NIUFilter: Lockdowns and shooting sprees
NIUFilter is a regular segment on this blog that attempts to sift through the reams of information one can acquire on the web surrounding this tragedy, so click away, the links are meant to enhance your knowledge.
As I write this a small college in Virginia is under lockdown after reports of a possible gunman on campus. While I hope this incident is the result of extreme vigilance on the part of the college officials, it does illustrate the increasing regularity of incidents like these.
Just take a look, the lockdowns and threats section is what I could find that has happened since February 14. The shootings are just in the month of February. Some of this seems to be overreaction or hyper-vigilance.
Campus shootings
*Greenville Technical College, in South Carolina, February 8: Four students were suspended after another student accidentally shot himself in the leg inside a college dorm. The victim will also be charged, all four students violated laws relating to guns on campus.
*Louisiana Technical College (Baton Rouge), February 8: In a college classroom, a student turned a .357 on two other students, killing them and then herself.
*Northern Illinois University, February 14: 5 Huskies were lost forever, another former Huskie committed this atrocity and then killed himself.
*Arkansas State University, February 23: A shooting in a residence hall parking lot left a 20 year old offensive lineman injured. A man was arrested in the case on February 25.
*East Central Community College in Mississippi, February 26: The school was locked down briefly after a student committed suicide with a firearm on-campus, in a dorm room.
Lockdowns and campus threats-
*California School for the Deaf, February 14: Locked down after a teen sent a text message to an ex-girlfriend threatening to shoot her and possibly other students. He was arrested several hours later.
*Santa Fe Community College in Florida February 19: Locked down after a man displayed a gun in a campus food court. He later turned himself in.
*Seneca Valley High School in Pennsylvania February 19: Campus was locked down after a threatening note was left at the scene of a car theft by two students. They were later arrested.
*California State University (Dominguez Hills campus) in, well, California February 20: Campus locked down after a false alarm. An ROTC student performing drills with a weapon was mistaken for a gunman. The rifle being used was fake.
*Hixson High School in Tennessee February 20: Campus was locked down after two former students entered campus with guns. Two 18 year olds were later arrested.
*St. Peter’s College in New Jersey February 20: Locked down “after the discovery of a note threatening violence at the northern New Jersey school.” The note referenced the Virginia Tech Massacre. Police arrested an 18 year old in Texas in connection with the threats.
*Butler High School in North Carolina, February 22: The school was locked down and dissmissal delayed until 3 pm after a mystery projectile shattered window glass in a classroom. As of February 26, the mystery remained unsolved.
*Madison High School in Ohio February 22: High school was locked down after the second false threat in as many days. The building was searched but the threat remained unsubstantiated.
*Chino High School in California February 25: Locked down for three hours after a bomb threat the morning of February 25.
*Summit High School in California February 25: Locked down after a man wearing a belt was mistaken for a man with a bullet belt. Reported as a false alarm.
* Portland State University in Oregon February 25: A written bomb threat was found in Neuberger Hall prompting its evacuation and a subsequent search of the building.
*Stony Brook University in New York February 25: No official lockdown was issued but campus police are investigating reports of a man on campus with a gun on February 25. Police have said there is no immediate threat to the campus.
Clearly some of these weren’t really security issues, but the ones that were are anything but laughable. The number of incidents are alarming.