Germans Seek Answers After School Shootings

In the wake of a school rampage in Winnenden, Germany, that left 15 dead, seemingly every German with access to a keyboard or a microphone is offering up opinions on why it happened and on how to prevent another massacre from occurring.

The banning of video games and privately-owned guns has been proposed, along with metal detectors and electronic key card access controls at schools. On the other hand, some contend that it's impossible to provide absolute security without massively infringing on citizens' rights.

Spiegel.de outlines some of the more salient reactions to the massacre. A quote from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung caught my eye.

"The day after the massacre, there was already no lack of suggestions for how to prevent such events. The police union calls for technical access controls to schools, the teachers' association calls for further limits on access to weapons, and psychologists urge the creation of more jobs for school psychologists."

Heh.

In any event, one cannot overemphasize the significance of the Winnenden massacre for the Germans. Repercussions will endure just as they have for the Columbine massacre in the U.S.