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Baltimore County Police Department / AP
Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., 15, of Baltimore.
PERRY HALL, Md. - A 15-year-old sophomore at a suburban Baltimore high school who made references to murder-suicide on Facebook has been charged as an adult in the shooting of a classmate on the first day of school, authorities said Tuesday.
Robert Wayne Gladden Jr. was being held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, Baltimore County police said. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 7. The state's attorney's office said it did not know if he had a lawyer.
Gladden's last status update on his Facebook page, posted the morning of the shooting, read: "First day of school, last day of my life. ... f--- the world."
A 15-year-old Maryland gunman was charged as an adult after he shot and critically wounded another student at their local high school. WRC's Pat Collins reports.
His father told The Associated Press that his son had been bullied. Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday that he was aware of the reported bullying, but he said Gladden has not indicated in conversations with detectives that bullying was a motive for the shooting. His father did not disclose other possible motives.
Gladden continues to cooperate with investigators and was undergoing a mental health evaluation, Johnson said.
Gladden rode to school on the bus Monday morning with a bag containing a disassembled shotgun, 21 rounds of ammunition and a bottle of vodka, Johnson said.
Steve Ruark / AP
A Baltimore County police officer speaks to a parent as students are evacuated from Perry Hall High School after a student was shot and critically wounded on the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 27.
When he arrived at school, Gladden went to his first two classes, Johnson said. On the way to the cafeteria, he stashed the bag with the shotgun in a restroom, the chief said. A short time later, he returned to the restroom and assembled the gun, which he then hid beneath his clothes, Johnson said.
Previous report: Student shot at Maryland high school on first day of class
Upon entering the cafeteria, he pulled out the gun and fired a shot toward a lunch table, according to charging documents. A 17-year-old classmate, Daniel Borowy, was struck in the back.
Borowy is a special needs student, according to NBC affiliate WBALTV.com. He remained in critical condition Tuesday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. His family issued a statement asking well-wishers to keep him in their thoughts and prayers and asking for privacy.
Teachers and school staff rushed toward Gladden, and in the ensuing struggle, he fired another shot that hit the ceiling, investigators said in the documents. The staffers were able to get the gun away from him and he was arrested by a school resource officer.
Witnesses credited guidance counselor Jesse Wasmer with getting the gun away from Gladden.
Gladden sipped from the vodka bottle before the shooting but did not drink enough to become intoxicated, Johnson said.
The teen got the shotgun from his father's house, Johnson said. The weapon was manufactured before 1968 and was of legal length, and police were trying to determine whether it was properly registered, he said.
On his Facebook page, Gladden referred to mass murderer Charles Manson and gave himself the nickname "SuicidalSmile." The page, identified by classmates as belonging to the suspected shooter, was just launched in July, and the three photos of Gladden all show his face hidden behind long, dark hair. He describes himself as a "metalhead" and a fan of musicians Marilyn Manson and Slipknot.
The suspect's father, Robert W. Gladden, told the AP Monday evening that his son was the shooter and indicated his son had been bullied. He gave no further details.
A woman who was also at the home in Middle River and said she was related to the elder Gladden gave the following statement on the family's behalf: "We are horrified. We did not see this coming and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and the victim's family."
Court documents show Gladden's parents divorced in 2010, reported WBALTV.com. The news station went to the house where Gladden lives with his mother on Monday afternoon; a sign on the door read "We don't call 911," and had a picture of a revolver on it, reporters said. No one in the house would comment on the shooting.
Police also executed a search warrant at the Kingsville home of Gladden's mother and stepfather and arrested the stepfather — Andrew Piper, 43 — on illegal gun and drug possession charges, police said. The charges against Piper had nothing to do with the school shooting, Johnson said, but he noted that Gladden lived part-time at that address.
Classes resumed Tuesday at the school amid a low-key police presence. About 150 students turned out for a prayer vigil organized by local churches on the school grounds. Some students wore T-shirts and bracelets reading "Pray for Daniel" and "Team Wasmer" in reference to the victim and the guidance counselor.
Shane Boyer, 44, who was dropping off his 13-year-old daughter Corinne, said the vigil helped calm students still dealing with the shooting. Boyer said he knew immediately that his daughter was safe after the shooting because he received text messages from her. One read, "Someone just shot a gun in lunch," followed by another that said, "I ran out I am do (sic) scared there's helicopters + cops + we are all outside."
Perry Hall is a middle-class community along the Interstate 95 corridor, northeast of the city of Baltimore. The school is the largest in the county, with 2,200 students.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I dont understand why these kids are tried as adults, if you are not 18, or whatever the legal cutoff is, you are not an adult, it is not right or fair, you dont think like an adult, you dont act like an adult, you are a kid or teenager or pre-adult that did the wrong thing.
Of course that wrong thing and thoughts were helped with easy access to a deadly weapon, thanks to your friendly NRA and gun store and republican and conceal and carry! really, conceal and carry is legal, in the usa, who is not at war????
I think we're better off thinking of preventive measures than what we should do after the shooting has already happened. I won't argue that stricter gun laws would lessen crime, chances are the people who use firearms for crime didn't obtain them legally in the first place. That said, I'm not thrilled with the prospect of an angsty teenager having access to their parent's legally owned gun.
Murder is murder, why should there be an age restriction on a life? The notion of, a person getting a free walk just because they are less than 19 is ridiculous.
So, on the one hand you want to blame the NRA, Republicans, gun stores, etc., yet, on the other hand, you want go soft on an individual that tried to kill people with a firearm. That sounds about right. You daffy libs always want to blame everything and everybody else but the perpetrator. This 15 year old tried to kill someone--what about that makes you think that he should not be held accountable in the highest degree? What if it had been your loved one that had been shot? Would you still feel the same way? Thank God the staff there had the courage and presence of mind to stop this from becoming a real slaughter.
To a liberal: if a person on the highway gets cut off by another driver, and that driver gets mad and ram that person with their car thereby causing an accident and killing them - the liberal would try to write several laws monitoring and banning the act of cutting people off on the highway.
If a minor is going to be held on adult charges, then every adult involved directly or indirectly needs to be investigated. If this cannot be done, then the minor should not be held on adult charges.
It has to hurt to be that stupid.
No wonder these kids grow up to believe gun violence is the answer to their problems. This is the effed-up mentality their raised with.
It wasn't the gun law that brought the gun to school. The 15 year old didn't go to the store and buy a gun. Ultimately some adult bought the gun and was not responsible for it. Everyone likes to claim how much the like their freedom they just don't want the responsibilities that come with it.
