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Subscribe to RSSBurials have begun for the children and teachers who died after the unthinkable happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
Updated at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday: The youngest victim had a twin at the school. The oldest was the school psychologist. Another was the child of a jazz saxophonist. Among the 28 who died in the shooting in Newtown, Conn., were six teachers -- all women -- and 20 children, ages 6 and 7.
The two others who died were the gunman and his mother.
Of the children, eight were boys and 12 were girls.
ADULTS
Dawn Hochsprung, 47, Sandy Hook Elementary principal
When shots rang out Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Hochsprung ran from a room where she was meeting with a parent and other staff members, school occupational therapist Diane Day told the Wall Street Journal.
She never returned.
Hochsprung, 47, has been described as fun and lighthearted, someone who maintained an active Twitter feed that noted successes and various events at school.
“Sandy Hook hosted district admins for instructional rounds today,” she tweeted on Nov. 29. “Amazing visit showcased deep learning!”
Last week, she tweeted an image of fourth-grade students rehearsing for their winter concert. Days before that, an image of kindergartners exchanging play money at their makeshift grocery store.
“She was not the kind of principal I remembered as a kid,” Diane Licata, the mother of a first- and second-grader at Sandy Hook, told The New York Times. “She really reached out to the students and made them feel comfortable with her.”
She received her bachelor's degree in special education from Central Connecticut State University and her master's degree in education from Southern Connecticut State University. She was currently enrolled at Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., pursuing her Ph.D.
Hoschsprung was married with a high-school age son, according to the Wall Street Journal.
She viewed her school as a model for safety and learning, telling The Newtown Bee in 2010: “I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day.”
Officials said she died while lunging along with the school psychologist at the gunman in an attempt to overpower him, The Associated Press reported.
Sandy Hook Elementary principal Dawn Hochsprung died in the attack after reportedly running toward the gunfire to protect her students. TODAY's Erica Hill reports, and Savannah Guthrie talks with two men who knew her.
Mary Sherlach, 56, school psychologist
Mary Sherlach had worked at Sandy Hook Elementary since 1994 and was known as a fixture at the school, according to the Connecticut Post.
Associated Press
Mary Sherlach, 56
She was the wife of Bill Sherlach, a financial consultant, and mother to two adult daughters, Maura and Katie. The Sherlaches were looking forward to retirement, which they had planned to spend on Owasco Lake, one of New York's Finger Lakes, Newtown Patch reported.
Eric Schwartz, Sherlach’s son-in-law, told the Connecticut Post that he and his wife immediately drove to Connecticut when they heard on the news that the school psychologist had been killed.
Officials said Sherlach died while running with the principal toward the shooter.
Schwartz described his mother-in-law as sharp, opinionated and an avid Miami Dolphins fan. She had planned to leave work early on Friday, he said, but never had the chance.
As the news trickled out about the shooting, Schwartz told Patch: “It was a really helpless feeling. For about an hour, you try to say, ‘They got it wrong, they got it wrong.’”
"Mary felt like she was doing God's work, working with the children," he told NBCConnecticut.com.
Victoria Soto, 27, first-grade teacher
As the shooter entered Room 10, a first-grade classroom, teacher Vicki Leigh Soto tried to shield her students, her cousin Jim Wiltsie told the Wall Street Journal.
Victoria Soto, 27.
"That is how she was found. Huddled with her children," Wiltsie said.
Soto had taught for five years and was known by students as silly and loving. “She put those children first. That’s all she ever talked about,” a friend, Andrea Crowell, told The Associated Press. “She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day.”
On her teacher's bio, Soto wrote: "In my free time I love to spend time with black lab Roxie. I love spending time with my brother, sisters and cousins. I love to spend time reading books on the beach soaking up the sun. I also love flamingos and the New York Yankees."
Anne Marie Murphy, 52, special education teacher
Murphy, the sixth of seven children, was described by her 86-year-old father, Hugh McGowan, as “witty” and “hardworking,” according to New York Newsday.
Her mother, Alice McGowan, 86, described her as “a good soul.” She told Newsday that when she got the news, she grabbed her rosary and cried.
Authorities told the couple their daughter helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets.
“A first responder said she was a hero,” Murphy's father said.
"You don't expect your daughter to be murdered. That's sort of a shocker. It happens on TV. It happens elsewhere," he added.
Woody Thompson, a neighbor of the Murphy family in Connecticut, said she and her husband were level-headed parents who allowed their four children to play one sport per season.
“They didn’t buy into some of the craziness and the hype of big-time organized youth sports,” Thompson told NBC News.
Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau, 30, permanent substitute teacher
Rousseau was having "the best year of her life," her mother, Teresa Rousseau said, according to The Danbury News-Times, where she is a copyeditor.
AP
Lauren Rousseau
Lauren had a boyfriend, Tony Lusardi III, the News-Times reported. After years of substitute teaching, she landed a permanent substitute teaching position at Sandy Hook.
She grew up in Danbury and lived with her mother and her mother’s partner.
On Friday night, Rousseau had planned to see a movie, "The Hobbit," according to the News-Times. In preparation, she had made cupcakes with pictures of the actors in the movie topping each one.
“Lauren wanted to be a teacher from before she even went to kindergarten,” her mother said. “We will miss her terribly and will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream.”
Nancy Lanza, 52, mother of gunman
Investigators believe that Adam Lanza shot his mother at her home near Sandy Hook Elementary before driving to the school and killing 26 others, then himself.
Nancy Lanza was social and generous, friends and neighbors told The New York Times. A friend told NBC News that she was a gun enthusiast.
“She had a pretty extensive gun collection,” Dan Holmes said. “She was a collector, she was pretty proud of that. She always mentioned that she really loved the act of shooting.”
He said that she took her sons to the shooting range to practice their marksmanship.
In 2008, her husband Peter John Lanza filed for divorce, court records show. He lives in Stamford, Conn., and is a tax director at General Electric.
While much remains unknown about the Sandy Hook school shooting, we're learning more about one of the victims – gunman Adam Lanza's mother, who owned all of the weapons recovered at the scene. NBC's Mike Isikoff reports, and four of her friends join TODAY's Savannah Guthrie to talk about her life and her relationship with her son.
Rachel D'Avino was 29.
Rachel was born in Waterbury, Conn., to parents Mary D’Avinio of Bethlehem, Conn., and Ralph D’Avino of Waterbury, Conn. She was a 2001 graduate of Nonnewaug High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford and her master’s degree from Post University. She was working toward her doctorate degree from the University of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn.
A behavioral therapist who worked with special-needs kids, Rachel was one of two teacher’s aides who died at Sandy Hook. She joined the staff at Sandy Hook only about a week before the shooting, the Stamford Advocate reported.
She loved animals, cooking, baking, photography and karate, her family said, adding that she was an adoring big sister who cherished her two younger siblings like they were her own children.
“Her presence and tremendous smile brightened any room she entered,” Rachel’s obituary said. “Her maternal nature, understanding and sense of patience with the learning disabled were truly gifts she possessed. Ultimately, it is these gifts that would have given Rachel a level of understanding and forgiveness during this time of crisis that many others wouldn’t have.”
Rachel’s aunt, Christine Carmody, who lives in Florida, said that D’Avino’s boyfriend had asked her parents for her hand in marriage and planned to propose on Christmas Eve this year, Carmody told her pastor before flying to Connecticut, MyFoxTampaBay.com reported.
CHILDREN
Charlotte Bacon was 6.
Charlotte, who had long curly red hair, had begged her mother for a new outfit, her uncle told Newsday. Her mother relented on Friday and allowed her to wear the outfit: a pink dress and boots.
Charlotte Bacon, 6.
Charlotte’s older brother, Guy, was also in the school but was not shot, The Associated Press reported. Her parents, JoAnn and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, her uncle, John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday.
Charlotte’s family issued a statement: “The family will forever remember her beautiful smile, her energy for life and the unique way she expressed her individuality, usually with the color pink.”
