What part of our society is ultimately responsible for the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL?

SFC Gary Burress - Actually in the late Forties.

SFC Gary Burress - Actually, the OSS was involved with Col. Aaron Banks meeting with Ho Chi Minh during the later stages of WWII. The CIA flew resupply missions to the French outpost at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

Well said sir.

Well written sir!

And for the record, I agree the responsibility lies with the gunman in Parkland as well, but the responsibility for protecting students lies with the school.

RIGHT SIR

How many federal law enforcement officers would deploy, or how many troops living off post report for duty if someone like Anonymous posted complete lists of all federal LEOs/military, their family information, their home address and the schools their children attend in the event of "hostilities"?

CPO Darrel Ellis - Don't forget the local law enforcement went along with the school district's scheme to stop enforcing laws to improve their crime statistic numbers so they could get more government money for 'improving'.

that's not our "societies" take on it from the many remarks I've read on crime in this country. Based on what I've read, In THIS case the responsibility is the shooter only, he for some reason DOES NOT represent any others. He is not a "thug". But under the exact same circumstance, had he been black. Then our "society" would have gone into "thug", "BLACKS"(all inclusive mode). Why is that? Can anyone explain it to me? Now if you doubt this. Simply visit ANY story about this shooting where there is a remarks section.

SSG Edward Tilton - A look at the assault weapons ban's 10 years in effect showed NO STATISTICAL EVIDENCE of reducing gun violence.
But then FACTS seem to have no bearing on Banner's feelings

Sadly, there are people that lack the ability/training/upbringing/genetics (Pick one) to know right from wrong. With the millions of people in the world, the statistics will always show us that there are people that will do things that are not what normal people do. The only thing we can do is provide a strong prevention to those that want to do bad things. Good Armies, Good Law enforcement personnel and structures that lend a hand in prevention are needed. God Bless the educators that are on the front line in that war.

COL (Join to see) - genetics? I submit to you, COL., We all have a sense of "justice", and I believe with the appropriate research, we'd find ALL of the shooters, possessed a strong moral conviction and code of ethics, and were responding to their interpretation of perceived wrongs.

SPC Les Darbison - Folks can be pro choice and still care about children who are currently living. I don't know why we cant have discussions on one topic. Why does a conversation about guns also have to include abortion or the draft or cars or drugs or religion? Why cant we just talk about guns? Republicans asking why democrats care about guns but not abortions is like democrats asking republicans why they want to outlaw abortion thinking that will stop it from happening but don't think gun laws would be as effective.

SPC Les Darbison - Without trying to digress into partisan finger-pointing, the truth is that society IS the problem. We've had guns forever, but we haven't seen the shootings in the schools forever. Bullying has been around forever. High school has always been a crucible. What changed?

Some have argued that removing God and the 10 Commandments from our schools is the problem. It is part of it, I guess. As I have both an atheist and agnostic sisters who have never tried to kill anyone, I don't think it is the whole answer.

Maybe it isn't so much 'God' but the idea that there is a hierarchy (where the student is at the bottom-- under the parent, the teacher, the principal, etc. all the way up to God if you want-- rather than being on top) and your position in that hierarchy is to be respected...

Respect... that is the key. Respect for one's elders (parents and teachers), respect for your peers, respect for YOURSELF, respect for the sanctity of human life, yes-- even respect for guns.

The perfect solution is to get back to being a respectful society, but I am far too much a realist to think we are going to be able to instill respect into the generation that is SO far behind the curve due to having grown up inundated by permissive, feel-good culture of no consequences and no curbs to expressing their 'creativity'. Add to that a lifetime of being brainwashed by hollywood, music, and video game desensitization to death and disrespect for human life, the fact that 41% of them have no fathers so no male role models at all to counter the 'gangster' identity glorified on tv and in music, and no one has ever felt the sting or disappointment of defeat because everyone's always gotten a trophy for showing up, and the fact that this generation is more doped up on anti-depressant and other psychotropic drugs that I fear it is a completely lost cause. it is a lost generation.

I advocate for a responsible armed citizenry because so long as these kids are going to mimic their favorite video game and go play 'Call of Duty' with real people and real guns and real bullets whenever someone hurts their snowflakey little feelings, the ONLY defense is to fight fire with fire. I wish there was another way, but wishing is not a strategy.

A person who blames others has not begun their lesson, A person who blames themselves has begun their lesson, A person who blames no one has finished their lesson.

Boom! Thank you!

