German High School Shooting
 |
James Joyner | Wednesday, March 11, 2009 |
A shooting spree at a German high school has killed at least 10 people and wounded untold others.
This tragedy will come as a shock to most in the United States, as our media treat rampages by gunmen as a uniquely American phenomenon made possible only by our lax firearms laws.
AP’s timeline, though, reveals only nine incidents in thirteen years, including this morning’s — all tragic, of course, but hardly an epidemic. Of those three each were in Germany and the United States, two in Finland, and one in Scotland.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- German High School Shooting
- Dog Bites Man: Gun Crimes Down In Michigan Since Passage Of CCW Law
- Making Germany Happy
- Overstatement of the Day – Torture Edition
- Comparing Public Debts
- Obama’s Federalist Approach to Medical Marijuana
- Britain Seeks Ban On Pint Glasses
- Freedom to Offend an American Exceptionalism
- (Military) Home is Where the Heart IS
- 6 Years of Iraq War Photos
- Caption Contest Winners
- OTB Latenight – Styx
- Berlin Wall Fall: 20 Years Later
- Oklahoma High Schoolers Are Very Familiar With George Washington, Thanks
- Was Fort Hood Massacre ‘Terrorism’?
- Making Jobs More Expensive
- House Trades Freedom for Health Coverage, Senate’s Move
- Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Taking “No” As Iran’s Answer
- BitsBlog linked with Nightly Ramble:The Flatlander Edition
AP’s timeline, though, reveals only nine incidents in thirteen years, including this morning’s — all tragic, of course, but hardly an epidemic.
This is right on--it's not like we're Iraq or something.
In terms of sheer savagery and senseless violence, they have us beat--big time.
So . . . people going crazy and shooting up schools leads to international conflict?
In the words of Otter, in Animal House:
"Forget it; He's rolling."
While I agree with your underlying point, it's worth noting that the AP list is not a comprehensive list of school shootings, only "some of the worst school shootings in recent years." I can recall several shootings in the US not on that list that left one or two dead, and I am quite certain that there are a number of gang-related shootings that got little media attention outside their immediate locale. Either way, this is hardly an epidemic and as you point out, it is hardly limited to the US.