Having never met an animal she didn’t love, her parents said, Charlotte had wanted to be a veterinarian since she was 2.
The statement continued: “She also enjoyed practicing Taekwondo weekly with her Dad and brother where she relished kicking and throwing punches!”
Daniel Barden was 7.
He was the youngest son of a caring mother and father, who always tried to keep their children active, taking Daniel to swim practice and other activities, according to friends and neighbors, the Washington Post reported.
In his obituary, his family said Daniel loved “riding waves at the beach, playing the drums in a band with his brother, James, and sister, Natalie, foosball, reading, and making s’mores around the bonfire with his cousins at Papa’s house.”
Daniel earned his missing two front teeth and ripped jeans, the family said in a statement.
He was on the Newtown soccer team and the Newtown Torpedoes swim team.
“This is a warm, loving family,” said a co-worker of Daniel’s mother, Jackie Barden. “The kids were the type of kids parents want their children to be around: warm and wonderful and caring and kind. This is heartbreaking.”
Olivia Engel was 6.
Tim Nosezo / AP
Olivia Engel, 6.
Olivia was outgoing and had “a great sense of humor,” said her cousin, John Engel III of New Canaan. The sister of 3-year-old brother Brayden, Olivia was a Girl Scout, a tennis player and excelled at math and reading.
"She had a huge sense of humor, this was not a shy child," Engel said on TODAY. "This was a child who would light up the room with her smile and her sense of humor."
On Friday, Olivia was excited to go to school and then return home to make a gingerbread house, a friend of the girl’s family, Dan Merton, told the Associated Press. “Her only crime is being a wiggly, smiley 6-year-old,” he said.
Olivia, who was learning the rosary, always led grace before the family dinner.
"She was supposed to be an angel" in the nativity play Saturday night at Newtown's St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, said Msgr. Robert Weiss, according to Reuters. "Now she's an angel up in heaven."
Josephine Gay was 7.
Josephine -- known as Joey -- turned 7 three days before Friday's shooting. She wore round glasses and loved the color purple, which her parents asked that those attending her funeral to wear at her funeral on Friday, Dec. 21. During the summer, she set up a lemonade stand in her family’s subdivision, where she liked to ride her bike.
Her obituary celebrates "her beautiful smile, loving heart and playful spirit.
"She lived seven years, inspiring friends and family," her family wrote.
Ana Marquez-Greene was 6.
She was the daughter of American jazz saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and the granddaughter of Jorge Marquez, the mayor of Maunabo, Puerto Rico. She was close with her brother, 9-year-old Isaias, who was also at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday.
El Nuevo Dia
Ana Marquez-Greene
Jimmy Green named a song from his 2009 disc for his daughter, Ana Grace, the Ottawa Citizen noted. The family had recently moved to Newtown, Conn., from Winnipeg, Canada, where Greene was a faculty member at the University of Manitoba’s school of music.
"In her short life, Ana strengthened us with her loving, generous joyful spirit," the family said in a statement. "She often left sweet notes that read, 'I love you Mom and Dad,' under our bedroom pillow -- not on special occasions, but, rather, on ordinary days."
In a statement posted by the Citizen, Greene thanked friends for their prayers and words of support: “As we work through this nightmare, we’re reminded how much we’re loved and supported on this earth and by our Father in heaven. As much as she’s needed here and missed by her mother, brother and me, Ana beat us all to paradise. I love you sweetie girl.”
Ana’s grandmother Elba Iris Marquez told Nuevo Dia: “I want to believe this is not really happening to me.” The newspaper said she was drowned in grief.
Dylan Hockley was 6.
He was born in Winchester, England, to his British father, Ian Thomas, and American mother, Nicole Marie (Moretti) of Sandy Hook. The family moved to Connecticut from England two years ago.
His grandmother, Teresa Moretti of Cranston, R.I., told the Boston Herald that Dylan loved garlic bread, bouncing on his trampoline and playing Wii.
“Dylan had dimples and blue eyes,” Moretti told the Herald as she fought back tears. “He had the most mischievous little grin. To know him was to love him.”
Dylan’s parents had lived in England for 18 years before moving to a house on the same street as Nancy Lanza in January, according to the Telegraph. Dylan’s 8-year-old brother, Jake, who also attended Sandy Hook Elementary, survived the shooting.
"We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died, but was wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide, Anne Marie Murphy," said his family in a statement, NBCConnecticut.com reported on Monday evening. "Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every day."
Madeleine F. Hsu was 6.
Madeleine was shy and quiet but lit up around dogs, neighbor Karen Dryer told NBCConnecticut.com.
"She would come off the bus and her face would light up when she saw the dog," said Dryer who has a golden retriever.
After getting off the bus she would hug her mom and little sister.
"She was just an absolute doll. She seemed very shy, but she was just so sweet," said Dryer.
Catherine V. Hubbard was 6.
Her family says that she will be remembered for her passion for animals and constant smile.
“We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet, and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy. We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy,” said her parents, Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard, in a statement that also expressed gratitude to emergency responders and the community.
Chase Kowalski was 7.
Chase was “a fun-loving, energetic boy that had a true love of life,” whose “heart was only filled with love for all the people he touched,” his family said.
Chase completed his first triathlon at the age of 6 and ran in many community road races, his obituary said.
Kevin Grimes, a neighbor whose five children all previously attended Sandy Hook, told the Associated Press that Chase was always outside, playing in the backyard and riding his bicycle.
Last week he was over and told him about completing in - and winning - his first mini-triathlon.
“You couldn’t think of a better child,” Grimes said.
Another neighbor, Suzanne Baumann, told the Wall Street Journal that he always greeted people. “He was very receptive to people. He was a beautiful child, an amazing child.”
Jesse Lewis was 6.
Jesse liked playing with horses that were kept in a barn next to his house, The Danbury News Times reported.
"I'd be in the yard or in the house and I would hear him laughing, playing," George Arfaras, 81, a neighbor, told the newspaper.
On Friday morning, he had his favorite breakfast sandwich at a local deli – sausage, egg and cheese, NBCConnecticut reported.
Family friend Barbara McSperrin told the Wall Street Journal that Jesse was “a typical 6-year-old little boy, full of life.”
“Jesse was such an incredible light. So bright and full of love. He lived life with vigor and passion … brave and true,” Jesse’s mother wrote in an email to the paper.
James Mattioli was 6.
Fondly called “J” by his family, James was “an energetic, loving friend to all,” his obituary said.
He liked playing baseball, basketball, swimming, arm wrestling and playing games on the iPad.
"He loved to wear shorts and t-shirts in any weather, and grab the gel to spike his hair,” his obituary said. “He would often sing at the top of his lungs and once asked, 'How old do I have to be to sing on a stage?'"
James loved hamburgers with ketchup, his dad’s egg omelets with bacon and his mom’s French toast, the obituary said.
Annette Sullivan, the owner of Zoar Ridge Stables in Sandy Hook, Conn., told the Connecticut Post that James and his older sister Anna would ride horses at her stables.
“He would ask about the saddles and the brushes,” Sullivan told the Post. “He wanted to know how to take care of the horses. He was a boy that wanted to know how everything worked.”
His parents said in the obituary that he “was a numbers guy, coming up with insights beyond his years to explain the relationship between numbers and unique ways of figuring out the answer when adding and subtracting.”
His parents said James was especially thoughtful and considerate and was “always the first to welcome guests at the back door with a hug and his contagious smile.”
Grace McDonnell was 7.
Family Photo / AP
Grace McDonnell, 7.
Grace, or Gracie, lived in Newtown with her parents and older brother, 12-year-old Jack. Mary Ann McDonnell, Grace’s grandmother, told the Boston Herald that Grace loved art projects, soccer gymnastics and her King Charles Spaniel, Puddin.
She was surrounded by bags of gifts intended for her granddaughter when she spoke with the Herald.
