"He Was A Good Kid. A Really Good Kid."

The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is simple. It reads:

"I will never bring a gun to school.

"I will never use a gun to settle a personal problem or dispute.

"I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes.

"My individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of young people throughout the country, will make a difference. Together, by honoring this pledge, we can reverse the violence and grow up in safety."

In 1996, the United States Senate passed a resolution [pdf document] proclaiming the first Day of National Concern, followed by a Presidential Proclamation by President Bill Clinton. Since then, more than ten million young people have signed on to this pledge.

Ryan Vigil decided to convince as many of his classmates as he could at Highlands High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico to sign it, too.

And then, last Thursday, he was gunned down.

Ryan - a third-baseman for his school's baseball team - participated in an ill-advised schoolboy prank with some of his friends as they drove around town and tossed golf balls at people. The kids reportedly tossed some at an alleged methamphetamine user, who later found the boys and allegedly shot Ryan in the head.

"[Ryan] always had a smile on his face," Highlands High School baseball coach Anthony Lovato said. He had an extremely hard work ethic - [he was] a great kid to be around."

Today is the National Day of Concern for 2007, a day when we can all rededicate ourselves to preventing even one more senseless gun death. We can remember Ryan, and remember the pledge that he and many of his classmates believed in and signed.

And we can also simply consider the words of Ryan's High School Principal, Nikki Dennis, who said, "If you write any headline, he's an example of the random violence facing our nation.

"Write that he was a good kid, a really good kid."

(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)

Comments

[kallie]

I knew Ryan. He was my son's unlce. He WAS a good kid. He did well in school. He was involved in many school activities.How can you say that he was a bad kid? Did you know him? Do you know his family? You can't cancel out all the good he has done, like bring awareness to the students about gun violence, just because of a dumb choice. Haven't we all made dumb choices?

I'm not saying that throwing golf balls is right. why don't you go back to when you were kids, think about all the stupid things you did. I'm sure lots of them could have hurt someone. But I'm sure you didn't think it would hurt anyone. Can you imagine getting MURDERED for that? What if it was your kid who got MURDERED! Would you blame your son? Would you think that it was his own fault? Until you know the whole story about Ryan and what happened, stop talking. Don't label him when you don't know him. Are you ok with a family member or your own kid getting murdered for doing that? They weren't trying to be violent, they had poor judgement. If they were really trying to hurt people I am sure they would have.

You're right,sometimes "good kids" aren't. But Ryan Vigil was. You can't say he wasn't unless you knew him. Why aren't you focusing on the MURDERER? Why isn't he being discussed? Yes he should have been mad. That doesn't give him the right to murder. He should be the one on trial here not Ryan, who made a dumb choice and got his life taken away before he was 18. He won't see his nephew...his 2 brothers or his mom and dad again. He won't play baseball in college. He won't graduate High School. He won't go to Prom. He won't get married and have a family. All because a drug addict who has been in a out of jail (doing real good for himself) decided to murder him.Is that justified?

[molonlabe]

"Why aren't you focusing on the MURDERER?"

I believe that is a question you should be asking Paul Helmke and every other anti-gun platform out there. They are the ones who demonize inanimate objects instead of blaming the individual.

No one is saying that this unfortunate incident is 100% Ryan's fault. But Paul Helmke's assertion was that this was RANDOM GUN VIOLENCE is completely false and he must be called out on it.

[Mark0]

Fair enough Kallie, please tell me about what is being done to bring Ryan's murderer to justice?

What do you believe could have been done that would have changed the outcome and saved Ryan's life?

Do you believe that there is a law, that if-passed could have kept the drug addict from illegally aquiring a gun and murdering an innocent individual?

[kallie]

They know who did this. They have received a lot of anonymous regarding who did this. Raymond Lollis has a warrant out for his arrest for open murder charges. He is on the run and hasn't been found yet.

I'm not sure what could have been different in order for the outcome to have been Ryan still being alive. Obviously if they didn't throw golfballs it wouldn't have happened.

