jsmith6919
Honored Member - RIP
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2013
- Messages
- 28,407
The Gun Control Debate Thread
- Thread starter Jiggyfly
- Start date
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
And yet, was still allowed to legally buy a firearm.
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
But you know, god given 
right to own firearms and stuff.
right to own firearms and stuff.
jsmith6919
Honored Member - RIP
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2013
- Messages
- 28,407
That you can read about the failure of the FBI and still blame legal law abiding gun owners is why we can't have a discussion about gunsBut you know, god given
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
L.T. Fan
I'm Easy If You Are
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 21,700
What’s your point?
Do you think it has to be one way or another. The fact that there Is a domestic problem doesn’t preclude the need to control the borders and the illegal immigrants problem.
This was meant for BIPO. Sorry.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
The Gun Control Debate Thread
The Latest: Sheriff: School gunman fired into 5 classrooms
Associated Press
PARKLAND, Fla. — The Latest on a deadly school shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a high school shooting that killed 17 people fired into five classrooms before dropping his rifle and fleeing on foot.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz fired into three rooms on the second floor of the school in Parkland, then went back and fired again into two of those rooms. He says the shooter fired into one other room on that floor before moving to the third floor and shooting one person in a classroom there.
The sheriff says the gunman then dropped his rifle and backpack containing extra ammunition and ran out of the school. As he crossed fields, he tried to blend in with fleeing students.
___
5:15 p.m.
A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a school shooting that killed 17 people stopped at fast food restaurants after the attack.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference Thursday that Nikolas Cruz tried to mix in with a group of students fleeing the school. The sheriff says he then headed to a Wal-Mart and bought a drink at a Subway restaurant before walking to a McDonald's.
Israel says Cruz was confronted by a police officer and taken into custody about 40 minutes after leaving the McDonald's.
___
4:30 p.m.
A law enforcement official says he knows of "no known ties" between the suspect who confessed to a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school and a white supremacist group.
Lt. Grady Jordan is a spokesman for the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, where the white nationalist militia known as the Republic of Florida is based. Jordan said Thursday that his office has arrested militia leader Jordan Jereb at least four times since January 2014 and has been monitoring the group's membership.
He says his office has "very solid" information on the group and "there's no known ties that we have that we can connect" 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with the group.
Jereb told The Associated Press earlier Thursday that Cruz was a member and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.
Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."
___
4 p.m.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office report says Nikolas Cruz confessed to being the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
According to the report, he told interrogating officers that he "began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds" on Wednesday afternoon.
The report adds that Cruz told officers he "brought additional loaded magazines to the school campus and kept them hidden in a backpack until he got on campus to begin his assault."
Cruz told investigators that as students began to flee, he decided to discard his AR-15 rifle and a vest he was wearing so he could blend in with the crowd. Police recovered the rifle and the vest.
The police report adds that Cruz purchased the rifle in February 2017, but does not say where it was purchased.
____
3:25 p.m.
An attorney for the 19-year-old Florida man accused of killing 17 people at a high school says her client is sad and remorseful.
Public defender Melisa McNeill told reporters Thursday that Nikolas Cruz is fully aware of what's going on but he's also just a "broken human being." McNeill spoke after a judge ordered Cruz held without bond. She had her arm around Cruz during the brief hearing.
She became emotional while speaking to reporters, saying she's fully aware of the impact the shooting has had on the community.
Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
___
2:50 p.m.
Uber has confirmed that the suspect in the deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school used the ridesharing service before the shooting.
The company says it's assisting law enforcement with the investigation.
The company wouldn't answer questions about whether the Uber driver noticed anything concerning about the suspect's behavior or if he was carrying a gun or a large case.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.
___
2:40 p.m.
The police officer who arrested the high school shooting suspect in Florida says the teen looked like a "typical high school student" when he spotted him walking away from the school.
Coconut Creek police officer Michael Leonard said his department was responding to the shooting Wednesday afternoon when he saw someone matching the description of the suspect. Leonard says he stopped him and he was taken into custody without incident.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
___
2:25 p.m.
Two federal law enforcement officials say the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle used in the deadly rampage at a high school was purchased legally at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman reported from Washington. Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.
___
2:05 p.m.
A Florida judge has ordered that the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a high school will be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist during the Thursday afternoon hearing. His attorney did not contest the order and had her arm around Cruz during the brief court appearance.
Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people.
___
12:55 p.m.
A Mississippi bail bondsman named Benjamin Bennight says he alerted the FBI last September after someone using the screen name "Nikolas Cruz" posted a comment on his YouTube channel saying: "Im going to be a professional school shooter."
Bennight explains in a video post that he flagged it for YouTube and called an FBI office in Mississippi to report it. He says FBI agents visited him the next day.
Agent Rob Lasky says the agency did a database review but couldn't determine the time, location or true identity of the person making the comment.
Bennight says the FBI came calling again within hours of the shooting. He says "they're going to have to get with YouTube about where the comment originated, but I think they already know."
__
12:50 p.m.
The leader of a white nationalist militia says Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of his group and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.
Jordan Jereb told The Associated Press on Thursday that his group, the Republic of Florida, wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. He said his group holds "spontaneous random demonstrations" and tries not to participate in the modern world.
Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."
He also said he had "trouble with a girl" and he believed the timing of the attack, carried out on Valentine's Day, wasn't a coincidence.
Nineteen-year-old Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.
___
12:35 p.m.
The Dollar Tree retail chain confirms that the Florida high school shooting suspect worked at their store in Parkland.
In a Thursday statement, the Dollar Tree says they'll share any information about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with local and federal officials that may help with the investigation. The retailer also expressed sympathy for the Parkland community and those affected by the Wednesday attack that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.
___
12:25 p.m.
A sheriff's deputy responding to a report of gunfire at a private school near the site of a mass shooting a Florida high school accidentally fired his gun, injuring his leg.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the deputy was among law enforcement officers responding to reports of shots being fired at North Broward Preparatory School on Thursday morning. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and no one else was injured.
