My Attitudes Toward Suicidal Shooters

On April 20, 1999 every American life was changed forever as the news broke of what would come to be known as the Columbine High School Massacre. Immediately reporters and psychologists alike began to ask the question; why? What could cause Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, eighteen and seventeen respectively, to go off the deep end and commit one of the worst mass shootings in history? Both seniors had less than two months left in their high school career, why would they choose to commit this crime instead of graduating, moving on with their lives, and leaving their classmates to do the same? Although there were two clear killers at Columbine what many people don’t know is the theory that Eric Harris was the true mastermind behind the plan. “To understand Columbine, we have to understand Eric Harris, “(Langman, 2009). Many people who knew the boys say that Dylan Klebold was a follower of Eric Harris and that he would have never constructed a plan like this on his own (“Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold The killers of 13 students and a teacher at Columbine High School – Littleton, Colorado”). Regardless of whether Dylan followed Eric or if he had his own reasons for murder, it is clear that Eric was the one with deep rooted psychological issues. However this makes Dylan Klebold harder to understand, was he a follower or just good at hiding his emotional turmoil? Why did Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold commit one of the most well-known school shootings and what effect has it had

Imagine Black Friday shopping at the local mall knowing that people all around could be carrying loaded guns! Even though this may sound far fetched, under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, citizens have the right to possess and carry guns. Was this the intent of the Founding Fathers when they penned the Second Amendment? When written, the Second Amendment was about protecting the American government from both foreign and domestic threats (Truthout). Gun control is one of the hottest topics at water cooler discussions across America today. This topic is very polarizing. American citizens news feeds are flooded with stories about shootings on a daily basis, innocent victims being shot during a crime, senseless mass shoots, shots fired in self-defense, police shootings of criminals, and last but not least, the shooting that occurs in war. Americans are bombarded with reports and images of gun violence from television, the press, social media, and computer war games. Yet, how many people have actually held a gun? How many have

James Eagan Holmes entered a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado carrying an AR-15, Remington 870 shotgun, and a Glock 40. Caliber handgun, with over 200 rounds of ammunition. At a midnight opening of the movie batman, he opened fire killing 12 people and wounding over 70. After being apprehended by police, background checks revealed that he was using Zoloft and Clonazepam for depression and anxiety disorder. These were the same drugs prescribed to Eric Harris of the Columbine Massacre. (James Holmes Biography) 40 percent of American homes have guns in them. 57 percent of Americans have said that there should be more restrictions on guns, or that they should even be banned. (Background on Gun Control) There should be a restriction on firearm

As the world recovers from recent school shootings, people wondered why these events have occurred. They are focused on drug use, violent society, video games, bullying, and mental issues to try and explain an unexplainable event. The idea that a person would shoot others for little or no reason gave little relief to the survivors.

“Looking at mass shooting in America, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold stands out in their background and motives. Unlike Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, or James Holmes at a movie theater in Colorado, or Jared Loughner outside an Arizona shopping center, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not have discernable psychiatric diagnoses” (Sancier,2014).

January 29, 1979, San Diego, California across the street from Cleveland Elementary School, 16 year old Brenda Spencer shoot and killed two people, injured 9. “A Statement by the Teenager Murderer in a 1979 School Shooting Inspired Bob Geldof’s ‘I Don’t Like Mondays.’” The Article also tells about how, Spencer acted suicidal a year before the shooting and in 2001 she said that her father had abused her. At Heritage High School, on May 20, 1999 a 15-year-old named Thomas Solomon Jr. shoot six students, and later it was found that it was due to mental illness (Roberts, Michael.) Elizabeth Catherine Bush, a 14-year-old school goer at Bishop Neumann High School, shoot a classmate, because she was depressed and once tried to commit suicide (Roberts, Michael.) Peter Langman, a Ph.D in psychology, and expert on school shooters, writes, Alvaro Castillo an 18-year-old that when to Orange High School, shoot his father and two fellow students. He had suffered from delusions and made a suicide attempt. Castillo was found to have a mental illness, he even stated after the attack, “I am sorry! Sorry for everything. I am sick. Mentally ill.” (Langman,

I've become desensitized and have little reaction to broadcasts about mass shootings, as I have become desensitized about other types of intentional harm and injury to another human being... because of the type of service I provide. I may not have strong emotional reactions anymore to the shootings. Still, can't wrap my mind around how easy it is to take away someone's right to live and breath.

