No one can argue that any school shooting is a tragedy. And every time it happens, people wonder why the student’s threats weren’t taken more seriously.

The thing is most threats are taken seriously and investigated.

Last November, Ironton schools were put on heightened alert after a rumor swirled of possible school violence. The police were called and under questioning, he had admitted to the threat but said he was only ‘joking.’ For that joke, the student was arrested for delinquency by inducing panic.

In 2015, Ironton schools were locked down after a poster on 4chan threatened to shoot up one of the schools. A Florida man was sentenced to nearly five years in  prison after making the threats about a town he had never been to. His excuse was that he was drunk and that 4chan encouraged hoaxes.

Not funny.

He got judicial release in July of last year and now does speeches on how it was a terrible idea.

In Kentucky this week, there was a flurry of concern after reports that people were making threats at schools in Ashland, Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties.

Police investigated and at least two people were arrested for terroristic threatening. One student is facing disciplinary action at their school. Other threats were found to be unsubstantiated.

In 1989, a dark comedy called Heathers had Christian Slater’s character, J.D. killing several people and culminated with him blowing up the school. It was supposed to funny because the idea was so outrageous. The year the movie was released, there were three school shootings. So far in 2017, there have been seven.

Kids will say outrageous things mainly because their brains have not developed enough to understand the implications of their “joke.”

With 17 teachers and students killed in Florida, it is time for the jokes to end.