My main issue is that everyone on here has been saying that Ryan is obviously a bad kid since he did that. Thats not true. he didn't murder anyone.

It may not have completely "random" but it is gun violence period. Ryan was trying to bring awareness of the dangers of gun violence. he wasn't saying no one should be able to have a fun. Obviously criminals shouldn't have them.

It is sad that this situation has really made a lot of the students at his are more aware of the dangers of guns. Maybe there was a greater purpose behind all of this, which is really sad.But knowing ryan if his death has saved a few lives then I am sure he is proud of that.

[shedances]

Dear Kallie,

When a young person like Ryan is slain in this way, it makes you shiver at such cruelty. I wanted to express how impressed I am with your response ~ and the poignant way in which you remind everyone reading this very touching blog topic, that human beings (children, as well as adults...) are never perfect.

I am very sorry for the pain you all must be experiencing following this tragic death. Please pay no heed to the few morbid, angry posts by the progunrights individuals here. There is nearly always little (if any) truth in what they say ... and few people are deceived by it, much to their consternation.

This group of individuals reveal with their attitudes, how they can't afford to be compassionate when it comes to victims; because they are trying desperately ~ but, unsuccessfully ~ to undermine important gun control efforts in this country & to steer Americans away from discussing the dangers of firearms.

As you can see, they will quickly blame everything else (& everyone, including the unfortunate victims, like Ryan) before they will ever address the question of, 'What will each of us do to prevent gun violence'?

In their case, the answer almost always seems to be "nothing."

It's just easier, I suppose, for them to sit & pass judgment on victims here ~ from their computer terminals & comfy chairs ~ than to do anything constructive.

By contrast, the Brady Campaign & Paul Helmke gets out & talks with community leaders, residents, victims & their families, schools, & many others (public officials, etc.) in order to vigorously take on this difficult, dangerous public health issue.

And, like yourself, they aren't afraid to stand up to the gunrights crowd ~ even when those individuals become nasty, as they often do.

Actually, the gunrights individuals posting here remind me of the person warned about in E. Hubbard's famous quote: "The world is moving so fast these days that the [person] who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it." So very true!

Take good care,

Kelli

[DMeadows]

Kelli,

I think Kallie probably wishes very much that Paul had not thrown Ryan in to this blog in the first place as another one of his political footballs. I'm sure seeing you joining the fray on Paul's team to kick the football around (no matter how clumsily) isn't pleasing to her either.

Kallie, rest assured Kelli has probably invited some more commentary. What is it like, as someone who has personal knowledge of a tragedy, to see how the BC and its supporters use tragedy and distort or spin the characterization of facts to serve their agenda?

[DMeadows]

Kallie,

What happened to Ryan is tragic. No one here disputes that.

Paul Helmke made the mistake of attempting to fit your very personal tragedy to suit his agenda. He implied support for the notion that this was "random violence", which it is not. He attempted to minimize Ryan's culpability by calling throwing golf balls from a moving vehicle at people "tossing". He attempted to minimize sympathy for the initial victim and demonize him by referencing his *alleged* drug habit.

Paul Helmke made a political football out of Ryan here with his rhetoric. Paul's inane rhetoric never goes unchallenged here. You should be disappointed in Paul, not the readers. He initiated this blog post and the commentary.

[lowwall]

I was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Odd, but for the last 50 years I have been told that the folks who rode through black neighborhoods with baseballs and cans, lobbing them at random pedestrians, were white trash or racists. I'm frankly stunned to learn that they are "ill advised schoolboys" or even "really good kids". Wonder if it's time to prosecute Condoleeza Rice's father and the others who armed themselves to stop that kind of thing. My, how times have changed.

[Mark0]

My close friend, neighbor, and the mayor of the city where I dwell, was horribly beaten and repeatedly raped over a period of several hours. Her attacker walked away unnoticed, leaving her unable to summon help, and in intense pain with a broken hip. She was 81 yrs. of age.

