Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

[UK TimFan]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the possible effect that things such as TV and computer/video games have on children as they're growing up.
Way back when I was young the most violent thing I saw on TV was 'The Lone Ranger'. And there was no such thing as the internet and video games.

When my son was young 'He-man and the masters of the universe' was just becoming popular. Skeletor gave me the creeps so I refused to let my son watch it. Though it seemed every other 4-year old at his nursery watched it. (So I did eventually relent, though very reluctantly.)

Censorship at the cinema has been relaxed to such an extent that 12 year-olds can see stuff which 40, possibly less, years ago would have been rated 18 years. Plus films are now on TV 24/7. Back then you only saw a film on TV at Christmas and Easter.

Nowadays there's all the video games, some of which seem to consists of continual shooting of people. What sort of message does that send out, for goodness' sake? And even if those kind are labelled 18, you can bet that children much younger than that are playing them.

People in the UK are saying that gun control is not the answer because since gun possession here came under quite severe restrictions gun crime has actually increased, though I have no statistics to prove or disprove this. . The new laws were brought in following a massacre at a school in Dunblane (Scotland) in 1996. The gunman, Thomas Hamilton, had four handguns, which he was licensed to hold.
However much you regulate gun control there will always be the madman who somehow manages to get arms and ammunition and kill indiscriminately. Though there's nothing to stop the government making it harder for them.

[TimothyBFan]

People in the UK are saying that gun control is not the answer because since gun possession here came under quite severe restrictions gun crime has actually increased, though I have no statistics to prove or disprove this. . The new laws were brought in following a massacre at a school in Dunblane (Scotland) in 1996. The gunman, Thomas Hamilton, had four handguns, which he was licensed to hold.
However much you regulate gun control there will always be the madman who somehow manages to get arms and ammunition and kill indiscriminately. Though there's nothing to stop the government making it harder for them.

A friend and I were just talking about this yesterday. So true. I'm on the fence about either way. I truly believe that if a madman or anyone hell bent on getting a gun and using it really wants one, he'll get one. The local news here a few years ago ran a story about how easy it is to get them. Showed several incidents where an undercover cop was able to make a call and walk up to a car and buy right out of the trunk. I just don't know what will actually work.

Any of my friends on FB might have seen this yesterday but I think it needs to be seen by more. Several years ago, a friend of ours, Chris, had a brother who had had mental issues for years. One night he held himself up in a run down motel and started threatening people and shooting off a balcony. The police were called and he shot and killed an officer and then was shot by another officer and died. Chris was beside himself. His parents were a mess and it took Chris years to get past it and lost his marriage because of it. I was watching his 8 year old son at the time and I remember how this whole family suffered horribly. He had seen his brother the day before and tried to get him help once again but to no avail. He felt somewhat responsible because he didn't force him to get help once again. His brother had been in and out of mental hospitals, etc... and always ended up on the street, on drugs, etc... once again. This is what Chris put on his FB yesterday. He's lived it as a family member of a killer. Here's his take on living with that for the rest of his life and gun control.

IS A GUN OWNER IN FAVOR OF STRICTER GUN LAWS: As someone who has personally experienced the tragedy of having someone put a gun in the hands of a mentally unstable individual everytime something like this happens I get to relive it all over. Five years ago my brother a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic was illeagly sold two .22 caliber pistols that resulted in his death and the death of South Bend Police officer Nick Polizitto. The indiviuals who had sold him the weapons broke the law by not waiting the three days required by law for sufficient background checks. Had they waited and done the background checks he would have obtained the guns anyway.
This occured 2 months after the shootings at Virgina Tech. In the wake of these events I had met with the mayor and chief of police of South Bend along with the president of Madison Center. Trying to make some sort of postive come out of this situation and also to understand how a person who had a history of mental illness and was collecting Social Seceruity as a result of that illness could obtain a firearm. I was informed under current law and the right to privacy mental health records cannot be accessed. Without a felony record he wuld have obtained the guns regardless.
The two individuals that had sold Scott the guns were subsequently prosecuted. Both these idividuals broke the law since he had walked into a gun show and walked out with two guns. Two days later there were two people dead as a result. Both men were sentanced to two years in prison. Less time than Michael Vick had recieved for dog fighting. Go figure. One idividual was beat to death in prison which then brought the death count up to three. Now had they followed the law would this have been prevented no one will ever know but but three lives lost for what was probably $50 worth of profit makes me ill.
So my heart goes out especially to all the families of the victims involved in this tragedy and also to the family of the shooter. That may sound odd to some but Ive seen the ravaging effects and hopeless despair of what mental illness can not only do to an individual but also to a family. I know my mother and father loved thier son as I loved my brother.
As I see all the right to bear arms posts and advocating CCW permits from people that I know are responsible gun owners I do not disagree. But those individuals may need to ask themselves would it be so bad to extend the waiting period to get that new AR15 semi automatic that really has no purpose other than they are fun to shoot. Could you possibly wait on it for a month if it meant it would save the life of someone by possibly keeping it out of the hands of someone that didnt need to have it. Would you be willing to allow the government to access all of you personal health records. If you have nothing to hide you can still own whatever gun you choose. Think about it.

