Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two teenage students at Columbine high school, had gone on a killing spree and killed eleven students, a teacher and eventually themselves in the space of 49 minutes. Their initial plan was for two of their home-made bombs to detonate in the cafeteria during lunch time and while students ran to escape the boys would gun them down on their way out. The bombs failed to function and instead the boys decided to head into school and go on a rampage. They were armed with the following weapons:
- Intratec TEC-DC9
- Hi-Point 995 Carbine Savage
- 67H pump-action shotgun
- Stevens 311D double barreled sawed-off shotgun
- 99 explosives
- 4 knives
Harris and Klebold's primary target was 'anyone in a white cap' meaning "jocks" - the perpetrators of their torment and continual bullying throughout high school. The media of course attempted to blame violent video games (I was playing Wolfenstein and Doom then as well), their taste in music (yep, I was also listening to KMFDM and NIN then too) and even the fact they wore trench coats and allegedly belonged to a "sub-culture". What the media failed to publicize, until months afterwards, was that the boys were victims themselves - fed up with being treating like shit and humiliated on a daily basis.Sure, Harris made secret levels in the video game Doom as an exact replica of the school and 'practiced' shooting then but these boys had prepared for the massacre a YEAR in advance. This wasn't just an impulse decision made after getting shoved in the school halls one afternoon, this is something they had meticulously planned out and prepared for; from shooting practice, obtaining weapons illegally and creating maps and timelines .
I have a copy of both of the boys diaries - both of which started approximately a year or so before the massacre. I've read both transcripts quite closely and it's safe to say that Harris (top left) was very much the anger/revenge-driven leader behind the ordeal whereas Klebold (top right) seemed to have been the more depressive follower.
I remember watching the incident on the news and becoming incredibly intrigued by it, as I was only two years younger than them at the time. I couldn't quite decide whether I thought they were brave or cowards, and I suppose it's a bit of both. It's not exactly an achievement to slay weapon-less people at school one day, but it takes a certain level of...something to really take matters into your own hands, knowing what the consequences will be.
Most of the murders occurred in the library, where students who were hiding underneath chairs and tables were shot at point blank range. Apparently by this stage the boys had grown rather bored and the entire school was surrounded by police and SWAT teams so instead of giving themselves up, they shot themselves in the head. Harris had the words 'Natural Selection' inscribed on his shirt, while Klebold had 'Wrath' on his. I often wonder what their final words to each other were.
It was a sad episode for their 12 victims as well as for themselves, and of course all of the related families and friends. I've sometimes wondered whether, if all of the students were allowed to be armed at school, they could have defended themselves and stopped Harris and Klebold in their tracks before they could do so much damage, or whether that would have been a sufficient deterrent to have prevented them going on the spree in the first place. The flipside of the coin would be what might happen in a school full of armed kids. It'd certainly take a lot of responsibility and education in honourable combat from their parents and teachers, something sadly lacking nowadays. Maybe if the teachers were armed? Interesting thought experiment anyway.
ReplyDeleteThen again if society was sufficiently responsible, the bullying of Harris and Klebold by others would have itself been either prevented or properly dealt with. Another example of a couple of individuals falling through the cracks of "the system" rather than being an integrated part of humanity.
Wow - interesting concept! Irrespective of how well some parent's may have brought up their children, I still don't think I'd be comfortable in a school with weapons, especially knowing some of the friends I had back then...
ReplyDeleteI just think it's retarded how the media brandishes them as 'monsters'. I've seen some home-made videos of theirs as they walked around school and saw how they were bullied, I can't imagine that kind of treatment on a daily basis. They should be recognised as victims, just like everybody else.
I am actually planning on filming a movie this year about the things that would lead up to someone doing something like what Dylan and Eric did that terrible day. I've always found it absurd that people, especially sometimes the media, always try to pinpoint it on ONE thing. They always try to come up with one reason something like this would happen, but usually there's a multitude of different aspects that combine themselves to finally become one big weight on your shoulders that you just can't handle anymore. We need to stop trying to treat the symptoms and get to the root of the problem itself. I know I've rambled on here and I apologize, but I do appreciate you remembering this tragedy after all this time.
ReplyDelete~Jason Zakrajsek
jasonzak@me.com
Wow - that's great to read Jason. I would recommend you try and obtain a copy of their journals and read them - I think I should have them on an old laptop if you're desperate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in the sense that yes, there must have been some kind of 'breaking point' for them but I also believe that they became infatuated with the 'idea' of it all. I've heard reports that whilst they were at the school and it didn't seem to meet their expectations they appeared to become bored and restless; almost disappointed. I think there was a lot of hype to their plans and they felt they couldn't not do it after preparing for so long..?
Their last words were "3...2...1...GO!" As you can read in multiple accounts.
ReplyDeleteI'm dubious about that, since it was also reported that their bodies weren't located until a few hours after they had killed themselves. How would anyone know what was said?
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