Deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

My sister just told me my brother in law was supposed to have class in the same building that day, at that time, but he stayed home due to my niece's emergency room trip. Pretty lucky of the guy.

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

Thousands of armed college students? Are you insane? That's one of the worst things I've ever heard. We're not exactly dealing with a subset of the population revered for its clear thinking and rational decision-making.

[Nightwing 0]

Frat Parties would turn into Frat Rebellions. Let's just stay away from that possibility.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

What about Tasers? It's not leaving people defenceless if something like this happens but it's not as bad as everyone having guns either.

[BUTT 0]

I'll make the "don't tase me bro" reference before anyone else with ulterior motives does.

[King Kamala 0]

College students with anything that could be used as a weapon= bad idea.

 

Guns, tasers, knifes, scimitars, I don't care, it's probably a bad idea if you put it in the hands of a frat boy.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

I agree it's not ideal, but, as long as it's not knives or firearms, I think it's a viable option.

 

Also, part of the reason these sprees happen is because these men are so sure they'll escape the consequences (suicide). But anyone who thinks about going on a shooting spree might think twice if he thinks he could end up stopped, taserd and facing a life sentence for murder/attempted murder.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Maybe bullet proof vests would be a better idea.

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

Pretty sure sawed-off beats taser. Anyway, fully armed student body is way too dystopian, even for me.

 

Anyway, I suppose this might be a terrible thing to think in the eyes of some, but in a way, I'm sort of relieved that NIU basketball sucks a dick: at least when March Madness comes around, nobody can try to say that the trauma that comes with watching your peers get murdered in a lecture hall will somehow be mitigated by "the healing power of sports." In fact, I wish people in general would talk about this tragedy much less.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Pretty sure sawed-off beats taser. Anyway, fully armed student body is way too dystopian, even for me.

 

It's better than nothing. I'm not an expert on weapons by any means, but if you've got a classroom full of people with tasers, I have to think they've got more of a chance of taking the guy down than a classroom full of people that don't.

 

And if we accept that this is going to keep happening and happening, and it is, then we have to give people permission to defend themselves in some sort of way.

[Jingus 0]

Also, part of the reason these sprees happen is because these men are so sure they'll escape the consequences (suicide). But anyone who thinks about going on a shooting spree might think twice if he thinks he could end up stopped, taserd and facing a life sentence for murder/attempted murder.

Tasers aren't a good option here. Police rarely use them against criminals armed with guns, and with good reason. Tasers have a very short range, just a few yards, and aren't terribly accurate. If you've got a taser and I've got a gun, all I have to do is back up a few steps and then shoot you from a position of complete safety. Plus their effects are often unpredictable, with some people being able to just shrug it off. The sad fact is that there's no such thing as a reliable form of non-lethal long range weaponry.

 

Maybe bullet proof vests would be a better idea.

Ever worn one? They're heavy, awkward, and get real hot real fast. It's hard to convince many college kids to wear their seatbelts, there's no way you'd get even half of them to wear the vests on a regular basis.

 

Plus they're expensive, hundreds of dollars apiece. And the kind that civilians can buy are only rated to stop pistols loaded with conventional bullets. If you've got specialized ammo or any kind of rifle, they'll generally go through a kevlar vest like it's not even there. They don't stop knives either.

 

 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there is no way to prevent these types of massacre shootings. These people aren't stopped by gun control laws, or metal detectors, or Three Strikes laws. It's literally like trying to stop a suicide bomber. The only way to do it is to catch them before they act, and that's much easier said than done.

[King Kamala 0]

I liked it when that Texas school was training the schoolkids to throw their books, pencils, and whatever other school supplies they had on hand at attackers.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

I know one guy at a Minnisota school attacked a spree shooter with a pencil, and ended up getting shot in the face for his troubles. Unless you're Jason Bourne using everyday objects as weapons is rarely going to work against an armed man.

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

I want to be in DeKalb on a Friday night where thousands of people are carrying guns.

[King Kamala 0]

I know one guy at a Minnisota school attacked a spree shooter with a pencil, and ended up getting shot in the face for his troubles. Unless you're Jason Bourne using everyday objects as weapons is rarely going to work against an armed man.

 

Sarcasm, dude. Nobody is stupid enough to believe pencil beats gun in any scenario. Except Texans I guess.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Sarcasm, dude. Nobody is stupid enough to believe pencil beats gun in any scenario. Except Texans I guess

 

 

Well, yeah I got that.

 

As for the gun/pencil thing...I don't think it's as ridiculous as it sounds, but obviously 9 times out of 10 it wouldn't work. In the example I mentioned the guy tried to ram it into the boy's side, which sounds like it could possibly work, but he had a bullet proof vest on. I don't neccessarily think the teen was stupid for trying (he was 6,3, over 200 pounds and figured he could overpower the guy) and he was hailed as a hero because he managed to give the other students a chance to escape while he fought with the gunman. In a situation like that, is it better to do something than nothing? I wouldn't encourage anyone to be a hero in that situtation, but I wouldn't say someone's an idiot for trying.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, someone should at least try to do something. It's not about "being a hero." It's about defending yourself and others from a murderer.

