For heaven's sake, you can't tell by looking! If so we wouldn't have any problems!

ted bundy, described by many that knew him as "handsome and charismatic."

Itinerant Author

Does anyone else think this kid looks like a psycho? I mean if you had to have a poster boy for Whackos Unlimited he would have been a shoe-in; I am not trying to be funny here!

so you can tell by just looking at someone? ...WOW ...you must be a real boon to your local P.D. with an ability like that. Why when they read this i bet the FBI , CIA, HLS, etc. will all be calling you for help....

great news people NO MORE TSA...!! we just need "Itinerant Author" and all those who think like him stationed at the airports.

Mark, you beat me to it. I was gonna say Ted Bundy too. Not only did he look (2 me) like actor Rob Lowe, the judge who sentenced him... told him he wouldn't have minded Ted on HIS team, but "you went the other way".

That was very telling of just how smart Bundy was, in addition to his lady-getting-killing looks.

It Auther, I won't jump on the PC train. I agree he looks CRAZY! That does not mean I have special powers, It just means I think he looks crazy. What so hard about that. Self righteous bragging is all i see here!!

Sorry, Thats Author.

Thanks Richard, Scooter puts anything down that was not his thought first

Ok so i really do not know what a psycho looks like but i can say this kid looks like Michael Phelps to me but this is besides the point. We really would never know the reason this boogie man got out of the closet but what we can do is try to prevent any other ones from coming out. Sleep in heavenly peace kids.

Scooter puts anything down that was not his thought first

wrong author, and i rarely put down anything.

At least I had a suggestion while the rest of you idiots

and that was what? or can you come up with a rational one...without the grammer school payground name calling?

Tramp is right. We all look like that in a police photo. Why don't they get you on a good day?

I truly feel sorry for all that has been affected by this tragedy. I have read that the boys mother and father are divorced. The article has to make me wonder when the last time the father has interacted with his son.

When I was in school, I participated in the "School Boy Safety Patrol" which mainly helped the little kids get across the roads surrounding the school.

Maybe it's time for a newer updated version of that. The "School Safety Patrol" could be volunteer parents which are completely trained by the law enforcement officers to be the on-the-scene first responders to such an event. Having several trained experts at the school and ready to do business might have made some difference. Just think of it as having Air Marshall's in the school instead of on the plane.

I'm not sure to what extent (carrying conceled?) those volunteers could be, but anything needs a try at this point. It's painfully obvious the current system is not working to prevent the deaths of our children in the one place that they should feel the safest. No, I'm not advocating we turn our schools into prison camps for the day.

Before you try to blast my thought to bits (and PLEASE refrain from name calling), just think of a better solution that feasibly would work and could be implemented within the constraints of tight school budgets.

There is no reason to say "We need to be better parents." That has been tried and proved unreliable several times already this year.

Okee Boy

I like the way you think - Parents as the "school safety patrol" trained by LE and as volunteers.

I was also one of the street crossing guards. We got to have a flag and a patrol belt. Thanks for the memory. I forgot about that

been there as well okee,

good suggestion BTW .Bet the local politicians and cops would bellow up a storm at it though....they are after all absolutely aghast at any idea that makes sense, and saves money.

@Itinerant Author

I have also noticed most of these shooters seem to have that same blank wide eyed stare, or is it the media choosing a picture with that particular expression?

It is ironic we are spending so much in money and people's lives fighting a supposed war overseas, yet our own American society is creating its own home-grown terrorists on our soil.

Itinerant Author

There has to be a way to determine before hand who might go spinning off next.

You may be right. And I am sure that you thought this through before making the comment. So you must be in favor of shutting down NASA and putting their funding into a massive push to explore inner space (that is, between your ears). And you will certainly not only not complain but be the first in line when the government calls for every citizen to come to the local mental health center to have their head examined.

Okeeboy

Your idea is brilliant. My brother was a Safety Patrol boy. I remember him taking pride in wearing his orange belt and folding it just right. Volunteer parents who do safety patrol would be amazing.

Now here's the caveat:Who do we put in the churches, malls, movie theaters, colleges, restaurants.All have been scenes of mass shootings. There is a bigger problem that we need to address. I have no solution, don't even no where to start with this one. I feel like we have to stop giving these stories so much coverage. Our need to know every detail of heinous crimes seems to feed into the motivation of unstable potential murders to gain infamy, notoriety. Sounds naive to most, I'm sure, but that's how I feel.

Just a guess, but this looks like an ID photo. In our state, and I understand on passport photos, we're not allowed to smile.

To me he looks like every 20 yr old boy/man.

I wouldn't send my kids to school if it was being "guarded" by people with guns. I didn't want my kids around guns when they were little, and really don't think that more violence, or the threat off violence, addresses the issues. Guns, drugs and mental health each have a role in senseless deaths of kids.

For those of you also expressing compassion for the family of this very disturbed young man, thank you. I have a sibling who suffers from mental illness and it's INCREDIBLY difficult at the onset to get good treatment. In many cases the ill person is VERY resistant to treatment or attempts to hide symptoms. My family went through total hell in the early stages of my brother's illness... I was in jr. high and was in total terror. My parents did everything they possibly could to obtain treatment for my brother and did everything in their power to try to protect the rest of the family. You have no idea the strength and devotion it took for my parents to deal with such a devastating illness... and in the meantime (in the '70's) they were blamed by the mental health community for my brother's illness (which was a HORRIBLE thing to do to parents)!!!

Instead of making moronic comments about something you know NOTHING about, read up on the issues related to dealing with a family member with mental illness. It's much more common than you realize, but please do not ostracize, gossip about, estrange those you know who are doing their best to figure out the best course of action to take... those suffering mental illness and their families desperately need support and help.

Ban ALL semi automatic assault weapons; they have no good legitimate use... that's not saying personal handguns or hunting rifles... but at least treat all guns as you do a car; require licensing, registration, and mandatory insurance.

My prayers go out to ALL affected, everyone associated with that school/neighborhood and to the entire family of the shooter and his mother. All I can think of is how terribly afraid all the kids and staff at the school had to be during this horrible event... and my thoughts just keep going to the 'what if' it had been at a school attended by one of the little kids in our family. I think of my 7 year old grandson and cry to think if he'd been in that situation. Please be compassionate to ALL affected!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're all human and make very bad decisions/judgements at times... what if it had been YOUR child or family member who did this? What about when people go off because of a domestic abuse problem over divorce and/or custody disputes (you know it happens much more frequently than most of you will ever admit. Listen to some of those friends and family of yours spewing venom towards an ex.... what if they 'lost it' and went berserk? THINK!!!

ScooterTramp... Must you always make sense? LOL!

"For every action there is an equal and opposite government program." Bob Wells

glimmerr... Thank you for being a voice of reason here. Bless your heart.

Sam

"For every action there is an equal and opposite government program." Bob Wells

Thanks ....love it....you may have an X-mas cookie.....

drugs and guns, a bad combo.

Actually, bullets do....

glimmer - You have my sympathy on the mentally ill sibling. I feel sorry for the brother of the CT killer too, and for the parents of the Colorado theater shooter - who only live a few minutes away from my house. When the media came in with helicopters, I didn't know what was going on, thought there was a jailbreak or something and made sure the doors were locked.
In the 1960s, the mental institutions were closed, and the ability of family to "commit" a family member for evaluation severely curtailed. Institutions are very expensive to run. It is estimated 35% of the current prison population is mentally ill - but it took committing a crime to put them away, and they get little, if any treatment. Nowadays, once 18, the families have very little say - like none - in getting them treatment. Since the average age of the onset of schizophrenia is age 17 - well, it's a BIG problem. We need more mental health funding - but there's no money for it.

He would not been able to pull off the crime without stealing his mom's car. We need to ban cars, cars kill 5* more people each day than this very rare event. Irresponsible people kill with their cars. Ban cars , ban booze because some people not responsible enough to use them safely.

sounds like old dad...need's to hone his parent skills...son in this world of competative crazy...ya need to be prepared to take has many with you as you can...the sooner your out of here...the sooner ya get to play video games...on the other side...mean while i can chase a dollar...and eat my cheetos on the couch...may even drag a hundred dollar bill thru the trailer park...

@AnaBanana-1782128

Nice theory but people that use guns to commit crimes dont purchase them. The fact is people are using this rare event to push a agenda, not to keep people safe. gun control effects the people using guns responsibility and does not solve the real problem, the illegal gun and even the bigger problem, mental illness.

If you really want to keep people safe , ban cars

Silverton they were hand guns he used. the report said he left the ar-15 in the car. and you forgot in your statemnet people with knives kill people people through people off buildings they use cars, bats, golf clubs or a 2x4. its unfortunate but people kill people they just do.

jhvmat

Silverton they were hand guns he used. the report said he left the ar-15 in the car.

Dont bring up facts, people dont want to hear that. Remember the only reason the AR-15 was mentioned is to push an agenda.

jhvmat....the medical examiner said that most of the wounds in the victims was from a bushmaster rifle....very few with the bullets from the handgun. And....some of the kids had as many as 11 bullet wounds.

First of all I don't think the kid looks "crazy," and how do we define "crazy looking?" I've heard the kid had Aspergers, and that might have given him the "look," that is being attributed to looking "crazy." I don't think having Aspergers led to what he did. I'd be more likely to believe he fell through the cracks of our healthcare system, or it was due to mind-altering medications that he was probably prescribed. 11 of these school shooters in the past, were on anti-depressants. That's a pretty high #. We all want to know WHY? Perhaps there is no reason why. Anytime one of these shootings happens it makes me think of this song, which was written about a school shooting that happened decades ago.

The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was as good as gold.
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world.
And mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain tackles,
With the problems and the how's and why's.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

I don't usually post on these walls, because too often they turn into unnecessary, political debates. But I felt the need to respond in this case. I definitely agree with Echo. Many years ago, idiots would run onto the playing fields of various sporting events, and the TV cameras would follow the action as the security forces performed their version of the Keystone Cops. The result was that the idiot got their 15 minutes of fame.

Perhaps if instead of delving into every detail about the perptrator's past, we simply reported the news and left out the name of the perp, this would reduce these instances, as we would be denying them their 15 minutes. Additionally, we would be sparing the families of the perp any unnecessary heartache. I am sure that this maniac's family are heartbroken over the loss of life that these innocent victims suffered.

Also, with social media the way it is today, we would be sparing countless others any unwarranted attention. When Jerry Sanduskey was charged with his sexual molestation, Gerry Sanduskey(no relation), who I believe is the play-by-play man for the Baltimore Ravens, received numerous threats and comments from people who didn't know it was not him.

Just something to think about. My heart goes out to all who lost someone in this tragedy, including the family of the killer.

Correct, let us get a picture of George Bush when he was arrested for drunk diving posted, AND he did actually order the killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent people as well, so I don't know if a picture is really a thousand words---

But it is very sad for USA both sets of killings---

The Real Adam Lanza's Facebook Page before it was deleted. The media is trying to pull the wool over your eyes by using photos of Lanza that are 8 YEARS OLD!! Wake up. Adam Lanza wasnt some troubled youth, He was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist. A man who is dedicated to COMMUNISM AND ANARCHISM KILLED THOSE KIDS AND TEACHERS. LOOK FOR YOURSELF, PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO HIS "POLITICAL VIEWS" NOTICE THE CLINCHED FIST. Its the international symbol of Communism. This facebook page was taken down shortly after this copy was made.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

jhvmat: The reports have been changing. Now they are saying that each of the victims was shot with the assault rifle

Maybe the teachers need to carry guns to school?

If your going to have gun control don't forget the censorship of all the Movies that show killing and death and many ways of doing it. Don't forget to stop the first person War games that actually acts out the killing of people in first person. One thing you must remember guns have been around since the 15th Century killing has been around since Adam and Eve. One thing is for certain he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. If you believe or don't believe you need to read Romans 2.

If this causes strife let me apologize now I didn't mean too.

I don't know where they got that photo, but here is a photo of him as a younger boy from a Spanish newspaper. Doesn't look quite so psycho here. Both photos are clearly not current, as he was 20 years old now. Hard to believe the press can't get hold of a current photo. I really wish he didn't kill himself and had a chance to make some new friends at a maximum security prison.

http://www.abc.es/internacional/20121215/abci-adam-lanza-perfil-biografia-201212151206.html#cxrecs_s

Getmadstaymad

The Real Adam Lanza's Facebook Page before it was deleted. The media is trying to pull the wool over your eyes by using photos of Lanza that are 8 YEARS OLD!! Wake up. Adam Lanza wasnt some troubled youth, He was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist. A man who is dedicated to COMMUNISM AND ANARCHISM KILLED THOSE KIDS AND TEACHERS. LOOK FOR YOURSELF, PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO HIS "POLITICAL VIEWS" NOTICE THE CLINCHED FIST. Its the international symbol of Communism. This facebook page was taken down shortly after this copy was made.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

That is fing crazy. I wondered why there was so much mis-information being spread friday, apprently the press was covering up some facts, WOW!

