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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Keir Simmons takes a look at how countries around the world are mourning the unbelievable tragedy that has shaken Newtown, Conn.
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- It's not a conversation parents expect they'll have with their kids: But Shari and Andrew Paley were doing just that, talking with their identical twins, Ben and Ethan, about the shooting at their school that left 20 of their fellow students dead.
Ben and Ethan, a pair of articulate and observant nine years olds, had many questions and much commentary for their parents about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where they are in the fourth grade.
“We know lots of things that we shouldn't know,” Ethan said Saturday while talking with a reporter and munching on a green-frosted, white-sprinkled, crème donut.
John Makely / NBC News
Shari and Andrew Paley, with their children Jacob, 3, Ethan, 9 in green jacket, and Ben, 9, in black jacket.
His mother said earlier he had noted that he has lived through a tornado, two hurricanes and now this.
“Remember what we talked about last night, that sometimes when something really bad happens you learn to appreciate what you have,” she told the boys. “You don't take any(thing) for granted.”
Ethan and Ben were at school Friday morning when the alleged shooter, Adam Lanza, opened fire, taking the lives of their fellow students and six administrators, including their principal.
Story: Talking to kids about school shooting: Be calm
Ethan was in the gym for an ice skating exercise, when they heard a loud bang. His teacher taped up the windows to the door and told them to hide in a corner. Ben was in the art room, and they later had to run out to safety.
“We heard the bangs. We heard the policeman say, 'Stop.' We heard the guy scream when he was shot,” Ben said (Lanza took his own life, authorities say).
“It was scary there,” Ben said, later noting that he cried about the shooting. “Ethan did, too,” he added.
There's no guidebook for these kinds of parent-kid conversations, said Shari, 39, and a speech pathologist.
“I'm just letting them talk. They actually have a lot of questions and I'm trying to answer them the best that I can,” she said. “I'm just going with it.”
Story: Slain hero teacher: 'She loved those students more than anything'
When asked if they knew everything about what happened, Ben said no, though they were aware that 28 people had died.
Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz explains how adults can help children cope with the senseless tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
“I gave them a little bit of information at a time because I didn't want them to find out from somebody else,” Shari said. “I didn't want them to turn on the TV and hear it. I wanted to be the one that explained it to them.”
She said she didn't hide anything and progressed from telling them that a lot of people got hurt to eventually including teachers and then children in that group. “They've been … pretty in control. ... We're just kind of answering their questions and reassuring them that they're safe. We're following their lead.”
The boys shared some of the different rumors they'd heard: that the gunman had mini-machetes and they speculated about which teacher had been wounded in the foot.
“Well, we don't know that,” their mom said of the latter report. “That's the other problem, is that I don't really know all of the facts. … that's the other reason why I am kind of cautious.”
At a local donut shop, the twins ran into friends from school, happily chatting with them. They also twirled around in swivel sofa chairs in front of a television airing coverage of the investigation and the deaths, with one of the boys saying, “breaking news.”
“The only thing that I mean I'm hurt by is ... by sadness,” Ben said.
When asked if he had any worries about returning to school, Ethan said: “Yes, I do have a fear of going back. I mean what if they struck again when we're back to school?”
“That's not going to happen,” Shari said. “It was one bad guy and they got that bad guy.”
His dad, who picked up the boys from the fire station where they had been evacuated to after the shooting, then told him it was OK to be scared. But he also later noted that he was scared that his son was scared, and lamented the loss of their beloved principal, Dawn Hochsprung, who he knows would have been a steady, compassionate hand for the twins on their return to school.
Shari said she hadn't thought about the boys returning to school, one of the questions that Ben has been asking.
“I'm scared for them, just emotionally, their emotional well-being, feeling comfortable to be at school,” she said. “They spend more time at school than they do at home, it's kind of like their home away from home in a way. So if they don't feel safe at their school home -- it's just really important.”
Siblings and cousins of Vicky Soto, who died after gunfire erupted in her first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, remember the teacher who loved the color green, Christmas and, most of all, her students.
Story: Portrait of the victims: A twin, talented teachers
Ben has also been asking if he can attend all of the funerals. Shari believes it's his way to say goodbye to the victims.
“I think he's putting it together, like kids died there (at the school) and then how do they move from there and where do they go and what happens to them,” she said.
But she is not sure she wants him to go, saying they'll talk about it but also suggesting he write letters to the families.
“You want to shelter your kids as much as you can,” she said. “I don't know it's a process ... that I'm trying to figure out myself.”
When gunfire broke out inside Sandy Hook Elementary, members of the school's staff and outside community rushed to shield students and help guide the victims to safety. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.
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God help us all to find the right path to take from here together.
Preppers. These people. Yes, guns are way too easy to get and assult/automatic weapons only exist to kill the maximum number of people and should be banned, but preppers. Lanza's mother was a prepper. She raised him with that mindset. This idea that you need to arm and prepare to rise up against fellow citizens and the government is poisonous and if these preppers fell that way, they should leave the country they so hate.
There probably is no one right path, but the best thing for kids is to just tell them the truth.
Jemma, what evidence do you have that Lanza's mother was a prepper? Just because someone is a gun enthusiast does not make them a prepper. Are you privy to information that the investigators don't have access too? I doubt it!
Jemma, the problem for people who cry foul about guns, and the very response from those gun owners to the statement you've made about 'preppers', is that the second amendmant of the constitution was strictly written in stone to provide the citizens of your population the right to KEEP AND BEAR ARMS for their own protection and to impose against what the founding fathers considered to be a tyrannical government ( britain ) , and any successive tyrannical administration that may have followed. Now, you will NEVER be able to rid society of those who will eventually do harm to the innocent. That is impossible,. The biggest hurdle you and your country face is the fact that constitutional rights can almost never be amended , especially this one. Regardless of how hard you or anyone else lobbies, gun rights are struck in stone. No matter how many people die, from good men and their fathers to mothers and their children, this is something that will not change. The government is actually afraid to raise the question because the population is so heavily armed. And regardless of what anyone says or feels, taking away those guns will be all but literally impossible. There would be a civil war and an uprooting of government long before you get the political power to take firearms away from legal owners who are unwilling to surrender them. In fact, trying to take guns away from the population would likely serve to cause even MORE danger than is currently present letting the responsible owners keep their guns... RIP to those who died, RIP, to the victims of future incidents, RIP to 'peace and freedom'...
