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Subscribe to RSSThe massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook everyone in Newtown, Conn., including the first responders, who will be undergoing counseling. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Updated at 10:04 p.m. ET: A teacher's son, clad in black and carrying two 9mm pistols, rampaged through a Connecticut elementary school Friday, killing 20 small children and six adults, a tragedy President Barack Obama said had broken the hearts of America.
Undated photo confirmed by government officials to be Adam Lanza, who apparently killed himself after killing more than two dozen others, including 20 school children.
The gunman, identified as Adam Lanza, 20, was found dead at the scene of the slaughter, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, law enforcement officials said. The body of a woman believed to be his mother was found at their home in Newtown, authorities said.
Officials initially misidentified the shooter to NBC News as Lanza's brother, Ryan. But a senior official later said that Ryan was nowhere near the shooting, is not believed to be involved, and is cooperating with the investigation.
Ryan told police that Adam has a history of mental illness, according to the senior official. Yet the motive for the mass killing — the nation’s second-worst school shooting — was a mystery.
The weapons used in the attack were legally purchased and were registered to the gunman's mother, two law enforcement officials said. Two 9mm handguns were recovered inside the school. An AR-15-type rifle also was found at the scene, but there were conflicting reports Friday night whether it had been used in the shooting.
Police believe Lanza fatally shot his mother in the face, then drove to the hilltop school and unleashed a blizzard of bullets on children and staff in two rooms before apparently taking his own life.
"Evil visited this community today," Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said Friday evening. "We are all in this together."
Adam Lanza, the man who allegedly committed one of the worst shootings in U.S. history, was 20 years old. He entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School carrying two handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
Some young survivors — ages 5 to 10 — described the terror of the shooting and a massive police response that included SWAT officers going room to room to search for victims as students huddled in classroom corners.
More coverage: NBCNewYork.com and NBCConnecticut.com
BreakingNews.com's coverage of the incident
Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.
"That's when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door," he told The Associated Press. "He was very brave."
One student told NBC Connecticut she was in the gym when she heard “seven loud booms.”
“The gym teachers told us to go in the corner, so we all huddled,” she said. "And I kept hearing these booming noises. And we all … started crying.
"All the gym teachers told us to go into the office where no one could find us," she added. "So then a police officer came in and told us to run outside. So we did and we came in the firehouse.”
The high death toll and the tender age of many victims sent shock waves all the way to the White House, where the flag was lowered to half-staff.
President Obama, his voice cracking at times, said he reacted to the tragedy first as a parent.
“Our hearts are broken today,'' he said. “The majority of those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.”
Authorities in the small bedroom community 60 miles from New York City were alerted to the unfolding carnage by a 911 call around 9:30 a.m., and then reached out to state police and neighboring police departments for help.
An elementary school student recalls the terrifying moments following sounds of shots fired at her Connecticut elementary school, saying "teachers told us to go in the corner so we all huddled."
Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said troopers fanned out across the school and searched “every door, every crack, every crevice” of the building.
Most of the bodies were found in two rooms in one section of the 600-student school, which goes up to the fourth grade. Late into the night on Friday, the bodies remained in the school during the investigation.
Two children were taken to Danbury Hospital, but they died. A third person was being treated at the hospital, which went into lockdown mode and cleared trauma rooms as doctors waited for an influx of survivors that never came.
After police finished searching the school and determined there was only one gunman, they led the children outside, telling them to close their eyes, apparently to avoid seeing anything gruesome.
At a staging area ringed by police vehicles that raced to the school from across the state, the dazed and crying kids were reunited with worried loved ones.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed more than two dozen, 20 of them children, left the quiet community of Newtown, Conn., desperately trying to understand what happened. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
Brenda Lebinski, mother of a third-grader, said she found a “horrendous” scene.
“Everyone was in hysterics -- parents, students. There were kids coming out of the school bloodied. I don't know if they were shot, but they were bloodied,'' she said, according to Reuters.
One parent picking up his 7-year-old son said the shooting was “the most terrifying moment a parent can imagine." He went on to describe the anguish of waiting to find out if his son was a victim and then running to his child when he saw him.