Jack....rdonham doesn't want to hear that. He only wants to hear that handguns were involved. He is one of those people that is still spouting that same, stupid, tired analogy of banning cars. I think I would tend to agree with him more had this lunatic taken his mothers car and driven it into the school and run down 20 kids. In the meantime, I really think these guys have got to get a new schtick. As I said before, I am not against banning all guns, just ones specifically designed to wipe out mass amounts of people in a short period of time. Why is that so unpopular? What is wrong with these people that think it's ok to have assault weaponry?

rdonham,

Your ignorance shows you've been drinking the NRA koolaid my friend. Most gun violence happens with legally purchased guns in this country. Most victims of gun violence know their assailant. The NRA has been lying to its membership for years. My husband is a gun enthusiast but keeps his under lock and key while not in use. He denounced the NRA years ago. He thinks Duane LaPierre, the NRA President, is a crazy conspiracy theorist, who should first and foremost undergo a mental evaluation because he is an example of a mentally unstable person allowed to own guns. Yet he not only advocates for and owns guns, he has all three branches of our government under a strangle hold. This above everything else should worry you.

The reality is there is no way to say if someone will freak out and kill people, a person can be fine all their life and one thing just triggers something like this, this could happen to any family, one day that cute kid ends up a cold blooded killer.

Ok, and here comes people to start the stupid arguement to "ban guns". Dude, whatever. We're having a serious discussion here. Ana, gun ownership is not the responsability of the federal government. It is not up to them to decide for me what is my responsabiltiy as a gun owner. Herein lies a fundamental problem with gun control arguements, you put everything on the government. It's not up to you to decide my rights. But I digress..This is a forum where people are looking for answers, and from the looks of Glimmerrr's comment sharing hope with others who have the problem of a loved one with a mental instability. We're having a serious discussion here, not trying to open up fighting quarums.

okeeboy, excellent idea! In a town near where I live, they began to institute a program some years back which had a police officer in the school as a "Resource Officer". The program was instituted to combat gangs in schools, violance in schools, and bullying. While I do understand that not every police force has the manpower to spare in the larger cities in the US, it worked here. Now, speaking on that manpower issue, we do organize community watches. Why not have a PTA or PTO watch? Well, there's pros and cons to each side of this issue.

One of the pros is the fact that I am proir service (not every parent can make that claim, but the point is I've been trained in some situations) and would not hesitate in the defence of my child or other children to do what was necessary in whatever situation. I'm sure that most parents would make the same claim, but as the saying goes "if you haven't been there, you wouldn't understand". It's not as easy as some people think to make that choice. And there is the con that goes with that. People do freeze in high stress situations and therefore could add to the body count. Remember most school systems (Board of Ed) are not only interested in the safety of the children, but the safety of the public at large because they are a branch of your local government.

The next pro about having a parent in the school is that they would see what our teachers go through on a daily basis with these children now. And that could be a con too. To see what kind of unruly children are at some schools, might overwhelm the local "child protective service". After all, have you been to a local elementary school lately? There was one time when I was dropping off my child and overheard some of the kids calling a monitor all kinds of four letter words because he was trying to get them lined up to get breakfast. Just to get in line for breakfast. If it was my kid, they'd have gotten that mouth washed out with soap...but being a member of the school, you can't say anything to them...do anything about it...nothing, without the parent of the child coming to sue the school system. How are you with handling total lack of respect? And as a parent, there's a con.

The list goes on and on as far as the issue goes. It really is a great idea of having someone in the school, but I think I like the "Resource Officer" idea better. Police are trained much better to deal with the kind of situations you would run into in a school. And let's face it, the saying is true...you really can't outrun the radio.

Here's a link so everyone can see what kind of guns killed these children. These were assault weapons, not guns for hunting animals, but guns for shooting people. Some say the semi-automatic handguns killed the victims, but last I read, the coroner said they were all killed by the assault rifle. Does it make any difference which weapon of war killed them?

Today is a day to mourn for these precious children and their teachers and today is the day to speak up, Americans, and tell the NRA that we will not let them or their supporters bully us anymore.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/15/inside-sandy-hook-elementary-school/1772307/

BAN ALL AUTOMATIC AND SEMI-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS.

AnaBanana-1782128

Your wrong and your ignorance is showing my freind.

I think we should ban lightning because it kills people

Lets ban far left fat communists like Adam Lanza

Fat adam Lanza looks like a lefty Hipster. Lets ban hipsters

OK is this guy truly a "suspect" or did he in FACT "gun down" twenty kids? Seems pretty cut and dried; he's the killer so why this "suspect" nonsense? After all, he did Off himself as the cops closed in, right? Filthy coward killed little kids but wouldn't face armed men. Little good will come out of his suicide but at least we're spared an arraignment, trail, and the rest of the media circus that would have followed an arrest. So, Mr. Sicko...thanks for Offing yourself..too bad you didn't think of that solution a couple of days ago and left the innocent alone.

Let's ban lefties ,they kill people- see Adam Lanza

No doubt this event was a tragedy, but don't let the media scare you into giving your rights away under the guise of "safety". The media always refers to weapons as assault rifles. When little to no crimes are commited with them. Real assault rifles are select fire (automatic and burst shots). Rifles like AK-47, M-16, INSAS, etc... Military grade rifles! An AR-15 is not an assault rifle. It is a regular semi-automatic rifle and the "A" in its name doesn't stand for assault it stands for Armalite. The rifle's exterior just looks "scary", but the insides are basicly the same as any other semi-automatic rifle. It even has a smaller round than a lot of hunting rifles. The media constantly missuses terms to confuse people about the issue. Just because a weapon is used in an assault does not make it an assault weapon.

Nice theory but people that use guns to commit crimes dont purchase them

They don't? I can think of at least 3 mass shootings just recently that were all accomplished by guns and ammo legally purchased by the shooter.

DOCJT

Nice theory but people that use guns to commit crimes dont purchase them

They don't? I can think of at least 3 mass shootings just recently that were all accomplished by guns and ammo legally purchased by the shooter.

They dont. The fact is these " mass shootings" are extremely rare. IF you really want to the problem with guns on a intelligent level and not the media sensationalism Kool Aide that you seem to like, you'll see the illegal hangun is the problem and its not even close.

But hey , lets ban guns and not solve the real problem " mental illness". Push the agenda and dont solve the problem. Typical in this country.

Of course cars and the people that use them irresponsibly kill 5* more people each day. Let's forget that , it doesnt fall into your agenda

crazy kids do crazy stuff...don't undestand why they go to schools to do this crap...maybe it's all the media hype and everybody talking bout it...they see it as way to let the world know how tormented their minds were...and get that attention...even though they ain't around to enjoy it...and that's just crazy...

The progressive far left communist like adam lanza is the problem. Why is the press covering up his facebook page. Its like when they covered up Treyvon Martins real photo

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

ronnie milsap....you are a little unbalanced, I'm afraid. Do you really think that prayer not being in schools had anything to do with this tragedy? Hmmm...by that same logic, we haven't had one single World War since we have taken prayer out of school. Don't be so stupid....this was a nut with access to an assault weapon, nothing more. There are no answers here....except maybe making it a little tougher for nut cases like this a$$hole to have access to assault weaponry. I don't believe in god at all, but I would never shoot up a mall, school, or anything else for that matter. Talking about believing in fairy tales! You believe in the ultimate fairy tale with your belief that a sky-being is up there monitoring your behaviour!

@ rdonham: That's not the same Adam Lanza. He doesn't have the same facial structure.

annabanna - you are so mis informed about gun violence. I am involved with law enforcement for a living the crimes comitted by illegal firearms are so under broadcast it is unbelievable. The crimes comitted by legally registered weapons is not even 1%. Keep your stupid biased comments in the closet.

Usually during these mass shootings, they have the photo of the person up shortly after the attack. I have never seen so much erroneous and misinformation about a story like this. It looks like the press is deliberately trying to cover up the fact that Adam was a far left progressive. Its like they decided to show a baby picture and not the photo of the leftist with the communist fist.

Why is the press lying?

@ rdonham: That's not the same Adam Lanza. He doesn't have the same facial structure.

It is him, I ran the photo through my facial recognition software. That is the real Adam Lanza

rdonham - I get where you're coming from. We are so quick to place blame and then MOVE ON, not seriously addressing the real underlying problems. (A case in point - when Bush went after the WMD in a country which now it's admitted really didn't have any. A knee-jerk reaction to appear that action was being taken and the problem would be solved. We all know the problem wasn't. The underlying problem of what in the world the USA is doing to garner such hatred is not seriously addressed. Obama tried to build some bridges and got lambasted for it by the same people who are against personal gun ownership but rally around politicians who threaten then follow through with mass murder of civilian citizens in trying to get to some so called-terrorist types.)

Oh-yeah, I get what you're saying. And I mostly agree. Americans are being dumbed down for some weird times ahead. People, my fellow citizens please don't swallow what the media and political (public servants actually) people feed out. Learn to think outside the comfy box a little.

We strain out a bug and swallow a buffalo. I'd happily give up war-mongering by our public servants in exchange for loads of tax money not spent on war which could be routed to mental health care thereby lessening terrible acts of violence such as by this boy on other kids and adults.

Agreed, Hope but remember , it wasnt all bush. Google " democrat quotes on Iraq" The democrats also thought there was WMDs and voted for the war then conveniently used it as a political weapon.

The government wants everyone divided

Melinda K, I remember that day in San Diego. Brenda A Spencer 1979, I don't like Mondays.

Lets look at "assault" rifles that are available to the public, it is all semantics, case and point

Ruger mini 14
http://www.ruger.com/products/mini14RanchRifle/models.html

AR15

http://www.bushmaster.com/firearms/competition.asp

They are both semiautomatic rifles, both have 20 round magazines, both shoot .223 round and both are very accurate.

Ruger mini 30

http://www.ruger.com/products/miniThirty/models.html

AK47

http://www.cabom.se/img/products/30551204/product-30551204-big.jpg

Both are semi automatic rifles, both shoot the 7.62x39mm round, the Ruger is very accurate, the AK not so much, the Ruger has a 20 round magazine, the AK pictured has a larger magazine 30 round I believe.

Higher capacity magazines are available for each but will effect the balance of the rifle, all four are semi automatic, each pull of the trigger shoots one round only. The main difference in these rifles is in their appearance, not much else.

A true assault weapon has burst capacity, one pull of the trigger shoots three rounds, or have full automatic(machine gun) capabilities. None of these rifles have either of these capabilities, nor are they readily available to the public, the rules about owning a true assault rifle are very strict and in the full auto versions are usually very expensive(thousands of dollars), usually $8,000 and up.

We need to stop arguing over the semantics of appearance and focus on the true issues, registration and transfer, be it a private or commercial sale, proper background checks, and a list of those who are not mentally stable enough to own a gun.

An assault weapons ban is little more than a feel good response to an issue, that doesn't address the real issues. Gun crime statistics during and after the assault weapons ban show little if any difference per capita. We have responsibility, accountability and mental health care issues that need to be addressed, a feel good assault weapons ban will accomplish nothing and avoid addressing the real issues. The NRA is nothing but a conservative lobby, no I am not a member and do not agree with much of their philosophy or political agenda, however to the best of my knowledge they do not support the sale of true assault weapons to the general public, I could be wrong but I have never seen anything to say the NRA supports the sale of true assault weapons.

Lets not be blinded and misled by catch phrases and lets address the real issues in a way that will make a real difference, and the members of congress need to educate themselves on the real information instead of uneducated, empty speech and legislation that will not accomplish anything of any real value.

Just to keep a little perspective here

If the link does not show up, you can simply search the net for a story entitled 22 school students stabbed in China-World-DNA. The reality is, if someone wants to do something evil, they will. Weapons are just that. Banning guns will not answer the problem of mental illness. In this world, there are plenty of ways to kill someone if you want to do it.

