Image: Olga Mendenhall, Adobe Stock
Columbine Shootings
Date: April 20th, 1999
Where: Columbine, Colorado
Injured: 20
Killed: 14
Killers: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Story: A typical day for most of the students at Columbine High School, April 20th, 1999 was an easy one to navigate through for the citizens of the quiet town of Columbine, Colorado as much.
The killing spree began at 11:19 AM and began after the two killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, approached the school from a distant lawn. After the first shots were fired at student Sean Graves, the cafeteria began to panic and the fire alarm of the school went off. Spoofs of shooting videos were created by Eric and Dylan, while they dress in trench coats on the day of the shooting. What was once a gag between the two was all of a sudden real. Real bullets resound in their footage at Rampart Range, echoing through the vast wilderness. Both young men were passionate about computers and did not believe in war – they were Pacifists. A possessive anger took hold of Eric in one report; an instance where a kid had taken Eric’s backpack and returned it to a family friend. Said family friend recalls the anger of Eric when the decision was to return the backpack at Eric’s mom’s house. Dylan Klebold would journal constantly, mentioning suicide.
By 11:27 AM, the two killers had made their way to the library. Taunting and racial epithets were engaged in while the two killers turned the high school’s safe space into a nightmare. Ten students were killed in the library. Aspirations of wanting to bomb the school were also involved in their premeditation, what came from these goals fizzling into a detonation in the cafeteria. By 12:02 PM Sean Graves, unconscious from his wound, began to awake to an ambulance behind him. Ammunition was fired at the direction of the paramedics, the two killers shooting at the victim once more. At 12:08 PM Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold took their own lives.
Sandy Hook Shootings
Date: December 4th, 2012
Where: Newtown, Connecticut
Injured: 2
Killed: 28
Story: Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary and was often seen as shy. Social anxiety became a problem in middle school and he began to fall behind on homework. To help with his way of learning, he was transferred to a Catholic school, then removed after a year. His creative writings were known for being quite graphic and it was reported that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.
By late 2009, Adam began to build an interest in the gaming message board, “Super Columbine Massacre RPG Discussion Forum”. He stated in the message board that he hadn’t created an account until years after visiting the site because “It seemed like the kind of website which would get you on a terrorist watch-list.” In 2008, Adam Lanza stopped seeing medical professionals and looked forward to graduating from Newtown High School in 2009. He dropped out of college his first year, posted about some mass murders in the summer, and re-enrolled in some new courses.
Already having passed his driver’s test prior to high school graduation, Adam had been somewhat known for his keen interests at this time, basic responsibilities and love for Dance Dance Revolution at his local movie theater had taken up some of his time. A neighbor that lives on the same street as Adam Lanza reported three or four rifle shots after Thanksgiving one year, a time where Adam’s mother Nancy had been waiting to come home from a Thanksgiving trip from New Hampshire. On the morning of December 14th, 2012 Adam Lanza shot his mother Nancy four times in the head before 9:30 am.
He headed to the school after murdering his mother, shooting his way through the lobby and making his way toward classroom 8. Classroom 8 was a room of first graders, one that attempted refuge upon Adam’s entrance to the classroom, one that would only leave one survivor after Adam took fire. Twenty six seven year olds were shot and killed, as well as 6 teachers. Adam Lanza shot himself soon after the attacks while in the school as police approached.
Parkland Shootings
Date: February 14th, 2018
Where: Parkland, Florida
Injured: 18
Killed: 17
Killer: Nikolas Cruz
Story: On the afternoon of February 14th, 2018 Nikolas Cruz stepped onto the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School campus with an AR 15. He took an Uber to the Parkland, Florida campus and pulled the fire alarm, killing 11 on the first floor of the high school in six minutes. Troubling signs had began prior to his mother, Linda Cruz’s passing in 2017, though this death, after the death of his father, Roger Cruz, years ago, would mark the beginning of his apparent downward spiral. He would develop a fascination with harming small animals, suffering from emotional outbursts and social isolation. Nikolas Cruz progressed to the second floor and did not fire any bullets, moving onto the third floor. 6 more were to be killed on the third floor, a student posting a viral video as the shooting progressed. At 2:22 the police arrived to the school. Nikolas got a soda from the nearby Walmart Subway, eerily calm after one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. After walking through a few aisles, he walked over to a nearby McDonald’s to get something to eat.
At 3:41, Nikolas Cruz was spotted in the Wyndham Lakes neighborhood and was arrested while following commands. Taken to the Broward County Sheriff Office, he was cooperative toward the investigation and confessed to everything, down to choosing Valentine’s Day. On November 2nd, 2022 Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life without parole.
Santa Fe Shootings
Date: May 18th, 2018
Where: Santa Fe, Texas
Injured: 13
Killed: 10
Killer: Dimitrios Pagourtzis
Story: At 7:30 AM Santa Fe High School was attacked by gunman, Dimitrios Pagourtzis. Dimitrios was wearing a homemade explosive devices and was carrying a shotgun and a revolver. He was taken into custody by the police close to 8 am. Dimitrios Pagourtzis was deemed incompetent to stand trial in November of 2019, then sent to Vernon, Texas to become competent.
In a documentary featuring Dimitrios Pagourtzis from February 21st, 2024 Dimitrios had been held incompetent at North Texas State Hospital for more than 1,500 days. Metal detectors and school shooter buttons have made future incidents preventable, in addition to community counseling.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
Passed on June 25th, 2022 the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act implemented changes to America’s mental health system, school safety programs and gun control laws.
The BSCA’s role in the U.S. mental health system includes $15 billion in federal funding for mental health programs. “Red flag” laws were also included in funding in order to remove firearms from people considered a threat. Gun sales to those convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners are interestingly blocked.
As for school security upgrades, the $15 billion in federal funding included that as well.
Gun control included in the act was historic and the first time progress had been made in over two decades. Background checks for firearm shoppers under 21 were included as an extension of these gun control laws.
Smart Guns
Smart guns became an innovative solution during the Biden administration in 2023. A smart gun mandate in New Jersey stating that guns be commercially available two years after purchase (after this two-year countdown only the guns purchased two years ago would be sellable) has since disappeared from enforcement as an option. Facial recognition cameras are pre-programmed by a fingerprint along with a facial ID on smart guns. A task force was created in order to curb the creation of 3d printed smart guns that would not include official serial numbers that would lead to easier tracking by law enforcement.
Other Notes:
-In Texas in 2018, age 17 makes one ineligible for death penalty or life in prison without parole.
-Education group policy provisions that acknowledge first responder injuries; proper policy holder could be included in mental health programs if mentioned before fund distribution has been implemented.
-No sort of mental health system has been set in place (sic erat scriptum) to guarantee an Uber ride for those in need to pick up medication.
-Community counseling is sponsored by the Governor (evidence of this should be found in the Santa Fe documentary link below).
-School security upgrades could include low-budget nature cameras on the outskirts of campuses to deter future suicides.
-Preceding gun control laws prior to BSCA (“…two decades.”) could not be found.
-Exact subsidization is not tangible in this article – Biofire might be a good place to start.
Sources:
The Columbine Shooting (Killing Spree) | Our Life
Adam Lanza – The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
Massacre At Marjory Stoneman Douglas | The Parkland Shooting: The Crimes of Nikolas Cruz
Uncovering the Santa Fe High School Shooting | The Evidence Room, Episode 30
Congress passes first gun control bill in decades
Harris says the right to be safe is a civil right as Biden signs order on gun technology – MarketWatch
Other Links:
Emma Brown on Ending Gun Violence
Rep. Bill Foster on Trump Rescinding Funds for Crystal Lake Student Mental Health Program