If you do call 911 there will be plenty of time for the perp to kill you and get away...on the other hand a perp with a hole in him won't get far. Just like the 'bully' in the Empire Bldg shooting recently, this bully got exactly what was coming to him.
Not all liberals feel the same way about harsher gun laws. I grew up in a liberal household and I have many libertarian views, as well as conservative views when it comes to politics. However even with growing up in a liberal household, I grew up around firearms and with a parent that has a concealed carry permit. I currently have a permit that gives me the ability to conceal and carry.
The fault of this event does not fall on the NRA, the gun store, or anybody who has a conceal and carry permit. The fault falls on this teenager who pulled the trigger, it is not the gun that meant harm to anyone, it was the person holding the gun. With that said, the parents, if the gun was the parents, should have had it locked in a gun safe or cabinet, or at the very lease a trigger safety should have been on it, with the key or combination out of reach and/or hidden from the teenager.
gun control would not be the answer - because I am SURE he legally was not carrying the gun to school.
Therefore - he was already breaking the law before he even pulled the trigger.. You need sticter punishment to make people think twice..
To an idiot: I believe the type of driving you are referring too is already governed by a law, it's called reckless driving. If you want a lawless society that's fine, just don't ask for any compassion when YOUR world has a crisis! As for liberal vs. conservative, I am so tired of the same old rhetoric being voiced every time a tragedy occurs. Kids should not fear being shot and killed when they attend school. This is not about republican vs. Democrat, blue vs. red, it's about protecting our youth. I am certain the victims of these senseless crimes couldn't care less about politics and laws, they just want to enjoy the most basic human right to live, which far too often is taken from them.
A 15 year old bullied by a 17 year old Special needs student?? I say BS to the bully excuse. Copy cat wanna be and got his wish. Lock him up and toss the key away.
If you read the article thoroughly, before commetning IXLR8, you would see that they specifically say that the person he shot wasn't specifically targetted, i.e. he wasn't the person who bullied him. He just went in there and started shooting. Might be a good idea to read the WHOLE article before commenting... then your comment would have some intelligence ad common sense behind it.
A. Way to go teachers! We appreciate you, even though that certain crowd just wants to dump crap all over you because you dare to draw public funding and won't work for minimum wage.
B. Being bullied isn't an excuse to do your Rambo act at school, even if you have crazy-ass parents who glorify guns at your house while they swagger around the living room drinking beer and dreaming of being big. Enjoy the rest of your life being bullied in prison.
My God ! Are you kidding me? The gun makes you an adult. That bullet kills like an adult. No wonder this country is in the crapper. "It isn't fair."
He committed an adult crime -- premeditated, attempted murder.
Yes, he should be tried as an adult.
What is up with playing the "Bully" card every time someone wants to play Cowboys and Indians at school with real guns? Punks are just that. Punks. They don't get their way or someone doesn't like them and they bring a gun to school, hurt or kill people and then scream "I was bullied." And then the debate ensues. Tragic and yet no accountability on down the line.
I don’t agree with charging kids as adults, regardless of the crime, because adult sentences are about punishment, not rehabilitation. However – that doesn’t mean I believe they should get the same punishment as a juvenile either. There needs to be an in between – maybe a facility where offenders who were minors when they committed a “major” crime are sent to receive counseling and education beyond the age of 18 rather than being thrown in with full-grown offenders who many times are beyond the point of help. While there are no perfect scenarios, putting teenagers and young (19-20 something) adults in with hardened criminals is only going to make matters worse, not better.
The average 911 response time in America is 6 minutes. The average response time to unholster a concealed weapon is 5 seconds.
I don't hate guns, I have stupid people with guns.
How about the old saying, "if you are old enough to do the crime, you are old enough to do the time"? The only issue I have with trying kids being tried as an adult is that there are still restrictions (like no death penalty) on it. Hey, if you do something like this, fry them.
Being bullied is the new scapegoat reason to make it "ok" for what these stupid kids do. Where are the parents in all of this? There is always one idiot kid that pushes others around, EVERYONE of us went to school with someone like that, yet I for one never even thought of hurting or killing anyone because of it, or anything else for that matter. Why? Because my parents taught me the difference between right and wrong, taught me morals and manners.. Parents do a have a job in raising children and it's sad that most parents these days lack the parenting tools needed.
This kid did what he did and should be held accountable for his actions, PERIOD. We simply need stricter punishments these days, we need people to actually THINK TWICE before doing something bad/horrible.
To charge a teen as an adult would seem to be a violation of the "ex post facto" doctrine. If the teen were in fact an adult, a great many other options would have been available to them long before their illegal actions are taken.
To think that the GOP refuses to reconsider the right to bare arms and ensure that all gun buyers or all guns are registered!
Kids can buy guns on the street, through catalogs such as cabela's and even in almart. All they need is a false ID! Something is very wrong when it is ok for any Tom Dick or sue to be able to buy a gun for non-hunting purposes yet they can still kill with it!
Just look at the little kids who hav shot themselves or a loved one recently simply becuase they were playing with a loaded gun! Lack of responsibility KILLS!.
Where did this kid think he was................CHICAGO!
Brace yourself--there already ARE laws against cutting people off on the highway.
Nearly every parent and even grandparent of the 1 million men in federal prison, another 1 million in state/county/city jail and then another 2 million on parole or probation contend their son/grandson is a "good boy" in trouble due to others. The reality is that since the 1970s a lot of people have had sons they didn't want and/or know how to raise, so we are now into generation 3 of this violent, vicious cycle that innocent Americans pay for. Taxpayers cannot continue to afford this still growing swell of lowlife. Just hand out free birth control or put it in the water of these neighborhoods.
A liberal knows that cars are designed and manufactured with the purpose of transportation. Guns are for killing. Do you understand now or do you need pictures?
Rob Rivers says "The notion of, a person getting a free walk just because they are less than 19 is ridiculous." A free walk? Who said anything about a free walk? Juvi is NOT a free walk. And the age is 18 for an adult. Not sure why you would think it is 19. There is also nothing in the juvi system which says you are incarcerated only until you are 18. You can still get 10 years as a juvenile. So, what is your line between child and adult? If someone commits murder then the adult line is 15, but when a man has sex with a minor, the age is 18? Does that make sense? No, because children can't always grasp the full consequences of their actions.
duplicate comment
If you're saying that a teenager has the mental capacity to act like an adult, then they should be granted the privileges that adults have as well, such as voting, smoking, and drinking.
