Another School Shooting

If a student comes to school wearing a long black trenchcoat, I'm beginning to think they should just be shot on sight:

JOPLIN, Mo. — A 13-year-old student wearing a mask and a long, black trenchcoat fired an AK-47 into the ceiling at his school Monday morning after confronting a pair of students and administrators, telling them "please don't make me do this," officials said.

No one was injured, and the boy, who police said was following a well-thought out plan, was taken into custody.

The seventh-grader pointed the gun at the two students, Principal Steve Gilbreth and Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr, telling them "not to make me do this," said Superintendent Jim Simpson.

He then fired the shot into the ceiling, breaking a water pipe, and said again "Please don't make me do this," Simpson said.

Doerr and Gilbreth persuaded the youth to leave the building, and he was confronted by two police officers who had their weapons drawn. The student dropped the rifle and was taken into custody, Simpson said.

"It was a very close call," he said.

To coin a phrase, they dodged a bullet on this one. A kid with a fully loaded AK-47 could kill a lot of people in a big hurry.