“They kept saying, ‘They can’t find her. They can’t find her. All day long I was praying she would be OK,” Mary Ann McDonnell recounted.
“A little baby like that – I hope she didn’t suffer.”
Emilie Parker was 6.
Her father, Robbie Parker, described his daughter as loving and creative.
Courtesy Parker family
Emilie Parker, 6.
“My daughter Emilie would be one of the first ones to be standing and giving her love and support to all those victims, because that’s the kind of person she is, not because of any kind of parenting my wife and I could have done but because those are the gifts that were given to her by our heavenly Father,” Parker said.
Emilie carried around pencils and crayons, and when people were sad, she would draw them a picture or write them a note. Recently, she dropped a card into the casket of her grandfather, who also died tragically, Parker said.
“I’m so blessed to be her dad,” he said.
In a later statement, Robbie Parker wrote: "Remember these beautiful children; keep them close to our hearts. Do not let their bright shining faces become extinguished. Let us do everything in our power to ensure their light will continue to shine brighter and brighter in all we do to remember them."
Courtesy of Pinto family
Jack Pinto, 6.
Jack Pinto was 6.
He was born in Danbury, Conn., to parents Dean and Tricia (Volkmann) Pinto.
Jack’s family said he was an avid participant in flag football, baseball, basketball, wrestling and snow skiing, as well as a big New York Giants fan.
N.Y. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz honored Jack on Sunday by writing on his cleats "Jack Pinto, My Hero" and "R.I.P. Jack Pinto."
“Jack was an incredibly loving and vivacious young boy, appreciated by all who knew him for his lively and giving spirit and steely determination,” his family said in his obituary. “In life and death, Jack will forever be remembered for the immeasurable joy he brought to all who had the pleasure of knowing him, a joy whose wide reach belied his six short years.”
Family photo via AP
Noah Pozner
Noah Pozner was 6.
He was the youngest of the victims, having turned 6 last month. He was born in Danbury, Conn., to parents Lenny and Veronique Pozner, who described their son as “the light of our family, a little soul devoid of spite and meanness.” His twin sister, Arielle, who was assigned to a different classroom at Sandy Hook, survived the shooting. He also had an 8-year-old sister at the school, according to Newsday.
Rabbi Shaul Praver tended to Veronique Pozner in her grief.
“She said that she didn’t know how she was going to go on, and we encouraged her to focus on her other four children that need her and not to try to plan out the rest of her life, just take a deep breath right now,” Praver said, according to forward.com.
Noah’s uncle, Arthur Pozner of Brooklyn, N.Y., told Newsday that Noah was very mature.
“When I was his age, I was not like him,” he said. “Very well brought up. Extremely bright. Extremely bright,” he said. “The reason they moved to that area is because they did not consider any school in New York state on the same level. That’s one of the reasons they moved, for safety and education.”
His funeral and burial was held on Monday.
Caroline Previdi was 6.
Caroline was born in Danbury, Conn., to parents Jeffrey and Sandy Johnson Previdi.
Her family said she loved to draw, dance, and gymnastics, and her smile brought happiness to everyone she touched.
"Caroline Phoebe Previdi was a blessing from God and brought joy to everyone she touched," her parents, Jeff and Sandy Previdi, said in a statement, NBCConnecticut.com reported. "We know that she is looking down on us from Heaven."
One family friend, who declined to be named, told the Washington Post that Caroline once went by the nickname “Boo” because she looked like the girl character in the movie “Monsters, Inc.”
Another family friend who lives in the Newtown area told the Post that Caroline “was a spunky little girl. She had fire to her.”
Uncredited / AP
Jessica Rekos, 6.
Jessica Rekos was 6.
She was born in Danbury, Conn., to Richard and Krista Lehmann Rekos of Sandy Hook.
“She was a creative, beautiful girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane,” her family said in a statement. As the firstborn, her family said, Jessica “started our family, and she was our rock. She had an answer for everything, she didn’t miss a trick, and she outsmarted us every time. We called her our little CEO for the way she carefully thought out and planned everything.”
Jessica loved everything about horses, from reading horse books and drawing horses, to writing stories about horses, her family said in the statement from family friend Jamie Dunbar.
“We cannot imagine our life without her. We are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories we have of her, and trying to help her brother Travis understand why he can’t play with his best friend. We are devastated, and our hearts are with the other families who are grieving as we are.”
Avielle Richman was 6.
Avielle, or Avie, as she was called, moved to Connecticut with her parents, Jennifer Hensel and Jeremy Richman, in 2011, according to an obituary at the Newtown Bee.
“She was born with a spitfire personality, which continued as she grew into a lover and teller of stories,” the obit said. “She offered her heart to everyone. With an infectious smile and peals of laughter, people were drawn to her beautiful spirit, which will live on in all of our hearts.”
She loved her friends, horseback riding, archery and “participating in super hero adventures,” the obit said.
Benjamin Wheeler was 6.
Ben was born in Manhattan, N.Y. and moved to Newtown with his parents, Francine and David Wheeler, and 9-year-old brother Nate, according to an obituary posted at the Newtown Bee.
“Ben was an irrepressibly bright and spirited boy whose love of fun and excitement at the wonders of life and the world could rarely be contained,” the obituary said. “He was a devoted fan of his older brother, Nate, and the two of them together filled the house with the noise of four children.”
According to the obit, Ben loved The Beatles, lighthouses and the number 7 train to Queens. He told his mother, Francine Wheeler, on Friday morning that he wanted to be an architect and also a paleontologist.
Courtesy of Wyatt family
Allison Wyatt, 6.
"That's what Nate is going to be," he told his mom. "And I want to do everything Nate does."
Allison N. Wyatt was 6.
Allison, daughter of Cheyanne and Ben Wyatt, was a sweet girl and a budding artist who would turn parts of her family’s Newtown home into an art studio, according to a family statement.
“Allison was a kind-hearted little girl who had a lot of love to give, and she formed special bonds with most people who spent any amount of time with her,” her family wrote. “She loved her family and teachers especially, but would often surprise us with random acts of kindness - once even offering her snacks to a complete stranger on a plane.”
She loved to laugh and was developing a sense of humor beyond being just a silly 6-year-old, her parents said, “coming up with observations that more than once had us crying with laughter.”
A neighbor told the Connecticut Post that Allison would spend the summer outdoors, and that she often saw her gardening with her mother.
“Allison made the world a better place for six, far too short years and we now have to figure out how to move on without her,” her family wrote. “Our world is a lot darker now that she’s gone. We love and miss her so much.”
Profiles compiled by Isolde Raftery and Andrew Mach of NBC News.
Leave a Comment:
speechless
Speechless indeed. Words can't possibly describe the horror and pain these families are enduring right now. I pray for solice and comfort for these families as they endure this terrible anguish, especially at this time of the year.
It makes me sick to my stomach to even see the headline let along scan the list.
How many American Children must die for the love of guns? What needs to change in America is the irrational attachment to the pubescent, John Wayne individualism that underlies the American Gun Culture. You have not been a frontier country for over a hundred years for god's sake. It is time to leave your adolescence identity behind, stop thinking in black and white terms, and start thinking in a rational, common-sense, mature and adult way when it comes to guns. Making changes to who can own guns and what guns need to be not available may not rationally prevent atrocities but it will have the effect of starting to change the American mindset. AT THE VERY LEAST THERE SHOULD BE A BAN ON ASSAULT RIFLES. At least several of these poor wee innocent children were riddled with bullets from an assault rife. Tell me those wee lambs deaths were worth at least banning these horrible weapons?
All the children were only 6 years old except for a few who had reached the ripe old age of 7! How could anyone do such a thing? They were practically just babies! I think we have all just witnessed naked evil at work here.
My heart has no words but to cry for those innocent children. Our Lord Jesus said:"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." My Lord Jesus may you have in your arm the soul of each and everyone of these children and adult in this tragic horrific massacre. may God comfort the family and friends.