“It was the greatest relief in my existence,” the father said. “I’m just happy that my kid’s OK.”
The FBI was assisting with the widening investigation, and authorities said there were many unanswered questions, including the motive.
“There is a great deal of search warrant activity…in and out of the state,” Vance said, without giving specifics.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy was meeting with grieving families.
“As you can imagine, the governor is horrified by what’s happened,” said aide Roy Occhiogrosso.
The death toll is the highest from a school shooting since a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007. At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two teens killed 13 people and wounded 24 in 1999.
Parent Stephen Delgiadice, whose 8-year-old daughter was not hurt, said he never could have imagined such bloodshed in the quiet town of 27,000, where the police force has only three detectives.
"It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America," he told The Associated Press.
Obama said Friday’s shooting, following the massacre at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., and other murder sprees, showed the need for “meaningful action…regardless of the politics” to prevent more blood from being spilled.
New York City Mayor Bloomberg, who has been pushing for tougher gun laws, called for Washington to act immediately.
“Not even kindergarteners learning their A, B, Cs are safe,” he said. “We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again.”
Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters
The second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history sent crying children spilling into the school parking lot as frightened parents waited for word on their loved ones.
Related content from NBCNews.com:
- Elementary school massacre: 28 killed, including 20 kids
- Vigils, services honor school shooting victims
- Video: 'Our hearts are broken,' Obama says
- Gunman's mother owned weapons used in massacre
- 'Screams were coming over the intercom'
- Video: School shooting reignites gun control debate
- Massacre leaves America shocked and grieving ... again
- Connecticut school shooting is second worst in US history
- Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre
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It just keeps making guns worth it, doesn't it? I'm sorry for this horrible experience. Kids should not be exposed to this stuff.
I assumed that Classrooms were locked while in session... WELL NOW they better all be and School front Doors also.... How does someone just walk in.... with out being Checked... SAD
Shame on you for taking a picture of the kids faces. This is devistating as it is.
Early out...NO IT DOES NOT!!! Gun ownership IS PERSONAL RIGHT guaranteed by the US Constitution and recently upheld by the USSC!! Guns can NOT be banned! In addition, all courts have always held that govenrment CAN regulate guns!!! WE need SOME controls on just who CAN get firearms!! Things are getting out of control!
BTW, given that is almost no information on what happened, there are a lot of silly comments.
The Second Amendment wasn't inscribed on a stone tablet by some deity, and handed down to humanity. In fact, it wasn't even originally part of the Constitution - that's why it's an "amendment." The Founding Fathers were well-aware that times change, and that the Constitution would need to change with them. They provided a mechanism for making those changes.
The Second Amendment is an anachronism (BTW, take a gander at the Third Amendment if you want a chuckle), and it's time to ditch it. It was intended to ensure that the citizens could resist a tryannical government or a foreign invasion - otherwise, why is that "militia" phrase even in there? Even in the late 18th Century that was somewhat far-fetched - without the assistance of the French and their navy, the colonists wouldn't have been able to defeat the British Army. But today, the idea is simply laughable.
I'm willing to compromise - we can just respect the framers' original intent. You can have as many smooth-bore muzzle-loaders as you like. They couldn't have been talking about Glocks, or AK-47's, or 50-caliber machine guns - those didn't exist, and the framers probably couldn't even have imagined them.
You can try EarlyOut. Right now I think the popularity of repealing the 2nd amendment is at a low point.
EarlyOut is exactly right on this one. The Second Amendment is an anachronism. The Constitution used to allow slavery, but I don't see anyone here objecting the the Thirteenth Amendment. Everything changes.