It is NOT state Wide as Indiana has not been able to get it by the plethora of socialist democrats that are obstructing it. it is in various school districts that have accepted the premise same as in Texas and Ohio. it is not state wide but individual schools or districts. Probably no state will be able to make it State Wide thanks to the Socialist Democrats that will continue to block it as long as they can make it more visible than the real problems they are facing.

PO2 Rev. Frederick C. Mullis, AFI, CFM - Again, I have to say I don't believe Indiana has the ability to decide district by district who can carry guns if Im wrong though please point me in the right direction so I can educate myself. The only bill that was passed recently was to allow guns to be kept in cars. TX and OH do allow districts to carry and I believe it was about 8-9% of total districts decided to take them up on the offer. Also I'm not sure what socialist democrats you're speaking of in Indiana but its a pretty red state. If republicans in Indiana wanted to have guns in schools they have a 70-30 hold on the house and they could make it happen easily...

I cannot tell you exactly because I am only relaying what I have been told. Indiana may be a red state, just as South Carolina is but you still have Socialist Democrats infesting your Statehouse 30 in your House of representatives and 9 or 10 in your State Senate 1 US Senator and 2 US Representatives. You would be a better person than I to determine if any of your Republican representatives are RINO's. Our senior Senator Graham is one, and even worse he is attached to another one McCain by a 2000 mile umbilical cord. Our Statehouse runs on the GOOD 'OL BOY SYSTEM, and when Nikki Hayley was our Governor, She ran a Good 'Ol Girl system. Our Legislature has been working on an Open carry law for almost 2 years now, 90% of the state wants it, most of the Legislature agrees that it needs to be passed as well as the Governor but they cannot agree on how much PORK needs to be attached to a bill that will fly through the House and Senate. Total Stupidity! They cannot just pass the Single Bill.

Gun Free Zones = Killing Zones, but they 'feel good'.
Had a discussion with an Assistant Pastor California Transplant that lamented they could not do in Texas like they do in California to 'ban guns'.
Pointed out that at gun shows in the United States there are only 2 to 3 accidental discharges a year and he jump on that to justify bans. I pointed out that was of about 50 MILLION people going to gun shows and he just did not get it.
Also pointed out that in Texas people with a License To Carry were over 400 times LESS Likely to be convicted of ANY Crime than people without one and like a typical Banner he was 'so?'.

It is a shame that our society has reached the point where our schools must be locked down like prisons.

I am sorry, but in a free society, you cannot stop someone with evil in their heart. If you do all of the things you are saying to prevent this again, then you have to imprison the kids in the school. To gain safety, you have to give up some liberty, and what you are proposing does just that, takes away the liberty of the children. I am still a firm believer in getting rid of the gun free zones. Someone with a gun could have stopped this from killing so many children. Ask veterans to volunteer to hang out at the schools with their guns! That would stop a lot of this. Cowards will not go where they believe they can get shot. {now stepping off my high horse}

He was living with a foster family. He was orphaned. He already had that weapon. Florida has NO gun laws. ANYONE can buy a gun. He brought that gun to their house and they simply made him keep it locked up. That morning he didn't show any signs of violence or intent. They said he slept in (he was doing online GED classes) and said "It's Valentine's Day I don't go to class on Valentine's Day."

A family was kind enough to take him in. That's all they did wrong was be kind.

You lost someone to drunk driving - well that's why DUI laws were invented. And they reduced DUIs.

My uncle died in 1979 due to a drunk driver - and three of his friends. TWO weeks after they graduated high school. Drunk 16 year old. The cops chased him out of town but he snuck back in. You know what that kid got? Probation because he was a minor and they didn't have the laws they do now. That kid killed FOUR people and got probation. I guess years after he wrote my grandpa a letter and apologized but what does that do? Oh and my uncle died five months after my grandmother died from cancer...so double blow to my mom and her family. (I wasn't born yet). I never got to know my uncle. He never got a life. But then they changed the laws. They modified the laws overall because of DUI deaths.

So why can't we react to gun violence in SOME way? Why does this happen to no other country on the level it does here? That's where we start.

I agree with your sentiment here! One thing most states don't do is prosecuting ppl to the full extent of the law, who straw purchase for others, or for felons in position of firearms. And way isn't their time add to sentences for those that steal firearms and those in position stolen of firearms.