If your wondering why they continue to use a photo of Lanza thats 8 yrs old it's because the Liberal Media wants to convince you people that he's a troubled youth instead of the full grown Jewish Anarchist that he was. "They" didnt want you to see his facebook page with current photo. Notice the clinched fist (international sign of Communism).
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg
Charles McManus... NONE of these victims died from the effects of an assault rifle. The Bushmaster rifle that you are referencing was found in the shooter's car. The only weapons he took into the school were common handguns. Additionally, all of these guns were in his mother's name. And you say you want to restrict who can buy firearms? Well, the shooter was denied the purchase of a rifle just days before the shooting. And this is most likely the reason the guns were in his mom's name. I'm guessing he was red-flagged in NICS. What MUST change is how we handle mental illness in this country. Many people don't seek help because of the stigma that is attached to mental health patients. And, there is an EXTREME shortage of mental health resources in America. Very few physicians are choosing to go into psychiatry. At the public mental health clinics, there is often a three month wait to get an appointment. Insurance companies typically reimburse 50% or less of mental health costs. Then in the end, the patient is left with the rest of the bill. That is disgusting. When will people wake up and realize that a mental illness is a legitimate, treatable illness?
You do realize that a gun is a tool...don't you? Believe it or not if guns are abolished there will still be senseless murder by other means.
Believe or not the U.S. mass murder rate does not rise or fall with the availability of assault weapons.
Bottom line is that PEOPLE make the decision to kill other people. The weapon of choice is only a tool used in a decision that was already made by the person doing the killing.
Examples;
Jim Jones killed 909 people with Kool-Aid laced with cyanide.
Arson, Stabbing Rampage in Seoul South Korea : 10/20/2008. 6 people dead, 5 from stabbing. 7 others wounded, 4 seriously. An angry man felt people “looked down on him.”
Anti-police stabbing spree in Shanghai, China: 7/2008. 6 Police Officers stabbed to death, 4 wounded. 28 year old man angry at police attacked a police station with a knife.
Akihabara Massacre, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan: 6/8/2008. 7 people killed (3 struck by car, 4 by stabbing), many more injured. Man slammed into a crowd with his car, then jumped out and began stabbing people to death.
18 year old slashes 4 to death in Sitka, Alaska, US: 3/25/2008. 4 people killed. 18 year old (old enough to purchase a rifle over the counter) kills 4 people, related to him, with a 5 inch knife.
Stabbing Spree kills 2, Tsuchiura, Japan: 3/23/2008. 2 killed, 7 wounded. Man “just wanted to kill anyone.”
Stabbing spree wounds 41, 6 seriously in Berlin Train Station: 5/26/2006. 41 wounded, 6 seriously. Thankfully no one died in this attack, but not for lack of trying on the part of the drunk 16 year old.
4 killed in stabbing spree in London, UK: 9/2004. 4 killed, 2 wounded. Mentally ill man attacks mostly older people.
6 killed over Xbox dispute in Deltona, Florida, US: 8/6/2004. 6 killed. 4 men (all old enough to legally purchase firearms) bludgeon 6 people to death with baseball over purloined Xbox.
Daegu subway fire, Daegu, South Korea: 2/18/2003. 198 killed, 147 injured. A 56 year old unemployed taxi driver, dissatisfied with his medical treatment, sets fire to a crowded train.
Osaka School Massacre, Osaka Japan: 6/8/2001. 8 children dead, 13 other children and 2 teachers wounded. Committed by 37 year old former janitor armed with a kitchen knife.
Charles McManus Sadly children and adults all over the world are dying because of guns. My own father died due to a gunshot as did my brother but despite this I am not in favor of taking guns away from people. I will say that assault weapons are not necessary for people to own in the general population. Having said that I realize that maybe not as many children would have died but a nut case will find a way to kill people. My thinking is rational and well thought out on the idea of a gun ban, if we take the guns away from people we may stop some people from committing murder but we will also take away the right to protect oneself in an increasingly violent world. All of this said God Bless the families of the victims and know that in time they will learn to live with what has happened, it is sad that all of these innocent babies will not be able to grow up and it is sad that a mother had to watch as her own son shot her. My heart goes out to the families and the community.
Where is the NRA, oddly silent it appears. Prays for the families, the survivors, and for the victims, gone from earth too soon.
This is not the first time a deranged person has shot a classroom full of small children. In 1996 at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, a man burst into a room full of 5 and 6 year-olds and killed sixteen small children and their teacher.
Following this massacre, a range of automatic and semi-automatic guns were banned in the United Kingdom, and now the UK has one of the lowest rates of gun homicides in the world.
Now is the time, America, for us to stand up and say NO to the gun advocates and start enforcing stricter gun laws.
Take a look at this link of the children and their teacher killed in Scotland, and think of the children and teachers killed yesterday.
http://fareehaali.com/2011/09/18/september11/
DON'T LET THE NRA BULLY US ANYMORE.
Peach,
"Where is the NRA, oddly silent it appears."
Actually the NRA did make a statement, but it was only to say they have nothing to say at this time. I guess they don't! They are fully aware that at this moment in time at lot of people are in a mood to hang them if they said anything and misspoke so they are stalling for time. Apparently, they need more time to think up better arguments to support their case for unrestricted gun ownership, hoping in the meantime people will cool down.
They're probably paying off the politicians not to say anything.
Simple solution. Legalize drugs, empty prisons. Ban guns. 30 year minimum sentence for possession! Problem solved!
How many more "cold dead hands" do we need before we get rid of guns in our society???
In looking at this list there is no way a human with any sanity could have done this. It is beyond comprehension to pull the trigger that many times on such children. In my opinion, the only potential glimmer of sanity occurred when he killed himself. It's not about guns, its about lack of humanity.
Time to speak out, America.
Don't let the NRA or the gun toting enthusiasts in this forum bully us anymore.
Tell every one of these gun owners that are afraid their deer rifle or shotgun is going to be taken away from them, that nobody cares if they keep their beloved sidearms.
But, we want bans on automatic and semi-automatic weapons of war.
Im so sorry for the familys lost I can't even imagine the heartache! But do have one ? was this Adam guy dating a teacher ?
I am concerned about mental health in this country. The increase of mental health disease and the lack of funding for research into the cause as well as new treatments. The shooter looks hyperthyroid at least. He also looks nutritionally deficient. SSRI such as prozac and zoloft carry a red box warning - why. Why are we ignoring that we may be medicated some patients into a worst mental state. Dr Walsh in his book Nutrient Power breaks down nutritional causes of depression for which maybe half may improve on SSRI, but others will get worse. But, his science is ignored. To what end? Drugs are not working. We need new solutions. We need to find the cause of the increase in autism, aspergers, schizophernia, depression, OCD. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics now wants children with ADD medicated down to age 3. Fine, if the meds work - which they don't have the time. But, what about finding out why all this kids have ADHD now?????? The canary in the mineshaft is dead. Soon we will all be crazy.
A few of us are having a debate about gun control. There are many valid comments here and I invite you to add to the discussion here:
Well this will probably get me suspended again but here I go. First you take a gun enthusiast who has multiple guns, add a developmentally challenged child, take that child to the gun range and teach him to shoot, add a family in turmoil experiencing divorce, isolate the child by pulling him out of school and home schooling him, add in a gun owner to stupid to keep her guns locked up with a person in the house with mental issues. Equals 26 dead innocent people. Now just change one thing. First you take a gun enthusiast with multiple guns. Add a quality gun safe. Add a developmentally challenged ioslated child of divorce who has been taught to shoot. Equals no one dies.
Damn, why are so many folks hung up on gun control. The bigger issue is all of the innocent children that this sick animal murdered. He could have stapped a bomb on himself and killed just as many children. Its not rocket science and the ingredients are not hard to get. On 9/11 2001, 3000 people were killed. The monsters that killed them were armed with nothing more then box cutter knives. I could go on and on, but I think time would be better spent keeping those poor families in our thoughts and prayers.