The initial report was investigated and sheriff's officials said it was unfounded.
In the meantime, all Broward County high schools are on a "code yellow," which means students should remain in classrooms with doors locked. Officials said this is precautionary following the Wednesday afternoon shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
11:35 a.m.
President Donald Trump said the nation is "joined together as one American family" after a shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.
In a national address from the White House on Thursday, Trump said he wanted to speak directly to America's children, saying "you are never alone, and you never will be." He said no child should have to go to school fearing for their lives.
Trump said he'll travel to Florida meet with victims' families, explore how to better secure schools and "tackle the difficult issue of mental health."
He did not mention guns or gun control.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
11:20 a.m.
A Florida sheriff says there was an armed officer on campus at the time of a deadly high school shooting.
But Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Thursday the officer never encountered the suspect during the Wednesday afternoon attack that killed 17 people.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
10:55 a.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he'll sit down with state leaders and work on how they can make sure people with mental illness aren't able to get guns.
Scott spoke Thursday a day after a shooting left 17 people dead at a high school. He said leaders will look at how they can make sure something like that never happens again.
FBI agent Rob Lasky says the FBI investigated a 2017 YouTube comment that said "I'm going to be a professional school shooter"; but the agency couldn't identify the person making the comment.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
10:10 a.m.
Kentucky's Republican governor says he's heartbroken over a school shooting in Florida that killed 17 just weeks after a similar shooting at a high school in his state.
Gov. Matt Bevin told talk radio hosts his heart is truly broken for the people of Florida and the community has been shattered in a similar way that Kentucky was in January. He said guns are not the reason for increase in school shootings, but blamed a culture that delegitimizes life through violent video games, TV shows and music lyrics.
Bevin called video games where people kill others "garbage" and said "it's the same as pornography." He said "freedom of speech" has been abused by allowing things that are "filthy and disgusting and have no redeemable value."
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
8:55 a.m.
A school district superintendent choked up during a television interview while discussing the scene at a Florida High School where 17 people were killed during a shooting rampage shortly before dismissal time.
Broward County school district Superintendent Robert Runcie told WSVN on Thursday morning that seeing the bodies strewn on floors inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School "was absolutely horrific."
A tearful Runcie said the scene was "nothing like I've ever seen in my entire life."
Runcie said his thoughts are with the parents and families whose children didn't come home from school Wednesday.
Former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was booked into jail early Thursday after being questioned by authorities through the night. He's charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
___
8:40 a.m.
An attorney representing the family who had taken in Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz says they're shocked by what happened and had no idea he was planning anything.
Jim Lewis told The Associated Press on Thursday that Cruz began living with the family after his mother died in November. He said Cruz was quiet and very respectful but also sad.
Lewis says Cruz had an AR-15 rifle in the home with them but it was kept in a locked cabinet.
Lewis says the family — who he declined to identify — has been cooperating with law enforcement, who have been searching their home. He also said the family's own son, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was at the school when the shooting happened and is shaken up by it.
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
8:40 a.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it's time to keep mourning parents of the victims of the school shooting in Florida in "our thoughts and prayers," not to discuss how to deal with gun violence.
Tillerson, speaking during a visit to Lebanon during his Mideast tour, called it a "horrific school shooting." At least 17 children were shot at high school in Florida. The 19-year old suspect is custody.
Responding to a reporter's question about how the U.S. talks to foreign countries about reducing violence while it is grappling with school violence and other mass shootings at home, Tillerson said it was time to pray for the victims.
___
8:30 a.m.
A law enforcement official is telling The Associated Press that a former student who killed 17 people at a Florida school legally purchased his AR-15 rifle about a year ago.
The official is familiar with the investigation into the school shooting but not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federal law allows people 18 and over to legally purchase long guns. At 21, people can legally buy handguns from a licensed dealer.
Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman reported from Washington.
___
7:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump says it appears the suspect in Florida's deadly school shooting was "mentally disturbed."
Trump tweeted Thursday about the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school. A former student opened fire Wednesday with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people. The 19-year-old was charged Thursday morning.
Trump says: "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!"
The president offered sympathy in another tweet Wednesday and said he spoke with Florida's governor, but he has not addressed the nation.
Trump has cited mental health before as a cause for mass shootings, dismissing questions about gun control.
___
7:30 a.m.
Grief counselors are being made available to students and staff after a mass shooting at their Florida high school killed 17 people and left 14 others hospitalized with wounds and injuries.
The Broward County school district says counseling will be offered at five locations for anyone affected by Wednesday afternoon's shooting. But Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, now a crime scene, will remain closed through the President's Day weekend.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, is charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. He was arrested about two miles from the school shortly after the shooting and initially taken to a hospital with breathing problems. Cruz was questioned overnight and booked into the Broward County Jail early Thursday.
___
7:10 a.m.
Pope Francis is sending his condolences to the victims of the school shooting in Florida and praying that "such senseless acts of violence may cease."
The Vatican says Francis sent a telegram Thursday to the archbishop of Miami saying he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the "devastating attack."
Francis said he was praying for the dead and wounded and those who are grieving.
A former student at the Parkland, Florida high school opened fire Wednesday with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people.
Francis has frequently lashed out at gun manufacturers, calling them "merchants of death." During his 2015 speech to the U.S. Congress, he called for an end to the arms trade, which he said was fueled by a quest for "money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood."
___
7:05 a.m.
The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly school shooting in Florida has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Nikolas Jacob Cruz was booked into the Broward County Jail early Thursday, still wearing the hospital gown he was given after being treated for labored breathing following his arrest. He was later questioned overnight before being booked into jail.
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Cruz was a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He is accused of entering the campus just before school was dismissed on Wednesday afternoon and opening fire on students and teachers.
Officials said another 14 people have been treated at area hospitals.
Cruz, who is listed at 5-foot-7 and 131 pounds, is being held without bond. Jail records don't list an attorney for him.
