Gun Jams, Saves The Day In Missouri

Allowing Cops To Arrest 13-Year-Old Who Allegedly Stormed School With Weapon And A Plan

(AP)  Police say a 13-year-old boy fascinated by the Columbine bloodbath and wearing a black trenchcoat and mask carried an assault rifle into his school Monday, pointed it at students and fired a shot into a ceiling before the weapon jammed. No one was hurt.

"Please don't make me do this," he was quoted as telling administrators before police arrested him and thwarted what they called a "well thought-out plan" to terrorize his school.

Police said a note in the student's backpack indicated he had planted an explosive in the school, but no bombs were found.

Lt. Geoff Jones said the boy's motives were unclear. School officials said the student had no major disciplinary problems.

Authorities say the seventh-grader, whose name was not immediately released, pointed the gun at two students inside Joplin Memorial Middle School but was confronted by an administrator who tried to talk him into putting the gun down.

Police say he refused and fired a shot into the ceiling of an entryway. Lt. Jones says the seventh-grader tried to continue firing but the rifle jammed. Jones said he did not know whether the boy was aiming at anyone.

Authorities say the student left, and officers arrested him behind a nearby building. Police described his weapon as a Mac-90, a replica of an AK-47 assault rifle.

Superintendent Jim Simpson said police told him the boy had a fascination with the Columbine High shooting that left 15 people dead near Littleton, Colo., in 1999.

The student was wearing a black trench coat — like the student gunmen at Columbine — and had a T-shirt over his head with eye holes cut out, Officer Curt Farmer said.

Farmer said that along with note indicating an explosive was placed in the school, the boy's backpack held military manuals, instructions on assembling an improvised explosive device and detailed drawings of the school.

"This was quite well thought-out," Farmer said. "He had been planning this for a long time."

Jones said the gun belonged to the boy's parents. Farmer said it is not uncommon for people in the area to own assault weapons.

The shooting happened about 10 minutes before school started.

"A lot of the kids were scared," said eighth-grader Deron Moore. "After they said on the intercom that there was someone with a gun, I kind of went into shock."

Joplin, which has about 41,000 residents, is on the Kansas state line about 140 miles south of Kansas City, Mo.

Schools across the country have been on alert since three deadly school shootings in three states in a week. In Pennsylvania, church bells tolled Monday morning in remembrance of the five young Amish girls killed at their one-room schoolhouse one week earlier.

[phil-in-fin]

To mikeseport:

You are seriously out of step with your arguments.

"pencils cause misspelled words and spoons cause obesity."

Are you telling me that using GUNS to murder others is a trivial issue like these ones?


"move to England or Australia (where crime has RISEN since banning firearms)"

Crime MIGHT have risen, but what I am taking about here is murder committed by GUNS, not break-and-enterings. Or are tyou telling me that they are one and the same?


And to Optimas2:

Reality check.

Innocent people are dying.

The "Second Amendment and the innumerable state constitutions" can be changed.

You are living in a glass house: WHEN someone has the guts to change the laws at the national level, meaning when enough innocent people die, will you honestly cry over your lost rifles?

Or will you too start shooting innocent people to protect your guns?

Now, answer these questions ...

[wendyhoo-2009]

Well said PERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[perm3800]

"Farmer said it is not uncommon for people in the area to own assault weapons. "

Okay, I do understand the right to bear arms as noted in the Bill of Rights but I don't get why this statement is true? Under what threat do the good folks of the midwest live that they anticipate needing assault weapons?????

[mikeseport]

"If guns kill people then pencils cause misspelled words and spoons cause obesity."

We are free in the US, and we have a constitutional RIGHT to own guns. Guns guarantee liberty. But if you hate guns, move to England or Australia (where crime has RISEN since banning firearms).

We need to end the ridiculous notion that gun free zones will circumvent EVERYONE from carrying a gun into an area. Gun laws only influence people who abide by the laws. For the criminal who is intent on evil, the gun free zones are an attraction because they create defenseless victims.

Qualified teachers and administrators SHOULD be allowed to be armed. At least then there would be deterrent, as well as a means to stop a spree of madness. You need only consider the fact that the only two school shootings which were stopped prematurely were ended because law-abiding citizens had guns -- Pearl Mississippi (1997) and at the Appalachian School of Law (2002), where faculty and responsible adults were able to bring their own defensive firearms to bear.

[dorseysteven]

Banning all guns is just idiotic. I grew up with many guns in my home but "knew better" than to misuse them. The problem with these kids and schoool shootings go a lot deeper than gun control. The parents of these kids need to step up to the plate. Teach right from wrong. Start by banning some of these ridiculous video games where you get pts for raping and murdering. Absurd!

The statement made below "society has all kinds of government funded help that helps single-parents and therefore encourages divorces and single-parenting," is absolutely ridculous!!! There are all kinds of reasons people become single parents and we don't all raise killers AND the government doesn't help me one bit. I have four children and make a whooping 47K a year and I make too much to qualify for any help at all from our goverment. So personally I think this statement is just plain stupid.

[optimas2]

Phil,

I'm an NRA supporter, and I'll be happy to answer your questions, although you didn't have any.

Look, you need to have a reality check here. Guns aren't going to be banned--just not going to happen. Besides the Second Amendment and the innumerable state constitutions protecting firearm ownership, any politician on a national level that would advocate for an across the board gun ban would commit political suicide. What you are saying is unrealistic; you might as well try and craft a solution that is possible rather than wasting your time on fantasies and daydreams.

And McDazz--I seriously doubt this was an automatic weapon. It is much more likely that it was semi-automatic.

