Tragedy On Campus
Filed under: R.I.P.
A gunman opened fire at Northern Illinois University on Thursday, killing five people before taking his own life.
This shit makes us so angry!!!!
Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????
That kind of violence just makes no sense.
Our thoughts with everyone affected by this tragedy.
Posted: February 15, 2008 at 7:24 am
i know the 'right to bare arms' and all.. get over it america and give back the guns
just sooo sad!!
RIP
I feel bad for you America. This doesn't happen in Canada like it does there. I think the underlying factor in all this are VERY poor gun control laws. Something needs to be done..
Maybe it's because there are so many fucking guns over there??? I don't know, just a thought.
so sad
1st
1st
too sad.
my heart goes out to those students, parents, and the loved ones of the kids that died. :/
yeah it's pretty easy to get a gun here. takes about an hour
Peace be with the victims and their families.
almost pathetic- people are trying to be "1st" with the f'ng comment instead on commenting about something that truly matters. idiots.
Maybe if it wasn't so easy for these kids to get their hands on guns, it wouldn't be so easy to just shoot people. If you don't hunt and you live in suburbia, why they hell do you need a gun? I just don't get it. Americans really need to give their gun laws a damn good overhaul and until that happens, sadly so will incidents like this.
Why does it happen in America? Erm, because guns are legal there?!
as an american now living in london, it is sad to see things like this happening back home in the states. though here, teenagers just stab you if you look at someone the wrong way…..what is wrong with the young people of the world that life is so devalued?
Quit causing so much pain!!!!!!!
Omg. That is ridiculous. When will this all stop?
It happens in America because Americans are armed to the teeth. We're seen as a bunch of out of control cowboys.
"Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????"
Is that a joke?
No civilised country in the world alow ppl to have guns like you retards do.
Sheesh… it just happening over and over and over and still the same fucking questions…
FIRST
the answer is pretty obvious - because you have tons of guns!
In Finland in autumn happend something like this.
Well until the US rethinks it laws regarding guns this will keep happening. The rest of the world just shakes its head at the US everytime a shooting happens…
Hi there - this is really very sad. Unfortunately I think the reason why it happens is the fact that guns are easily available in the USA. We have some gun crime in the UK - its on the increase - but the fact remains that guns are not something that are easily available to people without criminal connections. I think that gun control - like abortion - is a huge political football in the USA.
These things happen in America because America does nothing but judge and ridicule the average person for not being the perfect America Sweetheart. Isnt that what Perez does only with celebrities- judge and ridicule them till they have nothing more to give
Gee could it be… GUN CONTROL?!
Oh my GOODNESS.
Get a clue.
America should looks at it rotten core rather than playing James Bond abroad..
Try to pick a president who has cares about domestic issues this time..
It happens in the U.S so much b/c you're allowed to keep guns - hello!
No other western country allows this, hence, the amount of students always getting shot here in the States. Nobody should have the right to keep a gun.
This things happens in USA probably because you have a system that makes a lot of pressure on individuals , and makes people go to the extreme. Is a society that demands perfection, money, success, is a great spiritual problem actually.
Perez,
Thank you so much for addressing this tragedy! I go to the University of Illinois, and I have many friends who attend NIU. It's so scary that this happened, especially when it hits so close to home. Last year's Virginia Tech Shooting was scary too. I am a loyal Perez Hilton reader, and I was waiting to see if you would address this.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of those whose lives have been affected by this horrible situation!!
this same kind of thing happened in here, Finland last year in November. It was big news every where in the world. He killed 6 kids and 2 adult and finally himself. This is just sick.
"Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????"
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
Dude. Iraq.
Bendito…No offense but what is wrong with white ppl shooting up ppl in schools? Virginia Tech through me off, for sure, but its mostly majority white school. EXPLAIN?
i know this kind of violence is what you're talking about, the statistics of hight usa vs. low other countries for gun violence is absolutely crazy. even just up here above the border, it's unreal the differences. however i'd glady still be in the usa as opposed to say…. iraq, sudan, and pretty much any religious/war violence ridden countries all over the world. anyway this is another tragedy, thoughts and prayers go out.
signed with love,
a from canada
I would have no idea how to get a gun in Canada.. I know you guys give them away like candy.