Adam Lanza: How classmates remember the 'genius' who turned heartless killer | Mail Online
Her former sister-in-law Marsha said she had turned her home ‘into a fortress’. She added: ‘Nancy had a survivalist philosophy which is why she was stockpiling guns. She had them for defense.
‘She was stockpiling food. She grew up on a farm in New Hampshire. She was skilled with guns. We talked about preppers and preparing for the economy collapsing.’
Gunman's aunt speaks out about the Conn. shooting - Boston News, New England News, WHDH-TV 7NEWS WHDH.COM
“Last time we visited with her in person we talked about prepping and you know, are you ready for what can happen down the line when the economy collapses,” said the gunman’s aunt, Marsha Lanza.
He might have been raised learning about guns, but was he taught the importance of kneeling or prayer?
sure, great, but what I'm proporting to is not the fact that this woman was obviously guarded and paranoid. I am clearly stating that there is NO WAY AROUND this sort of @!$%#. It is literally impossible to modify the second amendment of the constitution without causing A) outright political strife and an irreversible division of parties in your two tiered system, ( of which state gun laws are already causing MORE than problems , imagine such changes on a federal level... ) and B) quite likely a civil war stemming from militias not faring kindly to the thought of being abolished or having their, or ANYONE ELSES for that matter, weapon or weapons as usually is the case, away from them. I am not at all saying it would not be a good thing. OF COURSE keeping assault rifles and handguns out of the reach of youth and wingnuts is the best thing possible for the country right now. BUT, with that said, its literally impossible.
Jemma, you are spot on.
Anyone who supports ownership of assault weapons is either crazy or has violent tendencies. There is no justification for owning something that can only be used to massacre.
the irony is she could not protect herself from the enemy within her own home-she trained and armed him. was she really unaware of his mental illness? excessive fearfulness with a compulsive need for guns did not make for a mentally healthy environment for either of them. i could feel some sympathy for this woman and her son if their sickness only involved them. now hundreds of families are dealing with gut wrenching devastating pain which may lessen in time but they will never completely be free of this agony. she lived in fear of ''the collapse of the economy''-------many third world cultures have starving people yet they believe in sharing whatever they have with their neighbors. if this country ever gets to the point of people shooting other people for fear that they may get their stock piled food i will thoroughly believe there is no god. i would not want to live in such a world.
it is a sick irony and also represents a micro example of the entire country.
The laws (or lack thereof) that allow this to happen over and over are just like Adam's mother.
The NRA is Adam.
It's all really the same when you think about it: they have created a violent society.
Cameron-2749593
Its a bitter pill to swallow but I'm in agreement with what you said in 1.4 above.
Unless you can get rid of Evil in people the guns would only be replaced with something even worse.
Cameron, it is a complete fallacy that the Second Amendment was passed so that Americans could take up arms against their own government. The "well regulated militia" was for defense against an external enemy as the US had little if any professional army.
The two uprisings agains the nascent federal government, the Whiskey rebellion in Pennsylvania and Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts were put down speedily.
As for the Unorganized Militia which the Second Amendment was intended to maintain, it appeared on the field of battle for the last time during the War of 1812 where it proved a dismal failure in the attempt to invade Canada, its poor performance against a much smaller number of British regulars convincing the government that notwithstanding the fears of an overweening military class held by Jefferson, the United States needed to create a professional army.
What is "Preppers"?, Who is "Preppers"?, Did a person named "Preppers" comment before #1?.
The article was about what the innocent children now know, that they should have never learned.
The use of "Preppers" does not fit any response or comment to the article. Try not to let you bias show!!
Jemma and friends i find your opinion of gun owners highly offensive, bigoted, and completely uniformed. First off you should learn exactly what the difference between an assault rifle and an assault rifle-type weapon exactly is. An assault rifle is a weapon with select fire capability which means it is capable of switching between semi-automatic, burst fire, or full auto. NO such assault rifle manufactured after 1983 are allowed to be sold in the United States and such weapons made before 1983 cost well over 10,000 to buy and are typically found in the hands of wealthy collectors and rarely if ever shot. Assault-type rifles are single fire only civilian models of previously mentioned assault rifles whose capabilities are not much different then any semi-automatic hunting rifle aside from the fact they can potentially hold more rounds and have a intimidating design. In matter of fact many semi-auto shotguns and hunting rifles field rounds much more devastating that typical assault rifles such as the .306.
Personally i own a variety of firearms ranging from more traditional hunting weapons to previously mentioned assault-style rifles. None of these weapons have ever taken a life of any kind and hopefully never will. Am i a violent person just because i own these weapons no i am a decidedly nonviolent person although i did play several contact sports in my youth. Just because i do not support senseless violence though does not mean i am unwilling to defend myself if the situation requires and have defended myself when i was younger from unwarranted aggression and throughout the multiple times i have found myself in danger i have been able to defuse each situation by maintaining a calm presence of mind being in so muc self control i have never had to throw a punch let alone give into my innate murderous violent tendencies you seem so intent of accusing me of.
There are no laws prohibiting the collection of katanas, maces, crossbows, or longbows all weapons with the sole purpose of killing. What you must realize is that despite your own innate fears an object does not control the person who owns it just because something has the capability of doing something does nto mean it has to. Actions that people take are solely there own irresponsibility and any attempt to blame it on an object they were wielding is just a misguided attempt to place blame on something in compensation for you own fears and bigoted opinions
Oedad
You own a stockpile of weapons for what reason?
