comment: >
  
  I can’t even believe this is real what I’m reading…
context: When i was six i peed my pants on the carpet during story time because i didn’t want to miss the story. >
  
  Right?   I loved my teachers… it was fun to go to school and have story time and popcorn on Fridays!   Oh and when the local firefighters came and we got to outside to see the fire trucks!     What have we become. >
  
  "Kindergartner shoots fireman for not letting him turn on the hose." >
  
  "6 year old wanted to use the hose, instead busts a cap in them hoes" >
  
  Mrs Miller read stories from the bible. Odd because we were a public school.  She refused to read the story about Samson because apparently he wasted his life and was gay.
  I was 6.  This was 1981 in Toronto. >
  
  
  "This was not an accidental shooting," Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters during an evening press conference.
  
  Seriously?  A 6-year-old planned an attack on a teacher?  
  I have no words. >
  
  Children that age don't understand the implications of their actions. A child that age would launch nukes because they didn't get ice cream if the button was in front of them. And no doubt this is a very troubled child. What is absolutely insane is that this child was able to procure a gun and get it to school and evidently had learned from someone how to fire it. >
  
  I have a daughter who is about to turn 5 and she has an aggressive cousin who is about a year younger than her; it makes her “nervous” to be around him and ”worried” he is going to be “mean” to her and Mema and Papa (her words, not mine).  
  Young children can have emotional intelligence, especially enough to understand that it is not okay to hurt someone else.
  
  What is absolutely insane is that this child was able to procure a gun and get it to school and evidently had learned from someone how to fire it.
  
  Yes, that is very disturbing. >
  
  Your parents suck. So did his. >
  
  They reacted as if it were some plaything or antique. Which it was. But muskets are also antiques, and in 2023 you can shoot someone dead with one just as you could in 1770 >
  
  It is an antique maybe, but let me tell you that getting hit with a fucking sword will still hurt and maybe even cut, even if it's dull. You might let 1 thing slide, but when there's multiple red flags going on, you should avoid that person at all cost. Her parents suck for letting all of that happen on their roof. >
  
  That's what I'm saying- they dismissed it because they didn't recognize it as something still actually dangerous... They're totally dumb. Also missed the detail these kids were messing around on the roof, of all places! 😜 >
  
  How does a six year old have access to, the ability to conceal and bring to school, and the knowledge to use a handgun?! What the fuck is going on out there?? >
  
  Parents keeping loaded weapons in easily accessible locations. >
  
  Parents should be charged as accessory to attempted murder. >
  
  Parents very likely will be charged with something. It’s very difficult to charge a child under the age of 10 with a crime. >
  
  And charging a six year old is utterly pointless. They can put the kid in some secured facility or group home without relying on criminal charges. >
  
  
  
  This was not an accidental shooting
  
  
  Fuck us all >
  
  No, no, we're going to be OK:
  ​
  
  "It's a dark day for Newport News," Jones said. "We're going to learn from this, and we're going to come back stronger."
  
  ​
  
  !Just kidding.  We're not going to learn a thing from this.!< >
  
  Come on man. The lesson is clear. If that teacher was armed, she would’ve shot the evil 6 year old and defended herself. If a good 6 year old next to the evil 6 year had a shotgun he would’ve killed the evil 6 year old before the teacher was shot. You need to arm the good guys and then delete all doors except for one.
  Come on. How hard is that to understand?
  Goddamn liburls. >
  
  Obviously we need to fund mental health care for checks notes toddlers and kindergarteners and first graders. >
  
  I’m not even sure how much capacity for consequences a six year old has. They are very dumb. Respectfully. I could totally see a six year old doing this and then only
  Realizing what happened after the gun goes off. >
  
  I have a 6 year old.  She knows something like that would be very, very bad.  However, she doesnt know what the fallout would be or what would happen to that persons family, etc. >
  
  Beyond knowing (I have a 5yo kid) you cannot compete with incompetent parents that enable a 6yo to find, load and bring to school a gun with some intent. It all starts with the parent on top of everything that could go wrong here. >
  
