10 dead in Galveston school shooting

Another day, another school shooting. This one, at 7:45 this morning at Santa Fe High School in Galveston, left 10 dead and at least 12 injured. The President made the usual requisite speech -- "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families" -- but he also vowed to find a way to "keep guns out of the hands of those who are a threat to themselves and to others."

For starters, how about banning AR-15 assault rifles? Nobody, other than the military, should own such a weapon. And how is a student able to carry several guns and pipe bombs into a school? There should be armed guards and metal detectors at every school entrance. A drastic measure? Yes. But, unfortunately, a now-necessary measure. Students should not have to fear for their lives when they're at school.

10 dead at Galveston high school; shooter had AR-15, pistol, shotgun, pipe bombs

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/breaki...D=ansmsnnews11

CNN is reporting the 17-year-old shooter was "injured" -- no details -- and has been arrested. An 18-year-old is being questioned as a "possible accomplice." Nine students and one teacher were killed. Eight students and two police officers were wounded. This morning's massacre is the 22nd mass shooting in the United States so far this year. What a sad scary world we live in.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the school shooter, told police he wanted to kill as many students as he could and then commit suicide. The guns he used belonged to his father. Dimitrios had a Facebook page, which has now been taken down. On April 30 he had posted photos of himself wearing a jacket with Nazi symbols and a black shirt reading "Born To Kill." In other words, the warning signs were there.....and nobody did anything.

After every mass shooting, Republicans offer their usual (and pretty much meaningless) "thoughts and prayers" and do absolutely nothing to try to prevent further massacres. Democrats, unlike Republicans, are not afraid to stand up to the NRA. This is an election year. We need to get to the polls and ensure Democrats regain control of the House and Senate. Hillary Clinton sent out this tweet today:

Hillary Clinton
@HillaryClinton
Every day that we fail to act on gun violence, we are failing our children. This should be a day for soul searching across America and that soul searching should be matched with legislating to begin dealing with this national shame.
11:02 AM - 18 May 2018

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office has issued this press release:

"The suspect from the Santa Fe ISD shooting scene has been booked into the Galveston County Jail. He is identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, W/M, 17 years of age. He is being held on Capital Murder with no bond. Additional charges may follow. Anyone with additional information please contact the Tip line at 409 927-3310. The FBI and ATF are actively working the scene with the Sheriff’s Office supporting. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. --Sheriff Henry Trochesset, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office"

"Innocent until proven guilty." Yeah, the Sheriff had to say that-- but we all know Pagourtzis is not innocent and is not just a "suspect." He shot and killed ten people and wounded ten others. In addition to the weapons recovered, police found several homemade explosive devices in two homes and a trailer that are "linked" to Pagourtzis. Here is an update from CNN:

Dimitrios Pagourtzis identified as Santa Fe High shooter, sheriff says

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/us/di...ect/index.html

One of the ten dead was a substitute teacher. Another was an exchange student from Pakistan. One of the ten wounded was John Barnes, a school police officer who had recently retired from the Houston Police Department. He raced into the school to engage the shooter and was shot in both arms. He lost so much blood that his heart stopped twice, once on the way to the hospital and once in surgery. Doctors were able to revive him.

Emma Gonzalez, a gun-control advocate and a student at the Florida high school where 17 people were shot and killed in February, said, "Santa Fe High, you didn't deserve this. You deserve peace all your lives, not just after a tombstone is put over you. You deserve more than 'thoughts and prayers.' We will be there to support you by raising up your voices."

Armed guards and metal detectors at every school entrance. A ban on AR-15 assault weapons. Huge fines for gun owners who fail to keep their weapons locked up and out of the reach of others. A nationwide effort to do a better job of detecting and treating mental illnesses. Full-time monitoring of social media for posts containing threats, pictures of guns, Nazi symbols and other "red flags." Alerting police or other authorities when such posts are found. These are things we should be doing. Now and always. Before any more school students die.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis "wanted his story told." He shot and killed a teacher and nine classmates and wounded ten others. Do we really care what his "story" is?

Police: Santa Fe school shooter spared the lives of people he liked
Inside Edition, May 19 2018 2:09 PM

A teenager who opened fire Friday at Santa Fe High School in Texas, killing 10 people and wounding 10 others, spared people he liked and targeted those he didn't. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, entered the school with a shotgun and .38 revolver and opened fire during a first-period art class at Santa Fe High School. Pagourtzis said he did not kill the people he liked because he "wanted his story told," according to a probable cause affidavit. While police haven’t officially released the names of those killed, family members of the slain have taken to social media to announce they lost their loved ones in the massacre.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...lice/23438889/

Why do so many students think the way to resolve their anger and frustration and avenge their perceived slights is by killing as many classmates as they can? And why do they never -- never -- have any difficulty getting pistols, revolvers, pipe bombs, assault rifles and ammunition?

Texas school shooter killed girl who turned down his advances and embarrassed him in class, her mother says

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-...519-story.html

Police responded to the Santa Fe High School shooting four minutes after the first 911 call came in. They engaged Dimitrios Pagourtzis in a 25-minute gun battle before he finally surrendered. Because he's a minor, he will not face the death penalty, even though he caused the death of ten people.

Thousands attend funeral prayer service for Pakistani girl killed in Texas shooting
"I want to learn the American culture, and I want America to learn the Pakistan culture, and I want us to come together and unite," she had told her hosts.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-c...ooting-n875886

I totally agree with this letter from Elizabeth Harrington of Milton, Australia in today's Los Angeles Times:

"The litany of reasons being touted for the latest school shooting in the US -- Ritalin, violent movies, video games and abortion -- makes people in other countries shake their heads in disbelief. All these supposed causes are part of life in many other parts of the world but gun violence is rarely the result. Surely it is obvious that the one factor that differentiates the United States from the rest of the world -- the ready availability of guns -- is the problem. Until Americans admit that and do something about it, their country will never be 'great again' in the eyes of the world and many of us will be too afraid of being caught up in gun violence to ever visit your country."

It has been only one week since the Galveston school shooting, and.......

1 student, 1 teacher wounded in Indiana middle school shooting

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...525-story.html

How unsettling and how depressing this story is! When I was in school, the worst things teachers had to deal with were gum chewing, spitwad throwing, cheating on tests and running in the halls.

Active shooter drills for pre-school teachers a new normal for schools
CBS News, May 29 2018 6:38 PM

Santa Fe was just one of more than 20 school shootings so far this year. With no end in sight to the threat, more and more schools are requiring teachers to get special training to protect their students. It can be shockingly realistic. Even though it includes a fake gun, the drills can still feel real. Former deputy sheriff Eric Frost runs a company that conducts safety trainings for mass shootings and he says he's busier than ever.

Every month, at Casa De Niños Pre-School in Yuma, Arizona, after the students go home, the teachers go through active shooter drills. But this is a pre-school with kids as young as one. The training is required by Sabrina Seale, the pre-school's owner. Each drill costs the school $1,000. Two-thirds of school districts across the country conduct active shooter drills. Since 1999, 16% of school shootings took place where preschoolers and kindergartners were present.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/school-...hooter-drills/

Metal detectors, armed guards and panic buttons in every classroom are good ideas but instead of responding to school shootings this way, we should be trying to prevent school shootings by banning assault weapons and high-capacity ammo magazines and doing a much better job of diagnosing and treating mental illness.

Santa Fe High students return to site of deadly Texas school shooting with more security

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...9XBM?ocid=AMZN