Shooting at US uni

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:53 pm

Gunman opens fire at US college

A gunman has opened fire on students at a university near Chicago in the United States, wounding at least 15 people.
The shooting took place at Northern Illinois University, in De Kalb, 65 miles (100 km) west of Chicago.

Students told local radio stations they had seen a white male with a pistol and a shotgun. Several people have been taken to hospital with head wounds.

The campus website that gave warnings to students when the alert started says the gunman is "no longer a threat".

Kishwaukee Community Hospital said on its website up to 15 victims were arriving for treatment, including three to four with head wounds.

The shooting took place in Cole Hall near the King Commons, a central gathering place for the 25,000 students on campus.

Online alert

The university's website first issued alerts, warning of the possibility of a gunman on campus.

"Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear," it warned students.

The site then carried updates confirming the shooting and telling students to stay away or stay in doors.

The latest posting says: "Campus police report that the scene is secure. Only essential personnel should remain on campus."

Emergency hotlines and counselling are being offered for students and parents.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:11 pm

Jesus, not another one.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:13 am

This is getting to be far too frequent of an occurrence for my tastes.

Reliant121 · Post by **Reliant121** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:16 am

I heard about it this morning....is it me, or have alot happened in Illinous? (Sorry for bad spelling) I seem to remember previous occasions in Illinous. Or is it a figment of my imagination

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:16 am

Latest from the Beeb

Five people dead, plus the gunman, another 16 injured. It's also apparently the fourth attack at a school or uni this week.

Reliant121 · Post by **Reliant121** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:20 am

4th this week? OMG....

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:32 pm

Okay, I wasn't going to say it originaly, but after hearing it's the fourth shooting this week, I'm going to just come out and say what the hell is wrong with that country?!?

RK_Striker_JK_5 · Post by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:44 pm

Yeah... I agree with Rochey, although I'll amend it to be what the hell is wrong with my country? Four in a week? Ominous, there...

sunnyside · Post by **sunnyside** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:50 pm

Reliant121 wrote:4th this week? OMG....

They're counting. Highschools and middleshools in that number. In poor inner city areas those get shot up regularly.

The trick is usually the inner city shootings have to do with drugs. And after them politicians not willing to deal with real problems start hooting about gun controls.

They're drug dealers getting steady shipments in from Mexico and South America! And carrying a handgun without a permit is already a felony! I'm so sure they'll just turn over their guns and not be able to get any more from their drug supplies in countries where the firearms are still legal!

Actually on that note I'm starting to hear about guys who, despite the bans, are starting to carry guns with them to university in case something like this happens on their watch. They could do serious time for that, but they figure they won't give anyone a reason to search them and being dead is worse.

(For those of you in Britain it's currently illegal to have guns in pretty much any form on a University, so gunmen know it's just them and the prey. People who try the same thing in malls and such tend to get put down before racking up impressive kill counts and then it usually doesn't make the news.)

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:23 pm

Here we go again...

sunnyside wrote:They're counting. Highschools and middleshools in that number. In poor inner city areas those get shot up regularly.

The fact that US schools get shot up on a regular basis does not mean that such occurrences are normal for a civilised country.

The trick is usually the inner city shootings have to do with drugs. And after them politicians not willing to deal with real problems start hooting about gun controls.

True - the widespread possession of firearms is not the root cause of the problem. That does not mean that it's a good idea. Lots of druggies with knives will still lead to serious problems, but fewer than lots of druggies with guns.

They're drug dealers getting steady shipments in from Mexico and South America! And carrying a handgun without a permit is already a felony! I'm so sure they'll just turn over their guns and not be able to get any more from their drug supplies in countries where the firearms are still legal!

True - they'll still be able to obtain guns from somewhere. Having to smuggle in weapons and ammunition from abroad would, however, be more difficult than popping down to the corner shop to get one.

Actually on that note I'm starting to hear about guys who, despite the bans, are starting to carry guns with them to university in case something like this happens on their watch. They could do serious time for that, but they figure they won't give anyone a reason to search them and being dead is worse.

And this is a good thing? The more people are armed, the greater the chance is that someone will escalate an argument that would otherwise have ended in a brawl into a firefight, regardless of their original intention for carrying a weapon.

(For those of you in Britain it's currently illegal to have guns in pretty much any form on a University, so gunmen know it's just them and the prey. People who try the same thing in malls and such tend to get put down before racking up impressive kill counts and then it usually doesn't make the news.)

1) The fact that's it's illegal on campus is undermined by the fact that it's legal off-campus. Since universities ar generally not places with strictly controlled access (ie fences with guarded entrances), it's easy for people to enter and leave them without having to pass security. Result - as you mentioned above, anyone can carry a firearm onto campus.

2) Vigilantism is a bad thing - when people start considering their own weapons to be the first line of defence it undermines the rule of law, since it breeds a mentality of "shooting people is bad - except when I'm the one doing the shooting"

Reliant121 · Post by **Reliant121** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:41 pm

well i've never heard of gunman rampaging in modern British schools...Why would it happen in primeraly America and not anywhere else? Drug problems...more people in general?

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:07 pm

They're counting. Highschools and middleshools in that number.

Uh....so? That's still pretty damn shocking.

In poor inner city areas those get shot up regularly.

The hell?

Jesus, I'm glad I don't teach over in the US.

Reliant; I've heard of one or two incidents over in Britain, but nowhere near as bad or as regular as this. Hell, I can't even remember if we had such an incident over here.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:16 pm

Reliant121 wrote:well i've never heard of gunman rampaging in modern British schools...

The most recent was 12 years ago at Dunblane - which directly led to the handgun ban.

Why would it happen in primeraly America and not anywhere else? Drug problems...more people in general?

I can't comment about the propensity for school/university attacks, but the ease of obtaining firearms in the US plays a big role.

In 2006, in the US there were 10,177 firearms murders in the US, comprising 68% of all murders (FBI). In the UK in 2005/06 there were 46, comprising 6% of murders (Home Office).

Conclusion: while the UK's firearms legislation does not prevent firearms-related murders they do make it a damn sight more difficult for people to obtain firearms, and the fgures quoted above do, I believe, speak for themselves.

Reliant121 · Post by **Reliant121** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:24 pm

depending on when 12 years ago...i'd be about...um days/months old. Or in Italy.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:27 pm

13 March 1996