Tragedy in Connecticut

[Grandma Helen]

I'm sure by now you've all heard about the terrible tragic murders of 18 sweet little children and some of their teachers.  I can't imagine the fear and horror they all witnessed today. 

[Sherrie Little]

Yes TW, those teachers are heroes!

[Grandma Helen]

The teachers are the hero's in this horrendous story.  I heard one teacher that died was between the children and that maniac.  The children are also to be admired because they listened to their teachers and didn't do anything to draw attention to where they were, so they stayed safe.  I still believe that if all those guns weren't at his disposal, he wouldn't have been able to do this, mentally disturbed or not.  What people need to understand is that just because someone seeks help for a mental illness, doesn't mean they would ever do something heinous like this.  Most are people we know and love and would never harm anyone.  What needs to change is our thinking that all people who seek help for mental problems aren't any different than folks with Diabetes or heart problems who seek treatment.  The very dangerous guns must go.  I don't know when or how these became available to the general public, but it needs to stop and stop now.

[TornadoWoman]

If you missed the Piers Morgan Gun Control Debate on Friday night, it definitely got pretty heated.  Since we don't get into politics here, I thought you might want to watch it without giving any negative comments in the group after seeing it.  There are 2 videos in the link:

 

Piers Morgan gun control show leads to raging debate, and Piers Morgan undaunted by gun debate...

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/121215/piers-morgan-gun-control-show-leads-raging-debat

[TornadoWoman]

Does this article give you a new perspective about Friday's horrific national tragedy?

 

I Am Adam Lanza's Mother': A Mom's Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

[Eaglewoman]

I think there is no respect for life anymore. Here in CO we have had a rash of hit and run drivers, where the other person has been killed, they flee from the accident and then go home and report the car stolen. Don't stop to see if the other person just needs some help or is dead, heard on the news this morning of another happening last night. A  few of them here , the by standers are starting to run them down.

[flippr 2.0]

the press is story hungry,they will do anything,ANYTHING,to get a story,right or wrong,when i see reporters getting beat up,it gives me a warm feeling inside and i hafta smile.

[Grandma Helen]

I don't have a problem with the news people covering the story.  It certainly is news, but I do have a huge problem with them interviewing the children that survived.  I can't imagine, as an adult, living through that, and being interviewed, but not the children.  That's wrong. 

[flippr 2.0]

i've had reporters sticking micophones in my face at the worst times in my life,they don't care,as long as they get what they think is a story of interest...that's wrong

[Grandma Helen]

Unfortunately, if people are listening to these stories, the reporters will keep doing the interviews.  All the cable news shows are still talking about this story.  They are camped out in front of the shooters house watching what the cops are doing.  I think this guy is getting too much coverage. 

[mercerquietman]

This is about so much more than guns. I think every citizen has the right to own a gun; as far as banning assault weapons, I'm sort of neutral. I can see arguments for it but I also see you start going down that slippery slope, expanding the types of guns until you pretty much ban them all. A maniac can still do a hell of a lot of damage with some handguns and extra magazines, especially against six year olds. So what's the point? Banning assault rifles cuts the caualties? Small consolation if your child is one of those who was killed with one of the maniac's six bullets from his lone revolver. I do admit though, six caualties is preferable to forty.

Guns have been in existence in this country since its founding. We didn't have a school shooting for the first 200 years. Why? Things have changed. We live in a sick godless society. There are way too many people in our culture that have no respect for human life or morality or authority. We have singers that glorify cop killing, We have movies that show gratuitous graphic violence. We have people who have no business having kids having kids. I could go on, but it would fill volumes.

[blithe spirit]

I read an article about the Chinese man that came to a school in China with intent to harm and used a knife. The children in China were wounded but nobody was killed. I said if someone is bound and determined to do harm they will find a way..perhaps...these children in Newton were were all murdered by an assult rifle, easily obtained in the family home....why not a knife...why fists...or poison...or a bomb?
We live in a culture of violence...we celebrate it with our sports...we consider violence entertainment...and we tell ourselves we have the right...and we don't want anyone telling us we can't have any kind of gun, bullet, large load magazine we want. We are the biggest consumers of violence of any society bar none. And it seems we prefer guns to do our murders and mayhem to one another more than any other method....soooo...what to do?
I have some ideas...but as it has been said this is not the forum...so I will stop .
And BTW there are several facts in some of these posts that are not correct. I assume everyone has more up to date information at this time.

[Grandma Helen]

Blithe, I worked with a man about 15 years ago who had grown up in a pretty rough part of NYC and he always said that when he was growing up the guys went out and had fist fights to settle their differences, but that now they were shooting each other.  He has two daughters now and I can't imagine what he's thinking with all of this.