  I imagine the gun was kept loaded. >
  
  From what I’ve seen people say, the gun was in a crack house belonging to the kid’s uncle who traded drugs for guns, so yeah, kid was spending time in a crack house aged 6, parents should be charged for causing the kid to develop this way through neglect. >
  
  Everyone included should be charged. The uncle, owner of the gun, the parents for leaving him there. If people don't want to control access to guns, then we need to start harshly punishing people whose guns are used in the commission of a crime, especially when a child is involved. >
  
  My wife works in district! She has friends who work at the school. They said the woman shot went to admin multiple times to voice her concerns with the child who was acting strange. Then, the student shot her. Admin is a joke. >
  
  Not surprising at all and why so many of us are leaving this profession. I've been in the same situation, as have every single one of my elementary school peers. I've worked in an affluent school for over a decade and it now worries me more than when I started out and taught in the projects. 
  Thank you for speaking up! Only teachers, their family, and closest friends understand how terribly bad it's gotten. Everyone else is still in denial or shock. >
  
  The education system is fucking crumbling >
  
  Even though it was a teacher that was targeted in this instance, I couldn't help but also think back to the Buell Elementary shooting where the shooter was also a 6-year-old.
  I hope this teacher recovers well and recovers quickly. This is awful. >
  
  This....this was not the first 6 year old shooter??? >
  
  Where’s that kid now? Is he a monster?
  Just wondering btw because some of them do go on to be evil >
  
  Case was sealed, you won't know. There are plenty of young murders around though that turned out to be upstanding citizen later. Even a guy who murdered his entire family when he was like 12 and later became a hero of his community. >
  
  Wait what? Can you link me an article about that last one because holy shit >
  
  Wesley Elkins, murdered his parents in their sleep at age 12 (his baby sister was in the bed w parents but he did not kill her). Was sentenced to life in prison and was eventually pardoned. Lived the rest of his life as a normal person. Episode 16 of Criminal. >
  
  Fucking six? 
  "A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school on Friday, police said. No students were injured in the incident at Richneck Elementary School, Newport News police said in a statement."
  I'm going home. >
  
  Bruh what kind of altercation does an adult have with a 6 year old? It sounds like it had to be premeditated though. Super weird. >
  
  That's the biggest question I have. If the altercation happened that day, why the hell did he just happen to have a gun to use? Did he always bring the gun and decided that today was the day he'd use it? Did he bring the gun specifically to shoot the teacher? I don't know, maybe he brought the gun to show it off and the teacher saw it, starting the altercation that ended with him shooting her. >
  
  When i was six i was regularly bullied by three other students--Matthew Duncan, Thomas Smith, and "Buddy." They were smart enough to catch me alone or wait until the teacher wasn't looking. I was the  one who  got in trouble for being disruptive or making noise,  the time I was jabbed in the arm with a sharpened pencil at story time. 
  But usually there wasn't a teacher around, like the time I was hit by a soda can filled with pebbles thrown down at me from a wooden castle on the playground.
  Usually they just hit me, tripped me, and made fun of me to make the other kids laugh. The injustice of getting in trouble with the teacher for being Matt's victim was incredibly upsetting to me. They went at it regularly. Daily. 
  My "revenge" was to get  pretty when I was a teenager and make out with all the cool girls. But I could see how a kid who  had unsupportive parents and access to a handgun in my situation might have instead directed all that frustrated rage at a teacher. >
  
  In addition to the parents being thrown in jail, they need to be banned from owning guns for life. Infinite levels of negligence. >
  
  Lol, you realize there are people arguing that taking guns away from felons is unconstitutional, even recent court cases with this opinion. This country is dumb AF sometimes. >
  
  It's mindblowing, honestly. "Restricting felons from voting = A-OK". "Restricting felons from owning firearms = UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!11!". >
  
  Felons should be able to vote after servicing their sentence >
  
  Personally, I think every citizen who is 18 years of age or older should be allowed to vote, even those who are currently incarcerated. >
  
  I forget who said it but its something along the lines of “if you take away a felons right to vote, all a government has to do to remain in power is criminalize their opposition” >
  
  This is the argument I always make, but unfortunately even so-called Republicans and Libertarians hate brown people more than they hate unrestricted government power. >
  