Some Gun Control In The Country Wouldnt Go Far
not again. so sad. Im sure Oprah's on it, it happened in Illinois!!! shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttt.
Well, it does happen in "other parts", but you are right, not nearly as frequently. It's due to total lack of firearms control, my friend.
If he hadn't found it so easy to have a gun, this would never happen.
Because in other part of the world people go crazy and don’t have a gun shop next door to where they live, unlike America were any mental patient can buy one.
Guns are legal in America, so this is what happens.
You know whats sad, the fact that thier has been 4 school shootings in America in one week, and the news would rather talk about American Idol, Then shit that actually matters. My thoughts, Prayers and Heart, goes out to all of the people affected.
I hope someone can fix America.
Is anyone safe anymore?
Uhhh, hello? Perez? Are you using your brain today? This sort of thing happens so much in American and not other places? Hello? Suicide bombers….Iraq….everywhere else. The reason you hear more stuff about America is because you LIVE in America….duhhhhh
When is enough just enough! Get over your drama and stop killing people! guns don't kill people, people do! Get some therapy! Boo Hoo—- Your life was bad! Oh well, grow up! I hope you rot in hell! Even that is too good for you, coward!
You guys just have so many guns! And it's seems like it's pretty easy to get them and have a permit! We had all ours taken off us after the Port Arthur massacure in Tasmania (Australia) when 35 people were killed. Nothing like that has happened since….
it's cos you americans are supposedly the most powerful nation, and yet are still uncivilised and stupid enough not to have laws regulating gun usage .. DUH!
umm… This just happened in Finland. A young boy shot several students and teachers at school and then took his own life. It`s very sad what happened here. It`s not just in America, you just dont hear about them all.
Um, Gun Control, maybe?
"Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????"
EXCUSE ME?! I'm from Lebanon and believe me, we've got even worse things going on.
hahahahaha..lolz U$A Failed lols ….so funny
One quick thought - the ease with which people can acquire guns and the lack of thought given before violence is used as a means of dealing with problems (think capital punishment, the war on Iraq). As a Canadian, it seems all too clear.
America include Canada………………….stupid
pis oui sa arrive par ici too!
I am from fu**** germany and I can say it happens also everywhere else !!
We had last month a Attackplaner who got caught, before he could make his plans come true.-But lately the police let him go (cause of the age) and he jumped right away in front of a train.Those people are sick, sicker than sick, those people should silently commit sucide, but not take others with them !!! I hate those sick Bitches !!!
hello. this is equivalent to suicide bombing they just dont call it that.
It's just the american way.
Solving problems with violence.
america's gun culture is to blame - when are people gonna realise that it does less to protect you and more to endanger you? it needs to be less easy to obtain and own a gun - people need to hand them in and the laws need to be changed.
It was in DeKalb, not to far away from where I live…I was planning to go to NIU when I graduated. 17 people were hurt I think it was…Sad day…
I agree with the gun control laws, although it is only part and parcel of the problem. Over in Europe they have the violence but people attack with knives instead of guns which makes it less of a catastrophe. Someone losing control with a gun is much worse than with another weapon. Sad, sad.
It happens in the US because of your sick, twisted rationales.
I think it happens so much in America because anyone can go and buy a gun. Not something you can legally do in the UK.
Of course, Iraq, Sudan, The Democratic Republic of the Congo - all of these places have much, MUCH bleaker fates than the U.S. The difference being these are all war-torn, third world countries and the U.S. is supposedly one of the biggest, richest, most 'civilized'. It does not justify the wars, but the point is, calm and peace can't be expected during turmoil, but it SHOULD be expected in a country like the States.
gun laws. simple as. US citizens please vote and elect a president who has a clue this time.
watch bowling for columbine then u will know why it happens so much
'Get a free gun when you open a BANK account!!!'
"It doen't seem", actually it happens in U.S. and few more occidental countries. In the countries where we don't have the "right" to have guns at home there are no psychos killing loads of people in universities/markets/wherever.