Reality: 9/11 Terrorists used Box Cutters and Airplanes
Reality: Timothy McVeih used fertilizer
Reality: Nazis used cyanide gas

The problem has nothing to do with guns. But it's easier to blame the inanamate object then to face the fact that a person is sick.

stevef00 - please go educate yourself on "assault weaponry", then come back so we can have an educated discussion on the matter. A Bushmaster .223 is not an assault weapon. It is a semi-automatic rifle, no different than any other semi-automatic hunting rifle or handgun. When the trigger is pressed, one shot is fired, not a hail of bullets as with an automatic military rifle.

Most Americans have chosen to take God out of the family and He has certainly been taken out of the schools. Add to that the lack of morality taught anywhere at all and the relativism of everything - no right or wrong any more. Then add some blow-'em-up movies, video games, and rap music. A perfect storm for events like this.

JD,

The man in China who stabbed 22 children with a knife did not kill them.

If the crazy killer in Connecticut had only had a knife, then the majority of those children and teachers would still be alive today.

That argument is weak and ridiculous. Let it go.

There are a lot of things I don't understand about this tragic event, but one thing is...If the wounds on the victims were inflicted by the assault rifle, how is it that the rifle was found in the trunk of the car, and not near the body of the gunman who supposedly fired it?

My sympathies to the families who are being forced to deal with the grief of the sudden, senseless loss of loved ones...

Do you really think so Silverton? I suppose you would have to see my comment at 2.13 then.

So comfortably sitting in your more then likely sub-urbian home, commenting about these things would make you an expert on the subject of mass killings? I at least leave that kind of expertise to police officials, but ok. So do you actually know if there was a death toll in that story, because most non-US stories don't really give much of a report on that because they don't need to sensationalize the public. Especially not the propaganda news media out of China.

You seem to love to shout "ban assault weapons" and "blame the NRA". Are these the only ideas you can come up with? Just as a quick question, what is really an assault weapon? When I was in the army, we did assaults with SAWs (Squad Automatic Weapon for all you non military types), fully auto M16s and M14s, and the occasionnal M60. Sure, we had either our M1911 or 9mm sidearm for close combat, but most things were longer range. So what defines an assaut weapon? Is it something you assail with, or are we talking about range effectiveness, or magazine capasity? Firing rate? And what the hell does the NRA have to do with this shooting anyway?

I have a five shot magazine in my 30/06 rifle. You would be amazed how fast I can reload and continue firing this rifle if I had to. Not to mention the nine shot capasity of my 1911 .45 cal. But I choose not to go around shooting people.

Your arguement is weak based on the fact that you really don't have one. The problem is not the guns, the problem is the guns in the wrong hands. The hands of the mentally unstable or anarchist (whichever you veiw this person as). Perhaps if you could stay on working the real problem, rather then blaming the inanamate object, you could come up with something real to contribute.

Murder is already illegal, no new legislation required there. People who want to acquire guns will get them whether they are legal or not, see Mexico, for example which has has very tough guns laws. Gun laws are obeyed by law abiding people and not so much by psychopaths and criminals. The Brady Bill and historical attempts to enact gun control have done little if anything to curb events like this and other high profile mass shootings. Maybe the attention should be focused on the murderers and the fact that they are sick and/or rotten people. Media does not help things by turning the perps into celebrities. By the end of next week you will probably know every single detail of Adam Lanza's life, maybe attention for his crappy life and sick ideas is exactly what he wanted. There are surely others like him in the wings. These events are great for ratings which is why they get excessive non stop coverage, not so good for the victims.

Too often, people making comments here are letting their own emotions and political ideologies dictate what they perceive is the only logical answer. There are NO easy answers here! Banning guns, cars and steak knives will NOT solve the problems!

FYI: I lost both my only sisters in car accidents years ago. I don't advocate banning cars. In my large, extended family, there have been cousins who died in car accidents. We've lost no one to gun deaths and there are many gun owners and regular hunters in the family. Personally, I don't own one but I won't deny any responsible person should be able to own one.

The biggest issue, by far, in this country is our mental health - and the attitude (and stigma) too many perceive is anyone with a 'mental illness' is 'nuts' or 'crazy' or 'wacko'. This, I suppose, means I'm nuts! I've suffered from depression for most of my adult life BUT have kept it under control with the use of medications for decades. I feel great! To top it off, I found out in 1997 I also have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). By then, I was in my 40's and lived a life jumping from job to job, relationship to relationship, and complete chaos. My 'shrink' put me on Adderall and I've been using it ever sense. Now, I've had the same job since 1999 - and love it. I also do a great job for my employer. I haven't been in a relationship for many years - and I'm fine with this! But, I'm probably the exception.

When my oldest son was sent to Iraq in '04, he'd served his country honorably for over 4 yrs. receiving numerous promotions and awards for his leadership. But when exposed to the extreme trauma and atrocities of war, he broke. He had asked for help while there but was told to get more sleep and they couldn't spare him to take off for ANY amount of time. Instead of helping him, he was medivaced from combat and sent back to the U.S. - and placed in the brig! After numerous suicide attempts and trips to the hospital for mental issues, even accused of "malingering" his symptoms, he was finally diagnosed with PTSD AND bi-polar disorder. They prescribed medications that weren't helpful to him and tried a few others as limited by the govt. They finally released him with an OTH (other than honorable) discharge without so much as a days worth of medication when they took him to the airport and sent him home. I didn't even receive a phone call of his return until he landed at the airport - in the middle of the night - and live over an hour from the airport. This started many years of battles with the VA and USMC to change his discharge (to this day have NOT been successful) and to make a long story short, he now has to survive on $800/mo on SSI. THIS IS HOW THE GOVT. TREATS A MENTALLY ILL VETERAN! My son still thrives but has good days and bad. But let me stress one important detail: If not for NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and their Family-to-Family program, I'd be a basket case! They were a life-saver for ME to help me cope - and help - my son. The relationship I have with my son (and his younger brother) is exceptional and loving! There are challenges every single day - and hoping upon hope HE won't give up on life!

My apologies for this long post! However, the point I'm trying to make is the need and awareness everyone needs to know about mental health issues. Twenty percent of Americans over 18 suffer some form of mental illness AND about 5% suffer serious disorders. This means the likelihood of someone YOU KNOW who is suffering (most often in SILENCE) is extremely high! You need to know the 'signs' and the best options for how to help. For some, it's not going to be too difficult while others will deny there's a problem. Whatever you do NEVER tell someone to "snap out of it"!

If you want to prevent more tragedies like this from happening in the future, the problem isn't with banning guns, cars, etc. Contact politicians to provide increased funding for mental health - not wars and MORE prisons to incarcerate the mentally challenged! Look at the issues with homelessness: HIGH percentage with mental illness; same with veterans and even parents who are unable to parent when suffering. The awareness is tremendous - such as perhaps for a parent raising a mentally ill child would know better than to purchase guns and keep at the same home!

AnaBanana and Antistupidity are on the right track with sensible comments that don't vilify but attempt to find a sensible middle ground; as Anti said "We need to stop arguing over the semantics of appearance and focus on the true issues, registration and transfer, be it a private or commercial sale, proper background checks, and a list of those who are not mentally stable enough to own a gun."

I'd add that all occupants of a home should be considered when background checks are conducted as this situation has illustrated. Further, we must understand that virtually every gun begins as a legal weapon but far too many become illegal through improper sales, transfers and theft and the last person to have legally owned a weapon must be held accountable when its use strays to the illegal. If a gun is lost or stolen it must be reported immediately or the owner must face serious charges. If it is lost or stolen because it wasn't properly secured the owner is responsible. If someone allows another access to firearms they must assume equal responsibility for their use. This should extend as far as charging the last legal owner and each subsequent person in possession with the same crime as the ultimate user as an accessory. Had she not died Nancy Lanza sholud have been charged with 27 counts of murder.

Why is this still a news story? The families of those killed and of the survivors do not need to keep hearing about it. It is horrible thing that happened. We'll never know what was going inside Adam Lanza's head and frankly I could care less. I am more interested the seeing to it that the families and the town of Newtown, have a quiet time to grieve and to move on. Across the nation, last night, people stood in candlelight vigils to show support to the families and to grieve with them. Why haven't these events been reported? Give Newtown peace and compassion not constant news about the incident.

This was not the act of a troubled youth, he was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist. Look at his facebook page before it was deleted. Ask yourself why is the media using photos of Adam Lanza that are 8 yrs old when ones like this one is freely available. The media doesnt want you to know about his political affiliations because that would stop them from their Citizen Disarmament Program. Take a look for yourself, this is not a fake. Lots of us got to the page and copied it before facebook could delete it.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

This was not the act of a troubled youth, he was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist.

This is not the reason either. There is only one reason - Adam Kanza chose to do this. He made a choice that effected the lives of many.

SurroundedByFools

stevef00 - please go educate yourself on "assault weaponry", then come back so we can have an educated discussion on the matter. A Bushmaster .223 is not an assault weapon. It is a semi-automatic rifle, no different than any other semi-automatic hunting rifle or handgun.

You may wish to educate yourself as well. The Assault Weapons Ban defined an assault rifle as having a detachable magazine and any two other characteristics that might include telescoping stock, pistol grip, bayonet lug, grenade launcher or fire suppressor. In other words, a semi-automatic rifle that looks lethal. So a Bushmaster would qualify, even though it is no different than any other semi-automatic hunting rifle in shooting characteristics, if it had a flash suppressor and a pistol grip. In fact, many states ban weapons such as the AR-15 for hunting big game because they are too small in caliber.

Getmadstaymad

This was not the act of a troubled youth, he was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist. Look at his facebook page before it was deleted. Ask yourself why is the media using photos of Adam Lanza that are 8 yrs old when ones like this one is freely available. The media doesnt want you to know about his political affiliations because that would stop them from their Citizen Disarmament Program. Take a look for yourself, this is not a fake. Lots of us got to the page and copied it before facebook could delete it.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

What is even stranger is that the liberal press got it deleted after the crime hence the strange an undocumented delay in the facts

Why is the liberal press hiding the real Adam Lanza?

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

Why is the liberal press lying to us?

We, as American citizens were given the right to bear arms by the second amendment in the constitution of the United States, in the hopes that one would make use of this freedom for the sake of protection and the survival of oneself and one's family.

However, as a country we have abused the right bestowed by that amendment, and have taken the constitution out of context in accordance with the law. Because of the act of irresponsibility on the part of gun ownership, there must and will be re-precautions. We have taken for granted the liberties of the United States and have taken advantage of it, handling this liberty in negligent ways.

With our advancing societies, technology in weaponry is far more powerful than the years in which the amendment was written. Thanks to technology, weaponry is more accessible to the public than ever before. Although, weapons do and will continue to serve as a protection to our society, they are weapons that must not be taken lightly to the consideration that they could be used against us.

Therefore, just as a child who abuses their freedoms by neglecting to do their homework and is punished by restriction....we as a nation have abused our right, and thus should be limited in the usage of bearing arms and should be harshly regulated for the safety of citizens. Authorities with stronger regulations will be pushed and encourage to track black market schemes as a result of the regulations placed upon them against improper use of weaponry.

As mush as we are a country of liberty, freedom, and equality, we are also a country of fairness, justice, truth, and most importantly balance and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom has a cost, and it requires the proper usage of it. Balance is the key to order. Regulations bring balance and order to an advancing society. We no longer live in the 18th century, when the American government was born. We now live in the 21st century, where things must and WILL change.

Jim O and rrodham,

Police report; "Most guns recovered used in crimes were legally purchased." I repeat LEGALLY PURCHASED. This was in 2010 Don't know how far back the data goes but Jim O I'm not sure what you do for law enforcement but making policy decisions or media statements should not be your responsibility. You know nothing. Google it yourself. I recommend staying away from the NRA as they lie more than they print truths.

@ 20 years old, he should have been @ WORK.!!! Slacker.!!

Surely simple. You have a 20-year old man living with a divorced mother who is struggling to make a living (she substituted at the elementary) in a very peaceful and safe town, who has quite a few heavy assault weapons registered under her name. Now, the kid is very withdrawn and shy, and not very social with a few psychological problems.

What these problems are, is at present a matter of speculation. But he shoots the mother several times on the head with her guns, goes to the elementary school where she had worked as a substitute, to kill as many as he can, and then shoots himself on the head.

I would sincerely say, if the mother needed psychological help, as it appears, someone should've been concerned about her and her son.

What I fail to comprehend is that if, as the mother of a known mentally unstable 20 year old living in her house, she had all these firearms and ammunition in her house, why did she not keep the weapons and ammunition properly secured in a gun safe? I own several firearms and keep all my weapons and ammo safely stored with trigger locks and in a safe. By not doing so, that young man's mother helped contribute to what happened at that school and she and many innocent people paid the ultimate price for her negligence and lack of foresight.

