Man Uses Knife in a Fatal Attack at Chinese Elementary School

I hate using these types of stories to prove a point. I would like to think that gun control activists do not wish for public shootings so they have fuel for their agenda, just as I do not wish for tragedies to occur with weapons other than guns just to prove my point. When the opportunity presents, however, it is important to recognize that disturbed people find a way to kill and terrorize, regardless of the tool used.

On August 4, 2010, 26 year old Fang Jiantang attacked students and faculty at an elementary school in Zibo, Shangdong Province. Three students were killed, while more than 20 additional students and faculty were injured. 

Chinese officials took an interesting tact with the press, trying to minimize the amount of publicity for the event in an attempt to reduce the probability for copycat attacks. This is the exact opposite way that American media deals with tragedies, which has left many to speculate whether the media itself has a negative impact on the perceived increased frequency and increased body counts of public massacres. In fact, a post-Columbine study found that threats of violence increases following high profile events that consume a lot of media attention.