Why do you have enough respect for the Ledger family not to post pics of his body but you will post this? I think it is so disrespectful to post pics like these, that person being taken away is someones child, family, and friend and tey deserve to not have o see it in the media.
I hear you Perez, it makes me sad too.
We can't blame JUST the guns though…when will people start to actually parent their children so that they don't grow up and want to kill people who 'do them wrong'?
NORTH America, the continent, includes Canada. The United States of America is another country in that continent. Double check your Atlas bud.
"Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world?"
True that shootings in schools happens more in America but "that kind of stuff" happens EVERYWHERE. Darfur??? Merciless killings EVERYDAY of innocent children and places like that. I do feel for the familes and friends associated with the school shootings but I think it's ridculous to make America out to be the worst place for things like this. 5 people is an extremely tiny proportion to the numbers killed in other parts of the world.
"Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????"
It doesn't just happen in America. Just few months ago same kind of tragedy happened in Finland, you shouldn't forget that. And he killed 7 students and himself.
It's sad that something like this happens. Why can't people learn from stuff like this and do something to stop this kind of behavior. This is too sad.
But do not forget, that America isn't the only one who suffers this kind of tragedy.
its obvious why this keeps happening…america needs to make it illegal to own and use guns, hence why this sort of thing doesnt happen elsewhere..as people cant get hold of guns as easy and its illegal if found in possession of one. you need a deterent!!!!!
you may say this shit doesn't happen elsewhere in the world. i'm sure the genocides in sudan are on a different scale to 5 people being shot in america.
it happens all the time in America because there is no gun control in America. Guns ruin lives, and the American government refuses to do anything about it…
maybe if guns weren't so accessible in the first place, situations like theses wouldn'T happen.
because any idiot can just walk around with a gun!! your country really needs to shape up and get rid of the guns!!
It's not only the right to bare arms it's also the way you treat each other. In Usa if you're not popular or something they just treat you like crap as if you were nothing. Remember the Columbine shooting and what the gunmen were saying, no one cared of them as if they didn't exist. That's frustrating not to be liked for who you really are but for what you have(money…) and how much known you are in high school or university. In my country this doesn't exist so no shooting and i know peolpe who had guns but they certainly won't do that. Because they are considered as human beings.
Hey Perez, your country must ban weapons…that's why this only happens in your country…
M. from Belgium
'Why does it seem that kind of stuff happens so much in America but not other parts of the world????'
- Lack of gun control which you Americans will never, ever be able to get back!
This kind of thing happens more in the US because of your relaxed laws regarding firearms. Other countries introduced gun laws when something happened in their country eg, Australia introduced gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre.
eerrr I think its because you dont have ANY gun control! Its ridiculous!
I can never seam to weigh in but no one should be able to purchase a gun who is unstable. Fuck the right to bear arms. That right was addressed and granted during a different time in history. It does not apply now. Those who believe that are mistaken. It was not the context in which the Constitution was written. Get educated and learn your history!
My thoughts and prayers are with these students and their families at this sad, sad time. It's time for all of Illinois to come together and I know they will!!!
…because it gets widespread media coverage. They want recognition for what they've done. They are sick, and the media feeds into it. SAD really.
Read 'Going Postal' by Mark Ames.
The movie Bowling for Columbine talks all about our right to bare arms, gun control and school shootings
and there was a part when they told us about some crime rate statistics in Canada compared to the U.S. and it's nowhere near ours
and Yet people in New York City were trying to say Canada doesn't watch as many violent movies or play as many violent games, like they're on another fucking planet.
I don't care about what anyone says, we need better gun control.
Because America is fucked up!
What's scary is that I had a class in that exact auditorium. Anybody can walk right in there. The class is so large and diverse that most students don't know who their classmates are by the end of the semester.
Thank you for posting this because everyone here at NIU is shocked and saddened.
How ironic that Perez asks: "Why does this happen so much in America and not other parts of the world?" Well, to begin with, when most of the American youth spends its time on vacuous, materialistic websites like this one — sites that only promote money, status, and appearance — it is bound to experience a downward spiral of self-loathing.
When all American culture promotes are superficialities, then those that don't fit into the mould simply draw back until moments of tragedy, like this one or Virginia Tech.
