POST 15: School shootings in the USA

A school shooting is a form of mass shooting involving a gun attack on an educational institution, such as a school or university.

The Event

                Mementos left on Rachel's grave at

Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

The tennis courts have been covered by mourners with flowers
and mementos.

The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County in the American state of Colorado. In addition to the shootings, the complex and highly planned attack involved a fire bomb to divert firefighters, propane tanks converted to bombs placed in the cafeteria, 99 explosive devices, and carbombs. The perpetrators, senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. They injured 21 additional people, and three more were injured while attempting to escape the school. 

I've read the stories of all the victims and what impresses me is the fact that William Sanders, the only teacher that was killed managed to save the life of more than 100 students.

The Shooters

Dylan Klebold

Eric Harris

What I found incredible is the fact that the shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were two senior students of the American high school only two weeks away from graduation. According to what they said in the hate-filled journals and videos they left behind, they wanted to take revenge on the people they accused of picking on and snubbing them. They wrote a journal and planed the attack. Moreover, what I found astonishing is also the fact that these students had all this ire inside.
As we can see in the other web, students say revenge is clearly the major reason for school shootings. But another reasons could be that they werevictims of physical abuse at home or because  they had mental problems. Personally I think it is because they did not have a good education or maybe because their parents had not paid them the necessary attention .

Films and Series
The tragic events that occurred at Columbine High School were profound and have inspired many movies and series all over the world to express the strong feelings they have about the matter in writing and film. 
Just having a look on the sinopsis of the movies, I found these ones the most interesting and the ones that show better what happened at the Columbine High School.

Zero Day is a 2003 American film directed by Ben Coccio about a school shooting.

The film begins with the introduction of Andre Kriegman (based on primarily on Eric Harris) and Calvin Gabriel (based primarily on Dylan Klebold) announcing their intention to attack their high school, calling their plan "Zero Day". They keep a video diary on the camera, carefully hiding it from their friends and families. The majority of the film is portrayed through their video filming, and shows them planning, preparing, and explaining some of their motives. The final scene of the movie show the boys arriving at school on May 1 and preparing their plan and weapons in Andre's car. 

Even if I have not seen this film I think it certainly sticks to reality. The characters seem to be like the real boys that attempted in April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School. Besides, the fact that they have a video diary in wich they tell their intentions is also a detail related to the real events.

Bowling for Columbine 

This movie is a 2002 American documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Moore suggests are the main causes for the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, and other acts of violence with guns. Moore focuses on the background and environment in which the massacre took place and some common public opinions and assumptions about related issues. The film also looks into the nature of violence in the United States.

I have chosen this film for several reasons. First of all I chose it because I have seen another Michael Moore's movies and I think that he did a very critical job specially with American society. Moreover, I have chosen this film because I found interesting the tittle. I think here Moore titled the film like this because the shooters from Columbine easily got their hands on guns, and he uses that story as a basis for the movie. Finally I will say that I think Moore is a very brave filmaker because he managed to talk about a controversial issue such as the carrying of weapons in USA.

These are the reasons most commonly mentioned for the recurrence of school shootings in the USA.

1	They want to get back at those who have hurt them.
2	Other kids pick on them, make fun or them, or bully them.
3	They don't value life.
4	They have been victims of physical abuse at home.
5	They have mental problems.
6	It is easy for them to get a gun.
7	They do not get along with their parents.
8	They have witnessed physical abuse at home.
9	They drink alcohol or use drugs.
10	They do not have any good friends.
11	They see violence on TV, in movies, in videos, and in computer and video games.
12	Violence is a way of life in their neighborhood.
13	Other kids encouraged them to do it.
14	Their teachers don't care about them.
15	They are afraid of their own safety.
16	They are bored.

About this list I wanted to point out that in my opinion the main reason of this kind of terrible event is the fact that youngest are able to have a gun easily. Further, I will say that another main issue is the fact of education. I think that most of the times young people feel misunderstood and parents have to take on to their children's friendships or sometimes they have to spend more and better time with them.

Personal Opinion
I'd like to point out that I don't like how the web is designed. I think that they mix the terrible events of the Columbine High School massacre with things like films about school shooting. Also I don't know if it's useful to show all the videos and the diaries of the shooters. I think that the website plays with morbid fascination about something that is really sad, and if I belonged to the victims family I would not like to see all this kind of things about that awful event.

Other photos....

Police investigate the multi-media room just off the library, where several staff members hid.

Inside the cafeteria. The tented yellow cards on the tables are police evidence markers. 

A photo of Jessica Holliday along with other students of Columbine High
fleeing the school was turned into a cover for Newsweek later that same month.

Teens escape down Pierce Ave