@ LITTLEROCK..I do not believe she was struggling financially ...Did you see the house she lived in...?How much money she paid for those guns? I would not call that struggle ,her husband a CEO to a financial firm ,I'm very sure she got a hefty spousal support with that wacko in her care .They are in denial now no one knows what happen COMMON..... they were too proud register him as a nut head ,That is why they spread rumors that he is genius .I have no sympathy for her except for the father and the brother that kid is screwed, he also had the nerve to carry his brother 's ID.

While it can be incredibly difficult to get help for a mentally disturbed family member (as I can attest from long difficult experience), I am hearing nothing from this family that suggests they ever really tried to get such help. Instead, the mom, in particular tried home schooling and bonding with her son at the shooting range. Teaching a mentally disturbed child marksmanship is unbelievably bad judgment!

What I really don't understand is how this mother, or any parent with a child, who knows that their child has a mental or serious disciplinary problem, would even consider leaving a gun in the house. Where was this parents mind? In this case money certainly wasn't a problem, so why were these guns not locked securely in a safe, or better yet in a separate storage facility? If you have a child with problems, it is your paramount responsibility to remove all firearms from anyplace that child may have access to. Even with perfectly healthy children you should be certain that all guns are secured & not able to be accessed by your children with out your immediate & direct supervision. Shat happens!

In some cases you might actually whant to consider selling your guns.

(tongue in cheek) I agree with all the sarcastic comments about banning cars, lightening, etc. We shouldn't ban anything. I should be able to have nuclear bombs.

"

"Reality: 9/11 Terrorists used Box Cutters and Airplanes
Reality: Timothy McVeih used fertilizer
Reality: Nazis used cyanide gas

The problem has nothing to do with guns. But it's easier to blame the inanamate object then to face the fact that a person is sick."

nonsense! this mother had apparently known her son was violent and nuts since he was 9? over 11 years ago?

but she somehow thought it was acceptable to have not one handgun for defense but three guns, including a 30 round assault rifle?

im sorry but your own enjoyment of shooting doesnt trump the fact that your child has KNOWN mental problems! at the very LEAST these things should have been locked up with no way for him to get to them! much less even in the home!

this kid was apparently a recluse whom didnt even leave the house! if there werent guns there, these killing swould NOT have taken place! this kid wasnt going to go and get a gun somewhere else in my book. he'd have just hung himself at home or whatever nuts do but he certainly wouldnt have had the opportunity to waste 27 people!

yes, guns ARE the problem! easy access is what caused this. 30 round assault rifles are NOT "home defense" weapons.

it doesnt mater, the guns are never going to go away.

lets just see how many days it takes for the next one.. 3? 5? a week?

whose nutso child or relative will get to their parents stash of guns next and kill everyone?

we'll have to wait and see, but wont have to wait long! we have GAURANTEED THAT what with 9 guns for every 10 people in this country. go NRA! they dont care who lives or dies, they dont care how the guns are used, hunting, suicide, homicide.. theyre all fine choices as long as youre buying!!!!

ya know, with all these murders hapening, it'd be a LOT safer if you went and bought another gun! get shopping america!!

gun sales will spike with this latest massacre. they ALWAYS DO!! THANKS!

The father of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza, Peter Lanza, was the tax director for General Electric, a corporation that paid -0- taxes on 14.2 billion dollars in profits last year. According to Fabian4Liberty, Peter Lanza was scheduled to testify in the ongoing global LIBOR scandal. In what could only be described an amazing coincidence, the father of Colorado Batman shooter James Holmes, Robert Holmes, was also a LIBOR witness in his position with FICO. According to the link at FICO, Robert Holmes was a ‘Fraud Scientist’.

This was not a coincidence. These young men were given psychotropic drugs. The same drugs that were given to our servicemen in experiments in Irak and Afghanistan. Many of those servicemen killed their wives or committed suicide. The reason behind these killings at least in Colorado and Conn. is to shut up the very witnesses that were due to give testimony before the Senate.

The father of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza, Peter Lanza, was the tax director for General Electric, a corporation that paid -0- taxes on 14.2 billion dollars in profits last year. According to Fabian4Liberty, Peter Lanza was scheduled to testify in the ongoing global LIBOR scandal. In what could only be described an amazing coincidence, the father of Colorado Batman shooter James Holmes, Robert Holmes, was also a LIBOR witness in his position with FICO. According to the link at FICO, Robert Holmes was a ‘Fraud Scientist’.

For all the readers following this post, please pay attention to a lesson we must learn from this tragedy: if you have children with mental issues at home, PLEASE, do NOT keep lethal weapons at home within their reach. Get rid of them or at least be completely sure they are away from the children's reach.

I have much empathy and understanding for Peter Lanza. This was his son, and you can only love your children no matter how ugly their behavior, or how heinous their crime. You can hate what they did. But, you can only love them.

Having said that, Adam Lanza should not have been anywhere near guns. PERIOD.

And THAT's the problem here. We need common sense gun control laws that will prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future.

I don't want to hear the standard N.R.A. CRAP about how "guns don't kill people, people kill people" and the standard fare of trite, meaningless comparisons we are fed whenever people start to talk about gun laws in this country.

We have seen this same scenario too many times, and we have become far too immune to the horror that we should feel every-time it happens.

What are supposed to do? Arm 8 and 9 year old elementary school students?

The answer isn't more guns. It's less guns. Anyone who can't see that needs to take off their N.R.A.-rose-colored-sunglasses and take a good, cold, hard look at the tragic reality that is the Newtown massacre.

Illegal guns will always be available. Legal guns can be stolen as well. You can look on the Internet and find out how to make a bomb with household products. Knives and cars also kill people. Car bombs can kill people. The list of ways to kill a bunch of little kids is long.

Since none of those items actually cause someone to want to kill others/himself, why don't we just take a look at what could do that?? Hmmm. I think we have a winner - PSYCH MEDS!!!!!! Yep, do the research and you will find that just about every single person that went nuts and killed a bunch of people/themselves had been taking these marvelous drugs - drugs that contain the warning of possible side effects - HOMICIDAL THOUGHTS/SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.

Why doesn't anyone on these posts express righteous indignation with the pharmaceutical companies who rake in billions of dollars each year for drugs that have been proven not only to not work but to cause devastating results.

Raygirl or anyone else on her who has not studied history! The men who wrote the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment had just fought a war for independence from a despotic, tyrannical government! they did not, let me repeat, did not write that for HUNTING! And, yes there are such things as assault rifles in the possesion of citizens. Because we are CITIZENS, not slaves.

Now to address another issue, our government( President) has authorized the killing of many more children than this in Pakistan, Iraq and Afganistan by Predator drone strikes. Our government continues to allow, nay encourage, the shipment of all kinds of weapons to foreign groups. Shouldn't they be held accountable for those attrocities? Don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Our homicide by gun rate is 2.97 per 100,000 population; accidental death by firearm rate is .27 per 100,000. The next highest homicide by gun rate and accidental firearm death rate in the G12 is Switzerland with .52 and .1 per 100,000 respectively. Cited at http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2012/07/23/gun-violence-is-a-u-s-public-health-problem/

Sorry, we do not just have a homicide problem. We have a firearms problem; and, the sooner we begin rational discussion about how we can deal with this, the better!

The second amendment is for each state to have the right to form a militia for their own defense. At this time, it is important that we create legislation to address the problem of gun violence. Guns don't kill people, people do. Do we really want to continue to hear of incidents like Virginia Tech, Aurora, Gabby Gifford, Portland Oregon, the man who accidentally killed his son because he thought his son was a burglar or a child sitting safely at home being shot by a stray bullet? It is time to take action.

Homeland security has been keeping our schools safe, because we had a stated threat they "the terrorists" would target children. Doesn't anyone remember why we have Homeland security? It would be more advantages to have civil defence, and cheaper.

does the UAW send counselors to auto accidents?

Its stricter to get a car license then it is to get a GUN LICENSE.

Probably because you far more likely to be in an accident or killed with a car than you ever will be with a gun.

Apparently he played those violent videos as well. So if you are passing out blame, how about those manufacturers that make millions selling ways to become killers.

The mother supposedly stopped working, or volunteering to stay home she said to take care of her son. Her co-workers didn't think that was odd. Really? What mother stays on to take care of a 20 years old man? I think we know that answer.

An aunt just said the mother had so many guns in her home for protection. That is utter nonsense. I believe in the right to bear arms, but I think for protection one gun would suffice. Additionally, where they live was by no means a dangerous area.

I do feel very sorry for the family that was unable to deal with their son's issues. This isn't just a gun issue, but a society that says one thing and does quite the other. Hollywood makes violent movies all day long. Do they not think that advocating stricter gun laws and then making money selling violence is a bit hypocritical?

Why do we sell assault weapons? They are meant to kill something. Why do we sit for hours playing violent video games unless we like the content? Why do we go to movies with lots of horror? We like the pretend horror, but not the real thing?

"Does the UAW send counselors to auto accidents?" This was no accident. It was premeditated mass murder.

Theboys, I can answer 1 question you are asking. By how he was described in another article, I believe the shooter had autism spectrum disorder. In which case, he may have needed someone to care for him. But it sounds like the mother did not get any outside help for him. I have a child with autism (aspergers) and I know that you have to get outside help from doctors, therapists, etc. in order to help the child deal with their sensory issues and the social and emotional issues that come from having autism.

I'm not sure what the gun license laws are in CT. Here in IL you have to submit to a State Police background check and a three day waiting period to get a handgun. A one day waiting period for a long gun is required. Seems to me that is just a bit harder than getting a drivers license!!

According to other reports the shooter tried to buy a gun earlier in the week but was prevented because of his age and waiting the period to buy a gun in CT. Although I now hear those reports may have not been true. Great factual reporting we have in our media today!!

That would not have helped in CT shootings as the shooter took the guns from his mother who was the legal owner.

Why this mother has unsecured firearms in a home with a person with mental problems is beyond me. Perhaps that is an issue to include in the discussions.

common sense?

the point is simply they are both lobby groups .

as for the rest of the posters here, most of whom believe it was the ownership of firearms that caused this;

you do realise that he STOLE the guns right?

or do all you people really, really, believe mom just handed em over and said: oh BTW shoot me first"..???

What does the NRA have to do with this? Here we go again, the blame game... I am sure you like the idea of holding everyone else accountable, but forget the individuals that either mess up or flip out. But do you actually know who is to blame? Take a look into the mirror, and point the finger at yourself. While other countries that so many point out, have strict gun laws, and have less of these mass shooting, but most of these countries also have a better system for dealing with the mentally ill, while we just don't care.

Has anybody notice that almost in all of these shootings, people saw these people with serious mental issues before the shootings? From what little is known so far, this shooter definitely had some serious mental issues that others had notice all the way back to grade school. The shooter has been described as shy, and a loner, but hey nothing wrong there until they describe the circumstances. Pushing himself up against a wall to avoid any contact with others, or avoiding others by going or taking different route when others approach him. That is not someone that is shy and a loner, that is someone that had some major problems going on in their head.

Now what do we do in our society for the mentally ill, absolutely nothing, until they go berserk, and then we throw them into prison, and that is how we deal with them. Blaming the NRA or anyone else for that matter will do nothing now or for the future, because we have to stop ignoring mental illness first. I can guarantee this, if you outlaw guns, it won't stop these outburst, because they will resort to other stuff, and some will be more horrifying than any of these shootings.

Adam Lanza's Facebook page before it was deleted by facebook.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

I'm not a doctor and I'm not an expert. I am just an old guy with a granddaughter who is autistic. Over the years I have collected bits and pieces of information from doctors, books, internet searches, etc. and I do not believe there is any connection at all between autism and this kind of violence. That is not to say an autistic person could not do this horrible thing but it would not be autism that pushed him/her over the edge. Please .. Please .. Please do not start labeling autistic persons as being violent and murderers. They have enough hardship in their lives to contend with. Please spend your energies praying for these victims and family members. They need all of the care and help we can give them - if only from a distance.

I couldn't agree with you more David. The problem is dealing with mental illness. But how do you spot it? Can you really treat it in someone who doesn't want to face thier issues? Can these thing be prevented early by having every school aged child sit down with a licenced counselor around the 7th or 8th grade? Should they be seen again after or earlier?

The issue is a hard one to crack, and blaming guns and responsible gun owners is not the answer. If I were to go off and shoot someone, they don't put my weapon on trial for murder...they put me on trial for murder. My weapon is evidence, I am responsible. This is why the issue is so hard to crack. It's easier to blame the inanamant object then to really believe that someone is just this sick. But there are people who are, and then we would have to work the question of "Nature or Nurture" again. And that one is just too hard to face because parents have to take responsablity. Wow, imagine the possibility of a person taking responsibility...

