Student Commits Suicide In High School With Item That Gun Culture Placed Within Reach

[onehandle]

A 17-year-old Texas student committed suicide in a high school courtyard on Tuesday, according to multiple media reports.

Austin police confirmed the boy shot himself at Lanier High School some time before 1:30 p.m. local time, KVUE reported.

Meria Carstarphen, superintendent of the Austin Independent School District tweeted, "We are saddened by this tragic loss. Our thoughts are with the family."

School officials told the Statesman the incident took place shortly after noon.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/student-commits-suicide-texas_n_4101906.html

[Bay Boy]

1. Not sure I understand this:

"With Item That Gun Culture Placed Within Reach"

[Bandit]

2. More guns

We just don't have enough gun fatalities in this country...

[fitman]

9. He would have killed himself anyway..gun or no gun

n/t

[eqfan592]

13. It's impossible to say that for certain.

However, I agree that the particular implement used isn't even close to the primary issue needed to be addresses here.

[kcr]

20. Right. What we need to do is waive the big magic wand that will made the sadness go away forever!

The big giant one that will cover the entire country with its magical no more depression and mental illness dust!!! *Waaaave*

There! No more mental illness! Now we can have alll the guns we want!

Seriously. Some people need to get with it and live in reality.

[seveneyes]

3. There must be a better metaphor

That portrays an infant in a highchair, unable to reach the sharp knives on the table. This teenager needed more help than inability to procure a firearm.

[pintobean]

4. In another teen suicide

that's in the news, a girl jumped off a tower.
Maybe we should look at the problems that would cause young people to want to kill themselves, rather than using these tragedies as political tools.

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. +1

http://www.afsp.org/

Edited to add link

[HappyMe]

6. I agree.

Getting to the bottom of what the hell is going on here will help the kids. That should be the issue here.

[kcr]

8. And people who murder with guns could use another method too. Missing the point.

Having access to a gun can make a difference.

[eqfan592]

10. Debatable. and there are far less debatable issues we could address.

Issues that are much larger factors and are likely to have a greater impact.

[kcr]

15. Oh, of course. Of course it is.

Those who want guns and easy access to them want to explain away all the unfortunate incidents, therefore, debatable. Yeah, he could have committed suicide some other way. So yeah, that justifies the easy access to guns, see? Easy, peasy logic. I'll just forget the guy I knew in highschool who tried to hang himself, and when his parents found him they were able to rescue him. But had they had a gun I'm sure the results would have been far different and he'd likely not be alive today. But, debatable, right? Access to guns is what's important.

[eqfan592]

16. please, continue to be part of the problem and distract from the root issues here

I'm sure you think yourself oh so very clever.peace

[kcr]

18. Oh yes. By all means

Let's continue to push the guns guns guns, guns in every house! Because self defense! That would have helped my classmate way back when. His parents might have been more likely to have a gun had it been today instead of back then. That would have helped him so much. Guns are the way.

[HappyMe]

23. Derp!

Using this kid's death to make a point is bullshit.

Teen suicide is becoming a huge problem, but please proceed with deflecting that issue.

I should also note here that I don't have a gun and am not going to buy one.

[kcr]

25. Derp a derp!

If even one parent thinks twice about having a gun in the house, it's worth it. When a kid gets a hold of a gun and kills himself it's not just a suicide. It's a gun death. Hello.

[HappyMe]

26. Hello!

TEEN SUICIDE!

Your lack of concern about that issue is disgusting.

[kcr]

28. Hello! Gun!

Your lack of concern about gun deaths!

Look, we could go back and forth with this ridiculous I CARE MORE ABOUT THIS THAN YOU!! bullshit but let's not. Just stop. If concern about gun deaths aren't your thing, fine. That's cool.

[HappyMe]

30. I didn't say that I wasn't

concerned about gun deaths. But I am more concerned with WHY kids are killing themselves, rather than getting into a twist only when it involves a gun.

[kcr]

31. Okay, fine.

But how ridiculous is it to accuse someone of not caring that someone died because they care they died because of a gun. That's just mind bogglingly I-don't-know-what. Do you think gun advocates don't care about any of the gun victims?

[pintobean]

32. Maybe it's just me

but I think the messy method and public place of this tragedy indicates that the guy was sending a message. I doubt that message was about gun control or being a statistic for your argument. Yes, I think you care, but it also appears that you're using him.

I think we should look for the message he was sending. Understanding the reasons, and addressing those reasons, will save lives. Making it just another gun death is just math.

[kcr]

34. How is it any different than any other gun incident

I think the same could be said for any violent gun death incident. Why is so horrible to point out that gun availability is a factor in this death, but not for any of the mass shootings? The answer is it's not. And I don't understand why it makes people so uncomfortable. A person who has committed suicide by gun is a gun victim as well.

[pintobean]

36. Put 1 in the gun victim column.

Happy?

[kcr]

37. Going the Paladin method of posting, I see n/t

[pintobean]

40. Wow. A twofer.

You insulted two people because I gave you what you wanted.

[Ranchemp.]

39. They're not a victim of a gun per se,

they're a victim of their inner demons that drove them to commit suicide by whatever method used.
The solution, it seems, is to intervene before the person gets to this point in their life.

[kcr]

41. Yes, they are.

How is it different when the "demons" means they shoot others? vs the "demons" means they shoot themselves? Someone is dead by a gun either way. I think it's especially important that people keep that second kind of "demon" in mind when they buy a gun. You think it can't happen to you or someone you love. And then it does. I think it's especially important to drive this home. Sometimes you don't see it coming. And fight the NRA's Gotta Have a Gun For Self Defense meme.

[Ranchemp.]

