This is pretty long......

Unfortunately, school violence has gotten out of control in the last 15+ years. Shootings like Columbine, and various other locations have more than illustrated this point. One thing is for sure, being a student today is alot more dangerous than it was in my scholastic era. ( granted i'm only 33 )

To echo part of what bounty hunter said, the violence we encountered in the 70's and 80's was relatively tame. Fist fights were the standard method of agression, or resolving disputes. Weapons were extremely uncommon, and any one who pulled one, or attempted to use one was more often than not beaten to a pulp by everyone at the fight. It was almost a "code of honor" that you didn't fight dirty, use weapons, bite, pull hair, or throw sand in someones eyes as long as the two people doing the fighting were more or less physically equal in stature.

Bullies were not too common, but did exist. They were no organized "gangs" that wore "colors" , only loosely formed social groups who existed alongside each other with the occasional blow up or group fight in the school common area, or at the friday night football game. Groups like the "jocks" - athletes, "kickers" - country kids/cowboys, "stoners" - rock and roller/long hair kids, "preppies" kids from well to do families, "punks" known today as "goths", and the list goes on, were the only things you had to watch out for.

I think a large part of it has to do with societal change/ influence, but thats my opinion. At that time in this country the internet was non-existant. No places to go like chat rooms to find others like you, no crazy web sites encouraging racial supremacy/ violence. Television was largely non-violent, or if violence was portrayed it was regulated. Video games were primitive at best, and most were space, fantasy, military, or sports based. Music was about getting girls, dancing, cars, etc. Even "rap" was tame. It was all about partying and having fun.

Not so today... Not by a long shot.. The internet, while a very useful tool, is also one giant anonymous cesspool where almost every kid on the planet can find explosive recipies, buy knives, or almost any other destructive information they want to find. Alot of fringe groups and other unsavory folks hand out their own twisted political and societal opinions on life, and are only more than willing to explain them to any one who will listen, or indoctrinate new members to their way of thinking. Alot of music has degraded to nothing more than describing sex, and encouraging violence.. Just listen to any N.W.A. , Ice Cube, Ice - t , Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica album ( and the list goes on, and on and on..) and you'll see for yourself... Video games are ultra violent today. You can go to the local Wal-Mart and pick a number of games right off the shelf where you can, run over people ( vice city ) , shoot them , set them on fire ( postal 2 ) , decapitate them with a shovel ( postal 2 ), have sex with prostitutes ( vice city ) ... And there are many, many others that are all killing based. Television today is fairly well violence/sex oriented, cable, and satellite even more so. I own, vave played, or listened to all the things i've mentioned above. But, i'm an adult and know the difference between reality and fantasy... I'm not saying most kids dont, but constant, daily exposure to this stuff can and does influence them. Possibly leaving them with the idea that violence with a weapon is the best solution to a problem.

Lack of parental involvement, responsibility and control is in my opinion is a BIG factor as well.

For example, my Mother and Father regulated what we watched on TV, who we hung around with, and were aware of what my brother and I did. They asked questions, looked in our rooms for things we shouldnt have, knew what we were up to, and diciplined us appropriately when we broke the rules.

My folks never abused us, but my father and mother liberally applied belt and fly swatter, as well as "grounding". If you aren't familiar with grounding, it is restriction of priviledges that in my house included : No TV, no radio, no video games, no phone calls, no friends over, no leaving the house... You came home from school, went in your room and did your homework, came out of your room for dinner and immediately went back into it when dinner was done, at 9:30 you were in bed - lights out.. The standard length was 2 weeks.

There were many firearms in our home as well. Pistols , rifles and shotguns all stored in a glass doored gun case. We were taught from an early age gun safety and handling. Pointing any weapon at another person wheather loaded or unloaded was the most serious crime you could ever commit in our home. I learned this when my father witnessed my older brother aim an unloaded pellet rifle at his friend.. My father took the rifle by the barrel and wrapped it around a tree, "diciplined" my brother, grounded him for 3 months, and didn't allow him to handle any weapons for 1 year. He never did it again.....

Alot of parents today have no clue what their children are doing. ( in school , or otherwise ) They are too "busy" with careers, or other things. They don't dicipline their kids.. ( just go to any supermarket, mall or restauaunt for multiple examples of what i'm describing..) Parents that do own firearms don't teach their children how to safely handle them, or show them what kind of damage they can inflict when fired... Barring that, they are irresponsible in securing them, and the ammunition for them. To me, if you own a gun and are a parent you have a moral and legal responsibility to make every reasonable attempt to keep them from falling into the hands of a child, or teenager.... Its really sad..


As a result School security is needed. Metal detectors, physical searches, gun/bomb/drug sniffing dogs, and full time armed security are all things I would want to see in a school any child of mine would attend. Students don't need knives, guns, slingshots, blowguns, flare guns, pepper spray, batons, or anything else along these lines..

I also believe that any student that acts out violently ( unless in legitimate self-defense )or threatens another student or teacher needs to be removed from the school immediately/ arrested and dealt with firmly in the legal system. This country needs to send the message to students and parents that this sort of behavior is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any form wheather your child is the captain of the football team, or the quantum physics club. Children are in school to learn, not to be subjected to some Darwinian "survival of the fittest" environment. If a problem with another student is brought to the attention af the faculty or administration it needs to be swiftly, and firmly dealt with..

Unfortunately I really think an "Iron Fist" approach is going to have to be used...

Matt