Ashley Hogan Hogan1
Period D British Literature
February 15, 2012
Doctor Sousa
Destin
April 20th, 1999 marks the day in history when two teenagers from a small town in Colorado changed the world forever. This day affected not only the nation but also the entire world. The tragedy at Columbine High School let to reforms in gun laws and anti-bullying statutes in the United States.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were both seniors at Columbine High School. On April 20th 1999 these boys committed suicide in the library of their high school after killing thirteen people and injuring twenty-four others. Harris and Klebold were both bullied and actually were bullies themselves. Harris was known to be the “ringleader” of their bullying. The two boys were gamers, particularly players of the game “Doom”. “Doom” was a violent video game and gave them ideas for their planned attack. They began to experiment with pipe bombs and showed videos of their results on the Internet. Since the boys were not old enough to purchase ammunition, they had two men buy guns for the shooting for them.
The boys left very detailed plans in their journals for the shooting. They wanted to “outdo” any prior bombing or shooting to this. They wanted the world to know what they were capable of. They used a lot of symbols on the day of the attack, such as – the shooting took place on Hitler’s birthday; also, Harris wore a shirt that said “Natural Selection” on it. (Toppo, Greg)
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On April 20th, 1999, “Today is not a good day to be here” scrolled across the bottom of one of the morning announcements at Columbine High School. Harris and Klebold arrived at the school just before lunchtime with four different guns, several CO2 bombs, and one twenty-pound propane bomb. They set the bomb on a cafeteria table in a duffle bag and left it to go off at 11:17 am. While waiting for the bomb to go off, the boys shot anyone in site. Immediately after they began shooting, several 911 calls were placed. Police arrived at the seen and shots were firing everywhere. Harris and Klebold ended up in the library, sitting on the floor, ready to end their lives. Each put a gun to their end. The massacre had ended. In a mere 60 minutes, two high school students took the lives of fifteen people (including themselves) and severely injured twenty-four people. Had their propane bomb worked as planned, 400 people could have been killed. (Vanessa West, Columbine)
The reaction the Columbine massacre was huge. The whole country was impacted by it. Anti-bullying programs were formed, school security was increased immensely, guns laws were revised, and fear was lingering everywhere. It brought the nation together. Celebrities and politicians reached out to the victims and the community. A little over 10 years later, so much has changed since this historical event.
School shooting rates have actually gone way up since the tragedy. It may have made some students realize how much they were capable of doing. It put the idea out there for other children who were bullied to get back at their bullies. Its scary to think
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that you could be sitting in a classroom and at any time someone could just pull out a gun and end your life for no reason. Schools are far more prepared now than they were back then, however, to handle and control a situation like Columbine. (School Security)
The underlying cause of the Columbine shooting was bullying. No matter how sick minded and troubled Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were, something and someone caused them to get that way. They were simply unpopular, unwanted, and isolated. They were made fun of, harassed, and hazed. Even today that still occurs in schools, and it’s even worse now. Teenagers lack respect for their peers and higher authorities. It’s all a direct result of a lack of discipline in schools.
The shooting at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999 was an awful event that happened to a great community. It has impacted the nation in many ways and was the jump-start to a new era of school safety and security. It is a day that will be forever remembered in history. May those 13 innocent lives that were taken on that day rest in peace, they will never know how much they’re unintended sacrifice changed the world.
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Works Cited
“Columbine High School: Information and Photos Before, during and after the Shooting.” ~(@)~ 4-20-99 a Columbine Site ~(@)~ All about the Columbine High School Shootings. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://acolumbinesite.com/columbine.html>.
“The Columbine High School Shootings.” The Criminal Mind – Contents. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://vanessawest.tripod.com/columbine-4.html>.
“Columbine Massacre – The School Shooting of April 20, 1999.” 20th Century History. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/columbine.htm>.
“Finally Understand Why. Dave Cullen’s Definitive Columbine Book: The Columbine Killers, Shooting & Myths.” Official Site for Dave Cullen, Author of ‘Columbine’ Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.davecullen.com/columbine.htm>.
“National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp.” Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics>.
Shepard, Alicia C. “The Columbine Shooting Case Study.” Columbia University in the City of New York. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/j6075/edit/readings/columbine.html>.
Toppo, Greg. “10 Years Later, the Real Story behind Columbine – USATODAY.com.” News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World – USATODAY.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm>.
Tuesday, Dave Cullen|Posted. “At Last We Know Why the Columbine Killers Did It. – Slate Magazine.” Slate Magazine – Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts – Slate Magazine. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2004/04/the_depressive_and_the_psychopath.single.html>.
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