What Could Have Been Done

Many people believe that there is only one way to hinder the effect of school shooters.  Whether that is through stricter gun control laws or a nationwide method to monitor those whom are likely to tick, I believe it is best to examine previous school shootings and look back on what could have been done to prevent these catastrophes from occurring.

Remember the curious cases of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of Columbine High School?  While I may have mentioned how Klebold was depressed and Harris was a borderline psychopath, there were many factors for the two that needed to be treated.  Harris and Klebold had gotten in trouble with the law before the Columbine shooting.  While their crimes committed wasn’t as appalling as their future shooting, no doctors or psychologists would know the full extent of the boys’ problems.  There were other factors that if treated, would probably change the boys’ decision of going on a shooting rampage in their school.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that the two were social outcasts in high school who felt that they wanted to be recognized and get even with those who avoided them.  While I may not be a psychologist, I believe keeping pent-up feelings of rage inside without telling someone about them is unhealthy for anyone.  Just expressing your feelings to a guidance counselor, a parent, or some adult you trust can help you feel like a lot of weight has been lifted from your shoulders.  I did not mention in my previous blog that it was also discovered that Harris and Klebold played many violent video games.  I did not mention this before because I personally do not believe this was one of the main causes so that the two boys could fulfill violent fantasies, but the video games surely did not help.  While video games may be a way to relieve some tension or frustration in our lives, Harris mentioned some of those games in journals on several occasions.  This showed that Harris must have thought about them a lot, so perhaps his parents should have kept an eye on him and maybe placed restrictions on the amount of time Harris could play those games.

In the case of Michael Hamilton, the attempted NVCC Woodbridge shooter, one of the methods for helping Harris and Klebold could’ve probably helped Hamilton.  Since Hamilton felt the desire to shoot his teacher because of pent-up rage over a bad grade, I believe talking to a guidance counselor, a parent, or an adult he trusted could have probably help release some of those emotions.  A different idea that could have helped Hamilton would probably be to visit the tutoring center.  That way, he could understand the material and learn what mistakes he made.  Then, he could know the material when he would take the class again and earn a passing grade.

The Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, is a very interesting person.  With Lanza’s illness that affected him whenever he was around bright lights, loud sounds, or certain textures, his parents should have known that this condition would affect his life and have Adam visit the doctor on several occasions so the disorder could be treated.  I also mentioned that due to this disorder, Lanza had a difficult time socializing with others.  While I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to live with a condition similar to that of Lanza’s, I believe Lanza’s parents should have tried to have him socialize so that he would not shut himself away from the world.  That way, he might have had an interest in something other than locking himself in his room looking at websites about mass murderers and believing that society was manipulating him.  Perhaps Lanza’s parents did what they could to try to help him, but to me, it seems like there was more they could have done.

While these suggestions may not be 100 percent what police officials, psychologists, teachers, etc. recommend, this is what I believe could help these males from ruining their lives.  Stay safe everyone and I shall see you next week.