groups white, you can’t have it both ways, Hispanics usually get lumped in with “persons of color”, you are trying to label him with a social identity he probably doesn’t even self identify with, and you clearly have some axe to grind, the only person whining is you. You are doing the very thing you are preemptively accusing these white bigots of doing, ignoring reality if it doesn’t fit the narrative in your own mind. Why do you feel the need to label him white? Is that what your most important takeaway of this incident is? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/49 "2018-02-15T02:49:17Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > With that out of the way, any ideas for stopping this sort of thing, anyone? Arm the teachers. Or at least the administrative staff. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/50 "2018-02-15T02:53:54Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > #18 for the year. But, yeah, no need for background checks and all that silly stuff. Let’s just send our thoughts and prayers… Background checks wouldn’t have stopped this school shooting. Or any school shootings. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/51 "2018-02-15T02:58:14Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > I’m just fed up with everyone close to anyone who does this saying “We never saw this coming, he was such a great guy.” Bullshit. In this case, it [appears](https://nypost.com/2018/02/14/florida-school-shooting-suspect-is-troubled-former-student-obsessed-with-guns/) the sentiment is that people always thought he might do something like this. > [@](#): > > Cruz’ classmates insist, though, that he was a well-known threat to the school. > > “A lot of people were saying it was going to be him,” a student told WFOR-TV. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/52 "2018-02-15T03:23:15Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Arm the teachers. Or at least the administrative staff. This is the most inane suggestion I’ve ever heard. For instance, both my mother and my aunt were teachers (elementary school). Neither of them would’ve known how to handle a gun, wouldn’t have wanted to be trained, and wouldn’t know what to do against an attacker. And while I’ve talked to many people over the years who’ve said, “If someone wanted to take my money, I’d have no problem shooting them,” I’d wager it’s a far different situation to actually point a gun at another human being. It’s asking way too much for a teacher, or a school administrator to shoot to kill. Or to wound. They’re not trained in combat, why take the chance to make a bad situation worse? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/53 "2018-02-15T03:23:22Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > I’m just fed up with everyone close to anyone who does this saying “We never saw this coming, he was such a great guy.” Bullshit. In this case, people ARE saying that in his case, they DID see it coming, and the evidence appears to be that his expulsion was due to violence and bringing weapons, including guns, to school. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/54 "2018-02-15T03:30:26Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > There’s not a whole lot that can be done to prevent these things without infringing on inalienable rights. It’s one of the prices we pay for living in a free society. This is another of the most inane sentiments I’ve ever come across. In the name of the Seven Seas, there are no absolute amendments. You can’t say literally anything you want, you can’t vote as many times as you want in one election, so why should you be able to own any weapon you want? It’s insane. The answer isn’t just to give up and say, “Well, there you go. Whattya gonna do? GUNS FOR EVERYONE! Even those who don’t want 'em! Cause that’s what freedom is about! Go out and intimidate the fuckers with your gun!” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/55 "2018-02-15T03:31:51Z")
Mass-casualty school violence is nothing new, although in this case, most of the damage was due to dynamite, and it wasn’t done by a student. Several of the survivors are still with us. > **[The 1927 Bombing That Remains America’s Deadliest School Massacre](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1927-bombing-remains-americas-deadliest-school-massacre-180963355/)** > > More than 90 years ago, a school in Bath, Michigan was rigged with explosives in a brutal act that stunned the town ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/56 "2018-02-15T03:31:54Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > This is the most inane suggestion I’ve ever heard. For instance, both my mother and my aunt were teachers (elementary school). Neither of them would’ve known how to handle a gun, wouldn’t have wanted to be trained, and wouldn’t know what to do against an attacker. > > And while I’ve talked to many people over the years who’ve said, “If someone wanted to take my money, I’d have no problem shooting them,” I’d wager it’s a far different situation to actually point a gun at another human being. > > It’s asking way too much for a teacher, or a school administrator to shoot to kill. Or to wound. They’re not trained in combat, why take the chance to make a bad situation worse? I agree, but armed security might be in order. With the explosion in highly paid administrators in the public school system over the last couple of decades, you could hire 2-3 armed guards for every administrator you cut. Back when students actually attending school were a big risk in some schools, they actually had security and metal detectors, so we know security is something schools can afford if they really want it. On the other hand, the odds of your school being attacked by a shooter are something like 1 in 20,000. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/57 "2018-02-15T03:36:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I agree, but armed security might be in order. With the explosion in highly paid administrators in the public school system over the last couple of decades, you could hire 2-3 armed guards for every administrator you cut. Back when students actually attending school were a big risk in some schools, they actually had security and metal detectors, so we know security is something schools can afford if they really want it. > > On the other hand, the odds of your school being attacked by a shooter are something like 1 in 20,000. I’d go with a professional armed security solution rather than arming teachers or school staff. The latter is just fucking stupid. But if your odds are accurate, school is a pretty safe place to be, all things considered. But that doesn’t mitigate the gun control debate (which, in my opinion, shouldn’t be a “debate” at all, because the solution is self-evident). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/58 "2018-02-15T03:48:06Z")
And of course the third most idiotic thing to say when this happens is [this](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/marco-rubio-now-not-the-time-to-talk-gun-control-because-people-dont-know-how-this-happened/). > [@](#): > > Fox News’ Pete Doocy asked Rubio if he thought it was appropriate to be discussing gun control after the events. > > “It’s not, only because people don’t know how this happened,” Rubio said. “[We don’t know] who this person is, what motivated them, how did they get a hold of the weapon that they used for this attack.” It’s never time to talk about it. Never. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/59 "2018-02-15T03:53:20Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > And of course the third most idiotic thing to say when this happens is [this](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/marco-rubio-now-not-the-time-to-talk-gun-control-because-people-dont-know-how-this-happened/). > It’s never time to talk about it. Never. What I don’t understand is why Republicans never talk about mental illness. I mean, that is part of the problem… but according to Republicans, that’s the ONLY problem. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843/60 "2018-02-15T03:56:30Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I’d go with a professional armed security solution rather than arming teachers or school staff. The latter is just fucking stupid. > > But if your odds are accurate, school is a pretty safe place to be, all things considered. But that doesn’t mitigate the gun control debate (which, in my opinion, shouldn’t be a “debate” at all, because the solution is self-evident). Well, I won’t say that schools are safe. People saying after this massacre that schools are supposed to be safe places, I’m not sure where they went to school. But safe from OUTSIDE threats, yes, that should be true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-school-shooting-stoneman-douglas-2-14-2018/808843.md?page=4)