Why does this happen most in America? Because America has perverted its values, lacks culture, and continues to promote the wrong ideas…and when we combine this with a lack of parental control and a impotent education system…well, America's youth stands no chance to analytically view its own cultural establishment or to even stand a chance against the degenerate pop-values it purports.
cheers.
cause its America..
thats why it happens there a lot, because in other parts of the world people actually GET ALONG
its shocking, i know.
Re: Break – iraq? that's a completely different thing you retard, there's political motivation behind deaths that occur there. i'm not saying there's sense behind any type of killing, but the motivation has to be examined before you can begin to imagine why things like this happen.
we need more information before we can draw conclusions, but i definitely think issues gun control contributed to the actual occurrence of this event, but having a gun doesn't make you shoot someone. we need to know what this killer's motivation was, before we can say what's wrong with our society. once we've done that we can begin to make changes to legislature and address these social issues.
Re: Leah –
That's a strange reply, considering in Iraq there are numerous factors affecting the deaths of people, war, religion, political instabilities. However, this setting is quite different from Iraq's, it's a. an educational setting where b. people do not experience the same effects of war as that of Iraq.
Re: Sarah –
Yeah.. I wonder if that's the case… :S
i live in a so -called 3rd world Eastern Europe country, where u could hear about guns and crimes everyday. But u don't, that's the paradox. In the last years i've been hearing a lot about such tragedies in U.S. I just dont get it…don't ppl learn from their mistakes? If it happens once, twice and so on..aren't the authorities supposed to do smth? absurd.
You are kidding right? It *seems* that way because American media sensationalizes everything that happens in the country. These things happen all the time all over the world. Try watching International news for real tragedies. America reports mainly on itself as opposed to the rest of the world
.
Ever heard of the middle east? Terrorists blowing up mental disabled women, suicide bombers in markets, what about the children raped and killed in Darfur?
.
Perez, you are really out of touch with the real tragedies in this world.
There is tragedy throughout the world. It takes different forms in different regions. There are genocides going on right now. Suicide bombs. Slavery (it still exists). Infanticide. Abuse. It is foolish to think that events like this happen solely in the US. Perhaps you don't realize this because Americans tend to turn a blind eye to world news events and focus only on the events happening here. The political-media puppetmasters want to keep Americans ignorant of the big picture (that's why we get Paris Hilton news on CNN). We all (myself included) should educate ourselves on world events.
While a school shooting will always be a tragedy, it is important to keep in mind the violence that is ravishing our world.
Appreciate being alive and try to initiate change.
i understand that this sort of thing happen more in the states, but how can you say this doesnt happen in canada? yesterday someone was arrested for bringing a loaded gun into a quebec school. and also DAWSON COLLEGE? has everyone forgotten already?
Its because you have no gun control
It happened in Finland last Fall.
But otherwise….the US is really alone on these fucking senseless acts of violence, on students and shoppers alike.
GET RID OF THE GUNS
Cause every crazy retard in your country can buy a gun…
The whole "gun control" argument being given on here is a joke - the people who are shooting other people are almost always people who have those weapons illegally - people following the gun laws are either hunting or have a handgun for home protection. Also, our nation is enormous so you have to factor that in when thinking about crime…if your country is smaller in numbers, the crime numbers will be smaller…and not even then - countries all over the world have genocide and other horrible atrocities and what do we do? Send them money, food, help of all sorts and then we're told how awful we are by these same people. I'd love to see how these countries would get along if we stopped sending them money and backing them in so many other ways. Being ungrateful is truly despicable. No country is perfect, but the United States is definitely the best country out there - why do you think people are always trying to get in? Be proud of your nation - don't fall into that pathetic, trendy anti-American ignorant way of thinking.
this is just a waring for the rest of the world because what happend is america is happening in other countreys later on.. Its sad but true..
This will be more usualy i believe but i hate it. We need to do something!
LOL. Another typical day in America.
Not surprise.
Maybe cause you can have a weapun only in the US …
Pity Perez for you to say "this shit only happens in US" as it did happen not too long ago in my home town in Finland, and if that went unnoticed by you, then shame. 8 innocent lives gone, not even blink in the news radar, as only US matters….?