It's time we teach the value of human life. not gun control.
I think I'm going to puke! We are not goint to mourn the dead and then do nothing about it. I am pretty sure America has had enough of this! Cut cut cut, cut the funds that protect the schools. Sick of you tea party republicans. cut cut cut, cut the funds that help the mental ill. Pour money into the NRA! WTF is going on! Get rid of the tea part republicans. Vote for democratic governors and don't let your republican governor redistrict your state. The republican party has become the evil party. GET THEM OUT!
We need to start loving thy neighbors again.. lets get rid of this paranoia today. We should all be able to talk to one another. I feel for these families and victims... My heart truly goes out to each and everyone there.
ENOUGH!
If NRAers want us to live like the old movie West, then let's do it and do it right: require all guns to be checked in with the sheriff!
Sweden, with its large population of hunters, has figured it out.
To own a firearm in Sweden:
-one must pass a thorough background check,
-pass a proficiency test,
-both weapon and owner are registered,
-the guns must be stored in a government approved safe with ammo stored in a separate storage safe. (A police inspection of the safe and its installation is required before the gun can be delivered.)
-No handguns, period. One can own a handgun for recreation purposes, but the gun can never leave the premises of a shooting club.
Any REAL hunter knows that 99.9999% of the time game is taken with the first shot. If a second shot is required for a wounded animal, there is plenty of time to chamber another round.
There is no good reason why any civilian needs automatic weapons.
All the NRA EXCUSES do not work anymore - statistics have proven them wrong!
What about the rights of We the People to live in a free and safe country?
Enough. ENOUGH. ENOUGH!
AnIndividual,
You are spot on.
These beautiful children need not have died in vain.
Americans, it is time to stand up and speak up. Email the President and your State Representatives today and tell them that we want stricter gun laws RIGHT NOW before any other innocent child is put in an early grave by automatic or semi-automatic weapons of war.
And don't let the NRA or any other gun-toting poster in this forum BULLY us anymore.
Excellent post AnIndividual
@willy-1780020
So, you're disagreeing with the Chief Coroner, who clearly stated all the people shot were killed with a .223 calibre rifle? You should try reading and listening more. The reports have clearly stated the gunman came to the school with 4 weapons. 2 Pistols (Sig-Sauer, Glock), and 2 semi-automatic assault rifles. One rifle was left in the vehicle. The other he carried into the school with him.
John jet,
"Damn, why are so many folks hung up on gun control."
Gun control is inevitably going to be an issue here for the simple reason that it was guns that were used as the instruments of murder in this case; not bombs or box cutters or knives; guns. Add to that the fact that these mass shootings appear to be becoming more and more frequent, this one being the second in just the past week after the mall shooting incident in Oregon just a few days ago, and how are you going to avoid the issue of gun control?
AnIndividual,
"Sweden, with its large population of hunters, has figured it out."
Don't bring the Swedes into this! The Swedes have always been an abnormally sensible people.
Of course a gun is a tool! A tool which sole purpose is to kill living things in the quickest, most efficient manner possible. The shooter's guns proved just how efficient tools they are, and how dangerous they can be in the hands of a deranged person. Just because an object is a tool doesn't mean that everyone and their mother must have an access to it regardless of their mental state and ability to use them! Would you hand a chainsaw to a child? Or a car to a drunk person?
The NRA is silent in the Media - but they are providing those silly talking points ..... Guns don't kill people - people do..... If only the children had been allowed to have handguns in the school - they would have been able to defend themselves........
OK that's a bit extreme - but even if the teacher had a rifle and was a sharp shooter - those kids would still have perished. The gunman came in and totally surprised them and shot the teacher first.
What you will be hearing in the next few days from your gun enthusiast friends will be the same lines....... Banning assault weapons - well they are already out there and the criminals will get them anyway...
Any argument you will hear will have the same ring to it and it is all financed by the gun and ammunition manufacturers and written by the NRA.
They are all hard at work emailing people right now - and providing the talking points that will last until the next tragedy.
Yes....speechless.
Right on anindividual.
Send healing thoughts to these souls.
This is bad as the guy in China the other day that stabbed 20 children and in the 90's in Scotland when children were buthered.
Gucking @!$%#s....hate life,hate yourself...KILL YOURSELF. LEAVE INNOCENT HUMANS ALONE
These demons will find other ways to kill....guns are just easier.
This article is about remembering the victims. Shame on your for stirring this into a political debate. And no, I'm not a gun toting NRA enthusiast.
I don't know the answer, but I do know that those who are intent on evil will find away to execute violence on society, whether it involves guns or not. 9/11 is the worst reminder of that truth.
Knowing that innocent people were murdered and for what? This makes me very sad and seeing their faces makes it even worse. I sit here with tears in my eyes. I can't imagine the pain the families and the community are going through.
I have read the above post and clearly most feel there is a gun problem and me being a gun owner I would like to say yes, but.....First lets not forget we have a humanity problem. Taking away guns does not fix what is wrong with the human race. The human race needs to be grounded (both feet on the ground). Until we can fix what is wrong with the system and how it is ran, our families or (lack of) mental illness, our greed and keeping up with Jones and the lack of respect things like this will continue to happen and our media does not help the situation, they seem to add fuel to the fire. Taking away guns will not fix our real problem. Some or most of you may not agree with me, but I see a problem with the people and the lack of personal responsibility and the lack of respect we are to show others even if we don't agree with them. We need to start with the people and their morals and values!
Wake up working class...."Sick of you tea party republicans. cut cut cut, cut the funds that help the mental ill".
Really? Here are some facts to correct your statement. Governor Ronald Reagan (Democrat) was responsible for the closing of mental hospitals in California and across the U.S in the 70's. In the 80's when he became president, he did away with the federally-funded mental health programs. When these hospitals closed, these mental health patients were released into our streets. Most had been abandoned at the hospitals by families.
State legislature attempted to put a stop to Reagan closing more state-funded mental hospitals. Even Congress proposed new legislation (drafted by Ted Kennedy) (PL 96-398) the community mental health systems act. That, too, was killed by Reagan. SO, but the blame where it belongs, at the feet of the government.
Silverton - You plainly, are just a fool.
RIP to those lost - and condolences to those who loved them
ummm. Ronald Reagan switched to the Republican party in 1962
You want to explain to me how he can be an anarchist and a communist? Do people even think about the stuff they write on MBs beforehand??
This is the saddest news story i have ever followed....my heart breaks for the families that lost loved ones in this senseless loss.
However, I always hate how acts like this immediately bring up gun control discussions. I do not personally own a gun but I know several people who do and there have been several circumstances where guns have saved peoples lives. I know when I was in elementary school we had a threat come in and our principal went out to his car and got his gun and locked down the school. When the guy showed up the principal was able to use the gun to persuade the guy to just leave. Stories like this happen but we don't hear anything about them in the news because "nothing" happens....which is the whole point, and should always be the goal. The media only covers stories when bad things happen.
Renee,
"State legislature attempted to put a stop to Reagan closing more state-funded mental hospitals."
That's ironic, isn't it? That Reagan should have been such an avid opponent of mental hospitals when he himself was so much in need of one with his Alzheimer's. What is Alzheimer's if not a mental illness?
Speechless and heartbroken.
M rated video games need to be outlawed. We are turning our disturbed young males into soulless killing machines
Gun laws pro or con is a nice little petty argument to comfort yourselves with compared to the scope of the larger problem of why this happens with guns, knives or anything. (or the happy go lucky video games made them do it debate).
I'll give you this, it is a worthwhile arguement. But apparently for a bunch of you, it is the end of the inquiry into why this happens rather than one piece of a bigger picture.
Nobody here has an easy answer or this would already not have happened. So people should be open to ideas. Not dismissive of them. Is that a bit of preaching? Maybe. But I still think its good advise, too.
