This is a story about a father’s love because that his son. The is a story of one victim of pistol violence in a nation infested through an epidemic of gun violence.

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I expect book provides an understanding of what it’s choose to it is in in the center of such a high-profile tragedy. Ns hope that convinces an ext people to become energetic in changing our gun laws and also our social mindsets towards guns. Ns hope it provides a useful glimpse that my suffer to others who are handling grief. Finally, ns hope book succeeds in demonstrating just how a father’s love because that his son can drive him to demand readjust in the world about him.

Why walk it take it fourteen years to create this book? because that one thing, that wasn’t clean to me once my story of Columbine ended—it’s something I’ve to be living ever since April 20, 1999.

April 20, 1999Sometime roughly noon a coworker came into my office attract a came to look on her face. I was running late and also hoped her interruption to be a short one.

“You live in southern Jefferson County, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“And you have teenaged kids?”

“Yes.”

“And execute they walk to Columbine High School?”

“Yes,” i told her, “my son Daniel go there.”

She urged me to involved the conference room, saying that something to be happening in ~ Columbine High School. Ns reluctantly i agreeed to sign up with her. In the room, the television was on and also ten or twenty human being were gathered watching news coverage. Having actually employees city hall news coverage to be unheard the in our offices. The was fairly hushed, and also all eye were concentrated intently top top the TV screen. On the news, helicopters to be buzzing around. Police had surrounded the school. It to be reported the shots had been fired. Shots to be fired? How might that be?

My son was dead. How the hell could he be dead? I just saw the the day before. All us did to be send him come school.

Then the pictures of students fleeing the institution grounds, and also parents hugging terrified teenagers. Indigenous must have gotten about that I had a son at Columbine. Ns sensed some people looking at me through concern.

A colleague dropped me turn off at home. As soon as I walked into our house, Linda was wearing a deeply pertained to expression on her face. Concerns started frantically flying between us. Whereby was Daniel? Why hadn’t the called? In what room would certainly he have actually been as soon as the dilemm started? v the phone call lines for this reason busy, would certainly he have been able come call? and also if he had actually escaped, just how would he have the ability to get home since he didn’t journey yet?

the doorbell rang at around 11:00 p.m. It was a sheriff’s deputy. He stated he still had actually no critical news. He said there could still be students in the school, however authorities would certainly not get in much of the building since of the potential for much more bombs. They hoped to have the ability to get an ext information and also call us in the morning. Not till the morning? , Linda placed her arms approximately me, and we cry together. We both had already reached the conclusion that Daniel can no longer be v us on this earth.

It wasn’t till late morning that a sheriff’s deputy and two victims’ advocates involved the former door and asked come speak to Linda and also me. Us all stepped into the life room. They no beat roughly the bush. They gave us the news we so dreaded: Daniel was dead.


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Daniel Mauser

My child was dead. How the hell could he it is in dead? I just saw the the work before. All we did was send him come school.

Fourteen year after the Columbine massacre, there space still world who room unclear about what happened there. At 11:14 a.m. On April 20, 1999, Eric David Harris, eighteen, and Dylan Bennett Klebold, seventeen, walked right into the cafeteria at Columbine through murder on their minds. They brought two big duffle bags, every loaded through a 20-pound propane tank bomb, and also placed lock on the floor alongside some tables and also walked away, presume they and also the two bags would be unnoticed in a sea the students and also backpacks. Harris and Klebold conduct to your cars in the parking lot external the cafeteria. Their setup was to wait because that the explosion and also then shoot survivors as they fled the building. The killers waited v two shotguns, a TEC 9 handgun, a Hi allude 9 mm carbine rifle, and 76 homemade explosives. The 2 propane bombs did not detonate<,> as the killers had actually planned. Many can it is in thankful because that that. But having failed come wreak death and also havoc, they made decision to use the guns and other explosives to kill their classmates.

At 11:27 a.m., the killers entered the hallway exterior the library … at 11:29 a.m., the killers gotten in the library. Exact times of events are known since of the recording of Nielsen’s 911 call. The killers shouted at the students to “Get up!” nobody of the 54 student rose. Castle fired one shot right into the room as they entered, injuring one student. Climate they shot and also killed a student together they walked towards the west windows of the library. Castle shot out the windows as they take it aim at the police and fleeing students. The police changed fire. That was prefer a war zone.

The killers obtained the weapons through a straw purchase at a gun show where no background inspect was required.

Then the library ended up being an execution chamber, as the killers walked approximately taunting students, then shooting them. Some were shot and some to be spared. Some that were shooting were well-known to the killers. One spared college student was in among Harris’s classes yet not a friend. Harris called him, “We’re death people!” then asked him come leave. The did.

