Jagex Busts Teen for School Shooting Comment

[lancar]

Good riddance to intellectually barren rubbish. Just because you're on the internet doesn't mean you're not accountable for what you're saying, and if you're _stupid_ enough to make terrorist theats online you deserve to get hauled off by the police.

 

[Karathos]

If it was indeed just a jest, what an absolute numpty. If he was serious, once he's locked up toss the bloody key. I'm sick of these people who apparently put no value on life.

Beyond that, as someone posted; gamers just pre-empted a shooting. Someone may wanna email senator Whatsherfase.

 

[CriticalMiss]

At least he is getting some practise in for his schoolwork, just from the wrong side of the law. Hopefully he has learned that threatening to murder people isn't very nice.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Hey Congress, gamers just PREVENTED a school shooting!
SUCK IT FEINSTEIN!

I second this^.

Vive, le Jagex!

Vive, la Runescape!

 

[Shocksplicer]

Good. Can't understand all the people saying "I believe in free speech, and he shouldn't be punished for saying those things!".
You do realise that the alternate scenario that you are suggesting is "Authorities have extremely good reason to think that this guy is going to shoot up his school, but decide not to stop him because free speech."
That's fucking lunacy.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Hm, think I'll just edit mine a little.

I'm sorry to all the people that's cheering this, but I really don't like the idea of people being arrested solely on what they say, especially in a online setting where people are used to that anonymous feeling which tends to make people say what they would normally never say/act IRL. And definitely when it's a dumb teen who are known for saying stupid meaningless crap just to try to make themselves look good/superior.

There had to be a better way to deal with this, and I would be extremely surprised if the charges stick, much less gets in front of a jury.

Actually, I'd be rather offended if nothing would 'stick', as you put it. And with him studying criminal justice, I really think he deserves to experience the full force facial of some of that applied law and justice business. There was a threat that people considered to be worth some attention. There are/were guns in the house. Daddy dearest bailed him out for 50k. The sum of these facts rubs me the wrong way - up, down and sideways.

I usually don't report brats and kids being bittersweet, annoying cuntmuffins online. It's their shitty lives, I want none of that. I ignore them, I mute them, or I go, go, go away. I don't mind swastikas much. Utterings like the 'if only', though, I do mind.

If, however, someone starts posting threats, party's over.

Obviously, I don't agree with Feinstein on games. I'd like to hear what she's got to say on this. I would assume this is a real-world problem she should have a proper answer to.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

Absolutely shameful behaviour. Still playing Runescape in 2013?!

Seriously though, as much as I think free speech should be respected on all sides, this is a perfectly valid example of the "where do you draw the line?" question. We can have very good discussions on how much of an overkill this was, but then again if he actually DID go and cause another shooting I think most people here would be demanding to know what the authorities were thinking when ignoring the message.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

They pretty much have him over a barrel

They had the intent, and by collecting the weapons from his home they found his means. All they had left was opportunity, which he said he was going to shoot the school up TOMORROW.

I suppose some retard in the justice system could drool on himself when they have a person with means and opportunity making threats and go "derrr well we ought to wait till he does somem I suppose..." and then let a few people die before arresting him...

I think this guy is an asshole, but the only thing keeping him under surveillance is the fear that he might do it. Not the actual evidence. They have no motive. Which just goes to show how fucked up American society had become. It runs on scaremongering. These are the things that American government will use as an excuse to spy on their citizens via internet. They're not even trying to solve the real problems behind mass shootings. This is what they do instead. CISPA just passed a few days ago by the way. And the proposed gun control regulations are a joke with a loophole large enough you could fit entire North American continent through it. The more scared the people are, the easier it is for them to give up their freedoms to feel a bit safer, instead of focusing their efforts on fixing the actual problems.

This case only managed to show people that joking online can get you in a serious trouble. Which just means that people who actually want to commit crimes like that are now less likely to talk about it online. It doesn't actually stop anyone from doing anything. My god, America is becoming a bigger shithole with each passing day.

 

[Abomination]

I wonder how the courts are going to prove the comments were NOT in jest. Or is guilt determined by how serious someone else views a person's comments rather than how serious the person who actually commented was being?

I hope he gets off Scott-free. I do not enjoy the idea of being punished for something someone didn't do but said they will when they have no means at all of doing so.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

I've often threatened to rob a bank in jest before. Am I now to be considered as a threat to all banks?

You're completely missing one VERY important thing here - mass-paranoia and panic based on past events. Although no official law exists about such a thing, it is very much real and plays a very real role in courts.

Everyone knows US is infamous for school shootings, every single one leaves a HUGE scar on the entire nation and goes down into history as a dark, evil day. Every single school shooting also causes a good several months of mass-fear (most recently Sandy Hook) where even the slightest - I repeat, the slightest threat of such an incident happening again is treated extremely seriously with brutal consequences, highly exaggerated consequences too.
With US there have been enough school shootings to the point of the mass-panic becoming almost permanent, I think we'll need to see a good 5 years of no school shootings for people to settle down again.

This kid basically chose a bad time and the wrong country to say such a thing - yes, there is such a thing as "wrong time wrong place" even with the law, I feel both sad for him (his life is fucked, his career is fucked). He has been made an example of, a warning to the rest of the nation not to joke around in times of mass paranoia/panic...and this isn't the first time someone's been arrested over a mild chat comment in Runescape, I remember Jagex tipping-off police about previous incidents like suicide threats and IRL murder threats. A lot of young children and teens play that game, I played it for a good 3-4 years as well.

If he had said it while playing from some other country he would've been more than safe, hell players say FAR WORSE shit all the time and get away with nothing but a warning/ban from the game at worst.

 

[Krantos]

On the other hand, $50,000 bail seems just ridiculous.

It's just bail. He'll get it back as long as he doesn't skip town. Bail is supposed to be uber-expensive for that reason. $50,000 isn't actually all that high. It's not unusual to see higher amounts.

If you want to see some comparisons, here's a pdf of one county's bail regulations. See page 4 for price guidelines.
http://www.occourts.org/directory/criminal/felonybailsched.pdf