So as a quick question to all those "gun ban" advocates, what would have happened if there was no gun and he walked in with a knife, sword, or machette? Have you ever witnessed a mass murder in a third world country where some deaths are not as quick and humane as a bullet? Some place where say...they cut the breast off women in a village so they cannot nurse the young? Believe me, this could have been ALOT more horrific.

JD - yes, underage people are in the care of parents first and foremost. After that, perhaps a caring doctor, teacher, counselor, priest or rabbi. All of these could step in and at least try to help. And many do fortunately. Until a person reaches the age of responsibility say 18 or 21 they can be ordered to receive treatment by parents. That's it in a nutshell.

Now actually doing something is another matter with so many out of work, sick themselves, no health insurance, and a society which loves to spend millions on bombs in other countries but could hardly care less about its own citizens health and well-being.

My two cents.

Thank you hope, it's a shame I can't "Like" comments on here. And I agree, this country has had a very skewd view for quite some time. I believe in keeping security for the nation by keeping an eye on what's going on in the world. But we have neglected our citizenry for far too long. It's a shame that we keep electing into office people who care more about what goes on everywhere else then thier own back yard. It's a shame that we don't follow what our constitution designed elections for. The idea was to elect new representation every four or six years so that we could have new ideas for our government, which would be in the best interests of it's citizens. Instead, we have professional politicians who spend thier lives in office working the same, old, outdated ideas. And then you wind up with what we have today, a government which is polarized and crippled with no idea how to actually move ahead in the best interests of it's citizenary. So now, it's easier to look at the problems elsewhere then to look in the mirror at what we've become and then try to find answers. Seems kinda sad really when it comes to the country that I love

@chipndale610...

Thank you for what you wrote. As the mother of a 14 y.o. son with Asperger's, it hurts to see and hear misconceptions regarding "mental illness" and "Autism" and "Asperger's". He has been watching the news and we had a long discussion regarding mental illness and Asperger's. Yes, the shooter may have had an Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that would not be the cause for this type of behavior. For an instant, after listening to the news reports and comments, my son had a fleeting fear and asked the question "Does Asperger's develop into this type of mental illness?" I had to assure him that it does not. He is kind, intelligent, sensitive, caring, humorous. He "hates" having Asperger's simply because he feels awkward in social situations and is always concerned if he is "acting right"... "Natural" actions in social situations do not come naturally - He makes great effort to smile when someone says hello to him and to talk to people (like sales clerks, waiters, etc.) in a friendly, confident manner. What is second-nature for most of us requires thought and a great deal of conscious energy for those who have an ASD.

My son said he wishes people - parents included - would stop playing violent video games like Call of Duty and "shooting guns" (yes, we hear random gun shots in our town and it is unsettling... huge gang presence in our area). He wishes parents would set better examples for their kids by paying attention to what their kids say, do, how they dress, etc. He is no longer in public school due to the distractions and disciplinary problems he witnessed daily. Fortunately, he was not bullied, but he did not "connect" with the kids in his school... He is white and was a minority in his school; he is not into drugs, drinking, facebook, texting, etc. He is into running, walking, Legos reading and wants to learn all he can about gaining the skills he is aware that he will need to function on his own one day. He could have benefited from the social atmosphere at school, but as he said "Mom, the only thing I see socially there are a bunch of kids who don't behave, swear and are rude". Wake up America. We've become a real cesspool and it's time we all started doing something to stop this.

We have both cried every day since hearing the news of this most recent shooting. Our hearts and prayers are definitely going out to all who have been affected by this. As a parent, I cannot begin to comprehend the horror of what these parents are experiencing. I want out children, our teachers, our families to be safe. I want those with mental illness to have access to the care they need... whether they are children or adults. I want a world without guns. I know. I'm dreaming.

The Asperger's debate: With a number of people on here bringing this up, you need to realize this is to soon be dropped from the psychiatrists' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, the American publication that is one of the most influential references for the profession around the world.

Care to comment??!

HOW about spoiled brat along with his mother .......FOLKS check his FACE BOOK PHOTO how he throws his fist in the air and claim he is communist and anarchist . I say he was raised a spoiled brat and he dominated his stupid mother that did not teach him anything else besides the books but VIOLENCE !!!! SHOOTING .

Tell me which one of this angels that their life was taking by him ,were communist ,anarchist and parents tough them to shoot guns .He hated the community because they worship GOD and lived a quality life unlike atheist commuinist etc.I lived in the communism for my first 30 years of my life ,I know how evil they are.When you raise a child you watch them what they read and how they feed themselves mentally.His mother is to blame .............. she had the luxury to tech him right from wrong ,She has the blood of all those children on her hands.........Hell is her home along with her brat .

I don't believe that is his facebook page, any more than I believe someone can change their underlying bone structure without major surgery. I mean, FFS- do some of you really believe a person can just grow a dimple in their chin, change their jawline, their brow height, suddenly gain 60+ pounds and require glasses?

I guess it never occurred to the 'conspiracists' that the reason the Facebook page was taken down is that it was a FAKE?

bambi - quite honestly, your allegations of what truths were on display on this supposedly credible Facebook page are specious at best, but your own thoughts which you reveal right here certainly leave me uncomfortable with the fact that you may have children. I love how you make it seem as if communism and atheism go hand in hand. I'd love to introduce you to my communist hating Constitutional Liberatarian colleague who also happens to be an atheist.

" I say he was raised a spoiled brat and he dominated his stupid mother that did not teach him anything else besides the books but VIOLENCE !!!!"

The "I say" says it all...

The blame for this tragedy rests squarely on his mother. This kid suffered from mental illness (as stated by his brother), yet his "Gun Enthusiast" mother kept assault weapons in the home where he had access to them. Due to her negligence she got what she deserved, just as much as someone who dies while drinking and driving deserves their fate. The unfortunate part is her negligence caused the death of so many innocent people. My heart goes out to the victims, all but one of them.

Bob, I feel like your statement is a bit more harsh than the way I would word it, but otherwise, I do agree with you.

@bob: Unfortunately, you are 100% correct. And because there are so many gun-obsessed people like her, and unbalanced people like her son with available access to firearms, these kind of tragedies will continue.

I have never posted a comment before - but...perhaps instead of looking around to see who we can blame and further degrade and de-value, we should all take some accountability for a world we all live in and co-create. We should reflect deeply on the society which we have helped create, and ask different questions. For example - why are so many of these shootings at educational sites? what is happening to our children in the name of "education"? How are these locations perhaps viewed by these young people as symbolic of a type of "violence" done to them? The pressure to "perform", to think and learn in narrow ways that is not indicitive of the way many of our children think and learn, the "ranking" that occurs amongst them - in grades, acceptance, appearance, sports - these all leave many children feeling alienated and disconnected from the rest of their "world" (mainly a school-based world when we are young) and once the feeling of "outsider" is created, and just to survive emotionally they have to disconnect from caring about what other people think, you have the conditions where another human can do this to other humans. We are all implicated in creating the conditions for this type of violence.

But, we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is a violence somewhere out there - it is in each and every one of us that doesn't demand a different way to understand "difference" amongst human beings, and doesn't learn to value equally = multiple perspectives and modes of being. Guns didn't do this, a "mother" didn't create the ability for this young man to be so detached from other humans - we did. All of us. There will never be a way for us to protect ourselves from our own cruelty. We can only start to look at - closely look at - the society which we create every day (through laws, policies, institutional rhetoric, values we speak and re-speak, and written discourses such as this post) where we create human beings who are "less-than" other human beings. It is a bigger problem than law enforcement and government - it is us.

Oh yes Bob,

It's always the mothers fault. Never the father. The country agrees with you unfortunately. Let's always blame the mother. She is such an easy target. Adam agrees with you and took care of the problem by killing his mother. Does that satisfy your anger towards mothers Bob? Get counseling my friend.

Totally agree Jodie Crandall. Unfortunately most in our country don't want to deal with mental issues, or try to make the system better for all. They want to hide it, ignore it, look the other way, and pretend it does not exist. Have you notice how many of these shootings that have taken place, people did notice before hand the odd behavior coming from the eventual shooters. I think the real problem with our society, is that we want a perfect society, but we don't want to pay for it, and that is the bottom line. Lets face it, we would rather blame others than spend the money to fix the problems...

divorced women always think they can raise the kids without dad in the home. 80% of all divorces are filed by women. Then 5-10 years later 90% of them wished they had stayed with their 1st husbands. Thats pretty mixed up. Dont get married unless your going to stay married. Dont have kids unless your going to stay married. Dont buy into the modern drama. This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. Pay particular attention to the "Political Views" on that page. A dedicated Communist/Anarchist killed those kids and teachers. Why is the media trying to cover this up???

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

AnaBanana. I blame the Mother because she was the one who provided her son easy access to the assault weapons. Had he lived with the father and he was the "Gun Enthusiast" who failed to properly secure his weapons, then I would blame the father. I was raised by a single mother and have the utmost respect for ALL mothers who do their best to raise their children in the absence of a father.
But any person who provides access to weapons to mentally unstable people share the blame when tragedies like this occur.

@ Getmadstaymad: Stop your drivel about the facebook page. That is clearly a different Adam Lanza. The real Adam had a diamond shaped face. This guy isn't even remotely close to a diamond shape.

I am a gun nut, However if I had a child with mental issues i would not have them around. Common sense people. Its the same as having two big aggressive dog's in a San Francisco apartment. Sooner or later they will kill someone.

The police have admitted people on social media sites have created FALSE pages claiming to be this Adam Lanza or taking steps to push false intel into the public. So yes that is a FALSE page.

Maybe the parents should have known that their son was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist?

This was not the act of a troubled youth, he was a dedicated Communist/Anarchist. Look at his facebook page before it was deleted. Ask yourself why is the media using photos of Adam Lanza that are 8 yrs old when ones like this one is freely available. The media doesnt want you to know about his political affiliations because that would stop them from their Citizen Disarmament Program. Take a look for yourself, this is not a fake. Lots of us got to the page and copied it before facebook could delete it.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

I was and am completely floored and overwhelmed with your comments. Your words are ever so true.
Hopefully, everyone will look in the mirror and see "us" means the one looking back at them.
I really respect and appreciate your posted comments.

@ lockstep ...How do you think the mother of the monster got to live in the mansion .....? because of his father ....How can you say he did not care ,he even got the job in his firm for the brother that did not keep and the father takes care of older brother .Check your facts before judging .I say again she was too proud to admit her son have a problem .....And what do you expect from a child that is taking to learn how to shoot with assault rifle instead of take him to church ,synagogue or what ever social events .WHY do you thing she had no contact with anyone in the family except through social media ,even her older son had not see them in two years being 100 miles away .Check your facts before jump on people that do their search for a care purpose ,I wish they take her picture off she is un insult to the grieving parents with her stupid smile .

NEWS FLASH !!!!!!

The father of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza, Peter Lanza, was the tax director for General Electric, a corporation that paid -0- taxes on 14.2 billion dollars in profits last year. According to Fabian4Liberty, Peter Lanza was scheduled to testify in the ongoing global LIBOR scandal. In what could only be described an amazing coincidence, the father of Colorado Batman shooter James Holmes, Robert Holmes, was also a LIBOR witness in his position with FICO. According to the link at FICO, Robert Holmes was a ‘Fraud Scientist’.

"Then 5-10 years later 90% of them wished they had stayed with their 1st husbands."

The epitome of futility of having serious discussions about anything serious in America.

Lockstep

Divorcing when the kid needed the stability of a mom and a dad didn't help either

the parents divorced 4 years ago, when the young man was approximately 16 years old. If the parents did not divorce, do you think this horrible tragedy would not have happened?

When 2 adults divorce, the in-house fighting between them is no longer witnessed by the children that had been viewed previous to the divorce. My only concern is that after the divorce, the father had regular visitation rights and utilized them fully to continue the relationship of father and son. If not, then the father has to reconcile that within himself as a "what if".

Your statement am be valid in that case, in that the son did not get the nurture from either. However, I have difficulty as to why the mother, whom the son was living with, did not seek professional counseling for him in light of his strange and quirky behavior. If the father visited regularly, he would have recognized the behavior change in his son also.

Lockstep, this is not just another opportunity to push staying married as any kind of answer. And jack from Jax, we know absolutely nothing about the circumstances this family was in. Your speculation is meaningless.

I guess now it's time for the theory-a-minute discussions to begin as people search for answers. There aren't any answers, and since both the mother and the killer are dead, we're not going to get any.

