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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 4, 2018)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018 Special Series from 6A “I have just killed my parents!” When Kinkel was arrested for purchasing the gun at school, the police confiscated the firearm and sent him home with his father, Bill. But nei- ther mentioned the multiple guns that the Kinkels had at their residence to the police. According to Frontline, Kinkel had carried a fascina- tion with guns for years. Bill, who staunchly opposed guns, never felt comfortable about it. However, Kinkel’s coun- selor, Dr. Hicks, did feel that it would be an appropriate bonding experience between the two. As a gun owner himself, Hicks was able to speak open- ly and positively with Kinkel about firearms. Hicks would later say that he would never condone giving a patient like Kinkel a firearm. Bill tried to appease Kinkel at first by purchasing him a BB gun and knives. But, as friends of the family stated, Kinkel kept insisting that his father buy him a real gun. Seeing that as a potential way to reach out to his son, Bill purchased Kinkel a Glock with the understanding that it would have to be locked up, fired only with Bill around, the money for the gun would have to come from Kinkel’s own money and safety classes needed to be taken. Under those same conditions, Bill bought Kinkel a semi-auto- matic rifle that same the year. What Bill didn’t know was that his son had also been pur- chasing guns from friends. According to Frontline, Kinkel was able to purchase an old sawed-off shotgun that way, as well as another hand- gun from a friend in the sum- mer of 1997. And then there were the bombs. Numerous explosives were found in Kinkel’s house after the school shooting, which he had made using guide books like “The Anarchist’s Cookbook.” Kinkel would set the bombs off at a nearby quarry if he was having a bad day. While shooting off firearms and playing with explosives is nothing unheard of for teenagers, Kinkel’s paranoid schizophrenia was also com- ing into play. While he had multiple delusions during this period, one made him believe that China would invade the United States, which he was preparing for — which is why he stocked up weapons, according to Frontline. Finally, there was the gun that Kinkel bought at school that ultimately got him arrest- ed. When Bill took his son home from the police station that day, he called a friend, stating, “I don’t know what to do at this point” and that his son was completely out of control. According to Frontline, Bill threatened to take all of his son’s guns away. Later that day, Kinkel took the rifle his father had given him and killed both his par- ents. After doing this, he lis- tened to music from his favorite film, “Romeo + Juliet,” and wrote about what had just occurred: “I have just killed my par- ents! I don’t know what is happening. I love my mom and dad so much. ... I’m so sorry. I am a horrible son. I wish I had been aborted. I destroy everything I touch. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I did- n’t deserve them. They were wonderful people. It’s not their fault or the fault of any person, organization or televi- sion show. My head just does- n’t work right. God damn these VOICES inside my head. I want to die. I want to be gone. But I have to kill people. I don’t know why. I am so sorry! Why did God do this to me? I have never been happy. I wish I was happy. I wish I made my mother proud. I am nothing! I tried so hard to find happiness. But you know me I hate every- thing. I have no other choice. What have I become? I am so sorry.” The next day, Kinkel entered Thurston High School in Springfield, where he killed two students and injured 24 others. The question remains whether the tragedy could have been averted had Kinkel received more medical care. “I think if he could have been under treatment with appropriate medication and appropriate follow-up, he would not have committed these acts,” said Dr. William Sack, who worked with Kinkel after his incarceration. “I think that if Mr. Kinkel takes medication, is consis- tently cared for by a psychia- trist that he trusts, in 25 or 30 years he could be safely returned to the community. “I would be happy to have him as my next-door neighbor if those conditions were met.” Since his incarceration, Kinkel, now 35 years old, has responded positively to med- ication and is “completely harmless,” according to his attorney. However, Kinkel was sentenced to 111 years in prison for the shooting, and multiple appeals have upheld that sentence. “Everybody would know” Would a ban on