___
6:55 a.m.
A sheriff said the bodies of 12 of the 17 victims in a mass shooting at a Florida high school were found inside the building.
A statement from Broward Sheriff Scott Israel says two other bodies were discovered outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, another was found a short distance away along a local road and two others died at a hospital.
Dr. Evan Boyer, the medical director at Broward Health North's Department of Emergency Medicine, told reporters that the suspect was among 17 patients taken to local hospitals after the shooting.
Shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was initially taken by ambulance to Broward North hospital for treatment for labored breathing after his arrest. Then he was taken to sheriff's headquarters for questioning overnight. He was still wearing a hospital gown when he was brought to the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale for booking Thursday.
___
6:15 a.m.
The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly rampage at a Florida high school is being booked into jail after being questioned for hours by state and federal authorities.
Television footage showed Nikolas Cruz being escorted by sheriff's deputies from the Broward Sheriff's headquarters to the county jail in Fort Lauderdale early Thursday morning.
Seventeen people were killed as gunfire erupted at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School just before classes ended Wednesday afternoon.
Cruz was captured in a quiet neighborhood about two miles from the school. Sheriff's officials said in an email that Cruz was initially taken to a hospital for labored breathing before being questioned at sheriff's headquarters.
Counselors are being made available for students, teachers and staff, but the school will remain closed as an investigation continues.
___
1 a.m.
Just before the shooting broke out, some students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School thought they were having another fire drill.
Such an exercise had forced them to leave their classrooms hours earlier. So when the alarm went off Wednesday afternoon shortly before they were to be dismissed, they once again filed out into the hallways.
That's when police say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, equipped with a gas mask, smoke grenades and multiple magazines of ammunition, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets. It was the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago.
The Latest: Sheriff: School gunman fired into 5 classrooms
Associated Press
PARKLAND, Fla. — The Latest on a deadly school shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a high school shooting that killed 17 people fired into five classrooms before dropping his rifle and fleeing on foot.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz fired into three rooms on the second floor of the school in Parkland, then went back and fired again into two of those rooms. He says the shooter fired into one other room on that floor before moving to the third floor and shooting one person in a classroom there.
The sheriff says the gunman then dropped his rifle and backpack containing extra ammunition and ran out of the school. As he crossed fields, he tried to blend in with fleeing students.
___
5:15 p.m.
A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a school shooting that killed 17 people stopped at fast food restaurants after the attack.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference Thursday that Nikolas Cruz tried to mix in with a group of students fleeing the school. The sheriff says he then headed to a Wal-Mart and bought a drink at a Subway restaurant before walking to a McDonald's.
Israel says Cruz was confronted by a police officer and taken into custody about 40 minutes after leaving the McDonald's.
___
4:30 p.m.
A law enforcement official says he knows of "no known ties" between the suspect who confessed to a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school and a white supremacist group.
Lt. Grady Jordan is a spokesman for the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, where the white nationalist militia known as the Republic of Florida is based. Jordan said Thursday that his office has arrested militia leader Jordan Jereb at least four times since January 2014 and has been monitoring the group's membership.
He says his office has "very solid" information on the group and "there's no known ties that we have that we can connect" 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with the group.
Jereb told The Associated Press earlier Thursday that Cruz was a member and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.
Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."
___
4 p.m.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office report says Nikolas Cruz confessed to being the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
According to the report, he told interrogating officers that he "began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds" on Wednesday afternoon.
The report adds that Cruz told officers he "brought additional loaded magazines to the school campus and kept them hidden in a backpack until he got on campus to begin his assault."
Cruz told investigators that as students began to flee, he decided to discard his AR-15 rifle and a vest he was wearing so he could blend in with the crowd. Police recovered the rifle and the vest.
The police report adds that Cruz purchased the rifle in February 2017, but does not say where it was purchased.
____
3:25 p.m.
An attorney for the 19-year-old Florida man accused of killing 17 people at a high school says her client is sad and remorseful.
Public defender Melisa McNeill told reporters Thursday that Nikolas Cruz is fully aware of what's going on but he's also just a "broken human being." McNeill spoke after a judge ordered Cruz held without bond. She had her arm around Cruz during the brief hearing.
She became emotional while speaking to reporters, saying she's fully aware of the impact the shooting has had on the community.
Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
___
2:50 p.m.
Uber has confirmed that the suspect in the deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school used the ridesharing service before the shooting.
The company says it's assisting law enforcement with the investigation.
The company wouldn't answer questions about whether the Uber driver noticed anything concerning about the suspect's behavior or if he was carrying a gun or a large case.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.
___
2:40 p.m.
The police officer who arrested the high school shooting suspect in Florida says the teen looked like a "typical high school student" when he spotted him walking away from the school.
Coconut Creek police officer Michael Leonard said his department was responding to the shooting Wednesday afternoon when he saw someone matching the description of the suspect. Leonard says he stopped him and he was taken into custody without incident.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
___
2:25 p.m.
Two federal law enforcement officials say the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle used in the deadly rampage at a high school was purchased legally at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman reported from Washington. Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.
___
2:05 p.m.
A Florida judge has ordered that the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a high school will be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist during the Thursday afternoon hearing. His attorney did not contest the order and had her arm around Cruz during the brief court appearance.
Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people.
___
12:55 p.m.
A Mississippi bail bondsman named Benjamin Bennight says he alerted the FBI last September after someone using the screen name "Nikolas Cruz" posted a comment on his YouTube channel saying: "Im going to be a professional school shooter."
Bennight explains in a video post that he flagged it for YouTube and called an FBI office in Mississippi to report it. He says FBI agents visited him the next day.
Agent Rob Lasky says the agency did a database review but couldn't determine the time, location or true identity of the person making the comment.
Bennight says the FBI came calling again within hours of the shooting. He says "they're going to have to get with YouTube about where the comment originated, but I think they already know."
__
12:50 p.m.
The leader of a white nationalist militia says Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of his group and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.