You can't tell a kid he's an adult when he commits murder, but then tell him he's not an adult when he goes to vote.
Wakeup said:
It's apparent from this kid's facebook posting that he went to school that day expecting to die. How would have stricter punishment detered him?
So you think he should get a slap and get out at 18 even if he has tried to murder people? How old are you 17? Your logic stinks of immaturity, get off momma's computer and get your homework done.
Now, people want to blame guns, or parenting, or schools, or bullies, or whatever. But let's ask ourselves if it's time to start blaming the white community when something like this happens at the hands of yet another suburban thug, yet again. When a black person commits violence, the first thing out of people's mouths are words of blame for the entire black community. Perhaps it's time that the white community is asked to take responsibility for a shooter like the black community is asked to. In fact, where is Rush Limbaugh? The very first thing out of his mouth when there is a shooting in the black community is always, "Where is Al Sharpton?" Well, where is Limbaugh?
Kids are kids because, by and large, their brains have not yet developed to the point where they have sufficient capacity to have what adults consider to be unimpeded judgement. That's why they're defined as dependents. It might be possible to argue that kids should be tried as adults if it can be conclusively demonstrated that they developed precociously, but this decision should not be based on the severity of their crimes.
What happened to 15yo boys thinking of girls every 3 seconds?
This guy brought guns, ammo, and vodka? Has to be Russian. Typical day in Nizhny Novgorod.
The age at which one may be tried as an adult should be the same as the age at which one may consent to sex.
I look at it this way, the guy's father is partially responsible because the gun should have been locked up, securely so that the kid could not unlock the safe. As for whether the kid should be tried as an adult, he apparently had decided he was going to die, either by a policeman/woman's bullet(s) or he was gonna kill himself. There obviously was planning involved, so he should be tried as an adult in my honest opinion. Yes, I am a Democrat but not a left-winger like Pelosi, Boxer, and a few others.
I agree that I don't think they should be tried as adults right away, they should have evaluations done first to determine that. Kids at that age are so hormonal and they are growing and changing so much, that they can't always rationalize the thoughts in their heads. They just want the problem to go away...however they can do it. I'm not condoning what he did (My family is anti-gun), but it can explain why there are so many shootings or violent acts that these teens commit.
Whether he was bullied or not, I have a feeling that this is going to become a scapegoat excuse. I'm not saying that he was or he wasn't, the school said they had some reports on it, but that's all that we hear now...parents' immediately say my child was bullied and that's why they did it. This is an issue that I have not had to deal with yet, my child starts kindergarten in September, but it is one that I fear. So, no, I don't understand the frustrations yet, but I do think that there are other options that can be taken.
I reread the artical because I was a little confused, why did he shoot a special ed boy? Was that the boy that was bullying him? Haven't had experience with special ed children myself, but that doesn't sound like something they would do, to me.
@TZ318, They added much more to the article than when it was first out such as the lunch room scene. I still stick to my comments but say wanted to say F Y. to U.
I blame the shooters parents for this because look at him. Looking like that he DESERVES to be teased!!!!! He looks like a girl with his long hair. Perhaps someone should clue him in that long hair on guys is no longer a "GOOD" look. I would NEVER allow my son to wear his hair long like that and he certainly is not allowed to dress like he @!$%# his pants by wearing baggy clothes. I make him raise his shirt up every morning to make sure his ass and underwear are not showing. If they are showing I make him change his clothes. See we as parents have to teach children that it is NOT their world but it is a society world and society does not sugar coat things. Appearance is very important in society. Unfortunately we have parents who teach them that the world is PC and that they can do whatever they want with no consequence. Same goes for tattoos and piercings.
npeck post 1.22
Yes indeed, we all recall the old school bully; the punk kid who would swagger about the playground with his twin punks, one to the left and the other to the right walking a half step behind.
Back in Jan. of 2010 when the little girl; Phoebe Prince suicided because she was being bullied by her classmates similar comments were made. Yes there have always been bullies. I wondered how different it may be today. I spent several days visiting the local high school. Yes, I have every right to do so as I help pay for it with my tax dollars.
What I found going down between children in my visits is far from the old punk days. It was an "eye-opener". I would suggest that there are real lessons to be learned by taking a few days to see where our tax dollars are going.
We are "legally" bound to serve "Jury Duty." I am not suggesting that we also be bound to visits our schools.
VODKA!............no wonder he messed up.............everyone knows you drink Bourbon when your handling loaded weapons vodka is for when your handling explosives.
agreed!
When they got the rifle away they should have bashed his head about 20 times with the butt and if he lived he would have been disfigured and every time he looked in the mirror he could think of what an a hole he was
I do not buy the bullying excuse as this kid just shot at the first person he saw, he did not target a specific individual who was bullying him. I was bullied has just become the latest excuse for doing something like this and it is most definitely not an excuse for shooting people. As for those who are against charging his kid as an adult, I completely disagree. If you are going to pick up a gun and plan to kill people that is not an impulsive act that can be chalked up to being kid, this was a deliberately planned adult crime and should be treated as one. If he were charged as a juvenile he would be back on the street in three years when he turned 18. Does this really sound like adequate punishment for a premeditated murder attempt. I also think that the owner of the gun should be charged as an accomplice for failing to properly secure the weapon. Maybe if there were some consequences for not properly securing your weapons then gun owners would take their responsibility a little more seriously. If the gun owner had properly secured the shotgun this never would have happened.
JS in SD I COMPLETELY agree. Bullying has been going on for decades and, in recent years, has become the scapegoat excuse for poor behavior. Parents need to teach their kids the appropriate coping mechanisms by helping them understand that not everyone in this world is going to like them and they have to learn how to deal with it. Kids do not seem to know how to deal with adversity anymore. (Insert tangent about every kid getting a "participation award" and being "special" and parents wanting to be their children's' best friends rather than a parent). Children are getting out into the real world, having issues adjusting and turning to violence.
On another note -- with respect to the "relative" who said that they "did not see this coming". Didn't see it? Really? Or didn't WANT to see it? Because with all his Facebook activity, Charles Manson interest and general personality I find that extremely difficult to believe. Unless his family had their head up their behinds, that is.