Don't disagree with individuals having the right to bear arms for hunting, but it is HIGH time this country opens it's eyes and fights back against the NRA. Haven't really seen what type of gun was used, but to kill as many innocent children as quickly as this happened it had to be an automatic weapon. Sorry, only ones that should be able to be in possession of a weapon of this nature are Police Officiers and Military personnel while they are on duty. To all those stating it is a Constitutional Right to bear arms likely forget when the Constitution was written! High time the elected officials in this Country stop taking money from the gun lobby and actually do what they are being legitimately paid to do and that is protect the cititzens of this Country. Again, I agree with the right to bear arms for hunting and personal protection, but there is absolutely no legit need for assult and automatic weapons in the hands of the average citizen. I am a FORMER NRA Member who dropped his membership due to the NRA fighting for automatic weapons so in my opinion the blood of everyone recently killed by lunatics that had access to automatic weapons is on the hands of the NRA!!!!!
Normal sane people don't want guns. You buy a gun to use it period. There is a difference between having a rifle or shotgun for hunting with a proper permit and for the guns to be used in hunting season only & owning Glocks and machine guns with rapid fire magazines.Guns should be completely taken away from any one who is not police,armed forces or any law enforcement person. You or I should not have this love affair with man made machines of death and destruction.The second amendment needs to be removed from the constitution since it was written in the times of gunrunners,cattle rustlers and gunslingers in the old west.the very fact that there is a NRA is chilling. i feel so sorry for the sane people of the USA who have to be witness to this ugliness every day in their lives. The stand your ground law and this notion that one must have a gun to protect themselves is basically saying that VIGILANTEISM is OK.
I watch MSNBC every day and on this horribly tragic day as I was tuned in to the Martin Bashir show, he had Crystal Ball & tour re as guest commentators.I was completely bewildered by the utterance of Crystal Ball who seemed to be very agitated at the very thought of taking the guns away from crazy people.she was hung on the wording of new laws because she didn't want the law infringing on peoples 2Nd amendment rights. The woman kept on and on and I am sure that Mr. Bashir who is a cordial man was looking like he wanted to slap her. its incredible that this woman chose today amidst such heart ache and calamity to chime in with her tasteless rampage about the 2Nd amendment.
They are saying that those guns were registered in the late mother's name. While it very well may be registered in her name, I don't for a moment believe that she knew any thing about it. I believe that this punk stole his mother's credit card and other papers and purchased these guns over the Internet using her name.This lady's personality and her vocation doesn't bare any truth to the assertion that she bought those guns.That's why he shot her.
As I now see the Angelic faces of these little babies that are no more because of an evil lunatic, my eyes tear up.As a father of two daughters and one grand daughter I am trying to relate to the heart break and devastation felt by the parents of these children but I am not able to. The person who should have been more under psychiatric care was the Mother of this devil.any stupid woman who has the most powerful killing machines in her collection has to be completely mad.I guess madness ran through the DNA of this family and now I can see why the father/husband was no more in their lives. Any time someone wants to own a gun, it is the signal of mental sickness as I don't believe that any sane person wants to own guns.
I have to disagree with this statement. If a person owns a home deep into a wooded area or in an area with homes spread far apart, I think they would be crazy not to have a gun in case some deranged drifter or wild animal approaches their home and threatens them. Are guns necessary in apartment buildings in low crime cities? I wouldn't think so. But I believe there are some cases that warrant owning a gun.
What is happening in this country? Either it was a child who brought it there which is disturbing enough, or an adult who opened fire on small children which is an atrocity. Why? 2 weeks before a holiday that celebrates a child's innocence and this is what is happening in their schools?
I don't think guns are the problem, though I am in favor of banning automatic weapons, I think it's the culture that glorifies their use. Until we make inroads into that arena without people thinking someone is going after their right to own guns, we will never get past this as a nation. Before people start saying how it could have been a knife, baseball bat or strangulation...yes it could have been, but it wasn't. Yet again it was an easy to use, point and shoot device that can be used from enough of a distance not to physically interact with their victim and take out multiple targets with ease.
I sincerely hope that all the victims are alive and recover.
Fully automatic weapons are already illegal. I find it interesting that people that don't know the difference between types of weapons is clamoring for a ban on something is already illegal.
Why weren't these 10 year olds armed? There's no excuse for not arming 10 year olds. That could have stopped the carnage. Actually I'm being real sarcastic here. The NRA has destroyed this country. Thanks for nothing Republicans.
need to also arm their younger brothers and sisters. the nra should be put in charge. plus, make sure that the crossing guards are carrying ak47s. and each school should have a fully stocked armory, complete with all the latest technology. i'm sure haliburton can help out.