What do you think external aggression is!?!?! When they seperated the british government became an external force. There were lines of division within the colonys and the country was close to civil war, albeit lacking the men and equipment to truly fight a revolution, on either side. The only other forces capable of invasion were the french. The spanish had almost no interest in entering a bid to secure the northern territorys that became the US...
Clearly there was more than one confounding circumstance facilitating the second amendment into the constitution, but you have to be ultra left to beleive the founding fathers didn't feel they would need an armed population in the event that those who were given power abused it... Thats the reason you have 'preppers' to begin with... The founding fathers were technically 'preppers' if you want to take it that way. Yes, obviously a newly founded country would need a military and seek ferociously to raise one, but they pushed the british back with no more than militias and french assistance. You can backpeddle that all you want but when it comes down to it they wanted as many men carrying arms as possible to skew the fear that one group might end up taking power and oppressing the people...
Different interest groups unfortunately attempt to capitalize from this tragedy by using it as an excuse to promote themselves. The politicians who stand to profit from promoting a "gun control" agenda are an obvious example and another example are those involved in the "mental health" industry, be it practitioners, bureaucrats, or those seeking to get their hands on more government funding for proposed widening of government-mandated programs.
Let's ask ourselves what could possibly be the trends that are making such tragedies more prevalent in our society. Let's start by asking ourselves what are some of the common denominators that apply to perpetrators of such horrible acts as these murders. I think that in every case we see a perpetrator with mental health issues, but we also see that the very fact that we can identify that history of diagnosed mental health issues indicates that in the case of each such perpetrator there was at least some degree of "treatment" by mental health professionals. So when the proponents of the "mental health" solution propose a widening of government-funded mental health programs as a possible deterrent of such acts, what they are saying is that these perpetrators must not have received sufficient such mental health treatment. Which begs the question: How much availability of such government-funded mental-health treatment is enough? We could be flippant and answer "until we have solved the problem", but that of course opens the door to an unmeasurable bottomless pit of tax-dollar usage ripe for abuse by every government bureaucrat and mental health provider bent on getting their hands on public funds.
I believe that we may not be asking the right questions. I believe that one question that we should be asking is what trends in parenting may be contributing to the creation of such monsters who may perpetrate such horrible acts as those of Adam Lanza. Is it possible that the trend we are seeing has to do more with trends in parenting than with the availability of "mental health treatment"? One suggestion I would like to make is that we consider the trend of disenfranchising time-tested parenting instincts in favor of advice from "professionals". What we have seen in the last few generations is a discrediting of parental authority by institutions and "professionals" who impact upon our children. Never before in history have we seen such an attempt to relegate traditional parenting functions to teachers, social workers, therapists and pills. The ability to mature emotionally, which is passed on more effectively within the realm of the nuclear family has been replaced by a reliance on the authority of those whose motivation is a dispassionate "professional" sense, rather than the guidance of parental instincts. Could it be the resultant loss of our humanity is what we should be talking about?
STEVE YO , My point EXACTLY! Who in their right mind needs a stockpile of weapons? Protection from what?
These type of people add to the problem, not the solution.
Noone wants to erase the second amendment, they want strictor controls since it has been proven over and over that the majority cannot show they are responsible owners. Over 75% of guns sales go without background checks, storage of guns are no more than stuffed under the cushion or in a drawer. If people want to own guns, act like adults and lock them up! Otherwise, forget it!!
The only reason I see someone owning so many weapons is they are VERY INSECURE and I believe that would classify them as mentally unstable.
Really I understand news is news..but its kind of early for parents to talk about this and have pictures taken of them smiling and holding their children..and they all went to the same school....while other parents have to get a burial plan for their child that went to the same school.
Can't it wait to explain it to your children for a little while longer even?
Doubt if any student of that school will be going back to class for the rest of this year.
Sorry to disappoint, but NO part of our Constitution is 'written in stone'. Any part of it can be subtracted or changed or another added by the amendment process--it's been done 12 times in the last 100 years, mostly recently in 1992. And the 'right to bear arms' is only by court interpretation as to what weapons fall under that "right". Automatic weapons are not allowed, nor are many others. So the Court could decide that the "weapon of the day" in 1789 when the 2nd Amendment was adopted, that is muzzle loaders, is all that falls under that "right". Let's see how well mass killers do when they have to reload a muzzle loader after each shot...
Nungman -
do some research, it seems you have not studied the founders.
"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do
not."
Thomas Jefferson
Third President of the United States
"The best we can help for concerning the people at large is that they be
properly armed."
Alexander Hamilton
The Federalist Papers at
"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern.
They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. "
Noah Webster
American Lexicographer
Payne, Locke and Henry argued for the right of revolution and the obligation of the people to overthrow the government that failed the people (Jefferson indicated that this should be a regular and periodic activity).
But you know all this, don't you?
There were no automatic weapons used because no one owns automatic weapons because they are illegal to possess. And stock piles of weapons is not dangerous either. Just like owning multiple vehicles, you can only use one at a time. Owning several doesn't allow you to use them collectively. You can only hold and operate one at a time. There is no difference in have two weapons with two magazines each, then having one weapon with four magazines. You will fire the same total number of rounds singularly or collectively.
Even if a person did get there hands on a automatic rifle..its a federal crime to have it..$250,000 fine and 10 years in the slammer isn't worth it to have it.
AR15 trigger is almost the same looking as a M16 trigger..so you better make sure your AR 15 is NOT like a M16 trigger.
You know, people... This isn't about guns, this is about hopelessness... Suicide by mass murder, which is what this was, is the ultimate form of hopelessness. Guns don't pull their own triggers... You can change all the gun laws you want. It will only make it harder for honest people to protect themselves... We need to pay more attention to our lack of mental health care in this country... Stop this before it happens....
