# It's happened again: A school shooting, this time in Maryland **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882 "2018-03-20T13:20:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/1 "2018-03-20T13:20:54Z")
[Story here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/20/shooting-reported-maryland-high-school/440981002/) Words fail me. What is causing all this? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/2 "2018-03-20T13:22:53Z")
Media lavishes attention on shooters. Media loves to drop its jaws in fake astonishment, “Oh no why is the world like this” while secretly grinning “Ratings, pearl-clutching ratings.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/3 "2018-03-20T13:23:30Z")
[‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens](https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1819576527) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/4 "2018-03-20T13:24:43Z")
Not enough guns. ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/5 "2018-03-20T13:50:26Z")
Quick! We’ve got to pray! And this time, \*mean \* it! ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/6 "2018-03-20T14:14:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Media lavishes attention on shooters. Media loves to drop its jaws in fake astonishment, “Oh no why is the world like this” while secretly grinning “Ratings, pearl-clutching ratings.” Yes. Because “Media” is a person, an evil soul-less Mr. Burns type person. Not saying infamy isn’t a factor, but A) unless you’re suggesting a media blackout on all crime that might have infamy as part of the motivation, your argument doesn’t have much merit, and B) “we all” know how well the silent treatment worked to prevent Herostratos the arsonist from becoming infamous. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/7 "2018-03-20T14:21:27Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Media lavishes attention on shooters. Media loves to drop its jaws in fake astonishment, “Oh no why is the world like this” while secretly grinning “Ratings, pearl-clutching ratings.” School shootings are news, whether we like it or not. It’s not the media’s fault for reporting news. I think school shootings have somehow been ingrained into the American cultural mindset, as somehow the “logical” last resort for disgruntled young people. Like a meme that’s fastened itself into all of our psyche as a “way out” and a way to payback society if you feel mistreated. And the incredible ease of getting guns make these events pretty easy for damaged young people to execute, and the ease in getting guns which are extremely effective for school shootings (i.e. short-barrelled carbines with rifle-caliber ammunition and large magazines) makes the body counts likely to be higher than they otherwise would be. The gun access part could be addressed by public policy. I’m not sure how to fix the cultural-psyche/meme part. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/8 "2018-03-20T14:24:53Z")
This is happening a couple of miles from my office. Suddenly this national epidemic is hitting way close to home. But I’m sure all those “thoughts and prayers” will solve the problem in no time. ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/9 "2018-03-20T14:25:03Z")
I don’t pray so I’m going to think twice as hard. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/10 "2018-03-20T14:29:45Z")
The article says the shooter was injured. I wonder how that happened. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/11 "2018-03-20T14:36:49Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Media lavishes attention on shooters. Media loves to drop its jaws in fake astonishment, “Oh no why is the world like this” while secretly grinning “Ratings, pearl-clutching ratings.” Very first response? Blame the media. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/12 "2018-03-20T14:41:35Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Media lavishes attention on shooters. Media loves to drop its jaws in fake astonishment, “Oh no why is the world like this” while secretly grinning “Ratings, pearl-clutching ratings.” And another thing; it’s not the “world” that’s like this. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/13 "2018-03-20T14:47:23Z")
You guys know the drill… Thoughts and prayers, too soon to politicize (although it’s perfectly OK for the NRA to jump in and give us their two cents), don’t do anything that might make a difference, wait for the uproar to die down… until it happens again. And again. And again. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/14 "2018-03-20T14:59:47Z")
Maybe we’re supposed to be praying TO the guns. \*\*\*BREAKING: In response to the second school shooting in just over a month, the National Rifle Association has erected a 45-foot golden AR-15 for concerned citizens to bow down before and worship. “This is your god, America, who brought you up out of bondage,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. “Tomorrow there will be a feast to your lord.”\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/15 "2018-03-20T15:03:36Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > School shootings are news, whether we like it or not. It’s not the media’s fault for reporting news. Although mass shootings are news, the particular attention paid to the shooter and his (perpetrators of mass shootings are [almost exclusively male](https://www.statista.com/statistics/476445/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-shooter-s-gender/)) motivations make it more appealing for someone who wants to go out in a blaze of media-celebrated glory. Given that perpetrators of school shootings, and and in general mass shootings not related to other crimes such as a robbery gone wrong, are almost invaribly outsiders who feel marginalized and whose primary motivation is to be seen as someone with power, it is not difficult to draw the conclusion that media attention and particularly that surrounding the shooter’s motivations (which is inevitably some variant of being bullied, minimized, and ignored, but ultimately inscruitible as to why any non-psychotic person would make extensive plans at a suicidal blowout) is some factor in why mass shootings are appealing. The media shouldn’t stop covering shootings because the public needs to be made aware of the problem, both how frequently occurs (compared to the entire rest of the world where is is nearly unheard of save for deliberate acts of ideological terrorism) and how young, often underage perpetrators gain access to firearms, but they do need to stop celebrating the shooters by parading out their family history, pictures of their childhood, and the panel of experts attempting to dissect the shooter’s psyche by remote viewing to the satisfaction of no one. The media attentiin should be on the victims, the details of the incident, and especially on what both administrators and elected officials are going to do to effectively address the problem besides prohibiting non-functional cosmetic features or holding public prayer meetings. If the news media needs to mention the perpetrators by name at all, it should be prefaced by, “The pathetic, mentally incompetent shooter Dick Worthless…” Meanwhile, as a society we should be de-emphasizing the use of violence to resolve ‘problems’ of an emotional nature, addressing the militarization of police and society at large, and in general paying a lot more attention to how unstable young men obtain firearms to use in these kinds of shooting. But deemphasizng the focus on the shooter in media reporting is definitely a position responsible news outlets should have been moving toward long ago. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/16 "2018-03-20T15:04:12Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The article says the shooter was injured. I wonder how that happened. Yes, funny how it sometimes works out that way. But let’s wait until all the facts are in. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/17 "2018-03-20T15:09:38Z")
Updated from the OP’s site: > [@](#): > > A gunman opened fire Tuesday at a high school in southern Maryland, injuring two students before he was wounded by an armed school resources officer, authorities said. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/18 "2018-03-20T15:20:12Z")
There may be a sliver of benefit that could be had by changing the way these stories are told. Can’t find the link on my phone, but there is interesting research that assesses the copycat nature of these events. When compared to how the reporting on suicides changed, it’s something worth considering. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/19 "2018-03-20T15:30:55Z")
The shooter died, according to the police spokesman. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882/20 "2018-03-20T17:14:55Z")
So this is a Good Guns story, right? #PlaceName Strong [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-happened-again-a-school-shooting-this-time-in-maryland/810882.md?page=2)