So I just survived a school shooting...

[FaceFaceFace]

I go to the University of Texas, where a student shot himself with an AK47 this morning. Not really that hard to survive, but there was obviously a huge commotion, I was in lock down in a lecture hall for three hours, and it was overall one of the weirdest days of my life, and I'm still a little frazzled. All I can think to do is my laundry. So I want to know, Escapist, have you ever experienced anything like this? What do you think possesses people to shoot places up or shoot themselves in public? Are you worried that this will get blamed on video games? There's just so much to talk about when this stuff happens I don't even know a good question to ask.

Edit: Extra clarification: No one knows why he did it or how he got a frickin AK47. I don't know how he even angled it to shoot himself anyway. Also, apparently he was running around smiling at people and yelling "woohoo!" So yeah...

Edit 2: Most important and probably should've been clearer in the initial post, he shot no one but himself.

 

[Julianking93]

Huh. That's interesting. Well, that'll make for quite the story to tell.

As for me....no not really though I remember the police caught a kid with a gun in his backpack one day.

And there actually was a school shooting the day after I left for good. Strange how that played out....

 

[Woodsey]

If this is blamed on video games and not the availability of firearms (amongst other things) I will be both unsurprised and hugely pissed off.

Anyway, that must have been shit a day.

 

[Nerf Ninja]

I've been evacuated from my place of work several times because of bomb threats (they found one once apparently) I'm so removed from the actual important part of it though that to me it's just a nuisance time waster.

 

[HT_Black]

Damn. Worst thing that ever happened at my school was a three-alarm fire. I can't say that's ever happened around me, but I do deal with plenty of death; decapitations, mutilations, disembowelment-- you get the idea.

Regardless, here's hoping the grief counselor doesn't bore you to tears. Or, if you genuinely need it, here's hoping (s)he's god at their job.

 

[unclediddles]

That sure is a way to wake you up in the morning. Hopefully people are alright. Chances are people will find something to blame it on, be it videogames, movies; music or mental health.

 

[hittite]

I once sat in the sun for 4 hours because of a fake bomb threat written on the back of a chair. Otherwise, not really.

 

[Broken Orange]

I was hearing about it this morning on the radio. Thank goodness that this wasn't another UT Tower incident (Google if you don't know it)

 

[Duskwaith]

From Belfast, kind of desensitised to hearing about shootings and awful things like that.

The public will blame everything and everyone but themselves, C'est la vie at the moment. Society is the breeder of its own nightmares

My regrets to his familly.

I hope something positive can come out of the event like more people coming foward to councilling. Any reason why he did it?

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

If this is blamed on video games and not the availability of firearms (amongst other things) I will be both unsurprised and hugely pissed off.

Anyway, that must have been shit a day.

I think it can only be blamed on the availability of firearms because, not to sound insensitive, who shoots themselves with an AK47?!

But yes, that is a pretty weird and somewhat shitty day. The only comparable thing I have is when a girl in my school got stabbed in the eye with a pair of scissors. We had news people around for a couple of days then... nothing.

 

[FirmartheTrilby]

AK47? OH SON OF A *****! I want to fire from this baby too! Also... Why would you kill yourself after you get your hands on such amazing weapon? D:

 

[niege]

I go to the University of Texas, where a student shot himself with an AK47 this morning. Not really that hard to survive, but there was obviously a huge commotion, I was in lock down in a lecture hall for three hours, and it was overall one of the weirdest days of my life, and I'm still a little frazzled. All I can think to do is my laundry. So I want to know, Escapist, have you ever experienced anything like this? What do you think possesses people to shoot places up or shoot themselves in public? Are you worried that this will get blamed on video games? There's just so much to talk about when this stuff happens I don't even know a good question to ask.

probably this will get blown up in media then they will blame it on his music style and video games not the fact that he may have been a social outcast or some kind off mental illness.

 

[mParadox]

hmmmm....once my school received a bomb threat. Considering the circumstances at that moment it was a matter of time it happened anyway. Turns out there was a grenade in the library. :\

 

[deth2munkies]

I read about it, evidently there was a talk called "More Guns, Less Violence" scheduled for that night, and they've been searching for a second shooter.

Nobody was killed, so it was probably just a suicide going out with a bang (and maybe a statement) but it really must have scared the shit out of anyone in the library. I have a couple friends at UT that I called up and I'm glad everyone's OK.

 

[Internet Kraken]

People usually blame violent media, firearms, bad parenting, and many other things for school shootings and public suicide. While all of these have the potential to be a contributor (key word there is potential), I think one the biggest causes in the amount of attention these events get. Public suicide and school shootings have the potential to grab the attention of an entire town. I think that when these people see the amount of attention these events get, they decide to emulate them. That way they go down in infamy rather than fading into obscurity.

Honestly, it's something that really bothers me. In these situations, people often ask "why did this happen" and "what caused this". Yet they never consider that perhaps it is because we give so much attention to these incidents that people decide to emulate them.

 

[Daveman]

Well as tempted as I am to make some jokes it'd probably be in bad taste (plus firefox just crashed so I'd have to rewrite them all) so the nearest thing I've experienced was last year at uni a guy got so wasted he crawled out of a second floor window and fell to his death.

 

[Varrdy]

Blimey! Even as a peripheral figure at best in this whole incident, I can imagine it's shaken you up somewhat! Stuff like this generally gets filed under "happens to someone else" by most people (me included) and so when you get involved, or just close to it, I can imagine it's rather a mind-fuck.

Having read the news report, it seems he slapped off a number of rounds but the only one that hit anyone was the one he killed himself with. Lucky escape, man!

While I can't say I've been in anything like this, talking about it helps and, while I am no shrink, I would imagine doing your laundry is a subconcious attempt to "touch base" or get your head back on straight by doing something that is normal or routine and therefore comforting*.

I've read a bit about various school-shootings and they don't seem to make much sense to me. I suppose the perps are going for shock and awe. One can only imagine what goes through their minds when they go off on one.

Still I suppose it's a good thing he didn't take anyone with him.

Wardy

*Plus, if I were in your shoes, it would also be because I'd wet my kecks

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

He got an AK47 from where exactly? I didn't think they sold them in vending machines on campus.