42. Then we'll just have to disagree on this subject.

I have no problem with people who are not disallowed from buying firearms for self protection, after all, we do have an inherent right to self protection no matter what instrument is used, IE: firearm, baseball bat, knife, really smelly fart.

[kcr]

45. I didn't say I was for banning guns

I just hate the NRA's stranglehold on our legislature that has led to deregulation of guns nad the easy access to them. I'm for regulation of guns. I'm also against the heavy marketing of guns. And no, I don't believe the average american needs a gun for self defense. And if it weren't for the years of heavy marekting of guns mixed with right wing media, I don't think our country would be as saturated with them.

[Ranchemp.]

46. I never implied that you were for banning guns,

if that's the way it came across, then I apologize.
Maybe the average american doesn't need a gun for self defense, but that's up to the average american to make that determination.
As far as the heavy marketing, that's debatable, I rarely see any advertising on TV, or most magazines, and unless you belong to a pro gun org. then the marketing is really very negligible.

Anyway, I'm really not that interested in this issue of guns, I probably should have just STFU and gone about my merry way.
I do hunt and do carry a gun in the course of my profession.

[LanternWaste]

50. I don't think that examining the mechanisms denies one the ability to also examine the cause

I don't think that examining the mechanisms denies one the ability to also examine the cause-- neither being a distraction, yet both being an issue...

[Adrahil]

38. But where do you stop?

Do we want to be like Britain that are SO paranoid about guns that even picking up a cartridge you found in your garden (that you don't even own a gun for) gets you in trouble? Or where you can't even carry a decent pocket knife (an extremely useful only a daily basis)?

The problem with blaming THINGS is that you always have to move on to the next thing. We need to address cultural issues driving this stuff. We need to treat the disease, not the symptoms.

[kcr]

43. We can address cultural issues

One of them being the Got to Have Guns for Self Defense" being crammed down our throats. The fear culture that makes us think we're in far more danger than we are that makes us more vulnerable to those selling us those guns. Because you're never going to to get rid of sadness and depression and mental illness. It's never going to go away. You aren't going to make everyone happy so that we can have unlimited guns. No, you can't ban everything. But that doesn't mean you have to be lawless. We don't have to be like Britain. But that dioesn't mean we have to be Libertarian Land. That's ridiculous.

[Adrahil]

51. I didn't see a solution in there.

What is it you propose? banning private gun ownership? That simply will not happen. Again, that's attacking the wrong end of the problem.

[Ranchemp.]

52. Poster is not suggesting banning private ownership of guns,

just the debatable heavy marketing of guns for self defense.

[Adrahil]

56. As opposed to what?

I mean, a lot of people who own guns own them because they want them as a last ditch means of defense. I hate feeling powerless, and I avoid it whenever I can. For me, that means having a firearm available for defense, if necessary.

[onehandle]

54. Thank you for your NRA talking point.

Goodbye.

[Adrahil]

55. I despise the NRA, but I think independently about issues.

If that pisses you off and you can't handle, I rather you DIDN'T read my posts.

I notice you didn't actually have any kind of argument in there either.

[onehandle]

53. Oh, so we can't be critical on some things because showing concern is a 'political tool.'

Ok...

[GreenStormCloud]

7. Would he be less dead if he had used another method?

It is tragic that he chose a permenant solution to a temporary problem. Teens haven't lived enough of life to know that the horrible problem that they face can be lived through.

People have been killing themselves forever. Suicides didn't start happening with the invention of guns. Japan has a far higher suicide rate than our and they have no guns. A person who wants to kill themselves can have an easy time finding a way.

[pintobean]

14. That's a pretty sick accusation.

[zappaman]

24. I was number one on the jury...

At Wed Oct 16, 2013, 10:35 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

No, but you'd derive satisfaction from the use of another method. (nt)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3861052

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS:

What. The. Fuck?

This post is 100% over-the-top, disgusting, and disruptive.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Oct 16, 2013, 10:42 AM, and the Jury voted 3-3 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT and said: That really is insensitive. I don't really like the post it is in response to, but no need of accusing the person of relishing another's death.

Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT and said: Pretty rude.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: Not worthy of an alert. If the one that alerted wants more civility on the internets, they could start by not using profanity.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I don't hide posts from people reacting to gun nuts and pro-gun apologia. I don't believe pro-gun OPs or comments belong in GD.

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[pintobean]

29. I didn't alert, but its funny

that a juror is more offended by the alerter using the word fuck, than by one DUer trying to dehumanize another simply for having a different pov.
#6 is a real peach, too.

[prefunk]

17. Wow. Just wow.

How some can sink so low...

[HappyMe]

21. That's a pretty

fucking sick thing to say.

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. That is over the line.

[Paladin]

27. I removed it, since some of you got upset.

You're welcome.

[Ranchemp.]

35. You probably shouldn't have posted it in the first place.

But glad you have the integrity to remove it.

[Paladin]

47. I could have phrased it better. No big deal. (nt)

[Ranchemp.]

48. I like your honor and integrity.

Have a great day.

[Paladin]

49. You too. (nt)

[Fumesucker]

57. Quite possibly he would be less dead if he had attempted suicide in some other manner

Firearms are among the more successful means of committing suicide, lots of other means have far lower "success" rates at suicide.

[GreenStormCloud]

58. And some methods have 100% success rates.

The argument culd be made that those who use a gun really want to do it, while those who use less successful methods are wanting to only make an "attempt".

That is not to downplay attempts. They are desperate cries for help and should be treated seriously.

[Iggo]

11. MORE GUNS!

RIGHT FUCKING NOW!

[rrneck]

19. "Culture" has intentionality.

[Aristus]

33. It's time to ban

high school courtyards.

The NRA will no doubt insist...

[ileus]

44. Gun cultures kill people.

Another misused firearm.