JayEll, I speak from personal experience and conviction. My ex-wife and I knew our marriage was on the rocks ten years before we divorced. We discussed it at length and mutually agreed to stay together and maintain a civil relationship for the kids. We agreed that when our youngest left home we would re-evaluate. We followed through and ended in divorce. We are now the proud parents of two well adjusted young adults. There is still a tremendous love and respect between us, we just couldn't make it together as husband and wife. Study after study shows that divorce has a profound and usually negative impact on the kids, especially young teens. I'm not pushing anything...just sharing an opinion.

@lockstep,

You and your wife, obviously put the love of your children before your own needs. That's called responsibility, not a lot of that going on around as you know.

@B7,

Don't let the term "automatic" fool you, you still need someone to pull the trigger.

#B7

I've said it before,

Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns

B707320C you said

"I love it! We can blame parents, divorce, mental illness, but not semi-automatic weapons! It's the weapon stupid!"?

I just read that a similar attack was averted the same day at Colorado school. The different? This student was plannig to use explosives as well as guns. He learned how to make pipe bombs and such online. So we can majically remove all guns for everyone and still have this type of thing happening. however a gun will run out of ammunition after a limited number of rounds are fired. A couple well place IED's can kill 50 or 60 in one blast

It now appears like all the victims dies of multiple gunshot wounds from an AR-15 assault rifle equipped with an high round magazine. According to friends the mother was a gun nut and even took her killer son to the shooting range with her so he too could shot. Isn't it ironic that she ended up dying by the hands that she had help train to use the guns that she thought would keep her safe.

monstahead

I've said it before,

Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns

and YOU will be their victim

True,True, True I may not be able to get to my gun intime. But I'll die trying.

another great job MRZ.....

The parents of the shooter should own up to blame too (if they were both still alive). The mother worked in finance, the father works for GE Capital in Finance. I know several guys whose parents are in nearly identical careers. The parents travel, are always busy at month, quarter, and year-ends and especially at year end are never around for December because of financial book closings. Some of these guys were wild, held parties like you see in Hollywood movies, got arrested, or some are into drugs, guns, you name it. Even if a kid isn't into drugs or crime having absentee parents messes them up in unknown ways and can certainly lead to this.

Ah Echo1226 if it were only that simple. Laws and government cannot solve the problems we have in our society today. "Progressives" want the government to snap it's finger and solve these problems for them but they don't want to do anything to address the underlying root cause of problems because that would require a trip out of their darkness and a readjustment of this nation's moral compass.

Well put Independant.

youu too may have an x-mas cookie....

On the divorce issue - people with handicapped children have a higher incidence of divorce, due to the stress of dealing with the kid's "issues". The dad must have just given up - he has a big career in NYC, so probably was gone at least 12 hours a day. He should have made his wifey "deal with it", and gotten outside help - when the kid was 16, and they legally could get him help.

Echo1226. I guess you're not up to date on the whole outlaw bit. I guess you have forgotten about Mexico before going on you're little rant, because only the outlaws down there do have guns. Being honest with you, we need to deal with mental illness first before we go taking our rights away, but unfortunately that takes money, which we don't want to spend...

I'm not the moron on here, wheresjesus. If guns were banned, his law abiding citizen mother would not have had the guns. Do you think it would have been so easy for this kid to get weapons if weapons were banned.

Why don't we have any faith in our ability to enforce a ban on guns? I say it is because people like you don't want to ban guns. We give up before we even try.

And David, are we Mexico? Don't you think we can do better?

wheresjesus, Your handle btw should be wheresmybrain

Echo: "Outlaw guns and let's see what happens before we jump to untested conclusions". Seems to me that outlawing guns will lead to just another "untested conclusion".

It's illegal to drink and drive, yet people are killed by drunk drivers every day.

It's illegal to rob banks, yet banks are still being robbed.

It's illegal to kill by any means, yet newscasts are full of accounts of violent deaths.

It's illegal to use drugs, yet the demand for drugs has not been reduced.

It's illegal to enagage in prostitution, yet it remains a huge problem throughout the country.

Simply outlawing a device or practice will not make that device or practice disappear.

As for "Why don't we have any faith in our ability to enforce a ban on guns?", my lack of faith is expressed above. A ban on guns (or anything else) would not solve the problem of someone obtaining guns illegally.

Ok HadEnough,

Lets make your whole list legal then. Why bother when we can't enforce these thing 100%.

So, HadEnough-3538363 what you're saying is there is no point in having laws because they're just going to be broken?? Yeah...I guess you're right...I mean why have rules because too many people break the rules, right? So the government should have give up on enforcing the law and just let everybody do what they want to do... :/

Excuse my sarcasm, but as I've stated before just because people break the laws doesn't mean we should not have them. These regulations are not necessarily stop criminals from committing crimes. Criminals will be criminals. Its their job to break the law. But regulations are there to make authorities more adamant about certain things and this pushes authorities to strongly enforce those laws that have been set. Although it won't stop crime, it will push authorities to keep track of weaponry distribution more closely. Awareness and regulations. Those are the keys to order. And with this order, even the black market will be more closely watched for.

Outlaw ALL weapons ie: guns, sticks, rocks, bottles, baseball bats, kitchen knives, steak knives, meat cleavers, chain saws, automobiles and trucks, bricks, metal pipe, matches, gasoline, belts, neckties, chains, ropes and cords, pillows, water, any and all poisons and drugs, snakes, plastic bags, bows and arrows, broken glass, razors, small electic appliances, scissors, hedge trimmers, hand saws, jack knives, box cutters, 2x4's, 2x2's, dynamite, gun powder, phone and electrical cords, rebar and hands. I have friends who were nearly killed by people wielding two of the things on this list and GUNS was NOT one of them.

Great point!! Suspect my a--

The law requires that he be labeled the "suspect" until he is convicted of murder. This was done for obvious reasons.

@olias. Not when it's your child. Apperently you have no children.

I am amazed that this obvious mental malfunctioner was not in an institution . He should have been.

snowhawke, i am guessing you are quite young. the lack of mental health services in this country is why these things end up happening in the first place. you legally cannot just commit someone, no matter how nuts they are. you cannot force them to get mental health care and most cannot afford it anyway. every single time something like this happens it turns out the guy was nuts, everyone knew it, and know one who knew him was surprised by it.

Actually, it is possible to have someone placed for supervision, if they are mentally unstable. It started in Florida, and it's called the Baker Act. Almost every state has it's own verison of the Baker act. As a teacher, you could tell the kids with nothing in their eyes.

But you can't have someone confined just because they look and act weird. There is a process and unfortunately it takes too long sometimes. I certainly don't want to revert back to the old days when you could be confined if one of your parents or siblings took their life. Yes, that happened back in the 30's I believe. Everyone says there is signs, but I don't think there always is and if there is, it can be pretty subdle.

To stop this senseless killing of innocent people our society must change. Churches have become social gathering places. A place where strangers are first judged to be looking for money or food. I am elderly I was greeted with whispers of "Who is she, I bet she is looking for an handout. I personally have no use for the occult religions without moral teachings and requirements for parents to raise their children by the GOLDEN Rule of to treat others as you wish to be treated. For the last 40 years children have received less and less instructions from parents, but more and more from the violence they see on TV. The parents from past generation where the leaders in the home, now children rule. Empathy and compassion has to be taught to children from the earliest age. Only through this learning process do children develop a sense of right and wrong therefore developing a conscious. So many on this site have blogged how could anyone not just kill one child, but to repeatedly kill others as the horrible scene materialized before his eyes. Do some research and find out about the mentally ill. There have never been even the worst serial killers who had the need to kill more than 1 victim at a time. What we have now is a immoral society where conscious-ness is not developed. And the drugs being given to children as young as 3 is only adding to this problem. No development of empathy, sympathy or conscious within the brain.

At age 3 children who have not been taught the basic disciplines a child needs to control themselves, to feel and care for others are HOLY Terrors at age 3. The medication numbs down the child's emotions. Makes them easier for a parent to control. The word "Control" use to be used in the handling of feral animals

Typical upper middle class... even if the mother or father saw something wrong they would cover it up. The news said the mother held ladylike game parties at her home like some socialite. The dad is a VP of finance at GE. The house they live in is pretty impressive for the average person. These type of people go to crazy lengths to keep their kids out of trouble and hide things they do wrong. If the kid had a mental illness as reported I'm surprised they didn't lock him in a cage under the stairs. I'm sick of wealthier people hiding their kids crimes and bad behavior. I live near a nice neighborhood with these types of losers. Recently some 17 or 18 yr old kid went joy riding in his car mommy and daddy bought him and drove across lawns, drove over mailboxes and lawn decorations basically destroying the front end of his car. The idiot drove over a sprinkler in a lawn and ripped out his oil pan or something causing a huge oil leak. The police followed the oil leak 2 blocks down and found the care parked in the kid's driveway with the kid passed out drunk in the front seat. The 'wonderful' yuppie parents claimed the kid was in the house with them the whole time and that someone must have stolen the car, driven it around the neighborhood, and dumped it back in their driveway when their son went out for a 'walk' and must have gotten inside. If it wasn't so stupid it couldn't be true, but it is. Those parents as a-holes and should be held accountable too. The kid will grow up thinking he can do whatever he wants. AND THAT is the problem in this country. Kids feeling entitled and dumb-a$$ parents.

adam - true, but in this case it is darker than that. It's one thing to cover for a dumb @ss kid who is partying hardy like a fool, and will hopefully grow out of it. (My brothers did, ha!) It's another when they cover, and don't get treatment, for a kid who is mentally ill and CANNOT EVER get over it without help and medication - for a LIFETIME. Many disorders can be treated, but not cured, the brain is not understood well enough.

This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. Ask yourself why is the media using photos of this guy that are 8 yrs old?? Its because they want to pull the wool over your eyes. They dont want you to know what he really looked like or what he really believed in. Please pass this on. All of America needs to know the truth.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

Hmmm, another paranoid delusional? How many times will you post that, mad?

Adam, my neighbor did the similar; their 18 year old wrecked a slew of mail boxes and lawns while driving drunk then crashed and knocked down a street light. The kid fled on foot, ran home to daddy. Daddy went out and found the wrecked car, sat in the car until police arrived. Daddy got off because he is a lawyer and a friend of the mayor. Daddy bought the kid a new car and both are still driving recklessly in my neighborhood. Daddy was a Republican candidate for Congress a couple of years ago, we (the neighbors) wrote an op ed to local newspaper. He still won a city counsel seat but got booted out a year later and lost his license to practice law for 5 years. Daddy's friend, Joel Walsh, who is a deadbeat dad got elected that year to Congress with tea party support and endorsement from Sarah Palin. Walsh lost his re-election bid this year when enough voters came to their senses. But we are still stuck with this family of reckless drivers as neighbors. Their mortgage has been in foreclosure for over 3 years but the bank couldn't get them out because of daddy's political connection. Daddy had mommy committed to a psych facility, on public aide, 2 years ago. My guess is that mommy didn't agree with daddy's political agenda. I don't watch TV because I get real live soap operas from my neighbors.

It is not a simple matter to have someone Baker Acted. And especially so since Reagan managed to close the vast majority of psychiatric hospitals. You cannot mandate someone into a psychiatric facility unless there is a bed available for them.

WHY ARENT YOU ASKING WHY?

The media is putting out the spin and it doesnt include the word why. I firmly believe that both this shooting and the shooting in Aurora Colorado are connected. I believe both were induced by psychotropic drugs similar to the ones that were given to our military. The same ones that killed their wives or committed suicide when they came home.

Now the why. When a criminal organization wants to shut someone up, to keep them from talking they often attack a family member. Both James Holmes (Aurora Shooter) and Adam Lanza are family members of two individuals scheduled to appear before the Senate for hearings into the Tibor scandal.

The father of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza, Peter Lanza, was the tax director for General Electric, a corporation that paid -0- taxes on 14.2 billion dollars in profits last year. According to Fabian4Liberty, Peter Lanza was scheduled to testify in the ongoing global LIBOR scandal. In what could only be described an amazing coincidence, the father of Colorado Batman shooter James Holmes, Robert Holmes, was also a LIBOR witness in his position with FICO. According to the link at FICO, Robert Holmes was a ‘Fraud Scientist’.

This is not a coincidence. This is war, a silent war. A war in which our children are being targeted. They are killing our children, what are you going to do about it?

How??? Are you serious? By banning high-power weapons AND ALSO THE FREAKING MAGAZINES THAT CAN HANDLE OVER 30 SHOTS EACH.