Banning guns are not going to take the guns away from people who want them. Just like laws that make drugs illegal. The drugs are still being brought into the country and produced right here in the great USA. Banning guns will not stop the violence, it will not stop the shootings at schools, malls, movie theaters, etc.
Actually, it's just like drugs.
Will guns be available, sure - but it will make them harder to find, afford and you can be arrested if found in possession of one. That discourages people who try or use drugs all the time.
Countries that have gun laws have lower crime stats and little to no gun violence to contribute to those stats.
So there is a direct correlation between increased crime and increased violence when GUNS are involved and not other types of weapons (barring war and bombs, missles, etc.).
I think it's time to rethink that everyone has the right to a gun. Why--to protect themselves. Just how many of you have ever had to protect yourselves in your home (it's a small percentage).
Like some other posters said, easier to get away from a knife, bat, etc., then to outrun a bullet.
Ted Kasinski did not believe people should own guns it was published in his manafesto so he blew people up instead. This deranged person would have found a way to achieve his twisted goals gun or not.
And you think that the criminals and psychopaths will turn their guns in because of some law? Hello. They don't follow the law. I'm sure my knife is really going to deter some criminal or nut job from shooting me.
The guns HAVE TO GO. It'll start trending that way and then it will catch-on and then it'll snowball and then it will be part of the mainstream thinking and then some state will vote for gun control and then it will be a major issue during a presidential election and then it will happen.
It will happen.
Don't think so? Would you have thought - even FIVE years ago - that gay marriage would be so readily accepted and available in our country? Didn't think so.
Gun control is going to follow the same exact pattern.
Sorry, but you're not dealing with sane people here. The zombies start their mantra with the line '....the mainstream liberal media....' and then somewhere in there they'll blabber about God and given rights and....The paranoia and anti-social traits of the pro gun lobby is sick, clinically psychotic. They equate their freedom from slavery with the ownership of a gun. Logically, that can only happen when they are prepared to use a gun against another human being, particularly the states authority, the cops, or some other demonized human being. Things will never change however, there are no politicians in office today who will legislate a gun free USA.
samsnephew,
So, on this Gun Control Thing, are you going to join the forces that go around kicking in doors of residence's, & business's, including your's to make sure all gun's are given up?!?!
What we need is Criminal Control, do not make it a picnic to be in Jail or Prison, make them work for their keep... Don't let a Criminal go because someone forgot to dot an 'i' or cross a 't'. Do not let a Criminal set on Death Row for 26 years before they are put to death, 18 months is long enough... Make a 'Life Sentence' a 'Life' time, no parole... Yes we need 'Criminal Contol', quit handling them with 'Kid Gloves' so to say, and give victim's of crimes more help, especially personal crimes...
What no one needs is a gun. We're no longer on the western frontier. No guns for anybody, except the cops. Yes, kick down the doors of the idiots who will not answer a police officers knock on the door. Who doesn't anyway? You? Have you even thought for one second about your question, or are you just suffering from chronic diarrhea of the cranial cavity? After the cops knock down the door, they should take your guns away, of course, and spank you long and hard.
You don't need a gun.
OK samsnephew. So all of the law abiding citizens should turn in their guns, huh? Might as well just tell the criminals to go ahead and kill us. We wouldn't want to interfere with their right of self expression now, would we? It's hysterical to hear you accusing someone else of diarrhea of the cranial cavity. You've already had your cranial colon removed. Stupid comments samsnephew.
Samsnephew,
You really are as Ignorant as you Sound! My point is You and Others do not realize what trying to go to total Gun Control would do to this Country... If you really think they are going to knock on the doors and ask for your Guns, I really feel Sorry for you... There are to many Gun's, Ammo & yes as you say Gun Nut's out there, it would cause a large Blood Bath of Citizens... As I said in my previous post we need 'Criminal Control', but since you did not address that part of my post, I take it you are probably a 'Criminal', who lost his rights to own a gun...