As for the slain principal, teachers and others. Well, I believe in God and the bible... There is no greater love and glory in Heaven, than to be willing to lay down your life saving others.... We are all sad to lose these wonderful people; but trust me, the crown they now wear even they wouldn't trade..
As for the small children, there is no greater abomination to God Almighty than the slaughter of the innocents... There is nothing more innocent, than small children before they reach the age of accountability... Heaven now has 20 beautiful angels; we cry and mourn their loss on earth; but, rejoice in their glory in Heaven. This shooter now faces an eternal judgement worse than anything, any of us could imagine on earth... He has now faced the eternal judgement and justice; from which there is no Court of Appeal....
What truly frightens me is there seem to be hundreds, thousands perhaps of Adam Lanzas out there--paranoid psychotics with strong belief systems who will lash out murderously at any attempt to restrict their access to guns, who read but distort history to support this belief system, who daily expect surveillance or attacks by unseen, vaguely defined "government forces".
Why you people always jump to blaming guns is just wild. Some people collect guns. That's not a crime, does not mean we'll just up and go on a shooting rampage. We have the right to bear arms to protect ourselves and our families, to hunt for food during the different seasons and to place them in a gun cabinet just to look at. I've never heard of a gun just jumping up and killing anyone...guns don't kill, people do! I do think teaching children begins at home. My Dad was an avid gun collector but he taught us the dangers of guns...never kept loaded guns in the house except for the pistol used for protection only. He kept the shells/bullets in a seperate area, told us to never play with the guns and why. He also taught us the danger of gasoline and matches/lighters, the danger of not staying focused on the road and on other drivers when he taught us to drive. All 4 of us never touched the guns without Dad with us. Teaching begins at the home! People will buy video games using guns/assault weapons to kill for fun...those should be banned! You want to ban something, that'd be a good place to start! For those with mental problems and the tendency of paranoia and/or violence..guns should be kept under lock and key. There's got to be a little common sense used.
Simply because you don't believe in having guns doesn't mean the whole population feels the same. If someone breaks down your door, has a weapon and is coming at you, what will you do? Is life not that precious to you, your family or your children that you would just let the crazed idiot kill you without a fight? That's what us "gun enthusiasts" as you call us, want....to feel safe in our own homes and have the protection if ever needed!
This horrible tragedy at Newton was some mentally ill guy who couldn't purchase his own gun because of the mental illness...stole his mothers guns, killed her for reasons we'll never know, then went to the school where his Mom used to teach, got through the Security somehow then opened fire on innocent teachers and the most precious joys in the world! 20 sweet children, then killed himself. (This is just what I get from news reports) Obviously it was well planned out and if he couldn't have gotten the guns, he'd have used some other type "weapon"...a bomb strapped on himself or whatever. Homemade bombs or any other means of killing can be found on the net just as easily.
My heart goes out to all the families and friends of those 20 precious children and those innocent adults. The teachers and Principal did their job very well and kept the children from physical danger. My prayers are with them all! God Bless.
Ronzwyf - I totally agree with everything you said.
gone, that statement is purest...conjecture, to use a clean word.
Perhaps you can tell me another weapon available to a lone twenty year old that could take 26 lives in the five minutes it took for the police to arrive.
Some folks think they drive just as well, or better, with a few beers in them, and they may be right. You say your firearms are no threat to anyone, and you may be right. We still don't let anyone drive with a blood alcohol of .09 because there's just that one guy, or two or three or ten, who'll get in an accident and kill himself or someone else.
That's hard on people who like a few beers before they drive home and God knows the saloonkeepers don't like it, but you have to come down on the side of public safety.
If any incident shows the utter futility of keeping a loaded firearm in the home for protection, this certainly is it!
I find it incredibly stupid to think that stricter gun controls would prevent these types of crimes. I do believe guns are already illegal on school grounds. the Shooter must of forgot that... And to the people who think the constitution was written with only muskets in mind... Rifles had already been invented for centuries. The right to bear arms was set in place to keep the people free.
Jerick826 - I wasn't saying the words 'struck in stone' because they can't be changed by government. If you read my comment properly you would see I stated the power to change the constitution is possible but the amount of rife and bloodshed this would cause by gunfire from guys like Lanza and his mother, makes ANY change to the second amendmant itself literally a suicide attempt for the administration. Civil war is not far off in the states, and his mother had good reason to be concerned.. Unfortunately her son had serious issues and caused @!$%# to go FUBAR
President Obama is training an army of Islamic spider monkeys to climb down the chimneys of white people to steal their guns.
Is NBC news serious with this? They can't get info from the police, so they are going to the children? Haven't these kids been through enough??? Leave them alone. Let them have their Christmas. What a bunch of dip sh*t journalists.
"Hussein", you are one funny guy!
Maybe humor is the best way to respond to the voice of madness like our friend Cameron supra. "Civil War" is not far off? The British are coming, the British are coming (again)! He's either stopped taking his medication or he's taken too much.
And he has weapons, too--with plenty of ammo.
To Shari and Andrew: if you see this:
Your son is trying to excercise a role in community leadership by attending the funerals. PLEASE LET HIM. He will remember this event all his life anyway. Let him remember it as a situation where he exercised what agency he had on behalf of his community and extended his condolences to the parents and siblings of the lost. These horrible circumstances may be calling forth a community activist or public servant or philanthropist in your son - don't use parental authority to tell him that 'he is only a little boy' and that he is not who he thinks he is in this situation. Offer to go with him if you think he'll be overly emotionally affected, and offer to leave at any point if he wants to leave - but let the decision be his. Also tell him that if he decides after attending a few of the services that he won't attend any more, that that is absolutely fine - that he is doing a a valiant outreach very few people would expect, having been traumatized himself, to want to reach out and console those whose shock was worse than his - and tell him you are proud of him - I would be! Also, if he earns an allowance (or has a paper route or mows yards for money), ask him if he thinks he maybe wants to start some kind of organization for *kids* to educate *kids* about safety, self-defense, and violence. Your son is a leader; acknowledge this gift in him and ask yourselves how you can best nurture the leadership spirit he has been blessed with.
