We tend to think of school massacres as something modern. But the worst one wasn't modern, and it wasn't even a shooting spree. It took place in Bath Township, Mich., near Lansing, at a K-12 school, and it claimed the lives of 45 people, including 38 children. It tells us that madness is not some modern affliction — it's a human condition.
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Then on May 18, 1927, he beat his wife to death. Then he set fire to his farm and drove to the school where he served as caretaker. Kehoe had been busy for more than a year, secretly setting bombs of dynamite and explosive chemicals.
He ignited the first wave of bombs, and when townspeople ran to help, he set off the second wave, which claimed his life as well. Authorities later found an unexploded 500-pound bomb in the rubble.
Kehoe had been planning the massacre for more than a year. I guess you could argue that dynamite and explosive chemicals were too readily available in 1920s America. But the mind that plans a massacre more than a year in advance is not a mind to be deterred by mere laws. His rampage was preceded by beating his wife to death. Pericles himself could not write a law to prevent that.
The easiest--and cheapest--thing to say in the wake of the tragic events is that we need to get "serious" about guns and gun laws. But, "serious" how? Absent armed guards at every school, I can think of no law that would have prevented Friday's horrific massacre.
Adam Lanza's rampage only ended when armed opposition arrived at the school and he immediately turned his gun on himself. Until that moment, every student at the "gun-free zone" school was at his mercy.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/12/17/worst-school-massacre-was-bombing-in-1927