Yoda,
Amen!
Love the "it's not the guns fault" comments from the gun-nuts. No the gun didn't walk up and shoot up a school, but they sure make it easier for the crazies to kill as many as possible. Good thing any lunatic can walk in to a store and walk out with an assault rifle.
I once worked and lived for a year in Santo Domingo, the place is a lot like Havana would have been without Castro or the Mafia. There a murderous nut like this dingbat, James E. Holmes, Jacob T. Roberts or Wade M. Page would be been run down and hacked to bits with machetes by a ferocious mob of street vendors before the cops could get to him.
The perfect copycat dissuader.
God, how I miss the Dominican Republic.
How will the gun organizations spin this one? These are coming one after another, after another, after another.....I can hear it now..."It is the kids fault because they should be trained at a young age on how to fire handguns"...
Good Lord....please take care of these children and all of the innocent bystanders/law enforcement today...
You mean the anti-gunners won't try to spin it? Yeah, right.
bigdog2,
Were you born this 'Ignorant', or did you take 'Lessons'!?!?
Teachers have enough to focus on to prepare lesson plans and teach the children in the classroom. Having to worry about security is an additional burden and distraction. Children, like all of us, need to feel secure as a basic human need. While we await details of the current situation unfolding in Connecticut, I am amazed how many public schools I drive by in my travels who do not have secure perimeters. In the 50's, I grew up in public schools with complete fenced in perimeters with few entrances. Feeling secure and safe back then was a given and never a distraction from the learning culture in the classroom. This is not the complete answer and I realize times have changed all assumptions, but sturdy fence perimeters reduce a lot of possibilities and simplifies the security plan for each school. (Note: I am not in the building trades or business of selling fence materials. Just an advocate for children's safety in retirement).
To prevent this kind of thing from happening, schools should be locked at opening bell with an entrance for late comers that is manned by the school security guard. No one should be allowed admittance to a school without proper identification. Some of the school systems in and around Tulsa, OK have a driver's license scanner that automatically displays any criminal history on that person.
Okrepub,
I do not believe you!
For all the dipsticks on this forum who, for some inane reason, think banning guns will solve, or even substantially reduce the number of nut-cases that go into a public space and commit some form of mass slaughter, you need only look as far as just south of our border to see how effective gun prohibition is. Mexico has some of the most stringent laws on firearm ownership. Same actually goes for the State of Illinois and it's war-zone city of Chicago...........
Personally, I would rather be in a situation with a shooter than with someone who has discovered just how easy it is to homebrew a batch of Ricin or other equally toxic gas.
they can't hear you.....and they never will. Someone or something has to pay for this attocity and the easy targets are the "gun nuts" like me.(Becasue I own 3 and am a responsible law abiding Citizen)...oh...and the NRA and Republicans. Truth is that the liberal morons on this blog and in the media and in power are far too stupid to admit that their "anti gun", "gun control" agenda is senssless. Why? BECAUSE BAD GUYS DON'T OBEY LAWS!!!!! Cocaine is illegal, did that stop it? Driving while Intoxicated is illegal, did that stop it?
Woodworker Wayne and James, thanks for attempting to bring reason to these anti-gun idiots on here. It sounds trite, but it is absolutely true - when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. Why these morons can't seem to grasp that concept is beyond comprehension.
We cannot grasp it because innocent people continue getting gunned down left and right, in schools, in movie theaters, you name it. What is the one constant? Guns. They are everywhere. I see people wearing them on their hip in Wal-Mart. Do I feel safer because of it? Hell no. I feel like I'm being menaced. I know if my cart accidentally touches that person’s car I may get a gun waved in my face, or worse. You, Yoda, are the moron whose reason defies comprehension.
WTF is wrong with people?!?
something something something gun control. something something something second amendment
Guns are not the problem, mentally ill people getting ahold of them is.
This is horrible! What is this world coming to, that shootings such as the Aurora theater massacre, the mall shooter a couple days ago, and now this school shooting, are becoming more and more common? What could make people even want to commit such atrocities against others?
Bless the little angels and their teachers. Also, all those getting them to safety.