From one who buried friends also at a too young an age.
It would be nice if the school made provisions for the frightened children's parents, to attend the first day of return with their children. I think I'd want my mommy with me that first day back...
that is an excellent idea.
It would be nice if the school would make provisions for the frightened children to have at least one parent accompany them back and remain that day throughout if needed. I think I'd want my mommy with me...
you've double posted your comment with a slight revision 4 mins after the first post, I assume you ran out of editing time?
I believe children should be accompanied by parents, but there should also be a couple of policemen, in uniform and unarmed, to tell the children that the police are there and nothing bad will happen. Not only will this reassure the kids, at least to the degree that can be done, but the parents also. In addition, there should be someone trained to talk to each class as it meets and attempt to answer their questions, including parents. This should also be done at the other three other K-4 schools there, with knowledgeable and trained people to talk to the children and parents in each classroom. And it should be done as soon as students returned to class and for about a week to two weeks. More than that would be overkill and things should be as normal for the children as possible. I don't think the police should visit each classroom but be able to go there if the teacher, counselor or whomever, children, wanted them to be there.
I remember when I was in school a fraternal twin shot her brother, not by accident, at home and we talked about it in class. The kid sat next to me and was a pretty good friend. He lived but I relieved that day when I heard the news, and I'm 65. Fortunately I was in eighth grade so I had a pretty good understanding of what was going on and was able to process the info pretty rapidly. I lived in a small town, population around 700, and nothing happened that anyone was able to hide.
But we still talked about it in class and those of us that were cognizant enough about it were able to talk to the younger children in the school. Talk about small, the high, junior and elementary schools were in a single building. That made it easier I think.
But with today's large schools, the school that was shot up had nearly as many students as my town and it was K-4, with three other elementary, two middle and a high school, it's impossible, or nearly so, for the school system to do what we were able to do 50 or so years ago. Only very small school districts can do now what we did then.
The children are going to be traumatized to a large degree and I believe it's important they return to at least as much normalcy as possible as soon as can be.
Policemen here in America can never be UNARMED. It violates their rules.
For two or three days, maximum one week, we cry and decry the tragedy. Then we sit down in front of our TV sets and wait for the next one.
Stop easy gun availability and reduce quantity of violent content on TV and movies. That is what is needed to be done. If not, let´s just wait for the next tragedy.
Yeah, notice how much more violent today's TV and movies are compared to that of 40-60 years agp? You can't tell me that doesn't affect a young mind watching it over and over all the time! AND yes, those violent video games where you get all pumped up killing people, kids shouldn't be playing those anyway. The two teens who shot up Columbine said they played Grand Theft Auto right before they went on their spree. All kids are wired differently, but they all are influenced by what is seen and heard. If this guy was so mentally unstable, mom should have seen the signs and got him help!!
Instead of relieved that day, I should have typed relived that day. Sorry for the mistake.
Evil existed way before guns. I completely understand the desire to get rid of them completely when something like this happens, but there are real concerns I have about the issue and I believe that our forefathers belief in the second ammendment was not misplaced and is concrete and was written for a reason. Let's at least all agree to let time pass before we take on a discussion that carries so much weight so that we aren't letting our emotions rewrite laws that I believe to be very important and carry great consequences. This is a tragedy and there are no laws or words in our language that can describe or prevent nor remotely explain such things. We must all extend love and compassion to one another more. Just horrific.
Anti-gun people cannot understand CRIMINALS DO NOT OBEY LAWS.
You can make as many laws as you want and it will not stop them.
The anti-gun advocates here are not talking gun control laws because we have
seen that does not work. Banning guns
locally does not work; just ask Chicago, NY, or Washington DC where handguns
were banned for years and they were always in the top ten in murders.
What they really are talking about is a national ban on guns, which I guarantee
will never happen and won’t solve the problem.
I am a firm advocate of criminal control, not gun control.
EXACTLY-everwhere that extreme anti guns laws are in effect the murder rate is horendous.
You two are both worthless @!$%#ing idiots.
Robert-1319721, that's a bunch of B.S. Handguns and ammunition possession in the United Kingdom and in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are some of the most stringent in the world. That have very small murder rates of any sort from handguns or other "weapons". Do a little homework instead of spouting off about something you clearly know nothing about. And how about getting back on track on the thread of this article?
I imagine that it would help the children to attend some of the funerals for their own understanding of what is going on. And their parents should attend with them. And the parents should go to school with them when they return. And the police should be there, too. But remember, this is a town with only three police officers and the fire dept. was all volunteer. Pershaps a variety of trusted neighbors, first responders, and clergy could help out. This mother is wise to answer her sons questions as they arise and provide age appropriate responses. My heart goes out to the famiies, friends, and community of Newtown, Conn.
Robert: "everwhere that extreme anti guns laws are in effect the murder rate is horendous."
That is so obviously not true I would think you would be embarrassed.
Martin, those countries with stringent gun laws, always had stringent gun laws. That's why there aren't many deaths with guns. There are many millions of guns in our country, starting over 200 years ago. There is no way you can eradicate them in this country because our constitution forbids it. Even if you could change it, there would always be guns here. They would still be here 50 years from now, because only a small percentage of people would give them up. The criminals will keep theirs, which means so would I.