JS in SD
have read some of the tripe you write in here.. and I can assume that you are the only perdfect person..Have you ever been bullied.. this kid was bullied. read the article again the folks that needed to know about the BULLYING KNEW.. and they did the typical thing NOTHING..perhpas you should sit down and imagine yourself being called vicious names things thrown at you, locker messed with.. then talk about this again
please
As someone who was bullied on a daily basis in high school, let me tell you that this little creep has NO EXCUSE for taking another human life and intending, obviously, to take many more. The teachers who disarmed this pathetic, whining little jerk are heroes. I remember going to school feeling like I was entering a war zone, but being an idiot and killing others never crossed my mind. And that was in the late 80s, when there were no anti-bullying laws.
Truth is, as Ava said, not everyone in the world is going to like you or even be civil to you. That is life. If you can't handle that in high school, what are you going to do when you get out into the real world?
Yep been bullied. Learned a valuable lesson made friends with the toughest kid in school. Right after that no one seemed to bully me anymore. Go figure.
I also was bullied incessantly at school. However, I did not pick up a gun and go after my classmates (or even once think about retaliation for that matter). Is bullying hard to handle? Of course. Is it an excuse for retaliation? Absolutley not! Regardless of what is done to us (and bullying is the least of the things done to me), we are still responsable for our actions and decisions. My heart hurts for what has happened here.
Adolescent idiot. I have to ask if he was using SSRI or SNRI drugs. Those have been part of every other shooting.
Very cool, standing there, shooting a shotgun, sipping on vodka - wasn't it kid? You felt like a bad boy? It makes sense you shot a retarded child in the back. You wanted to bully someone else. And that's just what you did.
You needed someone to slap you silly and get you out of your narcissistic bs instead of coddle you. But, nobody did. If that had happened, you would probably be doing just fine. But - not going to happen. Your life is pretty much over now except for prison. Trust me, prison won't be better than high school.
This all sounds like a combination of Poop, No parents, No one stopping the abuse at school, No gun control at home.(that's dangers regardless)
Sad all the way around, and who gets hurt the F* handicapped KID ????
Only good thing was the teachers who saved lives. God speed on the child's recovery
The kid brought a gun to school + 21 rounds of ammo, that would make it premeditated. and he shot someone. This kid should be tried as an adult. He committed a crime. so make him to the time.
Until we combat school bullying this will continue to be a major problem. Parents need to step up and teach their childredn how to respect other people properties, values, and differences. Unfortunately bullyies will not stop, they usually grow up to be your skinheads, KKK, and Tea bag fanatics that use racist taunts to torture and kill people because of their differences. I hate to hear about the special need child who was injured in the assault especially if he wasn't a bully, but bullies will one day wake and realize that people will not sit by and let their bullying continue.
Tea Bag fanatics using racist taunts to torture and kill people because of their differences? Where? When? Please educate us.
You also failed to include gay activists who show up with guns and chicken sandwiches, and New Black Panthers who call for killing cracker babies in your list of grown up bullies.
Marvin where are these Tea Bag "fanatics" that you describe? The Tea party is part of the backbone of America that wants taxes lowered. Seems to be a myth created by liberals in the media.
Taxed
Enough
Already!
M Y
Yes, give the bullies what they want...more attention. Another question...if there are so few bullies and so many that are not why is it a problem? Easy answer...we have some how allowed the minority to dictate to the majority and it is echoing through our whole society and screwing everything up. It is just wrong and can not work for the good in the long run.
jsrygrl
You are a bigot. Look it up. No I am not a member of the Tea Party. You will have to find some other reason to hate me.
These same bullies grow up and we all get the pleasure of trying to work with them. The work place is getting to be intolerable and a dangerous place to be. Bosses refuse to handle the bullies as did their parents.
True. I have seen enough situations where adults, even rather old one's happily participate in harassing events.
Really, bullying is just a 'mealy-mouthed' word for the concept of harassment; assault; and just one level up, battery. Anyone who condones this behavior is either setting an example for, or else raising some of the future criminals.
If you work in a dangerous place, complain to your boss. If that gets no results call OSHA.
actually, they more likely grow up to be like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson
racists who use their skin color and big mouths to bully and intimidate people
This is a very unfortunate occurance. The teacher in this case is a hero.
That being said, blaming the bullying for this kis psychotic act is not focusing on the real issue. While the anti-bullying campaigns have been in full force, the home issues of some of these children have been ignored.
As reported by local news, they have gone to the childs (broken home) house that has pro fire arms messages on their front door. The other parent had recently had a raid at their house where both drugs and weapons were taken. He had disturbing messages all over his facebook page. There is obviously an issue that goes a lot deeper than a kid being picked on. This was a troubled child and no one paid attention. The parents didn't know (not sure how) or didn't care.
I hope that the parents are held accountable for their childs actions. I know I'm accountable for my childrens actions.
Parents will have to remember how to do all that themselves before they can teach their children to do it.
So called bullying has been around forever, and what lame brain liberal has come with the concept that insulting somebody is bullying? For generations, kids have been teasing and insulting each other, and for generations nobody was killed or charged with hate crimes. There is something seriously wrong with society now, and it has nothing to do with bullies. There is no respect for authority, values are not taught or demonstrated by parents and the sue crazy legal system has made it virtually impossible to discipline children at home or at school. There is no personal responsibility, everything is somebody else's fault. Society is now reaping what it has sown.
Great logical fallacy. Just because something's been done for generations doesn't mean it's good or right.
Remember slavery?
This kid posted that the first day of school would be the last day of lid life, then went to school armed.
Normally this sort of thing ends with what is called suicide by police action.
If he wanted to kill himself he could do it without hurting others.
Damned idiot.
(BULLY VICTIM SHOOTS BULLY 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL) - (RESORTING TO SUICIDE OR RETALIATION) Come on House of Representatives pay attention!!!!! Bully's need more than 3 days In school suspension then come back to repeatedly assault the victims. Bully's need psychological treatment to stop the dysfunctional cycle of aggression/reactionary anger. Some kids can defend themselves others are passive agressive/meek and cannot/ don't want to fight and shouldn't be made to. The meek are there to get an education without being assaulted/harrassed. Adults in a workplace can call the police and the offender is arrested, but not so in school.
Schools Staff is protected by soverign immunity umbrella, if they fail to protect/intervene or remove the bully. Teachers/Parents and Bully Victims are scolded/discredited/coerced/demoralized for making safety complaints exposing the bully. Aug 21st 2012 last Tuesday Noah Grawemeyer shot himself to escape facing bullies. Jan 2010 9 yr/old Montana Lance hung himself in school nurse bathroom. Meagan Allen 2011 shot herself in school bathroom. Marvin Auldridge hung himself in weight room during PE. The list is too long, and they are dropping like flies! We get calls from parents with the same stories different schools,That teachers stand by doing nothing, watch their children get beaten by bullies. This has got to stop. www.schoolbusters.org Bully Victim Advocates Doe verse covigton county grandfather case no laws to protect our kids at school against mental and physical trauma. Some children can only take so much before they loose it. An adult couldn't take the daily abuse these kids go through on a daily basis.