[Topkat]

People who fight Gun Control really get me ILL.
WHY make it EASY for a MENTALLY ILL person to just walk in ANY PLACE & BUY a HIGH POWERED ASSAULT WEAPON????

WHY does ANYONE NEED this kind of weapon? It was made for the MILITARY to use in WARS not for protection or for hunting????
These guns need to be BANNED & taken OUT of GUN shows, gun shops & wherever else people get their hands on them....In fact they need to BAN the MANUFACTURE of them!!!!

After watching the story of the gunman, it was revealed that HIS MOTHER was a gun collector, a Survivalist? or whatever they call themselves....SHE HAS A MENTALLY DISTURBED CHILD LIVING WITH HER!! She took him to the firing range & taught him & had him target practice....WHY???? This woman had legal assault weapons in her home with a mentally ill child....WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???? EVERYTHING!!!

I do hold this mother responsible for this!!! She probably thought her mentally ill child wasn't violent....Well, she was DEAD WRONG about that one. Her neighbors said she was a loving & caring parent who did everything to help her son. She knew he was mentally ill, & yet she brought high powered weapons into her home...
The only way to stop this is to get these guns off our streets!!

Then, yes we have to deal better with mental illness, but that is not the immediate answer! A mentally ill person without a weapon, is at most going to take a knife out & try to kill maybe one person...NOT SHOOT DOWN as many as possible! This needs to END NOW, & our PRESIDENT better start standing up to the NRA...Our Congress needs to stop being COWARDS & vote for new laws...How much more of this can our country take???

[EagleLady]

I dont believe in slandering the deceased mother but I agree with you on Banning Those guns.

[Brooke]

It seems this kind of thing happens more and more in this country, but I don't hear about much of it from other countries. Are your gun laws much different?

I agree there is no reason that I can think of for these assault rifles to be sold to just anyone. They should only be available to our military. But is this what he used? It says he used two hand guns also. I really don't know what the answer is, but I hope they figure out something before this happens again.

[Freypower]

In Australia our gun laws were tightened after the Port Arthur massacre of 1996 in which 35 people were killed by one man in a single day. Nothing like that has happened since. Every other country as far as I am aware has reasonably tight & controlled gun laws.

[Glennsallnighter]

I have followed this tragedy over the weekend and also read the comments posted. What an awful terrible tragedy to happen to a local community. I'm sure life will never be the same again for them. I sincerely hope it will be the last of such awful happenings, not just in the USA but everywhere. While we have not experienced anything like this here, I would not be complacement. Most schools here in an effort to be 'parent friendly' have virtually NO security systems in place (Call a buzzer where they buzz you in regardless of who you are 'security'? -or 4 doors which are generally left open by students enetering or exiting the building?) ANYBODY could get in, and worse could happen. And we have students with mental issues too. As well as those who have (illegal) access to firearms too.

The powers that be EVERYWHERE need to develop a coherent policy on school and college security and put into effect a master 'Critical Incident Plan' so that something like this never happens again.

May all those angels Rest In Peace

[Victim of Love]

I was out running errands Saturday and had my iPod playing thru the car stereo when one particular song came on that I'd forgotten about. I had to pull over because I was crying so hard I couldn't see to drive. (No film footage or dramatic pictures here, just some truly beautiful lyrics courtesy of Timothy B and Bruce Gaitsch)...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaH_O_IbkAk[/ame]

[Grey Sadler]

VOL...that was sad and sweet at the same time

[Victim of Love]

Thanks, HC. It's one of my favorite Timothy solo songs for that very reason and I really hit me the other day just how true those words are. My generation and those before me grew up in such a trusting time and the innocence of children was seldom threatened or compromised. I have kids the same age as those killed in Newtown, CT so those lyrics express what millions of people across the country are surely feeling.