Marti, clearly you have not been to London reciently, and perhaps you forget the 77 killed in Norway just this last year, population differences those 77 would be like 5390 people being gunned down in a single incident if we were to compare relative populations (5 mil vs 350 mil), Australia banned all guns except certain shotguns and the violence / murder rate there tripled, gun violence went down b/c the criminals didn't need to shoot the people so it wasn't a gun crime just an armed robbery, new weapon of choice being baseball bats and kitchen knifes (perhaps they should try banning those which are used for sport, legally owned but being used by bad people to bad endings.) Armed robbery is happening in daylight hours when people are awake and up so armed robbery usually leads to assaults.
Sweden - 232 murders there in 2009, equivelent to ~8500 in the US based on population.
Denmark - ok you got me "relatively low violent crime" is no specific numbers to go by but they did close their borders reciently to lower crime and drug trafficing.
There is another part to this tragedy that most people are not thinking about; and, that is the sudden need for funeral and cemetery services. The costs could range from $3,000 to $5,000 for each of the victims.
I hope that a kind hearted "person(s) with money" will step forward and pay for all of the costs. Such a kindness would truly demonstrate that sharing is caring.
All over our country, indeed, the planet, there are millions of people who would donate to such a cause; but, it will only take one person with a kind heart, to help ease the pain and burden facing the victim's families.
The United Way of Western Connecticut in partnership with Newtown Savings Bank has created the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.
Check donations to underwrite support services, immediate needs and funeral expenses for the immediate families of victims can be mailed to:
Sandy Hook School Support Fund
c/o Newtown Savings Bank
39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470
Donations may also be dropped off, beginning Monday, December 17, at any Newtown Savings Bank branch location. Branches of Newtown Savings Bank are located at 39 Main Street, Newtown; 228 South Main Street (Sand Hill Plaza), Newtown; 68 Stony Hill Road (Route 6), Bethel; 211 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel; 99 Federal Road, Brookfield; 30 Main Street, Danbury; 535 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe; 477 Main Street (Route 25), Monroe; 194 Leavenworth Road, Shelton; 815 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton; 1450 Southford Road, Southbury; 685 Main Street South, Southbury; and 926 White Plains Road, Trumbull.
Credit card donations may be made at newtown . uwwesternct .org.
For more information, please call 800-461-0672.
This is not a poor neighborhood at all. These people are all well to do, so I doubt they will have an issue paying for a funeral.
Thanks so much for the info @just me!
I've been looking for this all weekend and will share. I've asked what we can do, and there really isn't anything tangible that's needed. While it may seem like an affluent community, we don't know anyone's true circumstances and shouldn't guess by the size of their house or yard. Aside from the initial expense there could be some ongoing expenses for professional help for surviving children and family members. I am so sorry for their loss.
I do not think many people have money set aside to bury their babies that are that young.
To all media from all outlets: These fine people are suffering the worst emotions imaginable. Leave then the hell alone and STOP writing "new" stories about this. We ALL know what happened and don't need to be reminded every second. Let these families be and STOP giving this dead psycho the time. These families don't need you in their lives now or ever. All "journalists" should donate every penny they make off of this to the families if they are so concerned. I hate telling people what to do with their money but I have a REAL BIG PROBLEM with people who profit off of things like this.
In total agreement..the people in this town have gone through a horrific tragedy, they do not need reporters swarming around trying to get every little detail to report. The constant news coverage regarding this horrible event may also incite crazy copy- cats, who will attempt the same thing.
In Chicago, we had armed guards and metal detectors at every door. Harold L. Richards H.S. And this was in the 70's.
IN MY LIFE
Lennon/McCartney
There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Thank you , Philo, John Lennon wrote some beautiful songs, This one is my favorite. It fits.
The blood of 20 innocent childeren and 6 teachers is on the hands of NRA. Why do we need assault type guns? Why do we need large magazines that load hundreds of bullets? Are these type of weapons needed for hunting, for shooting galeries, or against car jackers? NRA supports violence and will be destroyed by the same violence. Amen.
wow where do you trolls come from?
Why don't you ask his mom? She loved to collect guns and didn't use them improperly. Why don't we have the same level of horror when innocent people are put to death by the state or when the police kill innocent civilians. How about how the CIA renditions people who are totally innocent?
We as a nation love violence since it is so deeply ingrained in our societal DNA from the beginning of our nation. We want to reduce mental health expenditures but support the military which is the right hand of the most violent killing machine on the planet. If there is anything as poetic justice there will continue to be insanity in our society since corporations think nothing of destroying democratic principles in the name of corporate hegemony and global domination of capitalism. People don't matter, only profits. We are becoming less human and more desensitized to horror.
"From my cold dead hands" Try to tell the parents of these dead children about your "god given" right to bear assault weapons.
Exactly. How about the cold dead hands of those children?
Americans. Ignorant and arrogant.
We know that human beings are capable of horrific and demonic acts when they turn away from God
Keep the god crap out of here.
Do you think atheists are evil? We don't start wars over religion--the root of so many wars and so much evil in this world.
The God that lets things like this happen ?
I wouldn't say we don't start wars over religion... I'll probably take all the flak in the world after posting this but the Zionist hand in American politics is basically the most powerful *( monetarily ) force guiding the actions of not only U.S. foreign policy, but also NATO... The only other group of people who come close to zionist elite are saudi oil families who are actually prodding and paying for the civil conflict in syria to escalate the way it has ( on the militant side, of course ). We may seperate church and state, but it doesn't seperate the hundreds of billions of dollars keeping the economy alive via zionist business alliances and it certainly doesn't keep those dollars from LITERALLY PURCHASING GOVERNMENT... I mean , for @!$%# sake, the last election should have been a plain and clear indication to the people of the United States as to how their government elects and operates... I presume you have no idea about the composition and implications of a SuperPAC, go look it up on wikipedia, champ.
SteveYo.....................No I do not think atheists are evil. I will not leave God out of my life, however you have the free will to leave Him out of yours.
Perry-951512.............If there is no God then how could He allow or be responsible for this tragedy? However for those of us who believe in God, know that evil is not of His doing. Each of us have been given the gift of free will and unfortunately some people choose to perform evil acts against their fellow man that is demonic in nature.