certain types of firearms have pre- vented Kinkel from commit- ting his mass shooting? Probably not. And neither would expanded background checks as they are currently written and enforced. He didn’t purchase any of the weapons from a dealer, and Bill was the sole purchas- er of the guns. And back- ground checks would not have worked with the way Kinkel bought guns from his friends. So how can those like Kinkel be prevented from get- ting their hands on guns? The answer, at least in part, may come from examining Kinkel’s story and addressing the stigma of mental health and the role it played in the Thurston High shooting. During the recent Florence March for Our Lives demon- stration, gun reformers used phrases like “flagrantly psy- chotic,” “nuts” and “totally insane” when describing those with mental illness. However, labels such as those aren’t strictly a purview of the left, with gun rights advocates refer- ring to the mentally ill as “demented” and “mentally dis- turbed” in public comments. The use of that rhetoric increases the risk of pushing those with mental illness fur- ther into the shadows. “I cried when he gave me medicine,” Kinkel said when he first received Prozac. “Because it meant that he knew I was crazy. And now everybody would know. Splotch on my record. No one would ever hire me.” A Pandora’s box has recent- ly been opened regarding mental health. As the issue has become a rallying cry to stop gun violence, so too has the stigma surrounding men- tal illness. Unless both parties come together to create mean- ingful, lasting changes to the mental healthcare system, the country will be left with more stigma. And possibly, more Kip Kinkels. L OOKING FOR MORE NEWS ? S IUSLAW N EWS Follow us on Editor’s note: In the next installment of this five-part series, the Siuslaw News will take a broader view of mass shooters, including their motivations, reasons for selecting their targets and in what ways those elements may or may not be impacted by gun legislation currently being proposed. Twitter @S IUSLAW N EWS Visit us on the web T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM FRAA ART CENTER 120 Maple Street Phone: 541-997-4435 Hours Open: Wed-Fri noon-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun. noon-5pm ARE YOU CREATIVE? DO YOU LIKE... Classes, Workshops & Events card making • scrapping • journals • gift boxes • albums and more? Beginning Felting with Ginny Kliever - Take 2 Due to Popular Demand JOIN US FRIDAY, APRIL 6th at Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints located at the corner of North Fork and Munsel Lake Road Saturday, April 7th, 1:30-4:30 pm Learn the art of felting making a coin purse. Bring a shank button; other material provided. Pre-registration req’d at FRAA or with Ginny. 541-521-3513 Crochet Workshop with Eleanor Ross Bring a project or participate in an instructed session. Bring your supplies like stamps, dies, cutter, scissors, glue and of course your fabulous paper; electricity is available. Sunday, May 6, 1-4 pm Detailed description soon coming soon. Pre-registration req’d at FRAA or with Eleanor. Questions: 541-997-4435 Next Art Change-Out Day Monday, May 14th, 9-11 am Please pick up your artwork and bring something new to help keep the art at FRAA fresh to our visitors. No fees unless there is a special project. Th is group will continue to meet the 1st Friday of each month. Whimsical Hand Building Ceramics w/ Alissa Clark For more information, please call Betty Johnson at 541-997-4258 Wednesdays, 3-5 pm & Thursdays, 6-8 pm Open Lab Ceramics on Saturdays Drop in, work at own pace. Sat 12-5 pm All ceramics classes held at Alissa’s Studio. 180 Laurel Street. Big Wave Poetry 1st Tuesday Open Mic April 3th at 6:30 pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be available. FRAA Quarterly Member’s Meeting Monday, April 16, 3:30 pm. Come learn about what we have been doing and upcoming events, and provide inputs for future events. Writers on the River - Creative Writing Workshop with Catherine Rourke Sat., April 21, 10 am - 12 noon The Blank Page: Tips to Conquer and Master it Move past writing blocks with tips to fill the page. All writing levels and genres, Contact: CJReditor@gmail.com , 541-708-2120 Painting with John Leasure Saturdays 9 am - 12 pm Contact: jnleasure@hotmail.com or 541-991-2754 for details and fees. Oil Painting with Michael Wood On hiatus but will be back soon. fmwood@msn.com to reserve a spot. For more information about classes, visit fraaoregon.org. To register for these classes, please call or visit FRAA at our art center on Maple Street. 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