Jordan Jereb told The Associated Press on Thursday that his group, the Republic of Florida, wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. He said his group holds "spontaneous random demonstrations" and tries not to participate in the modern world.
Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."
He also said he had "trouble with a girl" and he believed the timing of the attack, carried out on Valentine's Day, wasn't a coincidence.
Nineteen-year-old Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.
___
12:35 p.m.
The Dollar Tree retail chain confirms that the Florida high school shooting suspect worked at their store in Parkland.
In a Thursday statement, the Dollar Tree says they'll share any information about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with local and federal officials that may help with the investigation. The retailer also expressed sympathy for the Parkland community and those affected by the Wednesday attack that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.
___
12:25 p.m.
A sheriff's deputy responding to a report of gunfire at a private school near the site of a mass shooting a Florida high school accidentally fired his gun, injuring his leg.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the deputy was among law enforcement officers responding to reports of shots being fired at North Broward Preparatory School on Thursday morning. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and no one else was injured.
The initial report was investigated and sheriff's officials said it was unfounded.
In the meantime, all Broward County high schools are on a "code yellow," which means students should remain in classrooms with doors locked. Officials said this is precautionary following the Wednesday afternoon shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
11:35 a.m.
President Donald Trump said the nation is "joined together as one American family" after a shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.
In a national address from the White House on Thursday, Trump said he wanted to speak directly to America's children, saying "you are never alone, and you never will be." He said no child should have to go to school fearing for their lives.
Trump said he'll travel to Florida meet with victims' families, explore how to better secure schools and "tackle the difficult issue of mental health."
He did not mention guns or gun control.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
11:20 a.m.
A Florida sheriff says there was an armed officer on campus at the time of a deadly high school shooting.
But Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Thursday the officer never encountered the suspect during the Wednesday afternoon attack that killed 17 people.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
10:55 a.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he'll sit down with state leaders and work on how they can make sure people with mental illness aren't able to get guns.
Scott spoke Thursday a day after a shooting left 17 people dead at a high school. He said leaders will look at how they can make sure something like that never happens again.
FBI agent Rob Lasky says the FBI investigated a 2017 YouTube comment that said "I'm going to be a professional school shooter"; but the agency couldn't identify the person making the comment.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
10:10 a.m.
Kentucky's Republican governor says he's heartbroken over a school shooting in Florida that killed 17 just weeks after a similar shooting at a high school in his state.
Gov. Matt Bevin told talk radio hosts his heart is truly broken for the people of Florida and the community has been shattered in a similar way that Kentucky was in January. He said guns are not the reason for increase in school shootings, but blamed a culture that delegitimizes life through violent video games, TV shows and music lyrics.
Bevin called video games where people kill others "garbage" and said "it's the same as pornography." He said "freedom of speech" has been abused by allowing things that are "filthy and disgusting and have no redeemable value."
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
8:55 a.m.
A school district superintendent choked up during a television interview while discussing the scene at a Florida High School where 17 people were killed during a shooting rampage shortly before dismissal time.
Broward County school district Superintendent Robert Runcie told WSVN on Thursday morning that seeing the bodies strewn on floors inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School "was absolutely horrific."
A tearful Runcie said the scene was "nothing like I've ever seen in my entire life."
Runcie said his thoughts are with the parents and families whose children didn't come home from school Wednesday.
Former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was booked into jail early Thursday after being questioned by authorities through the night. He's charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
___
8:40 a.m.
An attorney representing the family who had taken in Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz says they're shocked by what happened and had no idea he was planning anything.
Jim Lewis told The Associated Press on Thursday that Cruz began living with the family after his mother died in November. He said Cruz was quiet and very respectful but also sad.
Lewis says Cruz had an AR-15 rifle in the home with them but it was kept in a locked cabinet.
Lewis says the family — who he declined to identify — has been cooperating with law enforcement, who have been searching their home. He also said the family's own son, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was at the school when the shooting happened and is shaken up by it.
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.
___
8:40 a.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it's time to keep mourning parents of the victims of the school shooting in Florida in "our thoughts and prayers," not to discuss how to deal with gun violence.
Tillerson, speaking during a visit to Lebanon during his Mideast tour, called it a "horrific school shooting." At least 17 children were shot at high school in Florida. The 19-year old suspect is custody.
Responding to a reporter's question about how the U.S. talks to foreign countries about reducing violence while it is grappling with school violence and other mass shootings at home, Tillerson said it was time to pray for the victims.
___
8:30 a.m.
A law enforcement official is telling The Associated Press that a former student who killed 17 people at a Florida school legally purchased his AR-15 rifle about a year ago.
The official is familiar with the investigation into the school shooting but not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federal law allows people 18 and over to legally purchase long guns. At 21, people can legally buy handguns from a licensed dealer.
Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman reported from Washington.
___
7:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump says it appears the suspect in Florida's deadly school shooting was "mentally disturbed."
Trump tweeted Thursday about the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school. A former student opened fire Wednesday with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people. The 19-year-old was charged Thursday morning.
Trump says: "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!"
The president offered sympathy in another tweet Wednesday and said he spoke with Florida's governor, but he has not addressed the nation.
Trump has cited mental health before as a cause for mass shootings, dismissing questions about gun control.
___
7:30 a.m.
Grief counselors are being made available to students and staff after a mass shooting at their Florida high school killed 17 people and left 14 others hospitalized with wounds and injuries.
The Broward County school district says counseling will be offered at five locations for anyone affected by Wednesday afternoon's shooting. But Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, now a crime scene, will remain closed through the President's Day weekend.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, is charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. He was arrested about two miles from the school shortly after the shooting and initially taken to a hospital with breathing problems. Cruz was questioned overnight and booked into the Broward County Jail early Thursday.
___
7:10 a.m.
Pope Francis is sending his condolences to the victims of the school shooting in Florida and praying that "such senseless acts of violence may cease."