Since mass and school shootings are on the rise it is crucial to find a way to categorize these school shooters in an effort to minimize the amount of people who actually carry out the horrific act and to help pinpoint the most effective treatment intervention. Some of the factors that the media coverage focuses on are social factors such as peer harassment and the influence of media violence (Langman, 2009). In order to categorize Christopher Harper-Mercer, the examples provided in Peter Langman’s article on Rampage School Shooters: A Typology will be compared and assessed. Through this article Langman assesses the acts and history of 10 school shooters and separates the shooters into three distinct categories: Traumatized, psychotic, and

Emma Gonzalez, student of Stoneman Douglas High School has recently received national attention as a direct result of her speech advocating gun control after the shootings on February 14, 2018. Within her speech Gonzalez successfully uses ethos, pathos, and logos to allow all listeners to understand the severity of the shooting and how it not only impacts Stoneman Douglas, but also the country as a whole. Early on in her speech, Gonzalez ensures that she establishes herself to the audience as just a student in order to strengthen her argument as a whole. One of Gonzalez key points mentioned early on in the speech was the fact she knew the shooter and was not surprised that of all people he shot up the school, because she believed he had psychological issues. As a result Gonzalez now makes the listeners wonder how someone who is merely 17 years old is capable of realizing the shooter had psychological issues prior to any diagnosis and that he was capable of such harm, but when any sign of it came up it was swept under the rug and ignored by everyone else.

"I'm angry someone would do this to us. There are lives ruined, families ruined, and our whole school year is ruined" (Brackely 1). Casey Brackely, once a student that attended Columbine High School, remembers the tragedy of the horrific Columbine shooting that killed and injured many students. Mass shootings in the United States have been on the rise since the 1980’s, especially in the last decade. These shooters motives and profiles are almost all terrifyingly alike. Many of these shooters try to imitate and parallel the tragic shooting of the Columbine High School in 1999. These shootings have made peaceful organizations, such as an elementary school; become a place of violence and death. Currently, in the United States, an epidemic of

One of the deadliest high school shootings took place on April, 20, 1999 in Littleton Colorado. Carried out by two students and wounding more than 30 people. The day began as any other with people living their daily lives, children going to school, and parents going to work. They had planned to blow up the school and murder everyone who was inside. While the actual motives for the attack remain unknown there are several theories surrounding the boys mental health before and during the time of the attack. They were the outsiders the losers the ones who did not fit in per say. The reasoning of mental health, and being a misfit can be related to the sociological theories of containment, and social bonding. The argument of who is to blame for the

News coverage reported that Adam and his family always had guns in their home. His family would regularly go to local shooting ranges for leisure. Lanza's parents separated in 2001 when he was 9 years old and lived with his mother. Adam's mother had a pistol permit and would take Adam to National Rifle Association rifle courses. She had a big influence on his obsession and access to guns. All of the guns and ammunition from the shooting scene and his home were purchased by his mother. It has been speculated whether or not Adam's mother was a victim in this shooting or if she was to blame. As indicated in the Sandy Hook Final Report, Adam "had an interest in mass murders and serial killing" (Sedensky III, 2013). He had a huge obsession with school shootings, particularly Columbine. When the FBI investigated Adam's house, they discovered he had written violent e-mail expressing his obsession with guns, killing, and mass shootings. He had collected news articles on school shootings and photographs of corpses. He collected statistical data on "mass murders over the years listing information about each shooting" (Sedensky III, 2013). Table 3.12 displays the statistics of the 12 deadliest mass shooting events in the United

For the past couple of years, the number of school shootings has increased. In the aftermath of these tragedies, reporters often discover that the shooter was mentally ill. Many people believe that mental illness refers to severe diseases such as schizophrenia but it also includes depression, stress, and anxiety. As mass shootings become more commonplace in America, parents are concerned for their children’s safety at school. Within San Gabriel, some people say that Gabrielino High School does not have adequate support and help for mentally ill students. They claim that any help from Gabrielino would be useless and believe that it is not Gabrielino’s responsibility to provide help for these students. Other people believe that there are enough resources at Gabrielino to help mentally ill students as well as sufficient awareness about this help. Through the annual Club Faire and Gab week, these people state that students know that they can reach out and receive support. These statements are not completely true; Gabrielino does have sufficient resources for students with mental illness but students are not aware of this help.

Written by Susan Klebold, the mother of Dylan, one of the shooters in the Columbine High School shooting, A Mother’s Reckoning comes to mind particularly because of the unfamiliar and haunting, yet relatable truths. Looking at Dylan prior to the shooting, it seem as though the hints and signs that something was wrong could not have been any clearer. However, I came to understand her feelings, thoughts, and her failure to take action in the events leading to the massacre. We always ask “why?” after a shooting happened, when we should be asking “how?” because “how points the way forward.” She continues on stating that we learn the importance of dental health and a stable income, but we are never taught how to take care of our mental health. Her

The headlines are dramatic and communities are stunned as it reads “Shooter kills 23 children at a school near you.” The first thought that rushes to the head is “this is crazy.” Or, that individual must be out of his or her mind. Upon further investigation, it is determined that the shooter has had a long record of mental illness. This situation could have been avoided, if that individual had the covered healthcare. As a result, random shootings would be curtailed. In retrospect, this care could have been provided for by families and caregivers, if