You wanna have your freaking "freedom" to carry your freaking guns? Fine, but let's be reasonable and not make it possible for anyone to fire 30 shots at one time. What on earth is wrong if we only allow 6 shots weapons and magazines?

Why do you want to have the "right" to be able to buy just about every freaking weapon system just so you can wave them in our face to tell us how much more "American" you are than anyone else?

Damn it, man, do some growing up and leave everyone else the f' alone!

Gun control isn't about guns....its about control,

Gun control has everything to do with this, as is evidenced by your reference to a "legally procured and registered gun", which is, of course, the problem. Our gun laws are way too lax, thanks to the disgusting criminals in the NRA. Allowing automatic weaponry designed to spray bullets all over the place is an absurdity. These weapons are designed for nothing else than mass killing. Allowing a shot gun or a revolver to be present in a person's home is one thing, but not automatic weapons. There is no way that they are needed for self-defense.

What is this emotional obsession that people have with owning guns that is so evident in your statement "You will never, ever, ever get my guns"? Statements like this are why so many Americans are becoming very frightened of our fellow citizens. This kid's mother supposedly took him to a gun range and taught him this stuff. What kind of a mother was that? She sounds like she was a nutjob herself.

What is not so funny is that you don't think we need serious discourse about guns and deaths.

Everyone should own several 100 round drum magazines for their favorite firearm, the government does, and the politicians that control it are insane. So, the rest of us should also.

The increase in these events has only increased recently as the media now responds with hyper-coverage giving way too much attention to these poor deranged individuals. It is not gun control we need to increase, we need to increase mental health care and decrease the media coverage. I don't need to hear the same details 500 times and the perpetrator doesn't need the attention. Please NBC quit encouraging these poor people.

My previous, empty comment had a link to an academic peer reviewed article about Australia's changes after the gun law changes following a Tasmania massacre in which 35 people died. I didn't know I couldn't post links, sorry.

You can find the article by searching the title:

"Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings".

you gun toting rambos really need to grow up. countries with strict gun control laws do not have these problems. back when the constitution was written we needed to have firearms. we needed to hunt for food and we needed to protect ourselves, not just from other people but from the wilderness we lived in. we are a big, grown up country now and we need to start acting like it. the only gun a civilian should be allowed to have is a registered hunting rifle-and that's only if they hunt for food. no one except law enforcement needs a hand gun. you can rant and rave about your "right to bear arms" till the cows come home, but simple common sense says that the biggest step we can take towards ending these sorts of tragedies is to remove guns from the equation.

If there had been a gun toting rambo at the scene, this mentally ill person would have killed fewer.

snowhawke, so you prefer we live in a war zone? because that is the scenario you are suggesting.

82,000,000 americans own guns and after a few bad apples you want to punish 82,000,000 honest hard working Americans??? really???

What about the bow and arrow attack on the college in colorado?? should we ban bows

You do understand that a bolt action or a lever action can shoot almost as fast as a semi auto. and a single shot shotgun using 00 Buck shoot sends out multi projectiles every shot.

We need to go in the opposite direction and start arming the teachers - Israel requires and Thailand encourages teachers and aids to be armed.

Honestly - if we are trusting the teachers to teach and guide our children...why cant we trust them to protect them.

Guns are not evil. People are evil... and I would like to have the good people given the opportunity to defend and protect themselves.

There are many folks today walking around with concealed weapons. You do not notice it because they are not doing it to be rambos, they are low profile everyday people that have families..they are doctors, teachers, pastors, lawyers, plumbers, miners, college students, etc....

you ASSUME that if more people carried weapons there would be a war zone... fact is that is not true... the VAST majority of people are law abiding folks.

When I was in high school we had gun racks in our pick up trucks and hunted before and after school... we never had a problem

@showshanda

RIGHT ON.

Hey Pattie,

you can't legally own automatic weapons, and by the way it was an SEMI automatic bushmaster, that means ONE shot at a time.

First, you can own automatic weapons. You just need special permits. Second, it takes less than 5 seconds to switch magazines. Every soldier is trained in this techniquer. So what is the all the uproar about high capacity magazines? It is not a hard skill to learn, squeeze the magazine release, insert new magazine, relase bolt carrier group, squeeze trigger. Have we become so arrogant or lazy as to think this problem was caused by one thing and one fix will change the world? There is plenty of blame to go around, baning high capacity magazines, weapons, spanking, violent videos, orange ice cream etc alone will not fix the problem. Politicians are using the fear caused by this incident to further their own agenda. Most of which is re-election to another term.

Gun nuts are so afraid someone is going to come take their guns. I have not seen anyone propose anything that would remove guns from people, just make it more difficult to get more weapons.

BHGAL - thanks for the link. I loved the summary of the Australian arms law...

Conclusions: Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms were followed by more than a decade free of fatal mass shootings, and accelerated declines in firearm deaths, particularly suicides. Total homicide rates followed the same pattern. Removing large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from civilians may be an effective way of reducing mass shootings, firearm homicides and firearm suicides.

Adam- So, if it sounds so great, Move to Australia

j-burk... typical ignorant response... Someone shows a fact or comment that disagrees with your position and they must be anti-american, need to 'love it or leave', blah blah blah. God forbid we have an adult conversation and discuss what works and what doesn't work in other countries. How many kids need to die first? Give me a number. I dare anyone who thinks they have a right to a 30-clip semi-auto assault rifle to drive to Newtown CT and look a parent in the face and tell them their child needed to die because you have a 'right' to your assault rifle. I expect lots of big talk but no one would have the stones or the heart to do it because they would be wrong.

This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. You can see that it was a screen capture. This is not a hoax or a fraud. Thats being done by the media that uses photos that are 8 yrs old to depict a kid. As you can see this is no kid. Pay particular attention to the "Political Views" on this page. These kids and their teachers were killed by a Communist/Anarchist. Please pass this on.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

No doubt this event was a tragedy, but don't let the media scare you into giving your rights away under the guise of "safety". The media always refers to weapons as assault rifles. When little to no crimes are commited with them. Real assault rifles are select fire (automatic and burst shots). Rifles like AK-47, M-16, INSAS, etc... Military grade rifles! An AR-15 is not an assault rifle. It is a regular semi-automatic rifle and the "A" in its name doesn't stand for assault it stands for Armalite. The rifle's exterior just looks "scary", but the insides are basicly the same as any other semi-automatic rifle. It even has a smaller round than a lot of hunting rifles. The media constantly missuses terms to confuse people about the issue. Just because a weapon is used in an assault does not make it an assault weapon.

allison2: As I understand it, Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. How is it, then, that multiple shootings occur there each and every weekend?

How effective are those laws?

BPlotts, Maybe you can get a permit for an fully automatic weapon, But 90% of us can't. But I agree with you about the politicians using fear to further their agenda.

At least the outcome of that particular case was beneficial to society. More of them should do likewise.

Just wanted to point out that there is still a remote possibility that the kid who killed himself behind a grocery store could have been helped. I don't think that people killing themselves is a proper answer to ANY problem, and I'm surprised that you would suggest it, Mymomdidnot.

There is still too much stigma attached to being "labeled" One article suggested that his mother worried about him but did not seek help. More money and attention needs to be spent on educating the public about the facts of mental health. Too often those with mental issues are shot by police who have little training in handling the mentally ill or as is the case here people are killed by the unstable. And if you think throwing them in jail is the right thing to do, you are either ignorant or just plain stupid.

@georgiagirl - I understand the point you're making. Having worked with disturbed teens and adults, there were so many times when you could not get a commitment on a seriously disturbed person. States don't even have long term institutions for teens. The mental health commitment laws require that the person have acted out on their threat to harm self or others before you can get them held for thorough treatment and evaluation. By then, it's too late.

In trying to correct the abuses of the past (involuntary institutionalization of people with no due process or review); the law has swung to the opposite extreme. There have to be changes in the mental health laws and resources that enable extremely disturbed people to be detained before they harm others.

What???

I believe the entitlements that we are used to getting are no longer there, so we nut up. Something along those lines Olias.

gdimatt, you mean that after the kid stops getting awards? I think this guy was home schooled, so most probably that had nothing to do with it. My question is why target little kids?

I mean when they stop getting coddled they don't know how to earn something. Yeah, why little kids? I don't know. Maybe an easy target, maybe mad because mom was a teacher and the kids took her attention from him. We can only speculate.

@Janellect, the guy did go to school at some point because he attended this very elementary school. Also, the article states that his mother would have to come to school during his "episodes". gdimatt, you hit the nail on the head, when kids are young and should be learning coping skills we have replaced life skills with coddeling. Then when the kids become adults they are thrust into the harsh realities of life. The guy who came in second place is a loser. If you are weird you are ostracized, no one is forced to be friendly to you, and bullies are everywhere, just look at the message boards as proof. Alot of these kids are having difficulty adjusting to adult life just ask any hiring employer.

Might be, but the bigger issue is why? I think it's always multifactorial, and I can pick out a few cues that in themselves are not big deals,but together are a recipe for trouble.

Not sure if they are all true, but:

1. A relative said he had Asperger's which in itself does not give violent tendencies, but they sometimes view people as objects. Some hypothesize that their ability to empathize is low due to lack of mirror neurons.
2. His mother liked guns and kept them around the house.
3. He played violent video games
4. He hadn't spoken to his father in over 2 years
5. Not sure if he held a job, but it does not seem likely... no distractions from problems
6. No friends

I am two classes away from a psych degree (yeah I know, they're a dime a dozen), but my graduate interest is neuropsychology.

Simple, thinking back, I had difficulty adjusting to reality, because all I was taught about being a good citizen was never reflected in real life. For example, I paid my auto insurance, yet when I got hit, they refused to cover my rental. When I was sick, the doctor called me a liar (my eustachian tubes were blocked, but this was not visible). The list goes on. I guess I couldn't understand why I was taught to do the right thing, yet others never did. It took about five years to accept it and now whenever someone tries to pull one over me, I put my foot down. Took a while though.

Not funny.

wrong jay...this kind of article screams for humor, just look at the frothing at the mouth posters for proof.

GM Scooter

It seems JayEll is one of them - he has all of the answers - Not!

The haircut is terrible.

This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. You can see that it was a screen capture. This is not a hoax or a fraud. Thats being done by the media that uses photos that are 8 yrs old to depict a kid. As you can see this is no kid. Pay particular attention to the "Political Views" on this page. These kids and their teachers were killed by a Communist/Anarchist. Please pass this on.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

Parental blindness and denial of their offspring's problems is commonplace. And, it costs money to take the loon to the shrink and pay for his meds.

Look, when I was a youngster, my family would go practice shooting. Our dad thought we should be able to use a gun properly. But so far, no one in my family has murdered anyone! I don't own guns, but there is nothing inherently wrong with being a "gun enthusiast."

We need programs that help ensure that people with mentally disturbed children don't have to shoulder the entire burden for their care. It's everyone's problem, as this horrible event shows.

'Hey Mymomdidnotraiseafool, you are one sick puppy yourself, who the hell do you think you are to make judgement on others, look in a mirror and see the real loon. All you are thinking about is your selfish self and money. You are just as sick or sicker than any mentally ill person.

interesting post there Spot.

who the hell do you think you are to make judgement on others, look in a mirror and see the real loon

you do realise you did the exact same thing don't you?

If You Say so LAScooterTramp, not in my opinion.

I think I must have touched a nerve with Spotty. My post was not to pass judgment on others, but to state the obvious, but Spotty thinks it was directed at him. Perhaps Spotty is a loon? Or a parent in denial? A loon is a loon, and no amount of politically correct doublespeak will change that, but Spotty thinks otherwise, and takes it personally. It makes me question why he did so. Parental denial is in fact as common as dirt. I've seen it in my own family, and I can tell you that the results are not encouraging. And yes, it costs money for mental health treatment, which is what stops a lot of people from seeking it when they should. How Spotty turned that around in his twisted mind is something only he understands.

"Spot On" Scooter LOL

that's...."I"...A ....spot not ..."L" ...A....of course in your opinion that's probably not right either.

Probably shouldn't have said "loon", it's derogatory. When a child is having issues, they can't "see straight" from the depths of their madness, it's up to the parents to get help. The shooter's mother had the means to do so, why on earth didn't she? The uninsured would be screwed - the places that are run privately for mental health treatment are expensive, as well as few and far between.
Once he turned 18 - she would have been impotent to do much for him.