The Vatican says Francis sent a telegram Thursday to the archbishop of Miami saying he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the "devastating attack."
Francis said he was praying for the dead and wounded and those who are grieving.
A former student at the Parkland, Florida high school opened fire Wednesday with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people.
Francis has frequently lashed out at gun manufacturers, calling them "merchants of death." During his 2015 speech to the U.S. Congress, he called for an end to the arms trade, which he said was fueled by a quest for "money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood."
___
7:05 a.m.
The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly school shooting in Florida has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Nikolas Jacob Cruz was booked into the Broward County Jail early Thursday, still wearing the hospital gown he was given after being treated for labored breathing following his arrest. He was later questioned overnight before being booked into jail.
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Cruz was a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He is accused of entering the campus just before school was dismissed on Wednesday afternoon and opening fire on students and teachers.
Officials said another 14 people have been treated at area hospitals.
Cruz, who is listed at 5-foot-7 and 131 pounds, is being held without bond. Jail records don't list an attorney for him.
___
6:55 a.m.
A sheriff said the bodies of 12 of the 17 victims in a mass shooting at a Florida high school were found inside the building.
A statement from Broward Sheriff Scott Israel says two other bodies were discovered outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, another was found a short distance away along a local road and two others died at a hospital.
Dr. Evan Boyer, the medical director at Broward Health North's Department of Emergency Medicine, told reporters that the suspect was among 17 patients taken to local hospitals after the shooting.
Shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was initially taken by ambulance to Broward North hospital for treatment for labored breathing after his arrest. Then he was taken to sheriff's headquarters for questioning overnight. He was still wearing a hospital gown when he was brought to the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale for booking Thursday.
___
6:15 a.m.
The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly rampage at a Florida high school is being booked into jail after being questioned for hours by state and federal authorities.
Television footage showed Nikolas Cruz being escorted by sheriff's deputies from the Broward Sheriff's headquarters to the county jail in Fort Lauderdale early Thursday morning.
Seventeen people were killed as gunfire erupted at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School just before classes ended Wednesday afternoon.
Cruz was captured in a quiet neighborhood about two miles from the school. Sheriff's officials said in an email that Cruz was initially taken to a hospital for labored breathing before being questioned at sheriff's headquarters.
Counselors are being made available for students, teachers and staff, but the school will remain closed as an investigation continues.
___
1 a.m.
Just before the shooting broke out, some students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School thought they were having another fire drill.
Such an exercise had forced them to leave their classrooms hours earlier. So when the alarm went off Wednesday afternoon shortly before they were to be dismissed, they once again filed out into the hallways.
That's when police say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, equipped with a gas mask, smoke grenades and multiple magazines of ammunition, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets. It was the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
Pro-Gun Russian Bots Flood Twitter After Parkland Shooting
Erin Griffith
security
02.15.18
02:00 pm
Each new breaking news situation is an opportunity for trolls to grab attention, provoke emotions, and spread propaganda. The Russian government knows this. Fake-news manufacturing teenagers in Macedonia know this. Twitter bot creators know this. And thanks to data-gathering operations from groups like the Alliance for Securing Democracy and RoBhat Labs, the world knows this.
In the wake of Wednesday’s Parkland, Florida school shooting, which resulted in 17 deaths, troll and bot-tracking sites reported an immediate uptick in related tweets from political propaganda bots and Russia-linked Twitter accounts. Hamilton 68, a website created by Alliance for Securing Democracy, tracks Twitter activity from accounts it has identified as linked to Russian influence campaigns. As of morning, shooting-related terms dominated the site’s trending hashtags and topics, including Parkland, guncontrolnow, Florida, guncontrol, and Nikolas Cruz, the name of the alleged shooter. Popular trending topics among the bot network include shooter, NRA, shooting, Nikolas, Florida, and teacher.
On RoBhat Labs' Botcheck.me, a website created by two Berkeley students to track 1500 political propaganda bots, all of the top two-word phrases used in the last 24 hours—excluding President Trump's name—are related to the tragedy: School shooting, gun control, high school, Florida school. The top hashtags from the last 24 hours include Parkland, guncontrol, and guncontrolnow.
Ash Bhat, one of the project’s creators, says the bots are able to respond quickly to breaking news because they’re ultimately controlled by humans. In contrast to the Russia-affiliated Hamilton 68 bots, Bhat would not speculate on who is behind the bots that RoBhat Labs tracks. In some cases, the bot creators come up with hashtags, and use their bots to amplify them until they’re adopted by human users. “Over time the hashtag moves out of the bot network to the general public,” he says. Once a hashtag is widely adopted by real users, it’s difficult for Twitter to police, Bhat says. RoBhat Labs’ data shows this happened with the hashtag MemoDay, which bubbled up when House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes’ controversial memo was released.
In other cases, the bots jump on existing hashtags to take control of the conversation and amplify a message. That’s likely what is happening with the Parkland shooting and the hashtag guncontrolnow, Bhat says.
'Over time the hashtag moves out of the bot network to the general public.'
Ash Bhat, RoBhat Labs
While RoBhat Labs tracks general political bots, Hamilton 68 focuses specifically on those linked to the Russian government. According to the group's data, the top link shared by Russia-linked accounts in the last 48 hours is a 2014 Politifact article that looks critically at a statistic cited by pro-gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Twitter accounts tracked by the group have used the old link to try to debunk today’s stats about the frequency of school shootings.
Another top link shared by the network covers the “deranged” Instagram account of the shooter, showing images of him holding guns and knives, wearing army hats, and a screenshot of a Google search of the phrase “Allahu Akbar.” Characterizing shooters as deranged lone wolves with potential terrorist connections is a popular strategy of pro-gun groups because of the implication that new gun laws could not have prevented their actions. On Thursday President Trump tweeted as much: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior.”
