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	Denver Shooters Were Y2K Buffs By Declan McCullagh April 21, 1999 The two heavily-armed students who stormed a Denver high school Tuesday and killed some 15 people were undeniably kooks. Reports also have identified the duo as white supremacists, Goths, outcasts and loners. They were also reportedly Y2K devotees. The Washington Post reported: "The small group, said Columbine senior Zach Piercy, was composed mostly of seniors who wore black clothing and black trenchcoats to school and sounded doomsday warnings about the year 2000 and the end of the millennium." The Ottawa Citizen also mentioned the Y2K link. Y2K discussion groups were abuzz with the connection. "A student being interviewed by CNN this afternoon who knows the shooters began to give a description of them as y2k doomers but was quickly cut off......as CNN shifted to another story," brulen@webtv.net wrote in a message posted to the Usenet newsgroup comp.software.year-2000. Now, for a group that has been sneered at countless times by the media and dubbed paranoid survivalist nutcases, Y2Kers are pretty sensitive about some topics. Specifically: Guns and restrictions on their ownership. (The conventional wisdom, such as it is, stresses that a happy Y2Ker is a well-armed Y2Ker. Have you bought your AR-15 yet?) So linking the shooters to Y2K touched a nerve. One Usenet thread began: "More ammo for the gun-grabbers" On Y2K tub-thumper Ed Yourdon's discussion forum, the threads filled quickly with breaking-news posts. "Did anybody else hear that, and did you think, 'Oh no, the news is going to go crazy talking about "Y2K dangerous lunatics.'" Other participants complained about liberal politicians talking about passing anti-gun laws. The reality, of course, is that they have good reason to be spooked. At the risk of sounding heartless, it's clear that disasters like the Denver shootings receive disproportionate media coverage while everyday inner-city violence goes underreported. Well-publicized events like this offer politicians the perfect campaign platform -- though they probably won't get far in the 254 days left 'til 1-1-00.		FEATURES Book Reviews Y2K already has spawned its own genre. We tell you what books are worth buying. Chip 'n Little Cartoons Chip 'n Little goes on TV Chip 'n Little visits John Koskinen Chip 'n Little saves the world Warning: This cartoon has been called "foolish and tasteless." Y2K from A to Z Y2K Haiku Traditionalists may be shocked. Mad Cow Culture What does Y2K have in common with today's Mad Cow Culture? Answer: Everything. Declan McCullagh's Y2K articles Psychology of Y2K LATEST NEWS As of December 31, 1999 Get Your T-Shirt Quick Bill Gates Does Y2K Reader Feedback A Sarcastic Calendar Cooking After the Apocalypse A Real Y2K Disaster Hitchhiker's Guide Meets Y2K