  First grade teacher here. I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years. I’ve typed and erased something at least 5 times and nothing is coming close to conveying how I feel right now. I’m just sad and numb. >
  
  I’m not a teacher, just a parent feeling for all the teachers in your shoes. Thank you for your years in the classroom. >
  
  I'm a teacher with a 6 yo. This shit makes me want to move to Canada. I mean it's fucked up that I'm thinking I'm glad he shot the teacher and not another 6 yo. Teacher probably has a better chance at surviving. I mean I'd rather he shot me than my daughter. Why do I even need to think about shit like this at all. >
  
  “We’ll learn from this” 
  No they fucking won’t. That poor teacher is probably traumatized. The parents need to be punished and banned from owning guns. >
  
  The teacher is worse than traumatised, in hospital with life threatening injuries according to the BBC article.
  The thing about guns is that even children can murder you with them. Reminds me of another case I heard about a couple weeks back about a 10yo shooting his mum with a gun deliberately after a tantrum about buying a VR headset.
  Shits fucked. >
  
  And then after he shot her he ordered the headset, if I remember the story correctly. Little pyschopath >
  
  Jesus fucking christ >
  
  And mommy and daddy are arrested for allowing this child access to a firearm,  right? RIGHT?! >
  
  Should be arrested and charged with attempted murder. >
  
  I’d say more accessory to murder, child endangerment, and reckless endangerment >
  
  I'm sure seeing thier child in trouble will be punishment enough /s >
  
  
  we are going to learn from this
  
  Hey I doubt it! >
  
  I don't even know how to react to that. >
  
  What's to react to, just another day in the good ol U-S-of A. >
  
  Nothing is ever going to change about USA and their guns. They've all decided this is fine and normal, and it's more important that random rednecks have their "well armed militia" or whatever. I'd like to be wrong about this, but it's already decades too late for anyone to have reasonable hope. >
  
  
  “The individual is a 6-year-old student. He is right now in police custody,” Drew said. “We have been in contact with our commonwealth attorney and some other entities to help us best get services to this young man.”
  
  In what world is a 6 year old a "young man?" >
  
  Someone they want to charge as an adult? >
  
  Can they even charge a 6 year old as anything? I thought the age of criminal responsibility was higher in most states. >
  
  33 states have no minimum age of responsibility.
  The rest range between 6-12 years. 11 for federal crimes. >
  
  "Today our students got a lesson in gun violence" is such a fucked up thing to say after this. I don't know how to put what I want to say into words. I'm just kinda sick to my stomach. >
  
  That stood out to me too. It's like they're passing it off as a no biggie learning experience akin to breaking a mug "see, now we all learned a lesson today of not running while holding a mug" >
  
  What is even happening anymore. What the fuck is going on. This is a nightmare >
  
  American gun culture is happening. >
  
  Piggy backing from my own comment. Some ammosexual manchild sent me the reddit suicide help message. 
  Coward couldn't even leave a reply. You know who you are. >
  
  This happened in my city.  I have a child in another elementary school.  You tell yourself every day "hopefully it won't be us/our school/grocery store/movie theater".  So tired, sad, and angry. >
  
  I've been worried about the middle school Elementary?!  Nowhere is "safe".  Anybody anywhere can pop off.  Apparently even a 6 year old.  I am so sick to my stomach. >
  
  This is a surreal conversation to read because in Canada we’re still concerned about bullying. Y’all have evolved from bullying to murder. Wild. >
  
  I was arguing with someone the other day because they were trying to argue that America didn't deserve their reputation for school shootings because it was only like 30-40 or something nationwide in 2021.
  And I'm like... Bruh. That's more than Canada has had since the invention of the firearm or existed as a nation. The use of the word "only" in relation to 30-40 school shootings in a single year is a fucking horrific thing to think about. >
  
  How are the parents not in the news??? >
  
  Most likely to protect the identity of the child. >
  
  But yet they want to arm the teachers so we have to make the decision to shoot a 6 year old. And you wonder why so many of us have left the classroom. >
  
  It's not like they think it through, either. Of the few people who'd even take that shot, I'd wager most would turn the gun on themselves right after. And even if they don't, they'll never be the same. You don't come back from killing a 6yo in front of his peers. >
  