We will probably never know why someone was shooting at the school full of little kids or even near the school. It's horrible. It seems people are getting dumber and dumber these days. Or should I say, have less common sense.
People just don't care (not all) anymore. They do what they want without concern for others. Don't people realize if there is stuff bothering them, they need to go get help. If they can't afford it. Just keep going to the same place and make noise with their mouth. There is help out there, they just have to seek it out. Shooting up people is no answer.
What the hell is wrong with people?! This people of the country are losing their morals, beliefs and common sense. There is a serious lack of personal accountability and responsibility and it started with the whole "lets love everyone and be nice to everyone and give everyone a chance" mentality. We need stricter punishment for crimes so people will think twice about committing crime. Parents also need to focus on raising responsible citizens of society instead of trying to have their kids "like" them. It all starts at home.
You hit the nail on the head. There is a serious lack of responsibility in this country. No one cares about the sanctity of life. These poor children and the adults responsible for them are paying the price for a societial lack of discipline.
@ [Until such time as we the people understand the need for EXTREME punishment swiftly dealt is the only way to reduce these acts the problem will only get worse. If we had prisons like they have in third world countries and advertised that fact instead of the country clubs we have now there are those among us that would consider being in prison the lap of luxury - we spend 3 times the amount of the max SS benefit on the "human rights" of prisoners. this is wrong! We have tried playing nice nice to criminals and it doesn't work. FIX IT! ]
Absurd comment by an uniformed person. As has been stated, we lock up more people than ANY country in the world and prison is no picnic. Since 1984 - stiffer penalization has not netted less crime. Wake up tax payer, you are footing the bill for a prison system that simply DOES NOT WORK. Look at the facts and put some of your strong words to work to offer, at least, a better education and you will find we have less crime. Those are the facts. In the United States, anybody can be sent to prison with no more than the confession of a disgruntled person. Even you "Fed up Guy" I challenge you to be part of the solution instead instead of looking to some elected official to "fix" it.
Andrew Young,
You 'Know Little' about what you speak of... Being in prison is sort of a 'Cake Walk', compared to what it used to be here in the U.S... It does not scare 'Would Be' criminals anymore, virtually everyone knows someone who has been 'Inside'...
This world is so evil..What the Hell s gong on? Chldren for goodness sake..
Comparing gun control to gay marriage is about the stupidest thing I have ever seen. So, with gun control, are you planning on banning all guns? Hunting rifles, pellet guns, hand guns, etc? So that would mean banning hunting as well, right? There are serious economic and environmental effects if hunting was banned. Those who have never held a gun in their life are the ones shouting gun control.
Making drugs illegal have made them disappear, right?
Until the guns are gone we can expect more and more of this. Do not care what the almighty hunter faction thinks anymore. They are fools whining about their rights to be manly when kids and other innocents who do not give a rat's behind die from armed shooters. Has to stop. Period.
We shouldn't have to give up the right to defend ourselves because of some nut job. You turn in your gun if you want to. You might wish you had one when some bad folks with bad intentions break into your home.
People keep breeding uncontrollably and adding to our overpopulation. These things are only going to get worse.
In 1940 we had 132 million people, now we have 314 million people. Even if people and guns stay exactly the same, we are going to get more of these just based on numbers
WE NEED BETTER GUN CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
do you have the first clue how many gun laws are currently on the books,,plenty to keep these people in jail forever,,but liberals want to keep putting these thugs out on the street,, plus they have no value on life and most come from broken families with out a father and mother who teach them about the love of jesus
Here's how pathetic as a society we are. Heaven forbid there is wardrobe malfunction for not even a second during the Superbowl halftime that only becomes an issue due to the internet. We need Congressional hearings on seeing a breast. But, after any kind of shooting, accidental or intentional like Columbine, what do we get, nothing!!! Everyone is too scared of the NRA.
Now, we don't know the details yet of what happened today, but why are guns even close to a school? And before I get the hate email, I grew up around guns, shooting them and I still have a number of my trophies and certificates from various shooting tournaments. I do believe in guns but there has to be reasonable controls on them.