Littleton Massacre And Gun Control Essay
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Teens of the decade are having an easier time obtaining firearms with which they are jaunting around on killing sprees. The most recent incident occured on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. That fateful Tuesday began as any other day with a 6:15 a.m. bowling class which both murderers, Dylan Klebold-17 and Eric Harris-18, attended. Both of prominent backgrounds, Eric's father a retired Air Force officer and Dylan's father a geologist, the two belonged to a group called the Trenchcoat Mafia. Members of this group believed in the Goth, black clothing, nihilism, and real rock music, were constantly made fun of by the "jocks who wore white baseball caps." As reported that morning, Dylan wore a shirt that read Serial Killer, as he always did. By 11:00 a.m. Dylan and Eric had changed into their trademark black wraparound shades and long, black trenchcoats. As they walked toward the cafeteria, which contained about 500 students, they claimed their first victim. One of the murderers walked up to 17-year old Rachel Scott and shot her point blank range in the head. They then continued into the cafeteria where they opened fire. Klebold and Harris were armed with a sawed off double barrel shotgun, a TEC 9 semiautomatic, a sawed off pump shotgun, a 9mm semiautomatic rifle, a propane tank, and more than 30 homemade pipe bombs. After leaving the cafeteria the killers entered the library and roamed the halls of the school while laughing at each shot given off. Students who were hiding nearby the library heard one gunman yell "All jocks stand up!" followed by gunfire, terrified screams, and cruel laughter. SWAT teams finally entered the school around 12:30 p.m., but police wouldn't start to free people for another two hours. At 4:30 police found the suicide victims of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris with live ammunition still attached to their bodies. They left twelve students and one teacher dead, and twenty three wounded.
On May, 3, 1999 Mark Manes was arrested on the suspicion that he supplied the TEC 9 semiautomatic to the two killers. Dylan and Eric came into contact with Manes through a mutual friend from the pizza parlor where they both worked. Investigators claimed that Klebold's girlfriend bought the rifle and the two shotguns used during the killings. Over thirty pipe bombs were handmade by Harris and Klebold for the day of the killing, which was the same day as Adolph Hitler's birthday. It is believed that the cause of the rampage is a direct effect of violent videogames such as Doom and hate websites from the Internet. A neighbor of Eric Harris reported that he heard the two smashing glass in the garage, which police confirmed as the shrapnel used in the bombs.
Why do such intelligent kids turn into cold-blooded murderers? The question is not easily answered, but some believe it has to do with the mechanics of biology and the homelife. Many conservatives say that experience rewires the brain. A child's brain is very vulnerable during the early years. Dr. Bruce Perry of Baylor College of Medicine says that "A child who suffers repeated 'hits' of stress-abuse, neglect, terror-experiences physical changes in his brain." Incessant flood of stress chemicals tend to reset the brain's system of fight-or-flight hormones, putting them on extreme alert. The results are kids who show impulsive aggression, which can lead to dangerous consequences. Having an unsuppotive and abusive parent also raises the risk of teen violence. For the most part, parents who are withdrawn and remote, neglectful and passive, are the main reasons for a child to be overcome with stress. As for the parents of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, a police search of Harris's room yielded a sawed off shotgun and pipe bomb ingredients in plain view. They also recovered a diary detailing the twisted plans of the massacre, including calculations as to the time of day that would yield the highest body count. If the parents of the two killers had been more involved with their sons, maybe they could have prevented the tragic massacre that had occured. As a parent of one of the victims states "Isaiah said these guys kept getting in his face, I went up to the school to talk about it, but I should have done more. It's tearing up my heart." Even with a juvenile felony conviction, it would have been legal for 18 year old Eric to purchase firearms. School authorities are prohibiting students from wearing the long black coats because they can be used in concealing weapons. Educators...
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