DODGING COLUMBINE II

A family, a school, a community has dodged bombs and bullets. Last week, 17 year old John David LaDue of Waseca, Minnesota, was prevented from killing his family, unleashing explosives and killing school mates. It was meant to happen on 20 April, the 15th Anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

Fortunately, 20 April was Easter Sunday.  How appropriate!  Also fortunately, John was spotted by a 21 year old woman looking out her kitchen window, walking through her back yard, carrying a backpack, and then trying to open a storage shed.  She thought he may have been a homeless, hungry boy.  She considered asking him if he was hungry.  Instead, at the urging of another person in the house, she called 911.  

The police arrived, looked inside the storage shed, and arrested the boy.  According to the STARTRIBUNE of 4 May, "Bomb squad members called in to confiscate the explosives were 'shocked by the amount of bomb making chemicals and components.'.... Three more bombs were discovered at the storage unit, along with chemicals...and 60 pounds of metal ball bearings. The storage unit also held a black trench coat." Authorities then searched the boy's room and found seven firearms along with ammunition. (I have since learned that perhaps John gained access to the storage shed through a friend who evidently got his mother's permission.) 

According to the STARTRIBUNE, "LaDue in fact 'idolized' Columbine shooter Eric Harris and made several references to Harris and fellow shooter Dylan Klebold in a 180-page journal that spelled out the details of his plan....LaDue even 'critiqued what Harris and Klebold did right and wrong' during the shooting...."

It was reported that John David LaDue was a "B" student, played guitar, was never bullied, and was never in any trouble at school. I saw a video of him playing his guitar in a church setting. And yes, he was rather quiet.  Sound familiar?  

The President of PROTECT MINNESOTA, an organization committed to gun violence prevention, on which I am a board member (full disclosure), reported that John had the guns in a locked gun cabinet in his room to which he had the key!

Walking into church yesterday, I said to a friend who is also a Rush Limbaugh fan, "We dodged a big one last week, Chuck." He proceeded to tell me that "People will always find a way to get guns.  Look at Chicago (his home town)! He was a disturbed kid." My response was he exhibited normal behavior and was doing well in school.  There were no strong indicators of mental illness. Yet, he was under age and was able to access guns. We need to tighten our gun laws. (Since our conversation I have learned that John liked throwing knives and axes at a tree.)

I have several questions. 1) How did John get his guns?; 2) Why did he have a gun cabinet in his room and he had the key?;  3) How was he able to purchase so much ammunition?;  4) If it is true that a friend of John's arranged through his mother to let John share access to a storage shed, why wouldn't she check out the shed?;  5) Didn't the parents notice anything?;  6) How was he able to purchase the chemicals for bomb making?

What can we learn from this near tragedy? 1) Parents, be alert; 2) All of us, be alert to strange behavior and be prepared to call 911; 3) Guns are too readily available; 4) Parents, do not give the keys to a gun cabinet to your children, nor allow gun storage in their rooms.  Hide the keys.; 5) States should pass universal background check laws, making it mandatory for licensed and private sellers to do background checks; 6) Schools and states need to be better equipped to deal with mental health issues. Let's be honest. "Normal" kids and adults commit heinous crimes because of the saturation of gun availability. So, if people pass the "normal" test, we must then act upon gun laws as another line of defense; 7) Mandate trigger locks on guns. 

I can think of one appropriate text for this edgy situation: "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother, Abel?' He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? Listen, your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" (Genesis 4:9-10)

We are.

Peace!

Ron