You can pass all the gun laws you want or fight against them. In the end, its still a harder question to answer and chalking it up to 'just being crazy' or some such nonsense seems a pretty pathetic thing to say if you or I had to face the parent of one of these dead kids.
It is sadly ironic that when a naked person runs out on a football field, the networks cameras will not show that person because they don't want them to get the attention they may be seeking. But when someone commits mass murder, every major network covers it 24 hours a day until everyone is so burned out they start changing the channel. This was tragic and horrific event but to me the anguish is perpetuated and compounded by endlessly and repetitively hearing the life story of every single victim, the comments of every single parent that will speak into a microphone or face a camera. In another week you will know every single detail of Adam Lanza's life. No sane person kills innocent kids and he is dead now but that only takes a few seconds to say. My point here is that I believe the media contribute to the frequency of these events by making immortal celebrities out of murderers.
Saint Ronald of Santa Barbara didn't need a mental hospital. He had loads of cash and a government pension/healthcare plan. He had the option of round the clock home nurses. Just another case of GOP I got mine/I deserve it.
pgulrich,
"My point here is that I believe the media contribute to the frequency of these events by making immortal celebrities out of murderers."
I think there is a lot of truth in what you say, but what can you do about it? It's a matter of economics. The news media will always latch onto any juicy story that grabs peoples' attention and milk it for all it's worth. It sounds cynical to say it, but they are out to make as much money as they can, and nothing sells news like murder and sex. We all seem to have a morbid fascination with them.
My heart breaks for these poor families who have to endure such pain and loss. It is so unfair
that these individuals feel that because they are miserable or depressed that they have to take
innocent children and adults with them in their death. If Mr. Lanza had wanted to end his life then
why didn't he kill only himself. What a selfish, callous, monster!!!!! God bless all the families. You
have been in my thoughts everyday.
Protect the innocent, shame on you for going along with the media and shameing people who want to do something about this instead of constantly mourning the dead!
I do not know if there is a word beyond heinous to describe what this monster did at the school. Absolutely sickens me to the core! No logic or reasoning can explain this despicable act on adults, let alone innocent children. They were probably in an absolute state of shock as this bastard reloaded while the children watched in horror knowing they were next! May their souls find peace in the next life. And may this bastard receive eternal hell he so justly deserves!
Plenty of people say they could kill people with-
a bomb
a baseball bat
a car
and yet? guns are the wmds of choice in most of these scenarios. therefore, it is entirely reasonable to talk about--wait for it--GUNS
the guy was not "red flagged" in NCIS, CT has a waiting period and he couldn't wait. NCIS will probably flag you for MI issues only if you have been legally committed at some time (although electronic record sharing is still probably a work in progress). ironically, access to mh car could mean fewer legal commitments--since people who seek out and/or cooperate with treatment don't get committed
it is certainly possible that mom did take normal steps to secure the weapons but the kid was a step ahead of her. IF there was any indication of potential risks (just because there's a diagnosis doesn't mean significant risk of violence), or of conflict within the family, she certainly should have gotten the damned things out of the house. keep them at the gun club or something. I would add that the older brother's statement (assuming this is accurate info) of no contact for 2 years with his younger brother hints at SOME degree of family instability or conflict.
as a teen, I experienced the suicide of an older sibling. exactly one week later, in our community (small and--what's that phrase?-"close-knit") another kid, same age, killed his mother in the heat of an argument. both killings involved rifles (no semi-automatic, these were traditional older hunting rifles). you'll never convince me that when it comes to young men, guns, and killing, that there is a huge difference between suicide and homicide
Thanks for honoring the victims by telling their stories. There was one monster in this tragedy and so many heroes to remember.
Interesting that Peach mentions that the NRA is "oddly silent." That's kind of like saying that Chevrolet is oddly silent after a child is run over by a drunk driver who was driving a Tahoe.
Well here's why they're silent, Peach: It ain't their fault!
This monster was a 20 year-old adult. He was a full-grown man who made a conscious decision to walk into this school and murder innocent children. The NRA didn't tell him to do this and the gun manufacturers didn't tell him to do this, he did this all on his own.
Should the manufacturers of fertilizer have apologized for Timothy McVeigh blowing up the Oklahoma Federal building and murdering 168 people, 19 of which were children?
You liberals come across as being so mindless and rabid about anything you don't like, yet your platform is supposedly founded on tolerance. Explain, please?
@ Renee - Northern CA - Ronald Reagan switched political parties before he ever became governor of California. He was a Republican in those offices he was elected to in the public sector- Governor of California and as US President. Yes, he did close mental hospitals- or caused their closing when he took away federal funds- and it has been downhill since then for mental health care in these United States. Many people are unable to access the mental health care they or a family member needs because of the cost of those services. It is obvious that many of those who commit these kinds of acts are mentally ill even if they don't reach the legal definition of mentally ill for criminal cases. We need to focus more money on mental health care in this country as well as do something about the clips that put such high numbers of bullets in a gun. No ordinary citizen needs to be able to shoot 30 rounds without stopping.
More than that, we need to let all those affected by this act of violence- especially the parents of those little children- that we support them in their time of sorrow. Just reading the names of those children brings tears to ones eyes. I cannot imagine being in their familes shoes. It is enough to remind us all how we need to forget petty grievances against family members and to hug those we love a little closer. Those families never dreamed they would not have the chance to say "I love you" or give another hug to their children and other loved ones that Friday morning. We have too much discord and hatred going on in this country and whether it fuels any of these acts we don't know. But we shouldn't take a chance that it might. We need to return to civility, return to caring about our fellow Americans. This horrific event should remind us of that.
Upon hearing about the killing of these innocent children, I immediately felt that dreadful feeling of extreme sadness about the pain that the families must endure. My heart really goes out to all affected by this incident of insanity and the people of Newtown.
I suppose those supporting the right to bear arms would also want to possess bombs and chemical weapons if they could. And on the other end of the scale we have those who oppose the owing of hand guns, etc... and would like to even restrict "arms" to nothing more than a plastic butter knife. The question is not about the right to bear arms but about which arms are considered too dangerous in the hands of someone who is either untrained in the proper storage and handling of them or someone who is insane. It is possible that one can defend themselves against another coming at them with a knife but with a semi-automatic weapon the defender has no chance. I have no idea what the solution is because I do see both sides of the issue but clearly some further requirement to restrict the access (proper storage) and sales of firearms is called for.
Ban handguns and semi-automatic weapons.
Maybe it should not be easier to get a gun than it is to rent a car.
It's not, Mickey; they don't do a background check when you rent a car, but they do when you purchase a gun.
Nice attempt to ridicule the 2nd Amendment, though.
No, but you need a license to rent a car. Do you need a license to get a gun? Do you even need to know how to use a gun?
This was such a tragedy. I am a teacher also and it would be so hard to return to that school where all those people died. I think that the school should be turned into a monument for the families who lost loved ones and who lost their children and another school should be built somewhere else. The staff of this school should not have to return to those terrible memories. My sympathy is with all the ones who lost loved ones during this catastrophe.....
@Mickey - Have you seen the idiots they let drive these days? You don't even have to be here legally or know how to read or speak english. Should we hold gun owners to these same <sarcasm warning> incredibly high <cough> standards of competence?
I completely agree with you that every gun owner should be required to attend a firearms safety course that includes live-fire. With that said, though, I don't believe there are any states today that issue hunting licenses without proof of attending a hunter safety course, and anyone applying for a conceal carry permit must attend a firearms safety course as well. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, anyone purchasing a firearm must submit to a thorough FBI background check. So other than people who fire guns at the local shooting range, anyone you would encounter with a loaded gun would either be a hunter, a conceal carry permit holder (both of which are trained and relatively competent), or a criminal in which all bets are off.
If you honestly believe that banning guns makes for a safer society, I would encourage you to read: More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, Third Edition (Studies in Law and Economics) by John R. Lott, Jr.
It's an eye-opener I can assure you.