Kattakara - how many people have killed "in the name of god"?
SteveYo
If you care to learn more about people killing in the name of God, please read the following article:
http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200804/200804_080_Killing_sb.cfm
Which god are you refering to? My God is not about killing and causing jihad, my God has been kicked out out the American public and most private live as well. So do not blame Him! It's really easy for some to blame the Creator of heaven and earth, when they don't have a clue as to who He is....
to assume god is a He, or even a She, is along the same lines as prescribing to any specific religion in general.
Nobody has a clue as to who he is, Nacio.
God has nothing to do with this. Atheists can be more moral than Christians or vice versa.
I respect the rights of others to belive the way they may but if enough of you can remember history, this country was formed under the name of God. Therefore, we as a christian society do not push your beliefs aside so we ask that you show the same courtesy to us.
"this country was formed under the name of God."
No it wasn't. Everyone did tend to talk about God a lot back then, but they still recognized the importance of the "wall of separation"
Our Founding Fathers were Christian, so there! Believe in what you want, you are free to do so, just don't push your non-beliefs on others and vica versa!! Live and let live!
Other religions have God, not just Christians.
Although I am not religious and I own guns, I would never ever think of taking a gun and shooting up a room full of innocent children. Our issues is not over gun control. Our issues are not teaching kids to deal with their emotions. We let kids do everything they want, give them everything they want. We make them feel entitled to everything and then we are confused when they are angry and act out.
Nacio, we never blame God for the bad that happens only the good.. well he/she let this horrible event happen!!!
Obviously this country has lots of Gun lovers. The reality is guns are here to stay for a long time to come. The 2nd amendment (IMHO is misplaced and at best medieval) will ensure that. What is needed are strict gun control laws. Why does some one need a semi-automatic assault for self defense and for hunting? There guns are there for one reason - to kill and kill many. There is no other purpose.
For the past few years, the conservatives are showing up more as nut cases. They are on the wrong side of every important issue - taxes, health care, wars, immigration and we always knew - the guns. Shame on you! I can guarantee that the Friday's evil deed will have lots of people trying to change the discussion from gun control to mental health. But aren't all evil individuals by definition mentally ill (and definitely not vice-versa). Normal people can go postal at an instance and we have seen this numerous times in the past. And when these nuts have guns to their avail, they create havoc. Wonder why gun lovers dont get it?
Another moron-everyone who owns a gun is a conservative. You LIBTARDS just prove you can't fix stupid.
Robert - it IS the conservatives who refuse to see the common sense of banning these weapons of mass killing. Nothing stupid there....
Robert - typical conservative response. Insult the messenger rather than refute the message. Although I agree with you that not all gun owners are conservative. I've seen some thoughtful posts from my moderate gun-owning friends strongly supporting appropriate restrictions (not bans) on assault and assault-type weapons.
So, making guns illegal will take them off the streets? We should make heroine and meth illegal too!
Crossfire7 - are you aware that guns are MANUFACTURED in FACTORIES unlike illegal drugs?
Drugs are made in factories also just not in the US. All banning guns in the US will do is the same as drugs. Bring them in from Mexico
If a person is willing to commit horrific acts and had no compassion for others especially children I bet they could go into almost any garage / house in the US and in 5-10 mins come out with enough tools that can be used as weapons to make this guys body count seem small by comparison, this guy had an altercation with 3 of the teachers he shot the day before and the rest were probably obly shot when they tried to stop him / save their fellow humans.
Ban 2x4s now.... makes about as much sense as banning guns, do I need a semi auto for hunting no, do I use one yes in the past 5 years im at 8 shots 7 deer down and have eatten every one of them, they are delicious.
This will be a regular event in the USA until the majority decides that they love their children and each other more than they love their guns. Guns are not freedom - this is BS fed by the NRA. People in the USA are being made into victims and are held hostage by an insane gun culture.
Precisely.
Do you think other people feel the same way when our military slaughters innocent children and adults in their undeclared wars throughout the world. When the US recognizes its own dirty sins authorized by our politicians and generals maybe there can be an end to madness. Drones that mindlessly kill innocent civilians. It isn't guns that are the problem, it is human beings. We send our 18 year olds out to kill people they don't know. Is Columbine, Aurora and Connecticut any different than letting our 18 year olds kill with the authorization of Congress and then wondering why they come home with PTSD and severe depression. As George Bernard Shaw stated: "If the US were a sane asylum there would be no one in it." The more we militarize the US the more insane it will become. At age 60, I have never felt worse about the future of this country. The only thing that matters anymore to Americans is their materialistic consumerism, corporate profits, sports and their narcissistic needs. Add in world domination and a loss of Humanism and it is a perfect recipe for the creation of psychosis and mental illness throughout society. Maybe the US is on the wrong path to happiness and fulfillment.
So true. So pathetically true.
American society is crumbling and the voices of stupidity continue to reign.
Will it be too late before they wake up, put down their iphones and do something about it?
Notice how all the anti-gunners, even with different screen names, have almost the same words? The Brady Bunch and the other gun-ban groups like Acorn hire people to troll these news sites and spout the words they are given; makes it seem like a groundswell. This technique (not using the internet of course but using plants in the crowd) is advocated both by Lenin and Alinsky.
same can easily be said about the NRA trolls.
It was a tragedy in CT, but the truly sad thing is the media nationalizing and sensationalizing the story simply creates copycat killers in the future (according to forensic psychologists).
I can't believe all this crazy take all the guns crap.
Violence is a part of our human history. From our caveman days we have been violent to each other. It's our nature, we can pretend we're civilized but fact is there are people that will always hurt other people, whatever the tool. But you are focusing on only one, the gun.
What about the bombing in Oklahoma City? No guns there.