I will be praying for the unspoken victims, the children and staff that witnessed and were involved in this tragedy as well as the family of the victim and the shooter. I'm sure they are blaming themselves some rightfully so, most (family members) could not have done a thing:(
Rob, It must hurt.
So let me get this sraight, "Realist": You're suggesting that we completely ignore a constantly reccurring problem simply because... well... for a reason that has NOTHING to do with the problem itself.
Change your name now!
ROBBO give us one instance where those two men did exactly what you said.. bet you can't but you can spew that repugnant BS and lies
REALIST.. you are so wrong it is pathetic.. mmm columbine comes to mind, kent state is there also, and many other schools.. so sit down GOOGLE the subject and see what you come up with
Kent State? Oh you mean the place where drunken radicals committed an act of arson by burning down the ROTC building and then running riot through the streets of Kent and smashing the windows of local businesses. Then some other stuff happened the next day involving National Guard members who had been called out to prevent further destruction of property. How that is related to this discussion on bullying and students shooting one another, I don't know...
"a sign on the door read "We don't call 911," and had a picture of a revolver on it, reporters said. " What exactly was the purpose of putting that in the article? don't the majority of gun owners have that same mentality and or possibly the sign? Really MSN.
What is the purpose of your post outside of making generalizations? I don't have that sign or mentality. I have multiple guns, but would lock myself in a room and call 911 before I decided to use a gun. I would have to be in real life/death to use deadly force and I don't know how I would deal with having to use it after the event was over.
The statement in the article is relevant because it shows a connection to where he might have obtained the weapon and where he learned his poor decision making skills with a weapon.
Maybe you should find another place to troll....
it is knee jerk reaction from all that he went thru.. I believe the school and the police, since they knew about the situation are in fact complicit I would sue each of those groups for loss of affection, and a multitude of other charges
maxgiver, of course you would sue! Because blaming everyone else and being money hungry is going to solve a WHOLE LOT of issues in this world, right?? Pathetic!
Boo Hoo the lot of you.You know he is probably gay.Likely taking it " like a man" [in the as**]
It's so sad that your this stupid. I hope your parents are rolling in their graves right now.
I'm kind of tired of the "I was bullied so now I must go and shoot up a school" sorry that is bullcrap. I was bullied all through school, never once did I find it necessary to get a gun and go shoot people...
shoot a school bully,go to jail.where a whole different kind of bullying takes place.
Same, I too was bullied from 3rd grade up to 9th Grade. I never once though of taking a gun to school.
I am just glad my parents didn't have handguns around where I could get at them as a kid. I remember a couple times when I would have been tempted to carry one, and that would not have ended well. Nothing wrong with guns per se, but easy access can be a temptation to a kid who's in trouble. Here in CA, the parents would be charged as well, for allowing a minor to get access to the gun he used to hurt someone. Keep 'em locked up, folks! (The guns, that is, not your kids! :-))
I too was bullied. However I used the experience to make my self stronger and not moan about being a victim. As a result I have been through a lot rougher situations and knew I could do well in spite of life's bullies. One fact that most people are missing is that the student who was shot was not a bully , he just happened to be there. I can tell you that most special needs people get bullied and mistreated much more than the average child. The shooter's father is in serious denial about his son. All parents should be monitoring their childrens' Facebook page. All parents who own guns should keep them locked up so that their child can not make the choice to hawl off and shoot someone. Children learn by example and so the sign on the door explains so much off the family's mindset. Shoot first think later.
I don't know about guns being a temptation to kids who are in trouble. I got bullied in school and had ease of access to several rifles and shotguns, not once did I ever consider resorting to guns to solve a bully problem. HowieCA, the fact that you would have even considered carrying a gun, as a kid, speaks to your morals.
Thats the other thing, America is missing morals. Our youth need good morals hammered into their thick skulls, without it we are raising a generation that lean to violence as the answer.
Excuse me? My morals? What the heck do you know about my morals? I have never once harmed another person in my life, nor wanted to. I was raised to NEVER lift a hand in violence. But when you are in fear for your life, you may reach out for ANYTHING to help you. The desire for self-defense is hardly a lack of morals. More like a lack of options, if anything.
As it states in the article the boy posted "First day of school, last day of my life." He was obviously planning a suicide mission. It is no excuse to shoot another person, but for all those that say they were bullied and never considered a gun, I think this boy was at a different kind of breaking point. He was looking at dying by either a self inflicted gun shot or suicide by cop.
Good thing Ralphie in Christmas Story did not own a gun other then a BB gun, huh?
Was bullied as well...but it stopped when I learned to stand up for myself, learned to fight back, and stand up for others who were bullied. Never even considered a gun, although I have owned them since age 10.
thats why kids should fight.it might be 2012 ,but kids are still kids.its still dog eat dog.its hard,kids are scared of getting hurt but if you dont fight now,you never will.
As long as parents use the TV and computer to babysit their children I don't think this type of thing is going to get any better. Parenting has become a thing of the past and to a certain degree our social system has taken away the rights of parents to be parents. You can go to jail these days for simply disciplining your child. The result........ undisciplined children bullying, shooting and abusing each other and having no sense of right or wrong.
Then you never will. That's a GOOD thing. You have no right to inflict harm upon another person, whether you're an adult (where it's called battery) or a minor. That whole idea of standing up for yourself is propagated by people who #1, CAN stand up for themselves, and #2, have not been taught that it's simply WRONG to hurt others. Do you tell a wheelchair-bound child to stand up for themselves? A learning-disabled child? Your great-grandmother? If kids are taught to treat others properly, then there is no reason other kids will have to defend themselves. We need to recognize that it's the BULLIES who must change, not the VICTIMS.
(Still no reason to bring a gun to school. If it's wrong to hurt someone, it's certainly wrong to kill them.)
Just listen to all the whining! IF there was ZERO TOLERANCE of any form of bullying the likelihood of this type of retribution would go down. Instead we all stand around ringing our hands saying "we never saw this coming" "Its not our fault" "he was a good kid" yadayadayada!. Schools first offense 1 year suspension from normal school with education continued in a boot camp school, second offense prison, 3rd offense life. STOP THE MADNESS in every basket of apples there are a few rotten apples, they get tossed - these bullies are societies bad apples so toss them don't try to make apple pie out of them!!!!!!!!
