Friday, December 28, 2012

38 elementary school children and 6 adults killed in Bath Michigan school.

I was looking to verify that the number one murder weapon in the United States is the common baseball bat, number two is a knife. I was not able to verify those two items as fact. I'm also not sure where bombs fit in as a murder weapon. As you probably know, I get easily distracted, so that is probably why I got hung-up on the following article.

Article from Wikipedia:
The Bath School disaster is the historical name of the violent attacks perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe on May 18, 1927 in Bath Township, Michigan that killed 38 elementary school children and six adults, and injured at least 58 other people. Kehoe first killed his wife, fire-bombed his farm and set off a major explosion in the Bath Consolidated School, before committing suicide by detonating a final explosion in his truck. It is the deadliest mass murder in a school in United States history.


Andrew Kehoe, the 55 year old school board treasurer, was angry after his defeat in the Spring 1926 election for township clerk. He was thought to have planned his "murderous revenge" after that public defeat and he had a reputation for difficulty on the school board and in personal dealings. In addition, in June 1926 he was notified that his mortgage was going to be foreclosed. For much of the next year, a neighbor noticed Kehoe had stopped working on his farm and thought he might be planning suicide. During that period, Kehoe purchased explosives and discreetly planted them on his property and under the school.

Kehoe's wife was ill with tuberculosis, and he had stopped making mortgage payments; he was under pressure for foreclosure. Some time between May 16 and the morning of May 18, 1927, Kehoe murdered his wife by hitting her on the head with a blunt object. On the morning of May 18 at about 8:45 a.m., he set off various incendiary devices on his homestead that caused the house and other farm buildings to be destroyed by the explosives' blast and subsequent fires.

Almost simultaneously, an explosion devastated the north wing of the school building, killing many schoolchildren. Kehoe had used a timed detonator to ignite dynamite and hundreds of pounds of incendiary pyrotol, which he had secretly planted inside the school over the course of many months. As rescuers gathered at the school, Kehoe drove up, stopped, and used a rifle to detonate dynamite inside his shrapnel-filled truck, killing himself, the school superintendent, and several others nearby, as well as injuring more bystanders. During rescue efforts at the school, searchers discovered an additional 500 pounds (230 kg) of unexploded dynamite and pyrotol connected to a timing device set for the same time as the first explosions; the material was hidden throughout the basement of the south wing. Kehoe had apparently intended to blow up and destroy the entire school. 

 Well... A gun was used in this story, but only to set off another bomb. The common denominator of all the violence and murder is the perpetrators mental condition. We need to spend more time ferreting out and dealing with mental instability.   There was also a school attack in China where a man used a knife. He killed or injured 22 kids.

For what it's worth....


33 comments:

Ross Sherburn said...

As the saying goes,
People kill people..................

Jack Stegeman said...

Here's the scoop, Ernie. Guns are the number 1 killer, knives #2, and clubs round out #5.

Anonymous said...

You can't ledgeslate out or fix stupid and the mentally ill have always been around us.
If there were no guns the folks that want to kill will find a different way.
The big difference is, those of us that want to take personal responsibility to protect ourselves and our family will be taken away with no guns. I will say the progressives want all of your guns, not just the 10 plus magazines and the rifles that look different. You can take that to the bank.
I can't believe anybody was not shocked by the mass killing of so many young inocent people but the liberal left loves situations like this because it is their agenda to strip away the 2 Amendment.
There is a lot of left wingers screaming for our guns when they have guns themselves and or arm guards. Micheal Moore belongs to the NRA, owns guns and has armed guards but he doesn't want you to have the same previlage. How about the politicians that send their kids to schools with armed guards but don't want your kids to have the same protection.

Oregon

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I get really pissed about gun control but let it be known, I am reaaly pissed about everything this current admisistration is doing to the USA.

Oregon

Anonymous said...

Point #3, I've said it before, I don't much care for liberals.

Oregon

Anonymous said...

Not sorry about my spelling, my spell checker isn't working. Must be a liberal computer. And I don't proof read.

Oregon

Bear Butte said...