Carringyconcealed,
"Plus, as I mentioned earlier, anyone purchasing a firearm must submit to a thorough FBI background check."
The "background check" done for a firearms purchase amounts to nothing more, really, than a records check to see if you have a criminal or psychiatric record. It is not a thorough background investigation. I know what a thorough background investigation is because I worked in the U.S. Intelligence Community for 20 years and had a Top Secret clearance that required an EBI (Extended Background Investigation). For that, you have to fill out a DD Form 398 and list every address you have lived at since you were born, the names and addresses of every school you have ever attended, the names and addresses of every employer you have ever worked for and a great deal of other personal information. It's a lengthy form. Then the FBI, in addition to doing a records check, sends agents around to all the places you have lived and worked and questions your neighbors, friends, teachers, former employers and anyone else they can find to dig up any information about you that may be unfavorable. The investigation usually requires at least 6 months to complete. The DD Form 398 then needs to be updated and a new investigation completed every 5 years as long as you have a Top Secret clearance. And even that is not foolproof. Have you ever heard of Martin and Mitchell? They were two cryptographers who worked for the National Security Agency. They required the same Extended Background Investigation that I did. Well, to make a long story short, on September 6, 1960, they appeared at a joint news conference at the House of Journalists in Moscow and announced they had requested asylum and Soviet citizenship. They had defected to the Soviet Union, taking everything they knew about the U.S. Intelligence Community and U.S. secure communications codes with them. And they were not the only ones who have done such things. The point I am trying to make is that a background investigation, even the really thorough one that is required for a Top Secret security clearance, can only tell you so much. It is not foolproof, and the mere records check that is required to purchase a gun is certainly not going to do the trick. With the thousands of guns that are sold in the United States every day, there is simply no way they would every have the money or manpower to do such a thorough investigation on every gun purchaser. As far as the rest of what you say is concerned, I agree with you. I am not thoroughly opposed to guns, in fact, I own one myself, but we obviously have to find better ways of dealing with the situation to avoid another incident like this one in the elementary school.
Darn overpaid teachers....
justoneguy... yeah, and union teachers to boot. I wonder how many GOTea congressmen would have stood between their children and a loon spraying bullets?
@silverton-2953905: Glasgow (largest city in Scotland) is often called the stabbing capital of Europe. Guns are harder to get so criminals use knives.
I'm all for tighter gun control, but you have to remember that guns are just tools. They don't kill people, they just give others a means to kill. Getting rid of guns does not solve the issue, it just takes away one of the symptoms. The real issue the lack of adequate mental health care and the stigma society places on those with mental health issues.
You get rid of the guns, you'll end school shootings; however, they'll just be replaced with this:
Oh right guns are tools, so are knives, hammers, screwdrivers, glass bottles and scissors. Are you suggesting gun crimes kill less people than knives? Can you run away from someone who spraying you with bullets? At least with knife crimes you've a higher possibility of survival and less victims. If you have the choice between dying under a gun or a knife but is given a chance to outrun it, which one will you choose? I'll say a gun for you because as you already said guns are just tools and they don't kill people.
There are just no words...
What on Gods green earth does this have to do with any of this story????
hey steve - I'm willing to take a chance on getting BANNED - FU CK YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON!
20 innocent kids are DEAD and you have to go blathering OUT YOUR ASS
I cry every time I think or read the news about this... I have three children one in kindergarten and second grade... Why do there have to be psychopaths in the world and why does god allow it to happen?
Too many crazy people in America this days may be we ate too much GM food.
So, So sad... :(
when I go to church in 2 hours I will pray for each of these young children and their beloved teachers by name--I will be writing their names down and lighting a candle for them. Let's keep them in our hearts, our love and cherish them.
Thank you. Lauren Rousseau was my daughter's best friend. They had known each other since 6th & 7th grade. We are all just devastated.
zyxwv..... As is the rest of America.... At least those of us with a brain or heart. Today my church was to have carols and prayers... We will also be praying for all the families and friends of the Newtown murders. May you find what peace you can in this time of trial.
Big man...shooting unarmed children and women. May he rot in hell.
Hell may yet still be too good for this piece of.....
I dont think even Satan would take this scum
What the hell are you talking about get off line!
@Really?
I know, right?
Are you talking about stevejkjghkjs' remark? I guess I missed it.
This is as much about mental illness as firearms. He obviously had mental health problems, ignored because.................to too many still, while PHYSICAL illness is "acceptable", mental illness is shameful, or "caused" by a human action, indulgence, or 'sin'. Yes, WHY? Why no help in this family with means? OR, perhaps the family did all THEY could, and the "providers" saw no REASON to disgrace the 'good family name'?
Mental illness is a choice.
#6.8 "Roadkill"-Have you lost your mind?? Mental illness is not a choice-how you or loved ones deal with it is the choice. If you're not strong enough to get the professional help you need, then family needs to intervene, and from the news reports, his mother was in denial abt. his mental state, and perhaps if she'd gotten him the help or hospitalization that he needed, we wouldn't be commenting abt. this right now!! Embarrassment or denial often causes one to NOT seek help either for themselves or a loved one in need, and now it's SO OBVIOUS that his mother was in denial to the millionth degree!!! "Suffer"(ALLOW)the little children to come unto me"-God please let your healing grace cover all these grieving families!!!
Roadkill... I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say... either your being sarcastic or you really don't get it. Mental illness often is caused by a chemical imbalance or synapse problems or... etc etc. A child born with a mental condition is not at fault for his/her parents use of drugs during pregnancy or perhaps a high fever during the formative time of brain development in utero, or a multitude of other problems... My brother was born with Cerebral Palsy... it wasn't his fault that the doctors didn't take him c-section so he had a lack of oxygen to his brain and it caused a mental illness.. for which he was put on drugs that caused him to now have schizoaffective disorder which he is now hospitalized for. Nor is it my youngest daughters fault that she has Aspergers Syndrom. Please don't minimize a problem in our society that is age-old... mental health care is still considered embarrasing or shameful. How many peoples lives could be saved through counseling.
Too many babies are dying in our school systems now because there is a lack of funding for counselors and staff. It's heart breaking. I work in a school and every time I read these stories I cry more and more and I dread going in to work tomorrow where I will no doubt have to answer the questions of precious children who are scared and don't know what to think or do. These children are OUR FUTURE!!!! When will they become of the focus of our country. They are forgotten until a tragedy occurs.
These babies need us... ALL of them. Sick and well... the more we provide for them the healthier our society and the future of our country will be.
Just tears.
yo stevie - see 3.3 for an important message (or in your case an impotent message)
Disgusting!
RIP for the victims
RIH you sick bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mostly females....and his mother
No words can descripe my saddness for these little angels and Adults. May God Speed you all.
GOD bless these innocent people so tragically taken from friends and family!
May God hold them in the palm of his hands, and may he give the parents of those lost the strength to go on
The liberal media is not showing this scumbag real face (ON FACE BOOK ) he looks like a monster straight from hell how come no one saw anything wrong with this individual.If he was walking in my neighborhoods I will be careful crossing his path . I cannot believe people have good words for him even in times like this when he created so much suffering ,shattered so many families I say leave NRA alone people need protection STOP BEING SO TOLERABLE and READ THE BOOK BY IT"S COVER .I have no remorse for his mother ether she was a spoiled women ,supported by her ex husband ,av iv gun collector with crazy individual in home COMMON PEOPLE.RIP LITTLE ANGELS and CONDOLENCES to the families .
How long is this going to go on before we let teachers and administrators protect their students?
Many teachers and administrators did protect their students. Are you a gun nut recommending arming teachers and administrators? MORE guns is the answer. PLEASE.
limiting guns to those that obtain them illegally isn't an answer either :/
Lynn: Apparently the mother obtained the guns legally. I don't think she needed all that firepower, but you have to admit they were available to the killer.
So sad. Prayers to the families.