I'm so tired of fighting the NRA, they want to focus on criminals? Then how about life in prison for any adult who supplies, or even leaves un-locked, the gun(s) that these kids wind up using?

[wendyhoo-2009]

Karen091866 that is exactly why there are children like this. In fact Oprah had a little girl on there the other day was I would have loved to have jumped through that TV screen and whoop her behind. She was rude to her mom and threw things at her mom and screamed in her moms face.... I would even of thought to do that as I was coming up. I would have got a crack across my face that I would still be feeling. We can't do that to our kids now a days. A good smack for doing wrong extremely wrong stuff shouldn't be what puts the parents in jail... when they are trying to save the child from being a career criminal or just a social misfit that no one wants to encounter. I have two boys that I am afraid that just going eye level and talking with is not going to correct either of them hitting others or stealing or lying... and if you let any of the small things go then it only gets worse as they get older cause they feel they can get away with it... such as this 13 year old with an automatic weapon.... WHAT WAS THE PARENTS THINKING... why ... why ... why would you own this gun in the first place.... These type of guns are not needed to protect your home or family or for hunting!!!! I thought there were laws against owning these guns.... but why have it where your 13 yr old son can get it... shame on you

[mjv2944]

Parents of these turn key kids have no idea what they like or dislike as they spend very little time with them. They come home and watch what ever they want on TV or surf the net looking for sites like this young man has apparently done. It looks like we have to secure our schools no matter what the cost. Kid was probably starving for a little attention

[snowbrd7]

I completely agree with you, newsjeff. We need to get back to a one income economy so parents can actually raise their own kids. that, more than bible thumping,gun control,and higher education standards will make the difference in our society and our kids. It's amazing how little we care about our future. We have become completely focused on money and you can't blame that on anyone but ourselves.

[phil-in-fin]

To mstiger71:

"We all need to do something about these school shootings."

Nothing will be done as long as people continue to believe that "guns do not kill people, people kill people."

Gun sales must stop, period. And then ALL guns must be made illegal. And then all penalities for using guns must be made severe: and I mean SEVERE, not some mamby-pamby community service bull***.

The gun lobby has had their chance to prove that their side of the argument cannot deter school shootings. This idea of responsible gun ownership works for those who are already responsible, and, well, an AK-47 in the hands of a 13-year-old kid, and all the other school shootings, prove that irresponsible gun ownership abounds, regardless of the amount of education out there.

It is time to go the other way; ban everything. The NRA have had it their way for quite sometime now, and I respect their point of view, however, nothing has changed except that the situation is getting worse.

Cannot you people in favor of guns SEE that things are NOT getting better?

I would really like to hear from those in the NRA respond to my questions.

[cantshutup]

newsjeff...we are all slaves to corporate america...they own us, from hollywood to the oil companies...they own us and we're too stupid and lazy to do anything about it...want just a small example of proof? go see WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR...we are ph ucked

[agnim]

Cool.
Next, can we have a grenade launcher, please? LOL

A nation that is head over heels in love with guns shall have guns up the w@zoo. And the children are learning fast too.

[newsjeff-2009]

I agree with the other comments about the problems that occur when both "Mom and Dad" work outside the home, or when mom and dad split up do to the fact that our society has all kinds of government funded help that helps single-parents and therefore encourages divorces and single-parenting. Our political leaders(I am taking about democrats as well as republicans this time,senators,congress,governors,president,vice presidents,etc.)love it when both mom and dad work outside the home even if children suffer, because with more womem,moms and teenagers working outside the home it means more income tax revenues,more money spent on fuel,fast food,new cars,car repairs,daycare,credit cards,etc and many more etc. So you see, the trend of the two-income mom and dad family is encouraged and single moms or single dads working two or more jobs is loved by corporate America for the business and money benefit to corporate America, the "old-fashioned" family ways are not profitable enough to suit corporate America.

[getcentered]

If the TV wasn't raising so many kids we might have less kids thinking AK's and handguns are cool. Parents all over the US are facing longer days at work with less pay. By less pay I mean the price of everything goes up, but the working folks don't get much for raises these days. Moms used to be able to stay home, or dads, but now both parents are at work to make the necessary monies to survive. To top it all off, we live in a ULTRA consumer society were we, are marketed to, and buy tons of stuff we don't need. Most of the time we pay for brands and not quality.

WE ARE HIGH ON MONEY BUT LOW ON CASH.

The kids are just victims of system. We are a violent country. We start wars for no reason and fight and kill each other at the same time.

We are working so much; we need a system in place to watch over our kids. If the schools aren't safe then what can we do?

KILL YOUR TV.

What the hell was that kid doing with the gun anyway, let alone an automatic weapon? Where did he get it from? His parents?

When will people learn that these sorts of incidents will continue to happen because parents fail in their responsibilities of ensuring that kids do NOT have access to guns.

Most parents wouldn't like their 13 year old kids having access to alcohol or drugs, but a lot of parents don't even think twice about allowing their 13 year old kids access to guns.

[karen091866]

It's time for more parents to start "appropriately" Whiipin' that A**.

Such a large number of parents are truly afraid to harshly discipline their own kids--for fear that the kid will go to school, make an outcry of abuse..and CPS will be all over them like flies on a rib-roast.

[mstiger71]

We all need to do something about these school shootings. Our children which is our future is being killed just because it is the law for them to be in school. NO FAIR! We all need to protect them so they can learn without being in fear!

[marcie253]

Maybe it should become Federal Law right now that all kids have to go through metal detectors beforing entering their school. We should be on alert this seems like copycat time and it could get worse and worse if not stopped immediately.