What about the Happy Land fire that killed 87 people trapped in a nightclub in the Bronx, March 25, 1990. Unemployed Cuban refugee Julio González, whose former girlfriend was employed at the club, was arrested shortly after and ultimately convicted of arson and murder. No guns here.
What about the Saran gas attack on the Tokyo subway, on March 20, 1995. No guns. Just a few of many, many examples.
People intent on hurting or killing other people will always find a way. The imagination knows no bounds. What do almost all these shootings have in common, besides usually being men? Gun Free Zones.
Most of these people have already committed numerous felonies even before they enter these GFZs, they do not care about following laws, they plan on killing people then taking their own life for whatever reason. End GFZs, they do not work. In Israel for example they also had school shootings, they armed the teachers, shootings stopped. Almost every time the Active Shooter will take his own life when he feels threatened, as not to be captured.
If we could magically snap our fingers and make every gun disappear in America, even cops and if a gun crosses our border it immediately vanishes. People would still find ways to effectively kill other people. Disarming innocent people does not protect innocent people. We have a right to protect ourselves, a God given right, born with the instinct of self-preservation. Most people seem to think this is a right given by the government. No, God given, cannot be taken away. By taking away the best tool we have to defend ourselves leaves us at the mercy of those bigger and stronger. Criminals do not follow laws, they will be armed with some type of weapon.
When our forefathers wrote the 2nd Amendment, advances in the technology of firearms were already occurring, they were well aware of this. Their intention was not to freeze the level of gun technology available to the people at that time period. The intention was allow us to bear arms against enemies both foreign and domestic (Active Shooters?). Do you seriously think they wanted us using muskets to fight off foreign enemies armed with current technology? Don't think so. And why does our government want to disarm us in the face of terrorism? It's not about guns, it's about control. By the way, the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting, politicians please stop saying this, too many people believe you.
You would think that after having had 20 six and seven year olds cold bloodily murdered at the hands of a madman you would want more protection, not less for our children, and further gun restrictions equals less protection. Please, for the sake of these 20 and the many more that WILL die, allow responsible adults the ability to protect others, especially those unable to protect themselves.
Two of the teachers killed were shot trying to rush and physically stop the shooter to defend the children. If they had been armed they may have had a chance. Especially since we know Active Shooters shoot themselves at the first sign of being apprehended. And if you posted a sign at the entrance to the school stating that teachers may be armed (concealed) the madman would not even come in. Of course teachers would be required not only to be concealed carry permitted but receive additional training. I'm sure there are many firearm training facilities that would give free training to teachers allowing them to better protect the most precious things in our lives, our children.
Our society has some very sick individuals in it, this is the cause, not the gun. We need to look at ourselves and our society at what we have become.
Further guns laws are not the answer.
"and further gun restrictions equals less protection"
Not necessarily. The people who should have then will still be able to get them; we just want to get a better handle on the chaos.
If you want to get a better handle on the chaos, we need to A) provide mental health care to anyone who asks, B) hold the mental health people accountable for the actions of their patients if it can be proven that they missed clues that made it obvious that the patient is a danger to others, and C) quit posturing and strutting and demanding things that are less than useless "to fix the problem".
"The problem" is multifaceted, and must be approached from many directions. Taking guns away from citizens who own them legally and use/store them responsibly is not an approach. It is a knee-jerk reaction, and those are uniformly bad.
Now, to the question...should young children be allowed to attend the funerals of their slain colleagues? My feeling is that you should follow your child's lead on this. There's no right or wrong answer here, nothing that can or should be set in stone. If a child feels strongly that s/he wants to attend the funeral, I feel they should be allowed to do so. If they wish to leave in the middle of the service, that's fine, and no one should think less of them for that decision, and they should be reassured of this before the service. Kids are amazingly tough, despite what you may think. Give them the respect of honoring their wishes on this. In the long run, letting them decide how they will handle it is going to be far healthier for them than imposing your decision on them.
because people will still do bad things, we should do nothing. seems logical.
Sign my petition to stop the news media from facilitating and profiting from these ever-increasing mass shootings. We need to act now.
There is simply too much hate in America.
My heart goes out to the children and the parents, and actually all the people of this small lovely town. Banning guns is not the answer, cause you can walk into any neighborhood and find guns legal or not, black market ,most. We will never be rid of guns. So we need to do the next best thing, find the disturbed minds that do this kind of thing, and get them off the streets before they can get a gun, or a knife or explosives. Our world is very chaotic right now, it seems to get worse every day, more and more children are being killed every day by troubled minds of people who need to be incarcerated. When you have a relative who is having problems .get them help, when your son, or daughter has mental problems, get them help, and when the guy next door threatens you with a gun, call the law, and make sure he gets the help he needs. Just because people have a mental problem, doesn't mean we turn our backs on them. They need help, they need medicine to calm them, and they need people to understand that they are sick and need help, whether its physcological help, or mental help, it is out there and we need to use it for the best of everyone concerned. Having guns in the house was a bad thing for Adam Lanza, I question why she had guns in the house, if she knew her son was troubled, and filled with uncontrolable rage. Who should know better than a parent, that their child is in trouble. She couldn't have missed it, did she get the guns to protect her self from him, it would have been better if she had gotten him the help he needed, then this horrible tragity may never have happened. My prayers are with the people and especially the children of Sandy Hook. I am so far away yet it has affected me, my heart is breaking for the parents, and grandparents of the children, and the families of the teachers who lost their lives. I can only say a prayer, and offer condolences, but People, If you see your child is in trouble in a mental way,PLEASE GET HIM OR HER HELP. Its the best thing you can do for them, yourself, and the rest of us.
Not turning political in anyway because I do not have the solution nor do I believe any one party alone has a solution.. however not everyone has access to insurance and mental heath treatments are some of the most expensive care.
Hell the cost of mental health meds alone is enough to make you crazy..