Someone, help me understand this . . .

[MichMary]

A mentally deranged kid can explicitly say that he is going to be a "professional school shooter" and the FBI can't do a simple Google or Facebook search UNDER HIS REAL NAME, but cops investigate someone because of the square root symbol????

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article201604224.html

Students in Louisiana thought this math symbol looked like a gun. Police were called

A discussion among students at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, La., about a mathematical symbol led to a police investigation and a search of one of the student’s homes, according to the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office.

On the afternoon of Feb. 20, detectives investigated a report of terroristic threats at the school, where they learned that a student had been completing a math problem that required drawing the square-root sign.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Let's assume they researched him, found out he legally owned those guns, what

course of action were they to take?

[MichMary]

2. Options:

Mental health help, taking his weapons away, probably others. What's the point of "see something, say something" if there is nothing to be done about it?

Still, why would someone think the square root symbol looks like a gun and poses a threat???

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. Take weapons away how?

[MichMary]

8. There are laws in place

to ensure that people who are adjudged to be a threat not own weapons. If the laws had been followed, he wouldn't have had a gun. What do you think "see something, say something" means?

[Eliot Rosewater]

9. Which specific law is that?

[MichMary]

10. I assumed that they were

But, in looking it up, it appears that there aren't national laws enabling that.

My bad.

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. Point is nothing can be done 99.99% of the time and even with laws like that

imagine trying to identify people like this in the first place.

The problem is guns, plain and simple.

[drray23]

13. There are so called red flag laws allowing for that

Unfortunately, these are state laws and not federal laws. Only a few states have them.

[EffieBlack]

17. Law enforcement cant adjudge someone a threat. Only a court can do that. Nt

[mcar]

18. This administration reversed Pres Obama's

action to block the mentally ill from getting guns. Law enforcement has no power to do that in Florida.

This, with all respect, is feeding into RW talking points. The issue is common sense gun control, which includes universal background checks including mental health screening.

Saying "why didn't they?" deflects from the real issues.

[Squinch]

19. I think you have hit upon the real goal here.

[hardluck]

28. Was the shooter receiving social security disability payments?

If not, then the reversal was immaterial to this shooting.

[womanofthehills]

25. Rarely does counseling help psychopaths - you can't teach empathy

The Florida high school shooter was killing small animals and bringing in pictures of the dead animals to show his classmates.

[MichMary]

27. Sick, dangerous people

I've read that there is a program in Wisconsin that is having some success treating psychopathic juveniles. Trouble is in identifying them before they wreak havoc.

[mainstreetonce]

3. We need what is being called "red flag laws"

To give authorities or judges the power to act when there are credible dangerous threats.

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Sure, but we didnt have that so there was nothing that could be done

Thus why it is the guns that are the problem.

[MichMary]

23. +1 n/t

[Shrike47]

12. There were no guns. His house was searched. He has no access to guns (per article).

He said something stupid and they climbed all over him, ignoring any real threats that may exist at that school.

[Lee-Lee]

14. Have a judge issue a restraining order

One mandating he not go within 1000 yards of any school and not possess any firearms until he had completed psychiatric evaluation and/or treatment to the point the court was satisfied he was no longer a danger.

[Eliot Rosewater]

15. Instead why not interpret the 2nd the way it is written and allow the state to outlaw guns

outside of well regulated militias if they so choose?

[Squinch]

20. Gonzales v. Castle Rock. Restraining orders are worthless.

[former9thward]

16. Involuntary mental hospital confinement.

That is allowed in Florida. Cruz's younger brother was involuntarily confined following the massacre.

[Ms. Toad]

4. You really have to ask?

The math symbol incident occurred AFTER the shooting. People are on edge and reporting everything - and investigatory agencies are ALSO on edge and, after the slams investigatory entities are getting for not investigating Cruz, do you really thing anyone receiving a tip - however far-fetched - is not going to investigate?

Had the comment about the math symbol been made on 2/13, it would not even have been reported, let alone investigated.

[MichMary]

7. Yeah,

there have been a LOT of copycat threats, to which the idiot kids always say, "It was a JOKE!" Stupid kids . . .

I really wish the threats by Cruz had been taken anywhere near as seriously. Everyone did everything right--except all the people who were supposed to follow up and protect the public.

[Squinch]

21. Again, though, who was supposed to follow up, and how, and what could they do when they did

follow up? Our laws about guns and people who are allowed to own guns have made a situation where there was nothing that could be done beforehand by those who were "supposed to follow up and protect the public."

[MichMary]

22. I am totally shocked

that there is so little that can be done to remove a firearm from someone like him.

I would like to know, what is the point of having social workers, counselors, tip lines, etc. Because if there is literally nothing they can do to protect people from people like him, well--why??

[Squinch]

24. Because republicans have destroyed our ability to do anything that allows us to be

safe from guns. They have blocked every law we have proposed and they have overridden every law we have managed to pass.

And yes, why indeed? That is what people are trying to find out. That is what this fight is about.

[fierywoman]

26. Yet another example of problems stemming from underfunding education.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

29. Clearly math can get you killed.

Just a little sarcasm there.

It's horrifying that no one apparently recognized the square root sign.

[MichMary]

30. My thought exactly n/t