From what I read the shooters mother felt the same way Mr. Oregon does. Didn't work out for her did it? The number of folks that are killed by their friends and family with guns in the house far outnumber the stranger intruder thwarted by guns. This is one of those points that is useless to argue.Its like abortion. Nobody is changing their minds on this issue. And fact is President Obama has been very very good for gun and ammo manufactures.

Anonymous said...

From the CDC:

HOMICIDE:
Firearms were used in 66.5% of homicides, followed by sharp instruments (12.9%) and blunt instruments (7.0%). No other single method was used in >3.7% of homicides. Firearms were the most common method used in homicides of males (72.1%) and females (48.8%). Hanging/strangulation/suffocation was more than six times more common among female homicide decedents than among males (10.5% and 1.6%, respectively). A house or apartment was the most common location of homicide for both males and females (46.5% and 74.0%, respectively). The next most common location of homicide for males was a street or highway (24.2%), a parking lot or public garage (5.2%), and a commercial/retail area (4.1% each); for females, the next most common locations were a street or highway (6.7%), a natural area (3.1%), and a motor vehicle (2.3%).

SUICIDE:
Firearms were used in the majority (51.8%) of suicide deaths, followed by hanging/strangulation/suffocation (24.7%) and poisoning (17.2%). The most common method used by male suicide decedents was a firearm (56.7%), followed by hanging/strangulation/suffocation (25.3%). Among females, poisons were used most often (36.9%) followed by firearms (33.8%). The most common place of self-inflicted injury was a house or an apartment (76.4%), followed by natural areas (4.0%) and streets or highways (3.5%). A total of 160 (1.6%) suicides occurred in a jail or prison setting (142 males and 18 females).

DEATH BY UNDETERMINED INTENT:
The most common method of injury was poisoning (60.5%). No other known single method accounted for >3.2% of undetermined deaths. Among both males and females for which the method of injury was known, poisoning was reported for 58.8% and 63.2% of deaths, respectively. The majority of undetermined violent deaths occurred in a house or apartment, making it the most common place of injury for both males and females (76.4% and 82.6%, respectively). A natural area was the second most common setting, accounting for 3.4% of deaths among males and 1.1% among females, followed by a street or highway, accounting for 2.6% of deaths among males and 0.9% among females.

FYI, unintentional firearm deaths are a separate statistic.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6106a1.htm

Anonymous said...

Chicago had their 500th homocide last night. Some of the country's strongest gun controls and it isn't helping there.
How many deaths by automobile and abortions ( which is legal homocide) in a year. And now it looks like we will have death panals soon, also legal. Losing our liberties fast (and ferious).

Oregon

Anonymous said...

The number one reason for the 2nd Amendment is a creator given right to protect ourselves from a tyrannical government. We need more then just a pop gun to undergo this task as we watch it grow nearer each day

Ernie Branscomb said...

Anon 1:49
Thanks for your research. That's what I was looking for.

Oregon
I believe in free education, and free health care. If Obama would bring jobs back to America we could even afford that. So I guess that I'm a liberal there.

However, I believe that everybody should have a job and support themselves, even if all they can do is sharpen pencils, they should be working. I also believe that living on the street and under bridges should be against the law. Bathes should be mandatory. So, I guess that would make me pretty conservative.

I know that you can't help somebody that won't help themselves, but having no food will change peoples minds pretty fast. Back in the 50's if you were a drunk or a druggie you got confined to a state mental hospital. That was a real deterrent to slovenliness. The liberals campaigned to close them. "One Flew Over The CooCoo's Nest" was their theme movie.

As horrible as the recent school massacre is, when you consider how many people live in the US that don't kill people, it kind of brings it back into prospective.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Anon 2:55
You make an interesting point about our government. Our leaders are failing us badly. There is no reason that the US should be supporting the rest of the world. Our trade imbalances are way out of control. They can't even pass a budget as we sail over the fiscal cliff.

The next year will probably be one of the most interesting in US history. Some may wish that they were more prepared. If you are not able to protect yourself you may be sorry.