Meanwhile, some accounts with large bot followings are already spreading misinformation about the shooter's ties to far-left group Antifa, even though the Associated Press reported that he was a member of a local white nationalist group. The Twitter account Education4Libs, which RoBhat Labs shows is one among the top accounts tweeted at by bots, is among the prominent disseminators of that idea:
Bret Schafer, a research analyst with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, says the spike in shooting-related posts from Russia-linked bots is in line with what his group observed after last year's shootings in Las Vegas and Texas. The Russia-linked bots weigh in on any attention-grabbing news event, but seize on shootings particularly. "Because of the politicized nature of them, they are perfect fodder to take an extreme position and start spreading memes that have a very distinct political position on gun control," he says.
'I don’t think the Kremlin cares one way or another whether we enact stricter gun control laws.'
Bret Schafer, Alliance for Securing Democracy
The use of pro-gun control hashtags like #guncontrolnow, along with the spread of anti-gun control links like the Politifact article, appear at first to show the Russian strategy of promoting discord on both sides of a debate. Russian-linked Twitter accounts have attempted to spread confusion and angst on topics ranging from police violence against black people, to NFL player protests, to Al Franken’s sexual misconduct accusations. (On other topics, like special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election, the bots have worked in concert to further the Kremlin's agenda.)
But in this case, Schafer suspects the use of pro-gun control hashtags like #guncontrolnow are being used sarcastically, particularly since they're often paired with the anti-gun control links. Since the Twitter accounts Hamilton 68 tracks often target right-wing audiences, Schafer believes the trolls are using the message to attract more eyeballs. "That allows them to then push content that is more directly related to the Kremlin’s geopolitical agenda," such as the Nunes memo, he says. "I don’t think the Kremlin cares one way or another whether we enact stricter gun control laws," he adds. "It's just being used as bait, basically."
Public awareness that antagonistic bots flood the Twitter debate hasn’t stopped them from achieving their goals of ratcheting up the vitriol—even amid a live tragedy like the Parkland shooting. The goal, after all, isn't to help one side or the other of the gun control debate win. It's to amplify the loudest voices in that fight, deepening the divisions between us.
Erin Griffith
security
02.15.18
02:00 pm
Each new breaking news situation is an opportunity for trolls to grab attention, provoke emotions, and spread propaganda. The Russian government knows this. Fake-news manufacturing teenagers in Macedonia know this. Twitter bot creators know this. And thanks to data-gathering operations from groups like the Alliance for Securing Democracy and RoBhat Labs, the world knows this.
In the wake of Wednesday’s Parkland, Florida school shooting, which resulted in 17 deaths, troll and bot-tracking sites reported an immediate uptick in related tweets from political propaganda bots and Russia-linked Twitter accounts. Hamilton 68, a website created by Alliance for Securing Democracy, tracks Twitter activity from accounts it has identified as linked to Russian influence campaigns. As of morning, shooting-related terms dominated the site’s trending hashtags and topics, including Parkland, guncontrolnow, Florida, guncontrol, and Nikolas Cruz, the name of the alleged shooter. Popular trending topics among the bot network include shooter, NRA, shooting, Nikolas, Florida, and teacher.
On RoBhat Labs' Botcheck.me, a website created by two Berkeley students to track 1500 political propaganda bots, all of the top two-word phrases used in the last 24 hours—excluding President Trump's name—are related to the tragedy: School shooting, gun control, high school, Florida school. The top hashtags from the last 24 hours include Parkland, guncontrol, and guncontrolnow.
Ash Bhat, one of the project’s creators, says the bots are able to respond quickly to breaking news because they’re ultimately controlled by humans. In contrast to the Russia-affiliated Hamilton 68 bots, Bhat would not speculate on who is behind the bots that RoBhat Labs tracks. In some cases, the bot creators come up with hashtags, and use their bots to amplify them until they’re adopted by human users. “Over time the hashtag moves out of the bot network to the general public,” he says. Once a hashtag is widely adopted by real users, it’s difficult for Twitter to police, Bhat says. RoBhat Labs’ data shows this happened with the hashtag MemoDay, which bubbled up when House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes’ controversial memo was released.
In other cases, the bots jump on existing hashtags to take control of the conversation and amplify a message. That’s likely what is happening with the Parkland shooting and the hashtag guncontrolnow, Bhat says.
'Over time the hashtag moves out of the bot network to the general public.'
Ash Bhat, RoBhat Labs
While RoBhat Labs tracks general political bots, Hamilton 68 focuses specifically on those linked to the Russian government. According to the group's data, the top link shared by Russia-linked accounts in the last 48 hours is a 2014 Politifact article that looks critically at a statistic cited by pro-gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Twitter accounts tracked by the group have used the old link to try to debunk today’s stats about the frequency of school shootings.
Another top link shared by the network covers the “deranged” Instagram account of the shooter, showing images of him holding guns and knives, wearing army hats, and a screenshot of a Google search of the phrase “Allahu Akbar.” Characterizing shooters as deranged lone wolves with potential terrorist connections is a popular strategy of pro-gun groups because of the implication that new gun laws could not have prevented their actions. On Thursday President Trump tweeted as much: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior.”
Meanwhile, some accounts with large bot followings are already spreading misinformation about the shooter's ties to far-left group Antifa, even though the Associated Press reported that he was a member of a local white nationalist group. The Twitter account Education4Libs, which RoBhat Labs shows is one among the top accounts tweeted at by bots, is among the prominent disseminators of that idea:
Bret Schafer, a research analyst with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, says the spike in shooting-related posts from Russia-linked bots is in line with what his group observed after last year's shootings in Las Vegas and Texas. The Russia-linked bots weigh in on any attention-grabbing news event, but seize on shootings particularly. "Because of the politicized nature of them, they are perfect fodder to take an extreme position and start spreading memes that have a very distinct political position on gun control," he says.
'I don’t think the Kremlin cares one way or another whether we enact stricter gun control laws.'
