A thwarted school shooting in PA by an exchange student raises more questions

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Police say he told a friend that he was planning to shoot up the school. He’s now been charged with making a terroristic threat.


But when they took Sun into custody and searched his room, here’s what they found, as listed in the report: “a military-style ballistic vest, ski mask, military web gear with pouches to hold ammunition clips, a high-powered crossbow and arrows, a bullet loading dock for an AR-15 and AK-47, an empty box for a gun-making kit, 20 live round, ear protectors for firing, and a strangulation device called a garrote.”

Notice one thing missing from that list? They didn’t find an actual gun. There was a box for a gun-making kit. A modest amount of ammunition was found. (Let’s be honest… twenty rounds isn’t all that much.) And he had a crossbow, but when you consider how long it takes to reload a crossbow compared to the firing rate of any decent semiautomatic firearm, it’s not quite as much of a threat. The garrote is certainly worrisome as a visual, but it’s also not an implement for mass murder unless all your victims are sleeping.

So what happens when this guy (who is now 18) goes to trial? He never actually did anything violent. And they don’t even have a firearms charge on him unless a gun turns up later. Do they just have to let him walk? Or perhaps cancel whatever type of visa exchange students use and send him back to Taiwan?






A thwarted school shooting in PA by an exchange student raises more questions
 

glhs837

Power with Control
Police say he told a friend that he was planning to shoot up the school. He’s now been charged with making a terroristic threat.


But when they took Sun into custody and searched his room, here’s what they found, as listed in the report: “a military-style ballistic vest, ski mask, military web gear with pouches to hold ammunition clips, a high-powered crossbow and arrows, a bullet loading dock for an AR-15 and AK-47, an empty box for a gun-making kit, 20 live round, ear protectors for firing, and a strangulation device called a garrote.”

Notice one thing missing from that list? They didn’t find an actual gun. There was a box for a gun-making kit. A modest amount of ammunition was found. (Let’s be honest… twenty rounds isn’t all that much.) And he had a crossbow, but when you consider how long it takes to reload a crossbow compared to the firing rate of any decent semiautomatic firearm, it’s not quite as much of a threat. The garrote is certainly worrisome as a visual, but it’s also not an implement for mass murder unless all your victims are sleeping.

So what happens when this guy (who is now 18) goes to trial? He never actually did anything violent. And they don’t even have a firearms charge on him unless a gun turns up later. Do they just have to let him walk? Or perhaps cancel whatever type of visa exchange students use and send him back to Taiwan?






A thwarted school shooting in PA by an exchange student raises more questions

Yeah, send him back. We have expectations of guests. So he would have sucked at killing a lot of folks. Just becuase you suck at your crime doesnt mean you shouldnt face consequences. Doesnt seem like the sort of person we really want taking up our air.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Is it possible that he's just a collector and the "friend" lied about him making a threat?

It certainly looks suspicious, especially coupled with the friend's statement, but are we really going to start arresting people because they possess bullets and wear camo clothing? I have a good friend who wears nothing but camo clothing, and he is the least likely person in the world to murder someone. A lot of young men are fascinated by the military and try to emulate them as a fashion statement.

We're starting to slide down that slippery slope here.
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Is it possible that he's just a collector and the "friend" lied about him making a threat?

anything is possible ...

well that charge was making a terroristic threat


We're starting to slide down that slippery slope here.

.... in the weeks following Parkland that is exactly what police use to arrest and investigate students making comments [social media or 'over heard']

Monello posted on about various police in NJ and some 16 case in a week or two ...

I know I had one or two as well
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Is it possible that he's just a collector and the "friend" lied about him making a threat?

It certainly looks suspicious, especially coupled with the friend's statement, but are we really going to start arresting people because they possess bullets and wear camo clothing? I have a good friend who wears nothing but camo clothing, and he is the least likely person in the world to murder someone. A lot of young men are fascinated by the military and try to emulate them as a fashion statement.

We're starting to slide down that slippery slope here.

I know from first hand experience that there are lots of young folks living in other countries the are very envious of the freedom we have here to own and shoot all manner of firearms. My own son is one of those people. He thoroughly enjoys shooting anything and everything we take with us to the range; in his country he's allowed to own one or two of a specific types and caliber of hunting rifle and nothing else. He was really big in to paintball and airsoft and always took a load of goodies back home with him when he was younger and here for visits. He's outgrown that though...in to restoring cars now.

So I'm not surprised that young people from countries that heavily restrict firearms are eager to take the opportunity to play with them while here in this country.

But make any overt threats of violent use of them....yr outa here.
 

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
Well: It seems he doesn't have any real criminal activity to arrest him for.
But unlike Cruz in Florida, he is not a citizen, he is an exchange student.
We don't have to arrest him to send him back to where he came for,

Let him collect his armament in his home country and they can deal with him.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Well: It seems he doesn't have any real criminal activity to arrest him for.
But unlike Cruz in Florida, he is not a citizen, he is an exchange student.
We don't have to arrest him to send him back to where he came for,

Let him collect his armament in his home country and they can deal with him.

Think about that, though. We'd send back an exchange student who has committed no crime simply because he may perhaps be a potential threat; yet we continue to harbor actual cutthroats and rapists who come into this country illegally.

That seems messed up to me.
 

BOP

Well-Known Member
We need to have common sense camouflage clothing regulations - for the love of god, it's for the children!
 

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
Think about that, though. We'd send back an exchange student who has committed no crime simply because he may perhaps be a potential threat; yet we continue to harbor actual cutthroats and rapists who come into this country illegally.

That seems messed up to me.

If you have a better idea I am willing to listen
The way it stands he has committed no crime he walks away free as a bird.

No matter how much we know it isn't right, legally we can do nothing but send him home away from us
Sure it's messed up but we just lost 17 kids to a kid who walked away because we cannot do anything until those people are dead.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
If you have a better idea I am willing to listen

My better idea is to crack down on illegal immigration, and if ANY immigrant - illegal or otherwise - commits a crime while a guest in our country, they get deported immediately and a BOLO issued in case they try to return. That would at least be fair.
 

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
My better idea is to crack down on illegal immigration, and if ANY immigrant - illegal or otherwise - commits a crime while a guest in our country, they get deported immediately and a BOLO issued in case they try to return. That would at least be fair.


I like it. Except maybe they should serve their terms in prison first because that's the only punishment they will get.

Too many after deported simply catch the next coyote bus and return.
 
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Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
We need to have common sense camouflage clothing regulations - for the love of god, it's for the children!

Or do like the military does...make everyone wear the most effective camo taxpayer money can develop and then strap on a dayglo orange belt with reflective tape sewn on to it.
 
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