  Where are the good six year olds with guns when you need them? >
  
  Here’s your gold star for shooting your classmate >
  
  if only that teacher was armed, they could have killed that 6 year old in self defense  /s >
  
  The only thing that can stop a bad six year old with a gun is a good six year old with a gun. 
  We are truly lost as a culture >
  
  These comments are golden. Sad, but hilarious. As an elementary educator, this humor hurts in a very specific way. >
  
  Do we all agree that whichever adult owns the gun should be prosecuted for criminal negligence and accessory to attempted murder? >
  
  the only thing that can stop a bad 6yo with a gun is a good 6yo with a gun >
  
  Gosh, I can totally see that being said by certain people >
  
  guns dont kill people. 6 year olds do >
  
  I blame this on the Peppa the Pig episode that showed kids how to dismantle, clean, and reassemble their glocks (/s) >
  
  Glock? Peppa Pig would obviously use a Walther >
  
  My apologies, I was obviously confusing Peppa with Cocomelon >
  
  Damn. Thinking about getting back into IT because working even in an elementary school is risky business. For shit pay, too. One of my elementary school kids got expelled for making threats to shoot everyone. >
  
  My husband and I were both teachers. I was on campus during a school shooting. We both switched to IT and work from home now. And we are homeschooling our children. >
  
  Can I ask how you guys transitioned out of the schools and into IT? >
  
  Someone with an educational background would easily transition into an IT role.  Even if they didn't want to learn how to code.Examples:  Project Management, Systems/Business Analyst, Technical Writer, QA (testing), Training. >
  
  Can confirm.  Didn’t work in education specifically, but worked in a mental health / training role and transitioned to IT.  My impression is that people skills are valued extremely highly in IT.  Anyone can learn to code with enough time (and there are tons of good resources out there), so it’s easier to teach a good communicator IT skills than it is to teach an IT person good communication skills.  Almost all of my coworkers followed a similar pathway of education/healthcare/etc. to IT. >
  
  How does a 6 yr old get a gun? >
  
  Probably applied, got run a background check, came clean and waited the 2 weeks >
  
  
  A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school
  
  Every single thing about this sentence is wrong and disgusting. 
  As someone who's closing in on 30 I honestly never thought the school shooting situation could have gotten worse and yet now we're at the point where we're having an altercation between a teacher and a six year old which is fucking wild to start with but somehow the six-year-old shoots the teacher what the fuck. What is fucking wrong with the world >
  
  Haven't seen this type of stuff yet on the news in my country. Lots of American stuff like this on my feed though. >
  
  This happens when a child lives in a home raising them to believe that problems are solved with guns. This child was taught that this is how you deal with people you don't like or make things difficult. I hope this poor child's parents face the steepest consequences possible. But I also hope this child has a loving family to raise them up right.
  The parents were probably also raised with similar role models. If people don't think the past has consequences, this is a perfect and unfortunate example that it does. >
  
  in my area too :( 757 had been in the news so much surrounding gun violence ,, so disheartening >
  
  Another 757 here. I feel like there is a shooting every other day. This one is extra disturbing though. >
  
  Where's the p.o.s humans who raised this child and gave access to a firearm? >
  
  
  "It's a dark day for Newport News," Jones said. "We're going to learn from this, and we're going to come back stronger."
  
  Are we going to learn from this, though. Are we really?
  We've been sounding the alarm for 30 years and it seems we haven't learned a goddamn thing in that time except how to make the incidents more salacious. "Yes, this happens six times a week, but this time a 6 year old child was the shooter!"
  Can't wait to hear about how it's the child's "mental health" that we should really be talking about, followed by deafening fucking silence when ANYONE asks what the plan is about the mental health. >
  
  I live and work in Denmark. Yesterday we got into a discussion about when Danes start to drink- usually around 13-14 years old. I expressed my shock and one colleague of mine said “well it’s better than getting a gun at 13 and killing people.”
  Well. Here we are aren’t we. >
  
  How the heck did this kid get access to a gun? Where are the parents? How did the parents not realize their kid packed a gun to school? What the actual hell. >
  