The truth is that if there were a "zero tolerance" policy on bullying, 85% of kids would have to be homeschooled.
Zero tolerance is crap. Common sense is better. As soon as you introduce "zero tolerance" rules for something, you go way overboard punishing people for minor things that should have been let go. Like expelling a student for giving her friend an aspirin, or putting a teenager on lifetime sex-offender status for making out with his girlfriend. Get a grip!
Hmmm? It sure has not been difficult at all to have zero-tolerance on marijuana usage in most places for almost 100 years.
Look, if adults can not see bullying then they have no business dealing with minors. The simple fact is that if adults took a more aggressive stance against bullies we would not have as many school shootings and suicides.
I had a French teach that had a bully in her class, actually it was quite humorous. She might have weighed in at 110 pounds soaking wet - the bully was an easy 200 pounds. He started in a a kid in the class, she told him to stop - he took a swing at her and she grabbed his arm, applied leverage lifted him up and through a slate blackboard and in the meantime broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder. Seems she never told anyone she was a 1st degree black belt in both judo and karate. You want to know something that bully never misbehaved again in any ones class and went on to become a very good heart surgeon.
Point of the story - once in a while a broken arm and a sore head can make a good person some time and perhaps more often than goody two shoes spare the rod and spoil the child BS.
Sometimes kids are in fact born bad - and just like a bad apple you have to toss them into the dung heap - life is a bitch and then you die.
The bully is the loser with the gun who went to school to shot somebody. I hope he gets his ass beat in prison everyday.
I have a family member in the school. It was a terrifying ordeal. There is no denying that no where on this earth is safe.
When I was 15, I too, was bullied and physically abused in high school. If I would have had access to a handgun, the perp wouldn't be alive today. Luckily, for me and him, I did'nt have the means to kill his lousy ass. The anger, frustration and embarrassment that I endured as a young imature child with this abuse still haunts me today, now{50 years}. If I were to meet him today, I still might seek my revenge.!!!!!
Doug wow is all I can say. Let the hate go man its history. I will give you a little advice NO one remembers any of that, except YOU. Let it go...No need to live off of bad memories, just be happy to still be around and enjoying life.
My point in the above post was to demonstrate how seriously Bullying can emotionally scar someone for life. It has been 50 years, but I have never forgiven this A__hole for the trauma that he put me through and I never will. I have survived and am quite happy to be around today. I can tell you this; As an adult, if someone inflicted the pain and suffering upon me today at 66 years of age, as was done then, I would have NO HESITATION in blowing their sorry ass away into oblivion. ""BULLYING MUST BE STOPPED""
Many of us know exactly what you're feeling, Doug. But instead of allowing those dark thoughts to fester, we need to replace them, over time, with good thoughts and memories. Helping others is a great way to do that.
it is so true....peeps have NO CLUE what it is like to be bullied everyday...u feel so alone and so desperate.....what this kid did isn't right BUT until u moron's wake up and get ur head's out of ur azzez the bully will ALWAYS win because they depend on peeps like u to allow them to continue to bully....STOP ENABLING THE BULLY BEHAVIOR AND MENTALITY.................SMFH!!!
The best revenge is living well. Someone famous said that but I forget who. Anyway I was bullied too, would have been worse but I withdrew into a shell that made me less fun as a victim. I just became a social outcast. It has scarred me but I've managed to forgive them for their weakness, and have focused on achieving some cherished goals. I look around now & realize that I 'won' for what its worth. Those who grow up without ever learning empathy & compassion are the losers, ultimately.
Doug I know EXACTLY how you feel. EXACTLY! Been there - and took care of the problem! To the rest of you who have not been on the receiving end of a bullies intentions you really need to STFU because you have no idea the hell you go through and in some cases all your life.
No one can put you through hell unless you allow them.
I got bullied right up till 11th grade, learned to fight by sparing with friends over the summer, 12th grade rolled around, and you guessed it some bully picked a fight with me... last time any one ever gave me any problems.. guess no one else wanted to look like him, go figure.
Learning to defend yourself is a good thing, as an adult I have yet to encounter some one who does anything remotely like this. In the real world Assault and Battery lands you in jail.
Lock up your flippin' guns!!
No use them on the bully, and keep on doing it until this stupid society realizes they need to cure the problem. At this point when you get your SS number you should be given a gun to protect yourself from bullies and criminals. Welcome to the old west cowboy.
Where is the parental responsibility here? Have the parents done anything to secure their weapons? Have they not noticed their teen was having problems?
Don't blame the parents....What makes you think their child demonstrated any signs of having problems. Bullying in my case was very carefully and silently concealed inside my own mind and thoughts. It was an embarrassment to my fragile 15 year old manhood.
In CA, the parents can be charged for allowing a minor to gain access to a weapon if it is used to harm someone else. I don't know about MD law, or if the police are looking at such charges.
Thank you California.
Doug dont blame the parents? did I read this wrong where it says his step father was just arrested for having illegal gun and drugs where this kid lived part time....lets start at home and throw these parents in jail with thier kids maybe if they spent less time doing their own stupidity they would have realized their kid posted his threat on facebook...heck my kids are in their late 20's and I still check to see what they are up to...parents need to step up already! people who own guns need to be held responsible for their "right to bare arms" and I am for banning all weapons until the so called stories of how a gun protected me in my own home out number the number of senseless killings caused by them.
Maryland is supposed to have a zero tolerance policy for bullying, but you see how well that works. This most certainly won't be the last time we read about a child trying to seek revenge on a bully.
Zero Tolerance my AZZ!!!! Word here in B'more is that this kid was bullied all last year and through the summer and that he was having food thrown at him right before the shooting happened....too bad the kid he shot wasn't the bully!!!
I have to state that it does cross my mind that maybe the actual bully set the special needs kid up?
The horrific shooting at an Aurora Theater Massacre , and now at the Sikh Temple Massacre have been a reminder that America's gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world and its rate of gun-related homicide is the highest. Of the world's 23 "rich" countries, the U.S. gun-related murder rate is almost 20 times that of the other 22. With almost one privately owned firearm per person, America's ownership rate is the highest in the world; tribal-conflict-torn Yemen is ranked second, with a rate about half of America's.
Japan is the developed world's least firearm-filled nation and perhaps its strictest controller .