Near the end of the shooting spree in the library, Eric Harris approached Daniel, who, prefer the others, was hunkered under under a table. Follow to assorted reports indigenous witnesses, Harris taunted Daniel by calling the a geek, and also reportedly referred to him together “four eyes” since he wore glasses.

At 11:34:55 Eric Harris fired a cartridge from the Hi point Carbine. It pierced Daniel’s hand but probably was not life threatening. Daniel moved a chair in ~ Harris. Daniel paid for the act the defiance and also self-defense, together Harris dubbed out, “Get up!” and also at 11:34:57 fired an additional bullet, this time right into Daniel’s face. The bullet entered near his nose and traveled into his brain, most likely killing the quickly. God remainder his soul.


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Tom Mauser, whose kid Daniel was murdered in the Columbine high school shooting, participated in the silent March™ in Denver, and ever since makes that a allude to stay his son’s shoes as soon as lobbying chosen officials.

The public has actually heard the beginning part of the 911 tape, together the killers gone into the library. The public has actually not heard the ice cream thereafter, together the Columbine shooters went on their shooting main actor in the library. It is a disturbing record of the sound that hell on earth, of hatred, that horror, that death. (In seven minutes, Eric Harris and also Dylan Klebold killed ten students and wounded twelve rather in the library.)

The families of the victim were provided the possibility to hear to the recording. I determined to perform so. I felt compelled to hear so the I can hear the sound Daniel heard in his last moments of life.

It was one of the most disturbing experiences of my lifetime, hear as 2 monsters terrorized a group of chaste students and also took sinister happiness in death them. I might hear student crying the end in shock, screaming “Oh my God!” and I could hear the killers crying out, “Woo!” and “Yahoo!” I could hear many of the shots fired. I sat in disbelief as ns listened to the momentary, horrific sound that marked the end of ten human lives.

I also heard the shots fired at 11:34:55 and 11:34:57. I sat there reasoning of exactly how that second shot finished the life of mine son. Could there maybe be a an ext horrific, solitary sound the a parent can hear?

The killers acquired the weapons with a straw purchase at a gun present where no background examine was required.

Robyn Anderson was no charged with a crime for transferring the three firearms she had actually bought in a straw purchase for the Columbine killers.

The Tanner Gun show is a regular fixture in Denver, performed a couple of weekends every year. Weapons are offered by both licensed dealers and also private (unlicensed) sellers. The would-be killers check guns and also asked Anderson come buy three firearms they spotted. 2 were shotguns, and one to be a shorter gun, a Hi suggest 9 mm Carbine. The killers presume they required Anderson to purchase the guns for them because she to be eighteen and also they were both seventeen at the time.

According to Anderson, the total sellers should have actually known it was a straw purchase—a acquisition by one person on behalf of another who is prohibited native making the purchase. She declared it should have been clear since the killers were the ones who asked questions and checked the end weapons.

Anderson to buy the guns from a exclusive seller, not a license is granted dealer. She testified before a legislative dashboard that together she and also the 2 boys walked v the gun show, Harris and Klebold “kept questioning sellers if castle were exclusive or licensed. They wanted to to buy their firearms from someone that was private and also not licensed because there would be no paperwork or lift check…I was no asked any questions at every . There to be no lift check…I would certainly not have actually bought a gun because that Eric and Dylan if I had actually had to offer any an individual information or submit any type of kind of check at all.”

Robyn Anderson was not charged through a crime for transporting the three weapons she had bought in a straw acquisition for the Columbine killers.


*

Early in 1999 Klebold and also Harris went back to the Tanner total Show. Castle met , Philip Duran, a guy they knew from the pizza restaurant , and his friend, note Manes… Duran became the middleman in a deal to acquisition an Intratek TEC DC-9 semi-automatic handgun native Manes. Since it to be a handgun, quite than a long gun or rifle, it was illegal for Manes to offer it to minors, and also illegal because that Duran to act as middleman in arranging the sale. Lock would later be convicted and also sent come jail because that those crimes.

The killers essential plenty the ammunition for your firearms. Harris ordered gun magazines (also recognized as ammunition clips) indigenous a total shop. In his journal he mentions that a clerk from green Mountain Guns dubbed his home. His father, who owned guns, reply the phone. Once the clerk said the elder Harris, “Your clips room in,” he simply told the clerk the hadn’t ordered any type of clips. Eric composed in his newspaper that his father never ever asked even if it is the caller had actually the appropriate phone, and acknowledged the if either the clerk or his father had actually just asked another question or two, his plans might have been ruined.

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On the day prior to the massacre, Harris rounded the end their ammunition supply, choose up 100 rounds that note Manes had bought because that him at a Kmart store for $25 – a acquisition that would become a far-reaching scene in Michael Moore’s documentary, Bowling for Columbine.