An irrational response is to demand more gun laws when all the laws on the books are not enforced. A rational response is to consider ways to protect and defend against the bad PEOPLE (not the guns) that are causing the problem. Arming administrators is certainly a viable option.
Ever hear of Columbine door locks?....Every classroom should have them! Could have prevented the death of most of those killed. Its a very sad day in America. Gun control is not the issue here. It's obvious this teachers son was mentally disturbed..THAT IS THE ISSUE!!!
keep the guns out of people's hands and this would have been avoided, too. keep the ammunition out of people's hands and it would have been avoided, too, yeah LOCK UP THE LOONIES AND IT WOULD ALSO HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
Absolutely, Lynn Adams. Because that is all that these laws would accomplish is to leave the law-biding citizens at the mercy of the criminals and Adam Lanza has amply demonstrated that he is merciless. THAT in itself, is insane.
i think bigger questions are, why do we have such rampage killings? what are our goals as a country? Why do we have so much more people in our prison system? what are our social issues that may contribute to these types of actions?
Some people just want to see the world burn.... I'm not sure this young man was that way... obviously there was a great disconnect somewhere in his brain where apathy and sympathy were no longer registering. For some reason he was in hell to be doing what he did.
Can we learn anything from this? the left will scream about how we need gun control, the right will yell how we don't need gun control.... and the canyon will spread even further apart. One of the things this country has lost is the ability to recognize when we are just being irrational just to support our base... We have become the ultimate 'ME' generation. We've lost the ability to work together ...united... indivisible...one nation...
and for those families... may God comfort them and carry them through this tough time. Our countrymen are hurting today....we can consoul and comfort them as well.
Those poor babies, those poor families... I am so so sorry !!!!!! I feel like I did on 9/11... but I know why that happened.. they hated America. Why?? Why does such evil walk among us ?? It won't stop, does anyone really think banning guns will end this craziness ?? As with all things where there's a will, there's a way !!! We can't let that happen... I say enough is enough... Every principal, asst. principal, teacher, janitor, should be armed !!! plain and simple, as that piece of crap is shooting his way into the school, someone could have possibly stopped him !! We don't know !!! Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire !! God bless the families, and the town of Newtown & Sandy Hook !!!!
The point is, that stricter gun laws aren't going to keep something like this from happening, Dick H. There will still be guns available to those that really want them...and those that want to break the law by committing a crime such as this, will find a way to get their hands on a weapon even if outlawed.
Look how well prohibition worked
Two ways to keep our children totally safe in school is to either train and allow teachers and school staff to open-carry at school or just home school our kids. Neither scenario is likely but are options.
No, but stronger and better enforced gun regulations will reduce the probability of such an incidence.
There is no single solution, it has to be a comprehensive one involving attitudinal changes as much as limitations on gun access; legal and illegal alike.
But not especially reasonable or effective options. Aside from the prospect that adding more armed people to the mix would simply increasing the likelihood of accidents, the idea of having dangerous tools around children strikes me as a really bad idea on a lot of levels. To my mind any solutions entertained must not include turning schools into armories. Consider the lesson that a young student would absorb about problem solving and the projected dangers of the world in knowing his or her teacher is armed.
In short, more guns will not be helpful.
I just can't understand why anyone feels the need to own a gun. They have something wrong in their head. They are probably paranoid that others are out to get them like their neighbors or the government. Or maybe it's a power trip. Either way, they seem to have some serious emotional and mental issues that should be addressed by psychological therapy.
Though I am not one of them, some people would say that your lacking a realistic take on the dangers around us and would likely consider you foolish for that. Some people live with a high correspondence between their circumstance, environment and their "paranoia"...in that case, wanting a side arm is not unrealistic...
So from that perspective I disagree with you that people who might want a gun necessarily have mental issues - any more that I see my contrary liberal stance on such things as being the result of a "mental issue".
People live different realities.
High capacity magazines are meant to kill people. Politicians need to step up to the powerful gun lobby. "The right to bear arms," was intended to protect ourselves and our families from harm. Strict Constitutionalists will not bend to the 21st Century reality and enlist a common sense approach.
May these little children and the adults who tried to protect them live eternally in "Heaven."
Learn to speak their language some, enjoy their food and stories and marry into their group.
Works every time.
Sorry, but Mexicans(hispanics) had nothing to do with this. Why do some always try to make something be abt. what it's totally NOT about???
S H I T H A P P E N S!
And this is about as s h i t t y as it gets. It's a helpless feeling......indeed!
Just can't understand this...my heart aches.
It's just too much.
May they all rest in peace. God bless their souls. Please let God and Peace rest with the family's too.
.
My daughters are 5.5 and 7...this just tears at my heart.
May you all rest in peace <3
I have a daughter who is in first grade and seeing the photos and descriptions reminds of the kids in her class. "It could have been her," is what I keep thinking, but then again, it could have been anyone. These children are scarred for the remainder of their lives, and there is no one left deserving to pay for this.
This is not about gun control, this is about stress and how it is killing all of us, even the tiny ones.
I just wanted to say to you that if there weren't 300 million guns in the US, this mother probably would not have owned several, and her son would not have been able to shoot these children. Sure, guns are cool - but at what price? This price.
My thoughts and prayers r for the families. I hope gun control can change for the better. Heartbreaking.
I know it is a sad day that will take a lot of time to move towards recovery but I am thankful to have these names. I can use them in my prayers. I know there are no words to say to a parent but at least they know that many, many people are praying for their angles. My heart and prayers are for you all
So Sad!
I'd lke to know how that POS got into the school with body armor and guns.
According to latest report, broke the glass by the door.
Ahhhhhh Thx, I didnt hear that
It sounds like he broke in
My guess is the building had keycard access and after killing his mother used her keycard to enter the building
Cold weather wearing a heavy coat that would cover the vest and 2 pistols he left the rifel in the car .My heart and my prayers go out to the children and teachers and all of thier famlies
Either he broke a window like other people ar saying, or he used his dead mother's keycard to access the building. If that school is anything like the ones i work at the yall require electorinc keys to enter
The superintendent of the school district confirmed that his mother was not on the district's pay roll. She stated she MAY have been a substitute but cannot confirm one way or the other.
So Lynn... I guess from whats been said by the district they have no idea just who is at the schools with the children? Sounds a bit fishy to me.
How is that so? She said she was not employed by the district. A district uses LOTS of substitutes, who all pass back ground checks. I would not expect the Super to know each and every name in the pool for substitutes.
John McCain, Linsey Graham, and Eric Cantor!
Psst. Not everything is political. Go troll on one of the other sites
Why do all posts bring out a p.o.s. like you?
go and "suck " on your name.
I can feel my heart hurting, may they rest in peace. I'm glad the news are focusing on the victims and their families.
So very sad :-(
Thoughts and prays go out to the families
God be with all of you
Sounds like your on the wrong subject
will you please have a heart and get off this site
important message for you in 3.3 stevie (or should that be an impotent message?)
Impotent and Impetent. Sounds like that "and the horse you rode in on" guy. Only way he can get off is to spout hate and filth on here.
I am so saddened by this awful event. This should never of happened. I read the names of the loved one who are no longer with their families. This is such an injustice. I hope the town of Newtown Connecticut can heal from this very tragic event. My thought and my prayers are with all of you. To all the little angels and heroes who lost there lives may god be with you.
calling steve - important message in 3.3 (or impotent message - JUST LIKE YOU)
Another tragic mass shooting, and what makes this even more shocking is the ages of the victims, so innocent. It seems like these events continue, and for a week or so afterward, there IS conversation about gun control. Too quickly the conversation ceases, and we go on with life until the next tragedy. Then, we start the cycle again. It just seems like it's almost too much trouble to take a stand against the NRA. They have so much power, but something needs to change now. If this event doesn't make that clear, I don't know what else would. I'm not saying ban guns altogether, as we do have the right to bear arms, but why would a person need the type of weapons Nancy Larza was packing? Gun enthusiasts need to realize that some things are more important than the ability for them to play with their guns.