This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. You can see that it was a screen capture. This is not a hoax or a fraud. Thats being done by the media that uses photos that are 8 yrs old to depict a kid. As you can see this is no kid. Pay particular attention to the "Political Views" on this page. These kids and their teachers were killed by a Communist/Anarchist. Please pass this on.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

@ robert Oh and your an expert at looling at their face. His mother is being held accountable. She's dead.

gee robert have you met "Itinerant Author" from post 1.2 and on fame ? just wondered as you are of the same tribe and all.

Come on. You look at a photo in hindsight? They often say that Ted Bundy was handsome. Shut up and get out of the way, let good thinking prevail.

Wow Robert...what an absolutely idiotic statement; from start to finish. Unfortunatly, you don't get a prize for it, since there are countless others of your ilk on this board that have far surpassed you in that regard.

Her mansion is still there and they are probably going after the father, he has money .....For wronfull death.

This is why I believe that when a person purchases a gun they are required to purchase a gun safe for said gun. The gun safe should have the same serial number as the gun and when and if the gun is sold the safe is sold with it. If you own a gun and you don't take precautions to secure it, you should be an accessory to the crime committed with the gun. At least fines and/or jail time. If the weapon is stolen, you have 24 hours to report it or also receive a fine. If anything it will make gun owners more attentive to their weapons and where they are. Most of the civilized world own and use cell phones equipped with GPS, why can't we require a GPS device built into or attached to every gun.

I also think it strange that the mother knew her son was mentally unstable, or at least the brother indicated it, why on earth would you take a mentally unstable person to a gun range? One report I read said that he tried to purchase a gun weeks before this atrocity and was denied.. Ding ding, there's the first clue... Since he was under the age of 21, authority's should have been required to notify one or both parents that their child was trying to purchase a firearm and was denied....

Agreed; this was a case of irresponsible gun ownership. Your kid ain't quite right, and you have firearms around? Gee, no wonder you're dead. Too bad dozens of innocents had to go down with you.

Ellie Mae - What gun owner wouldn't report the theft of their firearm? And if they are locked up, you don't go and check them every 5 minutes. But guess who steals guns in gun safes? The kids who live in the home! The gun owners I know are very attentive to their weapons and where they have them secured (as am I). Don't look at the guns, look at the mentally ill people who are committing these kind of crimes..

It is. LOL

Good one...gd

Mary poor girl.... let me know if you need help I have heard of a "cure" and......

Wow. After a tragedy you make moronic comments? Sad

Jack, you do realise this is Sunday right? Libs will never understand what you have wrote. besides it covers both common sense and facts, and you know they are absolutely appalled and such things.

Great post BTW....

49er's next on the ol chopping block.

JoeBob - You need not worry about the 2nd Amendment, it is not going anywhere and neither is your right to bear arms. First, the gun lobby in this country is the largest in the world. Second, America is one of the largest manufacturers of light arms and it contributes billions to the economy. Third, regardless of public sentiment, we can't even keep drugs out of this country. If guns are made illegal, they would just come across the borders.

You're kidding, right? By "the many" are you talking about gunowners who see themselves as having their precious rights tread upon??? You and your rights haven't been punished. You haven't paid a damn thing. But those 20 innocent 6 and 7 year olds paid with their lives. So what have you "the many" paid? Your gunowner rights don't mean a damn thing to those kids and their parents. And maybe it isn't possible to find every nut-case, but don't you think we ought to do a better job of urging parents who KNOW that something isn't right in their kids to get help for those kids. or at the very least not present them with an array of automatic and semi-automatic weapons with which to carry out whatever madness overtakes them.

Scooter - Joe Bob and I seem to have same type Avatar - another sign of well intended posting - Good 'un Joe Bob, too bad I could only give 1 thumbs up! Same to you Scooter! Patriots fer sure!!! PS Scooter, that was very "kind" of you to offer Mary Jones a solution to her dilemma also.

My apologies Joebob... you too Jack...i looked at the avatar....saw Joe and said jack...(same avatar)..my mind does that time to time. guess i should be looked at by Robert or author to see weather or not i ....."look "...sane.

Jack.. well it did seem the gentlemanly thing to do.....just trying to help as always...

Joebob...once again great post ...you may have a cookie....( your in luck homemade Christmas cookies this time of year)

Margaret- People who think like you are destined to be enslaved by the control they want over everyone. Who are you to say what a parent should or shouldn't do? You can only "teach" people what they want to learn, forcing them with my tax dollars hasn't worked and never will. More government control by "urging" will do what?

And, yes, I am referring to right to bear arms. It is precious and to talk about guns being the problem is simply insane.

I never claimed to have been punished, I only stated that what you would like is punishing many for the actions of the few. You cannot stop someone who is determined to cause this kind of tragedy by trying o control their lives.

And you are using the tragedy of these innocent people to justify your beliefs when it's really society that is to blame.

Um, I'm going to say this again. No RATIONAL person wants your (or my) DAMNED GUNS. No one is "punishing" legal gun owners. What we do need to talk about is how to KEEP these weapons out of the hands of the nutjobs.

Oh yeah and I am a LIBERAL INDEPENDENT ....... so take all of the "WHINING" about "oh liberals want my guns" sh!t and cram it back up your butts. Notice I emphasized RATIONAL, not the foaming at the mouth whackos from BOTH sides of this.

NO You do not need to have armed teachers in school. The funny thing is that right after this happened and people found out that his mother owned these guns and they thought she was a teacher, folks were SCREAMING about WHY would a kindergarten teacher have those kinds of weapons and why that many. Hypocrite much? Do you not see the dichotomy between those two positions? She either has the right to own them or she doesn't! Her son needed some serious help and she and all of those innocent children and their guardians for that day paid a heavy price for her denial (maybe) that her son had some problems.

Let's start talking about how to prevent this in the future. Yes you and I have a right to own guns and we also have the right to be responsible with them. But the rest of the public at large has the right to live without fear also.

Tired Voter

No RATIONAL person wants your (or my) DAMNED GUNS...

I can agree with the majority of your posting and perhaps you should go back and read the posts made by those that stated "ban guns etc." They used a mighty broad paintbrush stroke by their accusations of all gun owners rather than ensuring that only sane and non-criminal personnel are allowed to purchase firearms.

If the Rational people (from both sides) spoke in rational terms then perhaps a dialogue can be held. However, when either side rants and raves, it is kind of like kids using knee-jerk responses to a serious situation, rather than adults using a logical means to provide real answers.

I know right... Bombs, molotov cocktails, swords, bows and arrows, knives, daggers, axes, sickles, spears, javelins, clubs and bats, maces, there are tons of weapons to get people with not just firearms.

Its not so much about laws being there, so much laws not being as strongly enforced as they should be. I mean just because people break laws doesn't mean we shouldn't have laws. Laws are not to stop the criminals from breaking them. They are regulations so that authorities can be more adamant about FOLLOWING and enforcing those laws. Criminals are going to break the law, thats their job. There's a law against stealing, but do you think people will stop stealing? No. So does that mean we shouldn't have a law against stealing? No. We still need those laws to keep order and to know what we can and cannot do.

Added, the black market is another issue, but imagine if we were all able to obtain guns. When prohibitiion was cancelled, it stopped the illegal selling of it, but did it stop people from drinking? No. Same goes with guns. We can make guns more accessible, and although it'll stop illegal selling of it, will it stop people from killing? No.

But there's a slight difference in alcohol consumption and guns. When people drink alcohol they don't have INTENTIONS of killing anyone, even if they do. When someone has a gun, obviously they have INTENTIONS on killing someone, whether it be for the good or bad. Alcoholic beverages are drinks....guns are a weapons.

In Dublin they had the very same scenario that we are going through now where a man shot a bunch of kindergarteners. Over there they had no choice but to tighten gun laws so that it wouldn't happen again.

"When someone has a gun, obviously they have INTENTIONS on killing someone"

Some people don't have an intention to kill anyone - simply to protect themselves and their families from being killed or maybe they are hunting for food or just shooting for some target practice.

it only took 21 posts to find someone who stuck to topic. good job 60's ...you may have a cookie..

as well as Mary on post 1 of course.

This is Adam Lanza's facebook page before it was deleted. You can see that it was a screen capture. This is not a hoax or a fraud. Thats being done by the media that uses photos that are 8 yrs old to depict a kid. As you can see this is no kid. Pay particular attention to the "Political Views" on this page. These kids and their teachers were killed by a Communist/Anarchist. Please pass this on.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3611_423506811050933_1150852840_n.jpg

The picture looks nothing like the one being shown around the mainstream media. At this point I am not a believer of thgis post.

Yes and back to the threads on accontability. If we live with guns and unchecked mental illness we will have tragedies. Only 2 people know the combination to my gun safe. The other guy lives a few miles away. We have an agreement to share responsibilty for each others guns. I am a gun owner and I am in favor of real discussions on improving gun saftey (too bad we don't have a seperate comment section for the name callers and would be stand up's).

I am profoundly sad about this incident. My heart breaks for the victim's families. And I do feel empathy for the shooters family. However, if the father knew his son was mentally unstable and that there were guns in his house I feel he had a responsibility to do something to prevent just such a disaster. We don't know he may have tried. I am sure we will find out.

Of the 80+ million gun owners how many are aging boomers? At what point in the aging/fading mental process will the family consider removing the guns? Accessable gun collections and dementia will be a bad mix I suspect. We do need rational discussion on responsible gun ownership. Count me in for that. Count me out of the name calling and blame game.

Our neighbor, years ago, had a gun collection, even a musket he made himself. But it was the rifle that his problem son had, as he lay in wait for his dad to get home. The kid had already killed his mother. The father did not survive.
Why would someone keep guns in the house when there are problems going on??

Keeping them in the home is fine as long as they are locked in a safe that no one else knows the combination and not just lying around. There reports that the mother had issues with him, but still teaches him how to shoot and doesn't properly secure her firearms. There are two people at fault here and one was irresponsible gun owner. Sadly others ended up being victims of her mistakes as well.

Obama does not look evil. IF they locked up people for making stupid comments.... our prisons would be completely overflowing.

OMG ....to bring politics into this tragedy ....what a fool you are. Your name says it all ...you redneck.

@pagenbeliefs-

You are correct in your thinking. One of my family members was a classmate of the shooter in public HS. The kid had "social issues" and may not have graduated with his class. No doubt he was declining then and could have benefited from treatment. We also don't know for sure if he was or wasn't being treated. Not something that we talk ENOUGH about, unfortunately.

To many, this is so cut and dried and I suspect it's going to be very complicated.

People need to be really, really careful in equating autism spectrum disorders with mental illness. Please.

I wasn't equating the two at all. I even posted a clarification hours ago that showed up on page two, not under my post. I was speaking about the comorbid illness that he possibly had. I know very well the two aren't remotely alike.

I am sorry it sounded that way. It sounded good and coherent in my head. :) My fingers didn't get the memo!

In society today we are taught everyone is different and special in their own way. Dam, that sounds great but the truth is some people are just plain weird. I feel very sad for the father and brother of this guy. However, getting help for a mentally ill person is very difficult and expensive. It sounds like I'm being a smart ass right now and I do not mean for it to sound this way. But, if we were as concerned about the mental health of our citizens as some are about their reproductive rights maybe we could get somewhere. Some parents do not want to admit thier child has a problem. That means the child goes either without help or limited help for many years. The people talking gun control and placing police officers in every school are failing to see the true issue. Mental health care in our country is broken. The shootings are simply a simptom of that bigger issue.

Einsten, let us be clear. You are no Einstein. And lest you think you're funny, let's be clear on that too.

Einstein=A$$stein. This person would have fit in quite well with Hitler and Company. You know, I don't like what you do or say so I think you should DIE.

They can't show up anyplace where there might be other guns to oppose them. They never want to die in a shootout they want to kill themselves. They are not brave because they are INSANE!

Maybe admitting your son is a psychopath and needs to be put in an asylum earlier would have spared them this tragedy. "There but for the grace of God go I" Really? You're that close to mowing down a kindergarten classroom? Assigning blame after something goes wrong comes with the revalation of who did or didn't do what when things could have been turned around early.

Passing judgement isn't that hard when you read of a history of un-dealt-with mental illness. "Judge Not" deals with a person's salvation. It isn't about what our society refers to as "judgemental". Judge not doesn't mean you need to be blind and deaf. Skunks stink. You can say that without judging. Fire hot. Elephants big. Psychopaths weren't dealt with by the denying parents. The obvious isn't judging, it's reporting.

Bad thing is, there aren't many asylums anymore and it isn't easy to commit an adult. Even one as obviously deranged as him.

You have that right. They closed the asylums and turned them all out. "homeless". It was because lunatics had "rights". Apparently grade school kids have no rights.