Weeks later the attacker was identified by another of his victims, a woman in her 70s, from a mugshot photo. He was subsequently arrested.

In a tearful news interview the accused man's mother confidently proclaimed that the police had arrested the wrong man, and that she would certainly be pressing charges for "false imprisonment".

She was certain that her son could never have committed the heinous crimes of which he was accused because he was "a really good kid with a kind heart".

That particular kind-hearted "good kid" was later found guilty of several horrific crimes of violence against elderly women.

"Goods kids" sometimes aren't.

[radarrider]

I note that the article in the Albuquerque Tribune that Mr. Helmke links to makes no mention of Vigil throwing golf balls. Either that information came from somewhere else, or the original article has been edited since it was first posted.

The article says, "His death seemed both tragic and ironic, since the 17-year-old was a member of Empower, a group aiming to reduce violence, particularly gun violence...." Assuming that he really was throwing golf balls at people from a moving vehicle, certainly an act of violence, it is ironic indeed. Vigil was either a hypocrite, or for some reason didn't understand that his actions constituted violence.

Mr. Helmke writes, "The kids reportedly tossed some at an alleged methamphetamine user, who later found the boys and allegedly shot Ryan in the head." Again these are details missing from the AQ Trib article, though saying the gunman "later found the boys," doesn't give any insight into how that happened. I also note the use of the word "allegedly." It's possible that there is more to this case than apparent on the surface though I will not speculate as to how any further details, should they come to light, will reflect on the actions and/or character of the deceased.

The one thing we must remember is that people who use guns in crimes are *criminals* first and foremost. The fact that the shooter had a gun did not cause him to kill Vigil. The fact that Vigil threw a golf ball at him and that he decided to retaliate is what led him to that action. If he did not have a gun, he could just as easily have attacked with a knife, a baseball bat, a car, or any number of other objects that can be used as weapons. This case is not an argument for disarming law-abiding citizens. It rather supports disarming criminals and allowing, even encouraging, law-abiding citizens to own firearms for defense.

[kmarchng]

I know that the last think Helmke will do is actually read and respond to any of the arguments presented here because he's not really interested in "Reasonable Discourse", just his crusade.

As so many others have pointed out, throwing golf balls from a moving vehicle is not a "schoolboy prank". It's assault with a potentially deadly weapon. Did the kid deserve to be shot and killed? No. But when you go around poking random wild creatures with a stick, don't be surprised if one of them turns and attacks.

Face it, Helmke, if this kid hadn't been assaulting others with potentially deadly weapons he'd be alive today. The kid had a substantial portion of the blame for his own tragic death.

[recklessprocess]

IF the car was in a neighborhood it was likely going about 35 mph (70ish kmh) If you throw at 25 mph then that is a total of 60 mph. those golf balls going that fast will dent stop signs. I bet it hurts like hell. And since they were wild kids out for fun I bet they were going quite a bit faster then that at times. Sounds like the first person to commit a deadly assault here did not use a gun.
Once again a gun owner has stopped madmen intent on injuring (and/or carelessly killing) as many random people as possible during their gang's mad criminal assault spree on an entire neighborhood. Good gun owner.
If you run around assaulting people for no reason you should expect to piss a few people off. And anger is a mitigating factor. How many people were assaulted by this gang of thugs before there crime spree was forced to an ugly end?

[molonlabe]

If you can be charged with a crime for throwing a bag of Cheetos, then throwing golf balls at someone certainly is a little more than a "school boy prank."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295706,00.html

Certainly there is some violence which is random. But to completely ignore or minimize another persons ILLEGAL actions which led to their own injury or death is ignorant. Unfortunately, this portrayal is the norm for the anti-rights platform.

What's worse than the actual tragedy is Paul's weak attempt to portray Ryan as a martyr in the crusade against "gun violence." Ryan was not killed because of random gun violence. Ryan was killed because of an unfortunate set of events which was set in motion by his own poor judgment.

