1 student shot at high school in Taft, Calif.

[jimnyc]

Copycats in action, and just more ammo for the less informed who want to punish law abiding people for the actions of these deranged people.

Serious question though, which is asked thousands of times and rarely answered: If people are killed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times yearly with knives, and probably 10x that amount with assaults and such, why is there no outcry to ban knives? Because guns are scarier? Isn't dead just that, dead? Take away gangbangers and such who kill one another. Now add up the deaths of people from guns, compare it to those with knives. Why aren't they calling for a ban on them?


TAFT, Calif. (AP) — A student was shot and wounded at a rural San Joaquin Valley high school Thursday and another student was taken into custody, officials said.

The shooting occurred about 9 a.m. at Taft Union High School, a community of fewer than 10,000 people amidst oil and natural gas production fields about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The student who was shot was flown to a hospital in Bakersfield, said Ray Pruitt, spokesman for the Kern County Sheriff's Department. There was no immediate word on the victim's condition.

Pruitt said the suspect is a student, and a shotgun was used in the attack.

Kern County Fire Department Eric Coughran told KBAK-TV that another person suffered some type of injuries in the incident but refused medical attention.

KERO-TV Bakersfield reported that the station received phone calls from people inside the school who hid in closets.

http://news.yahoo.com/1-student-shot-high-school-taft-calif-182626650.html

[Marcus Aurelius]

http://www.top10stop.com/lifestyle/top-10-most-common-murder-weapons


2. Knives and cutting instruments: Cold arms usually in the form of sharp objects – mostly knives – have caused the death of 1897 people in 2008. There’s no way to regulate or stop people from obtaining sharp object and it is unfortunate that they are used in murders.
1. Firearms on top of the most common murder weapons: It is reported that annually nearly 10,000 people in the US lose their lives involving murder cases using firearms. However, this does not necessarily mean possessing guns are actually bad; as stated in the opening paragraph, many lives are actually saved by those have them and use them for protection. It is historically proven that the more right to arms are taken away from the regular citizenry the more crime brews thereafter and more innocent lives are lost. Not only that, total freedom means freedom to protect one’s self without total reliance on government; the founding fathers understood this. Moreover, the states with the most strict gun control laws like Illinois and New York have the worst gun crimes simply because criminals can easily do what they want, whereas states like Texas with the least gun control have some of the lowest gun crimes since individuals can protect themselves against criminals.

[jimnyc]

^ yeppers. in 2011, according to FBI stats, about 1,700 people are killed by knives.

Now take the total of gun murders per year. Remove the incidents that involve gang bangers and such. You'll find that the percentage of knife murders isn't a HUGE difference that most would think. There were about 11,000 murders in all last year, meaning knife murders make up what, 10% or so?

Are people looking to minimize murders, or guns? And if murders, why are there not congressional calls to take a weapon off the streets that "cause" such a huge percentage of murders?

[MtnBiker]

Serious question though, which is asked thousands of times and rarely answered: If people are killed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times yearly with knives, and probably 10x that amount with assaults and such, why is there no outcry to ban knives? Because guns are scarier? Isn't dead just that, dead? Take away gangbangers and such who kill one another. Now add up the deaths of people from guns, compare it to those with knives. Why aren't they calling for a ban on them?



Gun control isn't about guns. Gun control is government control.

[jimnyc]

I think I read/heard that about 48% of gun deaths in the US are gang related. That is criminal on criminal gun murder. I'm not saying they don't count, but lets eliminate the criminals using the guns for a moment. That leaves about 5k or so? Compared to about 1.7k for knives? Sure it's a large difference, but 1.7k compared to 5k - sounds to me like the dreaded knife is responsible for a very large chunk of murder as well. Is it the nutsos using knives to blame - or is it the knife and the knive manufacturers?

[Robert A Whit]

soapbox on

Look, it is tragic when people get shot to death. Even if they are feisty bastards like me, they do not earn a one way ticket to heaven / hell. (I don't actually believe in hell)

But the idea you can chain entirely innocent people over the acts of a few sucks and is not legal.

When one climbs mountains, they use tools. Like (forgive this less than perfect example) crampons (isn't that a tool of climbing?) The ropes. Those things they drive into cracks.

We don't solve the deaths of mountain climbers by preventing their free access to the tools they use to climb mountains.

/soapbox off

[aboutime]

Of course, all of the latest shootings are terrible.

BUT....Has anyone notices how SILENT, and UNCARING the politicians have been about RAHM-VILL, ILL.?

I mean Chicago. Isn't it odd. The same Politicians. Democrat Politicians SAID NOTHING about Chicago's Wonderful 500 Murders last year?

That's Obama's Home Town, and the same place where the Mayor...who loved Obama. Told the Obama administration to "NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE".

So. To the people of Chicago, or any other DEMOCRAT RUN CITY in America. YOU are nothing but BUMPS in the road.

[gabosaurus]

Because of an irresponsible media report today, this news totally freaked out one of my co-workers today.
Her granddaughter attends another Taft High School, which is located in Woodlands Hills, which is west of Los Angeles. Someone had made the wrong association.

[logroller]

Victim is critical but stable. Motive appears to be personal vendetta, not mass murder.

[gabosaurus]

Situation was quickly defused through mediation by well trained personnel, not through more violence.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1055276200/Taft-High-site-of-shooting-Thursday

Most counselors and administrators in California secondary schools are trained in this. Don't know about other states.
I did it for real once.

[Missileman]

Situation was quickly defused through mediation by well trained personnel, not through more violence.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1055276200/Taft-High-site-of-shooting-Thursday

Most counselors and administrators in California secondary schools are trained in this. Don't know about other states.
I did it for real once.

Mediation wouldn't have worked if this guy was on a murder/suicide run. To suggest violence(AKA deadly force) is NEVER the proper response is naive.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Kid used a shotgun, my how convenient. Now add that to the ever growing list of "assault weapons"!!
Soooooooooooooooon they will be down to bb guns.. :laugh:--Tyr

[Missileman]

Kid used a shotgun, my how convenient. Now add that to the ever growing list of "assault weapons"!!
Soooooooooooooooon they will be down to bb guns.. :laugh:--Tyr

You'll shoot your eye out dammit...OUTLAWED in the name of visual acuity! :laugh2:

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

You'll shoot your eye out dammit...OUTLAWED in the name of visual acuity! :laugh2:


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/quotes

[Ralphie is visiting Santa at the department store, only he can't remember what he wanted]
Santa Claus (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318832/): How about a nice football?
Ralphie as Adult (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791789/): [narrating] Football? Football? What's a football? With unconscious will my voice squeaked out 'football'.
Santa Claus (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318832/): Okay, get him out of here.
Ralphie as Adult (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791789/): [narrating] A football? Oh no, what was I doing? Wake up, Stupid! Wake up!
Ralphie (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082526/): [Ralphie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up] No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!
Santa Claus (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318832/): You'll shoot your eye out, kid.
Share this quote (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/quotes?qt0348886)

Ralphie as Adult (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791789/): [narrating, after BB gun shot bounces off target and hits his face] Oh my god, I shot my eye out!
Share this quote (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/quotes?qt0348887)

Boy in School (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908888/): [Firemen come to pull Flick off pole] Holy cow, it's the fire department!
Ralphie (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082526/): Oh no...
Boy in School (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908888/): [policemen come] Wow, it's the cops!
Share this quote (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/quotes?qt0348888)

Ralphie (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082526/): I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!
Mrs. Parker (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227039/): No, you'll shoot your eye out.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Damn , that was and is a great show!!--Tyr