Bret Schafer, Alliance for Securing Democracy
The use of pro-gun control hashtags like #guncontrolnow, along with the spread of anti-gun control links like the Politifact article, appear at first to show the Russian strategy of promoting discord on both sides of a debate. Russian-linked Twitter accounts have attempted to spread confusion and angst on topics ranging from police violence against black people, to NFL player protests, to Al Franken’s sexual misconduct accusations. (On other topics, like special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election, the bots have worked in concert to further the Kremlin's agenda.)
But in this case, Schafer suspects the use of pro-gun control hashtags like #guncontrolnow are being used sarcastically, particularly since they're often paired with the anti-gun control links. Since the Twitter accounts Hamilton 68 tracks often target right-wing audiences, Schafer believes the trolls are using the message to attract more eyeballs. "That allows them to then push content that is more directly related to the Kremlin’s geopolitical agenda," such as the Nunes memo, he says. "I don’t think the Kremlin cares one way or another whether we enact stricter gun control laws," he adds. "It's just being used as bait, basically."
Public awareness that antagonistic bots flood the Twitter debate hasn’t stopped them from achieving their goals of ratcheting up the vitriol—even amid a live tragedy like the Parkland shooting. The goal, after all, isn't to help one side or the other of the gun control debate win. It's to amplify the loudest voices in that fight, deepening the divisions between us.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
I have made my stance on this in the past very clear.
I think it is ridiculous we claim to be the most advanced nation on the planet, yet we have a clash between gun nuts and hypersensitive nancies that has created gridlock on this issue.
I just do not get why on earth we continue to foster an environment that allows mass shootings to happen. And it is not just "crazy people" or simply chalking it up to "we are always gonna have bad guys".
My question is why can there not be a compromise?
Why is it so black and white?
Why is it either BAN ALL GUNZ! or YER NOT A GONNA TAK MAH GUNZ!
I think it is ridiculous we claim to be the most advanced nation on the planet, yet we have a clash between gun nuts and hypersensitive nancies that has created gridlock on this issue.
I don't own a gun. Never felt I needed one. My brother-in-law owns dozens, and basically has an arsenal that could ward off the monsters from Tremors.
I don't have a problem with his "right" to own and purchase, hell collect firearms. I just do not get why on earth we continue to foster an environment that allows mass shootings to happen. And it is not just "crazy people" or simply chalking it up to "we are always gonna have bad guys".
But with a country as broad as ours and with so many socioeconomic issues to deal with, it is going to continue until someone decides enough is enough.
Anyone that suggests a damn thing about gun control gets labelled a liberal (or the more popular term "democrate"), cry-baby, you name it.
Anyone that suggests a damn thing about gun control gets labelled a liberal (or the more popular term "democrate"), cry-baby, you name it.
My question is why can there not be a compromise?
Why is it so black and white?
Why is it either BAN ALL GUNZ! or YER NOT A GONNA TAK MAH GUNZ!
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
So sick of the if you want a gun to commit a crime, well he's going to find a gun.
Such fucking bullshit.
At least we can do is take away all the legal means to buy a gun for these crazy motherfuckers.
But no, the NRA fights tooth and nail for psychopaths to have easy access to guns as well because it is our god given fucking right as Amuricans!!
Such fucking bullshit.
At least we can do is take away all the legal means to buy a gun for these crazy motherfuckers.
But no, the NRA fights tooth and nail for psychopaths to have easy access to guns as well because it is our god given fucking right as Amuricans!!
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
Trump is a cunt exhibit A
Trump is a cunt exhibit A
Trump budget would cut millions in school safety funds
President Trump’s proposed 2019 budget would cut millions of dollars from federal education programs designed to help school districts improve safety and provide mental health assistance in the event of a tragedy.
The budget proposal, which was unveiled earlier this week by the White House, would reduce funding for national school safety activities by $25 million compared to 2017, Politico reported.
That reduction would include the elimination of “project prevention grants,” which have helped schools across the country fund conflict resolution programs, prevent bullying and pay for mental health assistance for students.
Politico reports the budget would also cut the $1 million in funding for the School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program, which has previously provided millions in funding to the school district in Newtown, Conn., following the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The program’s website says it funds services to help students “recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted.”
Liz Hill, an Education Department spokesperson, told Politico that the SERV program’s $5.2 million carry-over funds will allow it to function in the 2019 fiscal year.
Hill also told the newspaper that the department is "committed to providing resources, direct support and technical assistance to schools who have suffered unthinkable tragedy."
Trump’s budget proposal contains cuts to many federal agencies, including the State Department, the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, while increasing funding for the Pentagon. It also includes funding for a wall long the U.S.-Mexico border.
Politico's report on how the White House budget would affect school safety funding follows a mass shooting at a Florida high school on Wednesday that left 17 students and faculty dead and more than a dozen others injured.
In a speech Thursday, Trump said making schools safer was a “top priority” for his administration.
"Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorney generals, where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority," Trump said.
"It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. We must actually make that difference," he added.
Trump is a cunt exhibit A
Trump budget would cut millions in school safety funds
President Trump’s proposed 2019 budget would cut millions of dollars from federal education programs designed to help school districts improve safety and provide mental health assistance in the event of a tragedy.
The budget proposal, which was unveiled earlier this week by the White House, would reduce funding for national school safety activities by $25 million compared to 2017, Politico reported.
That reduction would include the elimination of “project prevention grants,” which have helped schools across the country fund conflict resolution programs, prevent bullying and pay for mental health assistance for students.
Politico reports the budget would also cut the $1 million in funding for the School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program, which has previously provided millions in funding to the school district in Newtown, Conn., following the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The program’s website says it funds services to help students “recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted.”
Liz Hill, an Education Department spokesperson, told Politico that the SERV program’s $5.2 million carry-over funds will allow it to function in the 2019 fiscal year.
Hill also told the newspaper that the department is "committed to providing resources, direct support and technical assistance to schools who have suffered unthinkable tragedy."
Trump’s budget proposal contains cuts to many federal agencies, including the State Department, the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, while increasing funding for the Pentagon. It also includes funding for a wall long the U.S.-Mexico border.