I have heard people say that they don't need to stock food, they are going to take it from their unarmed neighbors. No... I'm not into doomsday scenarios, but I have one eye in that direction.

Anonymous said...

Not only do the libs want to take our guns they want to strip our military of their gun platforms: Aircraft, ships and troops.

Oregon

Anonymous said...

I'm satisfied saying we should strongly limit gun ownership. My justification is all of Oregon's postings which are downright scary... downright scary that, I assume, he owns guns!

Anonymous said...

I do, I do have guns. No military style ones though, just bolt action hunting rifles. What is scary is folks that write here and don't sign their name. I use "Oregon but pretty much all know who I am.

Oregon

Anonymous said...

They won't let me carry a handgun on an airliner but they let folks on with knitting needles, what if they knit an Afghan?

Oregon

Ernie Branscomb said...

I think that it is unwise to reveal what kind and how many guns that you have.

I do know that I wouldn't want to try to do any home invasions on "Oregon", but I I also know him to be a peaceful and reasonable man. Just don't try kicking his door down in the middle of the night, he might thing that it is reasonable to stop you.

Anonymous said...

Chicago, #1 in gun control and #1 in homicides.

Oregon

Bunny said...

Oregon, you are a chauvinist, homophobic racist jerk. You and Ernie can play your stupid games together. Ernie, he's a thoughtless ass. You can tell me on the street how I am wrong because your bookmark is not on my bookmark bar any more.

Ross Sherburn said...

Maybe time to talk about gypo loggers again..........

Johnathan Wilson said...

People are so sensitive these days..... Oh well, im still here to enjoy your blog Ernie!

Ross Sherburn said...

I'm here to enjoy Ernies blog also!!!

What ever happened to Fred Evans? He was a Log truck Driver.I went to grade school with some of his kids.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Okay, final post on gun control.
I can’t just let Bunny’s comment about “Oregon” just lay there without responding. I must say that I like Bunny and consider her a dear friend, but we disagree on many issues. I won’t explain her positions; she is capable of doing that herself. I will say that she has Oregon sorely misjudged. If I were to want anybody on my side when the chips were down, it would be Oregon. However, I’m sure that Bunny and Oregon would never see eye to eye. That’s what makes the world go around.
My position is very clear on gun control. I believe that any new laws will not be enforced any more than the ones that we already have on the books. I would seriously like to see the gun laws enforced. I’m sure that most gun owners would like to see gun laws enforced. So far the only ones complying with gun laws are the people that are NOT causing problems. Instead of clamoring for new gun laws let’s clamor for enforcement. You would even get the NRA to agree with that.
The people that live in our community that are pro-Marijuana must understand that there would be no marijuana industry without guns. Just ask any grower how safe they would feel without guns to protect themselves. NO, I’m not making any judgment on the industry. And no! I don’t want to hear any simplistic solution to the marijuana industry. I’ve heard enough Idealism for a while. No, I don’t want to hear about legalization, I’ve heard that crap since 1970. There is a reason that it is still illegal. And no, I don’t want to hear why you think that it is still illegal. NO!
Everybody has some pie in the sky solution to the world’s problems. Make a difference and change things or shut up. If and when you change things, enforce your changes, okay?
I will close with I think that a person has the right to protect their family.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Roland Martin pretty well sums it up. Time to face facts

Anonymous said...

Holy Cow! Bunny must be refering to that story that was related to me by an airline pilot.
That was funny, I don't care who you are:)

Oregon

Ross Sherburn said...

Happy New Year,To all you "Ridge Runners".

Anonymous said...

Shooting today in Taft, CA. was with a shotgun. Sheriff said the shooter had 20 shells in his pocket. I think we need a ban on pants with pockets!!

Ross Sherburn said...

Assault is a behavior,not a device.

Anonymous said...

Did we hear what ever hapened to Felix?

Oregon

Anonymous said...

Today is Gun Apreciation Day.

Oregon

Ross Sherburn said...

Fifty years ago,we moved away from Garberville!

Fred Mangels said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Free Simpoints said...

This is truly horrible...
People can be so mean.