Perhaps going a little far......

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

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Just wondering your opinions on this and if you think authorities were a bit extreme in the handling of this situation.......

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Manarion

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Just wondering your opinions on this and if you think authorities were a bit extreme in the handling of this situation.......

Hard to say without more details, specifically on what they were told and what they were expecting. If there was a reasonable expectation of violence, then perhaps not. If not, then some of this does seem a bit overzealous. But my response is: How would any of us (including the parents who objected) handle such a situation were they in the authorities' shoes, with the responsibility for the safety of all the students?

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

That's true, but, there WAS a lack of information about this situation, and so how does anyone really know whether proper action WAS taken or not, including those parents? When push comes to shove, yes, then do what's necessary, but did it reach that point? Authorities didn't release enough information about it, which made me suspect that they overstepped bounds a bit......

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Manarion

That's true, but, there WAS a lack of information about this situation, and so how does anyone really know whether proper action WAS taken or not, including those parents? When push comes to shove, yes, then do what's necessary, but did it reach that point? Authorities didn't release enough information about it, which made me suspect that they overstepped bounds a bit......

Perhaps; or perhaps the people reporting it ignored or didn't pick up on information that was released, for various reasons (ranging from it not seeming germane to them to realizing that it was less sensational and therefore less likely to draw readers' attention). And, again, when such a thing is going on, it may not be a good idea to release much information -- or for some little time afterward, until things get sorted out a bit....

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

True, true......really, only time will tell about matters, I think.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Manarion

True, true......really, only time will tell about matters, I think.

Precisely. I think it's a good idea for the parents to ask questions, and to push for answers as quickly as possible, as well as for the rest of us to expect answers to be forthcoming... but not to prejudge. That, I think, is where the danger lies....

[Wiglaf]

So they checked for guns and placed those searched in a safe area without the chance to retrive stowed guns? Sounds like the info the authorities recieved was only clear about a gun being seen and not on the person pocessing it or its location. Otherwise the search would have been more targeted. Also, when a shooting death occurs on campus, it is standard practice to detain students in their classrooms till all is resolved. I guess they figured that in this case before was better than after a shooting.

[tangaloomababe]

Considering the number of school killings in the past, I don't think it was really over the top. Parents should have been better informed and one can only assume that those in charge were somewhat in a panic and acted quickly.

I would have thought that with the events of the past, schools should have a plan of action formulated for just such an occasion as this.

[The Ace]

They did exactly the right thing. In the UK, he'd be put on remand (held in prison) until a date for his trial was set. Of course, in the UK possession of a handgun is a criminal offence.

[Ursa major]

Even in the UK, they would still have to prove the suspect ever had a gun.

As to the search, it's not clear from the report what the provenance of the allegation was. Without knowing that, it's hard to say whether the police overreacted or not.

[Kissmequick]

To be fair, if someone was seen on campus with a gun, I'd rather my kid was frogmarched than shot.

edit: Of course if they hadn't taken it seriously and someone did go bonkers with a gun - well it'd look pretty bad wouldn't it? I'd rather the police took this thing seriously, than ignore the possibility.