  So a six year old found his way into possessing a fire arm deliberately shot a teacher due to an “altercation” meaning he understands how guns work and what they’re capable of. Who’s ready to convince us to “arm the teachers” against six year olds… >
  
  I cannot wrap my brain around this. A 6 years old? A 6 years old planned to shoot someone? This is insane . >
  
  Our country becomes more of an embarrassment every day. Apparently, our stupidity knows no limits. >
  
  Yet Americans desperately needs their rights to carry firearms. I guess I get why when fucking 6 year olds gonna start shooting at them. Messed up country, never going there. >
  
  As an American, I can entirely respect this decision; for the time being, stay the hell away from this shitshow of a country.  We’ll let you know when it’s safe to visit. >
  
  Question for gun advocates: What would a gun problem look like? >
  
  No one else was involved in the incident, he said...
  Yes, the six YO walked into the gun shop (in a trench coat with friends) purchased the gun and shot their teacher.  No adult was involved in a six YO being able to pick up and take a gun to school >
  
  I’ve heard comments from family members with young children which leads me to believe that they would legitimately train their grade school son to use a firearm. Now I hope that they are reasonable and give the benefit of the doubt. But if you take that mentality and spread it to millions of people, eventually you get this. I can only hope that the child was not indoctrinated, and that this was done out of some lack of understanding. God help us. >
  
  I would be willing to wager that the US is the only country in which a 6 yr old has ever shot a teacher at school. >
  
  "No school on Monday." Imagine being 6 yo and having at most 4 days to get over this... >
  
  Imagine being any adult in that building and having at most 4 days
  Except the teacher herself who is burning through her sick days in the ICU >
  
  Those kids are getting their education at an actual crime scene :( >
  
  I teach 3rd grade. While there is a huge difference between 1st and 3rd grade, I can confirm that children at this age are more than capable of understanding that shooting someone can lead to death. They are also typically very empathetic and desire to help others at this age, even more so than adults in my experience. Prior to teaching, I also worked in social work. Studies show that empathy and the desire to help others is highest between the ages of 5-12. While I don’t know the story, there is very likely something mentally wrong with this child, such as being a psychopath. I’d be curious to know what the child was like before the shooting. Generally, from what I’ve learned through my social work program, children can be identified as psychopaths based on specific behaviors, such as verbalizing a desire to kill/severely injure others, hurting others intentionally (e.g. stepping on someone’s hand), talking about killing animals, etc. 
  Regardless of the reasons, I feel horrible for the teacher who’s fighting for her life. I also feel horrible for those students who had to witness this. Students at that age become very attached to their teachers and this will be a very traumatic experience for them. Witnessing a shooting is traumatic enough, but is much worse when it’s someone you know and care about. >
  
  Thank you for pointing this out. I’m a grade two teacher and I definitely think that there is an extremely serious issue with this child that needs to be addressed. People look at 6 year olds like little babies but let me tell you, they are smart and capable. Even if it means capable of awful things like this. Yes, let’s also question the parents gun control, but who says it was from them, and who says this child even has a steady home? >
  
  Where the crap does a 6 year-old get a hand gun?  These "responsible gun owner" parents should be in jail right now. >
  
  6 days into the new year & our first school shooting is done by a 6yr old >
  
  We need more good armed 6 year olds to stop the bad 6 year olds >
  
  If only there was a good six year old with a gun. >
  
  Only in America. We’re a third world country with tall buildings. >
  
  In any other nation this story would be the top news for months. In the US this will be forgotten within days. >
  
  Never mind the psychological costs, how much damage this kid and his family brought to this community.
  It's time we have universal gun insurance.  Make them pay for the costs associated with reckless gun usage. >
  
  
  We're going to learn from this, and we're going to come back stronger."
  