Great points, Stephen, and I offer this for what it is worth. There is a common thread among the vast majority of these lunatics and that is lack of proper parental oversight, a corresponding lack of exercise of authority and a complete or near complete lack of any spirituality. My wife manages the media center at the local middle school and has responsibility for operating the system that manages those being called out for misbehavior. (What that has to do with a media center is beyond my comprehension - but there it is)
She sees all of the repeat offenders and knows who will and won't make it through high school as well as those most likely to end up behind bars. In her 27 years of service to the district, she has an amazing track record of calling them right.
However, when the parents of these miscreants are notified of the offenses, they are too often quick to berate the teacher and accuse them of saying or doing something to set their child off, taking no responsibility for their child's lack of self discipline.
She knows the backgrounds of many of these families and can tell you which parents have their children in church on Sunday and which ones have them out hunting or fishing. (The children tell her way more than they realize.)
This is not a hunch or an off the cuff statement of belief based upon perception, it is a fact that no one can seem to convincingly say lacks credibility. Discipline in the child begins with proper parenting but ultimately, it is the child who is responsible for conducting themselves properly as some seem to make it out of bad home situations just fine and live good, productive lives. Just my opinion for the day and I hope yours is a good one, my friend.

BRAVO ! LTC Wayne Brandon

BRAVO again my friend, the very words that even God would love to hear.......and I say it again, we really do need God back in schools. Let's start the next generation off right.

SSG (Join to see) - It was available to the FBI. It was available to LE that they went to his house 39 tmies. His family knew he was having trouble...so how is it hindsight? It is to us - not to the people directly involved. Not to his fellow students. One of them said they all knew immediately who the shooter is when it happened.

So all these signs and no one wanted to admit him for mental health or get him diagnosed or anything? There was more than enough for his foster family to get him help or admit him or anything.

SFC (Join to see) - Yes, in relation to my comment, it is clear now that there were red flags to suggest he could be a problem. No one disputes those closer to the situation are responsible in some way. What are you arguing?

SSG (Join to see) - You said "That information wasn't present nor readily accessible at the time of my comment. See how hindsight is always 20/20?"
It was readily accessible to the people who should have taken action. So your statement was wrong - there was no "hindsight is 20/20" for the FBI or LE or his family - either his mom or his foster family.

SFC (Join to see) - And as you stated in your post and in which I concurred, that comment was in reference to those of us NOT in close proximity to this situation.

However, I'll play devil's advocate. Looking at the puzzle from a distance, we see all of the pieces put together. But those close to this evil POS likely thought he was weird, but who didn't know a weird freak in high school? No one really KNOWS who will be a school shooter. Additionally, the 2nd Amendment is a right afforded to us, and I would think it impossible to prevent someone that right unless there was an actual conviction or some sort of involuntary commitment.

There are no winners in this situation. The FBI likely receives tens of thousands of reports daily. To follow up on each and every one and to reasonably be able to prevent someone from doing something like this is likely not possible. Additionally, without actual cause, what could local law enforcement do?

TSgt David L. Your response also correlates with my feeling on responsibilities besides those of the shooter.

CSM Charles Hayden - That means a lot coming from a CSM. Thanks.

You are right. And there is no such thing as perfect security. I found that out when we debated airline security versus people's rights after 9/11. This kid didn't have a parent, and I feel that was part of the cause, but also the people who came in contact with him also didn't get him help (the 20 visits by local cops.).

Susan Foster - Without a doubt in my mind. Exactly!

He did not have mental health issues. Perhaps depression - but that's not an excuse to murder.

Some people are just inherently evil and this guy is one of them. He planned it. He pulled the fire alarm after they already had a drill knowing they expeceted it to be a drill and fired on those kids.

If he had been dark skinned mental health wouldnt' even be a topic.

SFC (Join to see) - I don't know what skin color has to do with anything in this situation? Evil comes in all shades and colors. As do upstanding God-fearing Citizens!

He's responsible, now what? Wait for the next one

SSG Edward Tilton - So whats your thought take guns away from law-abiding citizens and leave more ppl to be sheep and be killed by scum like this. Or to make the defense of our children a priority to be built upon and taken seriously. A lot of young ppl were shot in this tragic event through the little view window in the locked door. Hiding under your desk in plan view from that window was assinine That could have been prevented in all kinds of ways, one putting the teacher's desk on end in front of the door blocking the view of students to be slaughtered or just by moving them out of view of that window. Situational awareness is always a must. I coached the 3 A.s Always Aware, Awake and Alive. to my children and players. It has served them well.