Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Former School Shooter Jon Romano Wants to Advocate for Gun Reform After Prison Release

Former School Shooter Jon Romano Wants to Advocate for Gun Reform After Prison Release
(BasedShaman/YouTube)

Former gunman Jon Romano opened fire at Columbia High School 14 years ago this month when he was 16-years-old. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in the shooting that took place in the East Greenbush school.

Now, Romano is making a plea for reducing gun violence. He penned a letter from Coxsackie Correctional Facility in response to an article in the Times Union about the former school principal that put an end to his shooting spree.


On February 9, 2004, Columbia High School students found themselves running for cover when shots rang out around 10:30 AM. Unlike the Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz, Romano did not have am AR-15 assault-style firearm.

Instead, he fired two rounds from a pump-action shotgun and was disarmed by Columbia High's principal John Sawchuk before anyone could get seriously hurt. As he was tackled by Sawchuk, the teen managed to shoot a third round, striking a teacher in the leg.

If Romano had access to the same rifle Cruz brandished that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the consequences would've been more devastating.



Romano was seven months shy of legally obtaining an AR-15 when the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act expired.

"I think a lot of people would have been dead," Sawchuk told Chris Churchill in the Albany paper. "I didn't think it would ever happen in our school," he said, referring to mass shootings plaguing the country. "Even when it was happening, I didn't think it was happening. I thought it was an explosion in the gym."



Romano wrote Times Union Executive Editor Rex Smith a hand-written letter, calling the retired principal a "hero who I owe my life to."

I know whenever another horrible shooting happens, he and all of my victims are hurt all over again from what I did to them. I want to take away their pain but knowing that I cannot, I want to prevent others from experiencing this pain.

He also praised the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas for calling on politicians to refuse donations from the National Rifle Association.

I believe the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland are courageous and inspiring for demanding action from politicians. Everyone nationwide should accept nothing less than meaningful, life-saving policy changes from their politicians.
Only then could this generation be the last generation that lives in a nation plagued by gun violence.

Romano will be eligible for parole in March, 2021, and he's already made plans for his time outside of prison.

I have taken the steps toward this that I can do from prison, and I intend to advocate for gun safety and mental health reform after my release in 2021.

There were mixed responses to his letter.





While others saw hope.






The system is called into question on how it handles criminals.


Are there enough voices to enact change? Time will tell.


H/T - TimesUnion, TimesUnion2, Twitter, YouTube

More from

Modern 'Conveniences' That Actually Make Life Harder

Making life simpler...

That is always the goal, right?

Keep ReadingShow less
Person holding cigarette
Luiz Rogério Nunes/Unsplash

One Night Stands That Turned Into A Total Nightmare

Ahh, the trials and tribulations of dating life.

On the one hand, it could be exciting and very promising. On the other hand, it could be a total disaster.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person's eyes glowing in the sunlight
Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash

People Who Clinically Died And Came Back To Life Share Their Experiences

We've all heard the questions about what happens when we die, whether there is life after death, and whether we really will walk through a tunnel of white light or not to get there.

But people who have had a near-death experience, in that they were declared clinically dead and were then resuscitated, might have the answers we're looking for, and their answers are quite peaceful.

Keep ReadingShow less
Owen Cooper; Elon Musk
Netflix; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

'Adolescence' Creator Claps Back After Musk Promotes Conspiracy That Hit Netflix Series Is 'Anti-White'

Jack Thorne, the co-creator of Netflix series Adolescence, is speaking out after far-right influencers and Elon Musk promoted a conspiracy theory about the series.

In four parts, the series focuses on 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of the grisly murder of a teen girl.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump And Musk Fact-Checked After Touting Voter ID In Wisconsin As A 'Big Win'

President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk were widely mocked and fact-checked after they both took to social media to champion a voter ID requirement being approved by Wisconsin voters even though the state has actually required voter ID since 2011.

The two men grasped for positive news after liberal judge Susan Crawford won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court's narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Keep ReadingShow less