In 2008, the U.S. had over 12,000 firearm-related homicides out of a population of 311 million people
Meanwhile in 2008 all of Japan (population 127 million people) had only 11, (fewer than were killed at the Aurora shooting alone.) And that was a big year: 2006 saw an astounding two, and when that number jumped to 22 in 2007, it became a national scandal. By comparison, also in 2008, 587 Americans were killed just by guns that had discharged accidentally.
Guns don't discharge accidentally, it's a failure of the operator of the weapon. Secondly, it's up to parents to control what their teens have access to in their own homes. Tragedy, yes, but were the parents doing their jobs at home?
Actually China and Russia have stricter gun controls than Japan. China's murder rate is quickly approaching the U.S. and in the former Soviet Union it is 10 times higher than here.
When are you people going to get a grip and realize that it is not guns but a deteriorating society based on the belief that there is no responsibility only rights.
We have sen this situation develop here and it continues to become worse. Thats pathetic excuse "bullied" ranks up there with the twinkie defense.
Was society like this in the fifties and early sixties? No.. Then what has changed? We have.
LOL yet if you look at the data for Japan you would find this:
Crimes are seldom committed with firearms, yet knives remain a problem that the government is looking into, especially after the Akihabara massacre.
Akihabara massacre was an incident of mass murder that took place on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the Akihabara shopping quarter for electronics, video games and comics in Sotokanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
At 12:33 p.m. JST, a man hit a crowd with a truck, eventually killing three people and injuring two; he then stabbed at least 12 people using a dagger (initially reported as a survival knife), killing four people and injuring eight.
it is also a fallacy that it is the guns that cause this. How about we look at our culture and values. We teach these kids they cannot ever lose. They all get trophies, everyone gets a reward, we are all special...and that crud. So when they see the real world, when they get bullied, when they get an F when they do not get center stage, they go berserk because they simply cannot handle it.
People would help their kids a lot if they taught them a bit about the real world and taught them coping skills. Maybe then their response to things would not so extreme.
Japan has less crime, less robberies, less littering, less individual freedom. It's a closed society, where the actions of people are highly controlled. If not by the govt., by each other. They even use a different manner of speech for speaking to superiors, vs those of an inferior rank. People are NOT considered eaqual, especially women.
It's very beautiful and the people are friendly. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
This country could reduce many crimes, by simply eliminating many of our freedoms. The primary one being a right to privacy. The govt. could monitor our activies, tap our phone and computer connections. Randomly inspect our homes, just to keep us honest.
The right to bear arms includes the responsibility to use arms in the proper (regulated) manner. Violate the proper use of using arms and pay the price. Most legal gun owners receive traing on the safe operation and storage of their gun. I seriously doubt the adult that owned this gun, is an NRA member.
The "lone wolf gunman", be it a teenager or terrorist is unstoppable.
I do believe the police should investigate where this teenager got the gun. If he took it from his home, the parent/s are partially responsible.
Ernie - your post is an example of ignorance. You obviously do not understand the ENORMOUS cultural differences between Japan and the US. Why would you not compare the US with other western nations? There are plenty in the EU, but if you did 10 minutes of research, you'd find that even in countries with much stricter gun laws, there is virtually no difference in the number of crimes like this. As a matter of fact, Germany, with MUCH stricter laws, has actually experienced more that we have over the last few decades.
I also like how you conveniently forgot to mention how crime was reduced when the handgun laws were eliminated in DC.
Libs need to understand that potential criminals are not afraid of "laws", they are afraid of their would-be victims or other bystanders being capable of retaliating or stopping them in the first place.
What good is a law when people will find ways to avoid them? Sort of like drug laws... they've worked so well to reduce drug use, haven't they?
Canada actually has more gun ownership per capita than the USA. The biggest difference here, is 90% of those guns are rifles and shotguns. We have strict controls over hand guns, and an outright ban on all heavy weaponry and automatic weapons.
But honestly, the biggest difference is in community culture. Canadian's don't assume their neighbours are all out to kill and rob them. Canadian Police don't approach a suspect with a "kill or be killed" mentality. There's a level of trust and ease with which we live our lives that allows us to not be afraid of home invasions to the point where we feel the need to protect ourselves with guns. Now that changes with individuals who have traumatic criminal experiences obviously, but the rest of us just go on living our lives.
You can call it naive, but we seem to get along with far fewer deaths. I think Chicago has had more gun deaths this week than Toronto will have all year. And Toronto is a bigger city.
And, may I add, also teach the kids who are not happy with their position in life, not to walk on others. The kids who cannot cope would fade into oblivion if it was not for the bullys. Still, both groups need help.
Proud American - What do you mean by China's murder rate? Is that strictly numbers or is the rate calculated with population in mind?
You obviously know nothing about bullying. It often involves assault, theft, physiological torture. No different than wife battering, often going on for years. A child reports this, and is considered weak, a momma's boy, and it often gets worst.
So smart boy, exactly in what way is this like a twinkie defense? My guess is that you did the bullying, in school, so of course it is nothing.
Bullying has been going on forever. Why has the response to it changed? Why do kids now think they should kill those who make them unhappy?
Bullying has been going on forever, thats true... But today, kids with fragile minds have EASY access to guns... Bullying is NOT JUST making someone unhappy.... It is often, severe emotional and physicial abuse of an immature and defenseless CHILD that our society calls an ADULT.....
Bullying is much more common nowadays than it was in the past. One thing that has changed is that many parents now encourage it.
I don't think parents encourage it directly, but parents today don't discipline their kids. When I was growing up, I knew that if I bullied some kid just because I could, the kids parents would call my parents, and Dad would turn my ass red at the very least. Today, if there is a father, the bully gets a "time out", because if Dad even thinks about giving the bully what he deserves, Dad gets thrown in jail when the bully goes crying to the school or police.
Kids had easy access to guns in the past. As recently as the 90's if somebody walked into the school with a rifle my first thought would have been "it's for a hunter safety course". My dad told stories of kids bringing guns to school so that they could go hunting immediately afterwards, or buying a shotgun from a buddy in the school parking lot because the guy needed money for a date that weekend. I'd argue that they had EASIER access to guns back then. And bullying has been around forever. So with guns and bullying being the constants, I look to a change in society as the reason for the surge of shootings.
he was probably not bullied. Just getting his azz beat everyday for messing with white girls who didn't like his advances.
Go peddle your racist crap elsewhere.
gd...going on your wording I am thinking you believe the alleged perp was not white...which is wrong. I'll eave it at that.
