As a survivor to the Columbine Massacre, I feel schools, and colleges should do more to prevent these things.?

Question

Many people are going to want to know my story so I might as well tell it.

8 years ago on an ordinary Tuesday, when I heard gunshots down the hall. My teacher panicked and ran out the door and was shot instantly in front of my eyes as well as the other students in the class. We were young. Around 16 years old. We didn't need to see something like that. Both Klebold and Harris were a friend to me. I never thought that they would do something like that. When Eric came into the room I was in I stood up and screamed "Eric, How can you do this..." He started to cry and shot wildly at the classmates around me. Injuring about 3, killing one. I didn't know what to do. He aimed the gun at me and shot me in the right area of my chest. I fainted and heard nothing else. I woke up it the hospital, and my family was around me, along with Eric's. They were happy to see me survive such a tragedy. I wanted to see Eric and Dylan, but they told me they killed themselves. 2 this day, I still remember.

Answer 1

I think for places of higher education, something very much like the Sky Marshall program (for airplanes) should be introduced. Highly trained, security-screened, fully armed guards in plain clothes mixed within the student population.

The cost could be mitigated, perhaps, but recruiting local police officers who, in their off-duty hours, would be interested in free classes and the college-credits that would go with them.

For high schools and below it's tougher. But here's a thought:

In Connecticut, there's a town that has an "Explorers Group" program that trains high school kids as EMTs. They're fully trained in first aid and life-saving procedures, but because of their age they can't be considered "real" EMTs, but because they're stationed in the town they can always reach emergency calls faster than ambulances from surrounding towns, and they turn the injured over to licensed EMT personnel who are, by then, waiting at the town line. (See link below). It's a famous and celebrated and very successful program that has been featured on 20/20 and in national magazines. The point is...

Kids can't be "armed security" or police officers, but through a similar Explorers Post-style program, many CAN be trained in emergency tactics, radical first aid and they can be equipped with police radios tuned for immediate precinct contact.

Further, teacher volunteers, preferably armed forces veterans, existing volunteer firefighters or auxiliary police, could be specially trained and licensed to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds.

Answer 2

Wow, could you email me your story? I am really, really interested. I am a juve counselor who works to prevent things like that. Columbine is the key case that is studied in all college Juve Delinquency courses now and I have a better than average knowledge base on the tragedy the most (I also lived near Littleton, CO on an Army base as a kid). My email address is [e-mail]

To prevent this stuff, I suggest a few things:
1. Metal detectors
2. Frisking
3. Random car searches of students when coming to school
4. Enforcement and strengthening of bullying laws
5. Equal punishment of students (so many seem to have this obsession with the spirit groups and sports teams). I know in my school athletes (and in some cases "popular" kids) were "dealt with by coach" while everyone else got what was in the handbook.
6. If legal-Peer outreach, counseling groups (sometimes helps to talk to others than to officials--however a licensed, professional counselor would oversee this)


Please, if you can, I would LOVE to hear your story and your ideas about strategies to prevent these tragedies. I would also be interested to hear about how well you knew Klebold and Harris and where you were when the tragedy happened. Did you get injured during it? God bless.

Answer 3

Well if you ask me , I have 3 children in school and this scares me everyday to think that this is the society that we live in. 1. Keep schools on lock down at all times only teachers and school officials have access parents can be buzzed in upon arrival. 2. Cameras all over every campus. 3. Can we say METAL DETECTORS!! In major cities they have them why not at all schools now because that is what it has come too, there is quite alot that can be done and needs to be done and I think we as parents should fight and make that happen if we dont protect our kids who will? 4. And when you have a kid that is this messed up in the head do something to help that kid before its too late for him and other people. I know it sounds drastic but its gonna take drastic to make a change. I am very glad that you did survive but I am sorry that you had to go through it at all.

Answer 4

I'm sure many people feel that way. I do as well. I'm sorry about that but I think it would be pretty amazing to live through that. Not amazing as in a great thing but I'm sure in ways it has made you a better person.
I agree with the whole security thing but it is so hard to increase security. It is expensive and if someone wants something bad enough, they will find a way around it all.
No saying it isn't worth a try though.

Answer 5

there will always be whack jobs in the world...what do you want done? a deep cavity search of everyone entering the premises?

random searches?? yea im sure someone who's planning on offing a bunch of people is gonna think "well i was gonna kill a bunch of people today but since theres a slim chance i might get caught beforehand im not gonna try it".....get real

and honestly i don't think this is any new phenomenon...just faster and more widespread media...in a matter of hours the VT massacre was the biggest story from boston to budapest.
Its even on the aljazeera.net site!

i dont remember any kind of herd mentality like this before multimedia came along

Answer 6

Rather than get into the never-ending gun debate out there,
I would suggest an aggressive testing program to help
focus on pre-crisis areas developing within certain people..
There can be little doubt out there that people have to be
willing to reach out and communicate much more with those
around us who are having a tough time adjusting.....badgering them will only heighten their negativity! It's time, don't you think???

Answer 7

What do you suggest? What would have helped at Columbine? Since you are a survivor, have you done anything proactive at your school to help educate and promote healing? What should others know?


Why the thumbs down? My questions are not with sarcasim. Just asking for some more info on this subject that was brought up

Answer 8

you know, I agree with you...but this is America, and everyone wants their own privacy and we all know we have "rights". If school authorities dig a bit deeper into someone's life without something very serious, they get sue. People's afraid of that...we usually stay out of each other's way till some terrible things strike then we all regret afterward.

Answer 9

It sounds good in theory (I'm glad you survived, BTW), but how? I can see increases for student services (counselling, etc), but any new mandated expenses have to be paid for somehow - and the buck generally gets passed to tuition, which is already skyrocketing out of control.

Answer 10

Teachers should HAVE to carry a handgun [with training, of course]. I carry for work [security], never owned a gun before, and it's no big deal with training, but a heck of a deterrent!