By Crystal Donaldson
NORMAL – An Illinois State University professor says shunning young people who commit weapons crimes creates a double whammy.
Julie Webber explained that reason is because we might very well be looking at kids already bullied by their community and misunderstood by family.
Webber said before Columbine, shooters were either suicidal or wanted to kill someone else, not both at the same time. After Columbine, she said that changed. Shooters now turn the guns on themselves, and aimed at anyone almost as a competition.
“I think Columbine sets up the bar on what I call the script that the rest of some of these more spectacular shooters will follow,” Webber said. “They don’t try to copy it but they do cite it and they do try to improve on the script. It’s all about getting media attention.”
Webber called for greater research into why these mass shootings happen.
Crystal Donaldson can be reached at crystal.donaldson@cumulus.com