  Sadly, no. No we won't. >
  
  I just don't understand why we have such a shortage of teachers........... >
  
  This is fine. 
  -Republicans >
  
  
  Why the hell did a six-year old think shooting a teacher was a good idea?
  How the hell did a six-year old get ahold of a firearm? >
  
  I think US really need gun control... >
  
  Right wing spin tomorrow "PATRIOTIC 6 Year old defends himself from teacher who was trying to INDOCTRINATE children with LIBERAL ideas like 'Sharing is Caring'!" >
  
  I see a couple on there claiming the 6 year old was a gang member. >
  
  This country has a fucking problem. >
  
  The US folks. Goddamn im lucky i dont live in that shithole. >
  
  Jfc America, you're an embarrassment. >
  
  If only there had been a good 6yo with a gun to stop him >
  
  Did the cops take 45 mins to confront the 6 year old? >
  
  I work for this school district and used to work with a staff member there (not the one who was shot). There was a report that a gun was possibly brought into my own classroom earlier this week. One of our high schools experienced an active shooter in Sept. 2021. 
  These types of situations are not going to end until something changes. Everyone has an opinion of what the answer is, and that can continue to be debated. It just seems that no one is interested in real change. 
  Is it a gun issue? Yes. There’s no reason a 6 year old should have access to a gun. However this is also a community and heart issue. Just in the neighborhood I teach, there were 3 shootings this week. 
  My heart goes out to the staff, families, and responders to this situation, and hope for healing. >
  
  Charge the parents and throw em in jail. 
  It is absolutely unacceptable for a child to have access to a gun in any way >
  
  From the words of my lady who is and has been a teacher for the past 18 years "I bet you that kid returns to class the next day with a lollypop, and every teacher out there will know what I'm talking about". >
  
  Solution, give guns to the good kids in school to shoot the bad ones. More guns. >
  
  Everyone has to hold so many guns all at one time that they can't possibly shoot accurately or reload any of them, problem solved. >
  
  My first thought was: he'll be charged as an adult.
  That's how crazy this fucking country is. >
  
  There were altercations prior and the kid had threatened her.  The district said she was over reacting when she reported the threats. >
  
  This is because the US loves and thrives on gun culture. Guns are sold like bouquet of flowers. US is the exact opposite of UK. In UK even the police are not armed with a gun whereas it's common to find a gun/rifle in a US family home. >
  
  As a teacher, this is absolutely chilling. >
  
  Worked in my kid's school for five years. Can't say I'm surprised really. There are just some kids with really, really bad home lives, usually a single parent, that bring all that baggage to school. One particular kid never bothered other kids, just the adults. One adult was on his knees addressing him face to face and this first grader just hauled off and punched him REAL hard in the face. He had several incidents of punching staff, almost always women except for the mentioned one. He also managed to escape the school grounds on occasion. He lived nearby and went there. Flash forward about 20 years and I about shit a brick when I was making a mug shot graphic for our newscast when his name and pic showed up in my email. He assaulted his girlfriend so bad she landed in the hospital for several days. I searched his record and found a ton of minor incidents where he got in fights, lots of fights. He'll definitely see prison time for this latest one.
  The funny thing is he has an older brother who lived in the same house. He had some problems at school on occasion. Last I heard he has a good job and straightened out.
  This kid shooter's home life needs to be thoroughly examined. >
  
  I work with kids like this and they almost never get any better. There's a difference between wild kids who like to have some fun and the truly damaged. 
  When the uninformed start talking shit about all juvenile treatment centers (and to be fair, some are terrible) being abusive and terrible, I can't help but think of kids like this and the ones I work with. Would these kneejerk assholes want that kid in their house? Do they think you just give him some therapy and some ritalin and call it a day? 
  No. Their development has been thrown off for the rest of their lives and most will never participate in civil society. We still try, but the facts are the facts. >
  
  The kid needs to get some serious therapy >
  
  Parents need to go to jail.  No excuse. >
  
  Tell me we don’t have a gun access problem in this country. >
  
  This has to be a parents or relatives gun right? I really want to know where a 6 year gets a gun if not. It's not like they just find them. >
  
  Well add this to the list of things I have to worry about as a primary school teacher. 
  There was a five year old at school today who was yelling that he was going to kill everybody at the school. Guess we have to be extra cautious. >
  
  Kids parents are fucked. >
  
  I want the sun to explode. Right now. >
  
  6 six old tried to murder teacher. What the fuck. >
  
  Similar to how Tennessee made the law that if a drunk driver kills parents they have to pay child support...parents who neglect to lock up their guns then their kids get ahold of it and hurt or kill someone, the parents should be held responsible and be charged.