[MSorgy]

Paul:

How can you call what happened here random? Ryan and his friends were out throwing golf balls at people (where I come from that is assault) and would have probably been arrested and charged if the police had got to them first. This goes beyond, IMHO, what most would consider a "schoolboy prank".

As molonlabe has already pointed out, Ryan chose to participate in these actions knowing that they were illegal and had the potential for causing serious bodily harm or death to the people who they victimized.

I have to wonder about Ryan's sincerity against using guns in a violent manner if he was willing to throw golfballs at people knowing that he could seriously harm them.

While Ryan did not deserve to die for what he did, he certainly exhibited poor judgement and a great deal of hyprocrisy.

Finally Paul, if you are not going to allow people to post comments on your Brady Campaign blog, please take off the "comments" section.

Michael

[DMeadows]

Throwing golf balls from moving cars, at people, is not "tossing". It is a crime, and can actually injure or kill people.

Paul's attempts to minimize the initial crime by calling it "tossing" and minimize sympathy for the initial victim by referencing his drug use in order to get this story to fit his purposes is shameful and so amateurish it is blatantly obvious.

While nothing justifies the initial victim's reaction, Vigil was hardly the sweet, innocent angel Paul tries so hard to portray. Paul is completely wrong in his implied support for the notion that this is an example of random violence. A young thug threw golf balls at people from a moving car, and one of his victims happened to be a much worse thug.

The moral of this story is don't be a thug, 'cause things could end up very badly for you.

[Ben Dixon]

While the outcome is tragic, the fact of the matter is the kid did bring this upon himself.

[molonlabe]

Paul,

Hum, lets see....

If I was at the zoo and threw objects at a tiger or alligator, and was subsequently mauled, I wonder how many people would defend MY actions?

I particularly like the "ill-advised school-boy prank" language. As usual, the actions of the individual are minimized in favor of demonizing the implement.

While I cetainly agree that Ryan's death is tragic, I fail to see the randomness behind it. He voluntarily participated in a pre-meditated (sounds more serious when you don't sugar coat it doesn't it?) action which provoked a meth head and eventually led to his death. Poor choice maybe. But not random.

[vinniemak]

" Random violence is so prevalent "
You mean baseball players throwing golf balls at random people? He didn't deserve to be shot, but he had no halo.

[Tubby]

Hmm.. A hurled golf ball is a lethal weapon. It is like hurling a stone at someone. Human skulls are pretty fragile against such missiles.

He wasn't a really good kid.. He was a really big jerk.

And don't come back with "in America you have a right to be a jerk."

[caughtya001]

As lethal as a fired bullet? How many people died from drive-by golfballing last year?

He was a really big jerk. That deserves getting him kicked off his team and detention. It doesn't justify death, does it?

[dballing]

I think the point is that this article puts the kid up on this pedestal ... and that's not at all where he should be.

Think of it this way... the junkie's violence towards the kid is at least *justified* (completely out of proportion - yes - but justified). The kid's violence to the junkie? Ah, it was "throw deadly objects at people for kicks".

Which one of those two is MORE sick and twisted? The guy who retaliates for violence acted upon him, or the guy who decides to engage in violence because it seems like a cool fun thing to do?

[DMeadows]

Tubby's point is that Paul is blatantly participating in sugar-coating Vigil's character and minimizing his culpability and actions.

You would agree that Paul did that, yes?

[dballing]

He was a really good kid... who liked to throw golf balls at people.

Remember kids, a sharply thrown golf-ball from a fast-moving vehicle is just good clean fun, not something that could potentially cause serious injury or even death if it hit someone in the head.

That's just good clean, wholesome, American-way fun, I tell ya.

[OhgReaTone]

Random violence is so prevalent that we dont even know what to call it - how to qualify it. One on one or gang on gang - it is total insanity.
Ohg
http://thefireside.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/define-gang/

[DMeadows]

This wasn't exactly random violence. A young thug threw golf balls at people from a moving car, and one of his victims happened to be a much worse thug.