Politico's report on how the White House budget would affect school safety funding follows a mass shooting at a Florida high school on Wednesday that left 17 students and faculty dead and more than a dozen others injured.
In a speech Thursday, Trump said making schools safer was a “top priority” for his administration.
"Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorney generals, where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority," Trump said.
"It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. We must actually make that difference," he added.
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
Trump is a cunt exhibit B
Trump is a cunt exhibit B
Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People With Mental Illnesses
President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun.
The rule, which was finalized in December, added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background check database.
Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database.
President Barack Obama recommended the now-nullified regulation in a 2013 memo following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six others dead. The measure sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns.
The original rule was hotly contested by gun rights advocates who said it infringed on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Gun control advocates, however, praised the rule for curbing the availability of firearms to those who may not use them with the right intentions.
Both the House and Senate last week passed the new bill, H.J. Res 40, revoking the Obama-era regulation.
Trump signed the bill into law without a photo op or fanfare. The president welcomed cameras into the oval office Tuesday for the signing of other executive orders and bills. News that the president signed the bill was tucked at the bottom of a White House email alerting press to other legislation signed by the president.
The National Rifle Association “applauded” Trump’s action. Chris Cox, NRA-ILA executive director, said the move “marks a new era for law-abiding gun owners, as we now have a president who respects and supports our arms.”
Everytown For Gun Safety President John Feinblatt said he expected more gun control rollbacks from the Trump administration. In a statement to NBC News, he called the action "just the first item on the gun lobby’s wish list" and accused the National Rifle Association of "pushing more guns, for more people, in more places."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, called out Republicans over the move.
"Republicans always say we don’t need new gun laws, we just need to enforce the laws already on the books. But the bill signed into law today undermines enforcement of existing laws that Congress passed to make sure the background check system had complete information," he said in an emailed statement.
Trump is a cunt exhibit B
Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People With Mental Illnesses
President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun.
The rule, which was finalized in December, added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background check database.
Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database.
President Barack Obama recommended the now-nullified regulation in a 2013 memo following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six others dead. The measure sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns.
The original rule was hotly contested by gun rights advocates who said it infringed on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Gun control advocates, however, praised the rule for curbing the availability of firearms to those who may not use them with the right intentions.
Both the House and Senate last week passed the new bill, H.J. Res 40, revoking the Obama-era regulation.
Trump signed the bill into law without a photo op or fanfare. The president welcomed cameras into the oval office Tuesday for the signing of other executive orders and bills. News that the president signed the bill was tucked at the bottom of a White House email alerting press to other legislation signed by the president.
The National Rifle Association “applauded” Trump’s action. Chris Cox, NRA-ILA executive director, said the move “marks a new era for law-abiding gun owners, as we now have a president who respects and supports our arms.”
Everytown For Gun Safety President John Feinblatt said he expected more gun control rollbacks from the Trump administration. In a statement to NBC News, he called the action "just the first item on the gun lobby’s wish list" and accused the National Rifle Association of "pushing more guns, for more people, in more places."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, called out Republicans over the move.
"Republicans always say we don’t need new gun laws, we just need to enforce the laws already on the books. But the bill signed into law today undermines enforcement of existing laws that Congress passed to make sure the background check system had complete information," he said in an emailed statement.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
I don't see why there cannot be a compromise at least.
I don't see any rational reason a civilian would need to have an AR-15. When you have it as the weapon of choice for most of these mass shootings, it makes sense to focus on it.
But I am also smart enough to know calling for an outright ban on them is only going to polarize the issue.
So you have other alternatives.
- Ramp up the age requirement to 25.
- Require cost prohibitive liability insurance (this might not work because many insurers are now side stepping saying they won't cover assault weapons)
- Increase the waiting time, make extensive background checks mandatory
Bad thing is, even these notions fall on deaf ears of the NRA etc. who want keep the issue passionate to maintain their stance.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
There are a ton of logistical and practical problems with what you are suggesting.
1. One way entrances and exits are extremely impractical. Tell me how a 100s of kids are going to be shepherded through efficiently and in a timely fashion in large schools?
2. Who is going to pay for the armed security and retro-fitting all schools with metal detectors?
3. Armed teachers? Who is going to pay for the training? How are they identified? I would also think that if teachers are required to carry, they I am sure they would want to be considered safety officers as well. Are we going to continue to pay them poorly? Who would foot the bill for the taxes that would be needed to go into effect to hike pay rates?
Hey, I got it. Since we can't control things, let's make Kevlar back packs mandatory school attire.
Make all schools buy bullet proof blankets:
jsmith6919
Honored Member - RIP
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2013
- Messages
- 28,407
Even the far left leaning ACLU was against this, JFC you're a mouth breathing retard
https://www.aclu.org/blog/disability-rights/gun-control-laws-should-be-fair
jsmith6919
Honored Member - RIP
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2013
- Messages
- 28,407
1. We make it work with courthouses so gtfo with this bsThere are a ton of logistical and practical problems with what you are suggesting.
1. One way entrances and exits are extremely impractical. Tell me how a 100s of kids are going to be shepherded through efficiently and in a timely fashion in large schools?
2. Who is going to pay for the armed security and retro-fitting all schools with metal detectors?
3. Armed teachers? Who is going to pay for the training? How are they identified? I would also think that if teachers are required to carry, they I am sure they would want to be considered safety officers as well. Are we going to continue to pay them poorly? Who would foot the bill for the taxes that would be needed to go into effect to hike pay rates?
Hey, I got it. Since we can't control things, let's make Kevlar back packs mandatory school attire.
Make all schools buy bullet proof blankets:
2. I'm ok with paying more taxes if it's clear this is what it's going for
3. Again I'm ok with paying more taxes if it's stipulated it goes to teachers who get certified to carry(they should def get a pay raise for doing this)
All my kids are out of school but I(and I'm sure most pro-2A) have no problem paying more if it's earmarked for this.