Most of the bullying that leads to events like this, occur out of the view of any teachers. The parents need to teach their kids to either stand up for themselves without violence or report it to a teacher, counselor or administrator. Bullying has not changed in the last 50 years. Why are the responses to it all of a sudden changing? Lack of parenting, with both parents having to work? Forcing the child to learn on their own without any outside help? Leading them to never reach out for help? Their are just so many factors that can lead to these events. Yes bullying is one of the focuses right now. But, in the end it is all up to the final choice that the shooter made to fight back. We don't need to change laws, but inform the students of who to go to should bullying happen. Also, get parents involved and get them off their high horses of my child would never bully someone. The parents at times are even worse bullies from negative attitudes at home or even worse lack of interest in their child, as they expect the schools to be a day care and raise their kids for them.
Or he is a murdering sociopath, whichever.
this girl is definitely in the wrong school she should be zoned for chicago school system
The article indicates the father says the alleged perp was bullied, however, the alleged perp didn't target the people bullying him but just open fired in a cafeteria, as far as I am reading here. Oops...belay the last......furher articel from WBALTV indicates the alleged perp was assembling the shotgun when it went off so don't know if he would have actually been targeting someone.
Sure bullying can lead to emotional or mental issues if it goes on long enough. Speculation here: son told father he had been bullied after he was arrested as I can't imagine a kid being bullied didn't say something to his parents, either one, at some point in time, even in a passing comment.
Have to wait this one out as well until more info comes to the forefront.
Update. The special needs student is in Critical and as of now his situation is touch and go. The shooter shot him in the back. Keep the victim in your prayers and thoughts.
I know the Perry Hall area well and have relatives there too.
It was just on Baltimore news that the step father has been arrested on gun charges and the father also has quite a few guns as well. As always the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Bullying? No excuse...everyone has an excuse these days...how about personal responsibility!!!
Bullying is wrong, but being bullied will *never* excuse committing murder.
Nothing to see here, move along.
I was a pretty sick little kid until I was about 6 and at the time pretty scrawny. I go bullied up until half way through Jr. High. Then the wrestling coach, Mr. Kerr, took me aside and asked if I was tired of it, well yeah. From the middle of 8th grade, with his help, to the end of 9th grade I had gone from 5'3 110 pounds to 5'7 145 pounds all muscle. As a sophomore I won the state title in wresting and as a junior I gained the first string RB position on our varsity football team. Since HS I did 27 years in the Army(16 years enlisted(CSM), 11 years Commission(O4), I have 3 college degrees, and have not been bullied since I was 14 years old. I am 56 years old and at 5'8 and 170lbs, MOSTLY muscle, I fear no one. It was not social reform that changed my life...it was one man that told me, "If you want your life to change I will help". That is how it HAS to be done. Step up MEN and save our young men, one on one...or they are lost.
great post we need to spread this message !!!!!
The news station went to the house where Gladden lives with his mother on Monday afternoon; a sign on the door read "We don't call 911," and had a picture of a revolver on it, reporters said.
And that statement on the Mothers door tells you everything you need to know about how this kid was raised.
And the nutjobs that think Guns are the answer to everyone's problems should be praising this kid for taking his to school and handling bullies with it.
i have a sign by my front door that says "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be Violated."...so what?
its dark humor with a serious warning not to break in to my house. nothing more, nothing less.
a sign means nothing about how he was raised.
people tend to forgive bullies way too easily these days, though.
people love to say things like "oh its a tragedy. pray for the victims."
what about doing something BEFORE the shootings happen..hmm? so the one that was bullied can stop being victimized too..hmm? so they can feel safe..hmm?
if it was a case of unending bullying then i truly feel for that kid, and the position he was forced in to, feeling like shooting someone was his only answer. if he shot the right person then i honestly dont feel a thing for the "victim". if he shot the wrong person then its a bad thing for everyone.
schools and parents arent teaching their kids there are reprecussions for their actions anymore. "busy working parents" are leaving their children to be raised by the internet and the television, then want to blame everything and everyone else when stuff like this happens.
i feel more for the ones that did the shooting than i do their victims. the shooter was a victim first. and probably for a long long time.
this is something parents need to be teaching their children:
for every action there is an equal, opposite -- and sometimes violent -- reaction.
What changed in the last fifty years???....................everything............and this is what remains the same.
For anyone who has kids, kids need attention. If they can't get positive attention from their parents, they will do something that will get them negative attention from anybody, because negative attention is better than nothing at all. With nothing.....you don't matter.......or even exist in your head. You feel like your worthless.
Also, with the advent of acceptable violence in their daily lives(music, videos, television, movies, etc.,), that exposure HAS an effect on kids. And killing is becoming more commonplace in society(And it will get worse). A society CANNOT expose kids to this type of environment, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, WITHOUT it affecting them. To think that is ignorant.
Fifty years ago our parents raised us to understand the good in helping each other. The compassion and kindness that was felt, and displayed toward your neighbor. Today, kids are being taught by their parents that everything is ABOUT THEM. It's about me, me, and me.
Thirdly, when you take GOD out of everything in life, kids learn that there is NO ONE to answer to when the time comes. You teach them that there is no hope. So what do you expect?
Fifty years ago, fewer kids had access to high-powered weapons but not that much has changed since then. 500 years ago, kids that age were not only given high-powered weapons (by the standards of their time), but they'd probably be expected to use 'em on the battlefield. Times change, but not really that much over 50 years.
Fifty years ago not only parents but the neighbors paid attention to what kids were doing. In my city neighborhood there were always a couple of pair of eyes watching us grow up, you could not go anywhere with out your parents being told of your activities. Now a days, everyone is only concerned with their own life and neighbors are afraid to say anything since they will probably get a"mind your own business". My mother's favorite saying "what will the neighbors think" it kept us in line.
Fifty years ago there was segregation in the south.
Fifty years ago child sex abuse cases were often ignored.
Fifty years ago the number of alcoholics in America was at its highest.
This list can go on and on, so quit acting like it was so much better back then.
@CaliforniaFirst....
???
50 years ago a kid could buy a high powered rifle intended to kill bear or deer and nobody would bat an eye. Where's this myth come from that guns were harder to come by and were somehow less powerful "in the old days"??? A lot of guns used for hunting are far more powerful than handguns, "assault" rifles or home defense shotguns. A lot of young kids had easy access to these high powered guns and used them on a regular basis. Yet shootings didn't occur at the rate they do today.