 

I guess I believe people have a right to self defense. Like I said earlier, I don't think letting college students have guns on campus is a great idea, but if schools keep getting attacked, I feel people have the right to use whatever means necessary to defend themselves.

[ZGangsta 0]

I know one guy at a Minnisota school attacked a spree shooter with a pencil, and ended up getting shot in the face for his troubles. Unless you're Jason Bourne using everyday objects as weapons is rarely going to work against an armed man.

Now there's an idea, every classroom has to have at least one student trained as a secret black-ops super agent.

[Nightwing 0]

Unless, of course, that's the guy fucking you up. Then you're just beyond boned, because he doesn't even NEED the gun...

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Also, part of the reason these sprees happen is because these men are so sure they'll escape the consequences (suicide). But anyone who thinks about going on a shooting spree might think twice if he thinks he could end up stopped, taserd and facing a life sentence for murder/attempted murder.

Tasers aren't a good option here. Police rarely use them against criminals armed with guns, and with good reason. Tasers have a very short range, just a few yards, and aren't terribly accurate. If you've got a taser and I've got a gun, all I have to do is back up a few steps and then shoot you from a position of complete safety. Plus their effects are often unpredictable, with some people being able to just shrug it off. The sad fact is that there's no such thing as a reliable form of non-lethal long range weaponry.

 

Maybe bullet proof vests would be a better idea.

Ever worn one? They're heavy, awkward, and get real hot real fast. It's hard to convince many college kids to wear their seatbelts, there's no way you'd get even half of them to wear the vests on a regular basis.

 

Plus they're expensive, hundreds of dollars apiece. And the kind that civilians can buy are only rated to stop pistols loaded with conventional bullets. If you've got specialized ammo or any kind of rifle, they'll generally go through a kevlar vest like it's not even there. They don't stop knives either.

 

 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there is no way to prevent these types of massacre shootings. These people aren't stopped by gun control laws, or metal detectors, or Three Strikes laws. It's literally like trying to stop a suicide bomber. The only way to do it is to catch them before they act, and that's much easier said than done.

 

I wasn't suggesting people actually wear them, I was just saying it would be better than everyone having a gun or a taser.

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Fact is, your odds of being in such an incident are so low that it is hardly worth the trouble of taking precautions. You figure the odds that you go to a school or workplace that is shot up is a couple in hundreds of thousandths. Then you're in that vicinity, at that time, and then it's the odds that you're one of the unfortunate ones that gets killed. You take greater risks while driving.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Sarcasm, dude. Nobody is stupid enough to believe pencil beats gun in any scenario. Except Texans I guess

 

 

Well, yeah I got that.

 

As for the gun/pencil thing...I don't think it's as ridiculous as it sounds, but obviously 9 times out of 10 it wouldn't work. In the example I mentioned the guy tried to ram it into the boy's side, which sounds like it could possibly work, but he had a bullet proof vest on. I don't neccessarily think the teen was stupid for trying (he was 6,3, over 200 pounds and figured he could overpower the guy) and he was hailed as a hero because he managed to give the other students a chance to escape while he fought with the gunman. In a situation like that, is it better to do something than nothing? I wouldn't encourage anyone to be a hero in that situtation, but I wouldn't say someone's an idiot for trying.

 

should of tried to jam it in an orfice. In the eye, ear, up the nose, take yer pick

[Guest Vitamin X]

Christ, will this shit just stop already? My school just got evacuated due to a bomb threat.. From Portland State University's website:

 

AT 11:53 A.M. A FACULTY MEMBER NOTIFIED PORTLAND STATE'S CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY (CPSO) OF A NOTE FOUND IN THE RESTROOM INDICATING THAT A BOMB WOULD DETONATE IN NEUBERGER HALL AT 4:30 P.M. ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008. CPSO IMMEDIATELY LOCKED DOWN AND EVACUATED THE BUILDING AND VERFIED THE POSSIBILITY OF A THREAT. THE UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED AN INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER. PORTLAND POLICE HAVE SWEPT THE BUILDING. THE UNIVERSITY IS CONTINING THE INVESTIGATION AND WILL KEEP THE BUILDING CLOSED AND SECURED UNTIL AT LEAST 5:30 P.M THIS EVENING. CONTINUE TO CHECK THE WEB FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ON EVENING CLASSES (UPDATED 1:45 P.M.)

 

Yeah, my class is from 4pm-5:30pm in the next building over, which are connected by tunnels and a bridge. No thanks, I'll stay home today.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Probably another BS bomb scare.