This teacher reminds me of the Mona Lisa; except that she is more beautiful. What a shame she had to go this way.

She did not have to go this way. We, as a nation should do better than this, just like Obama said. Stricter gun laws NOW.

@Obama Wh...

Not true amigo...we do follow laws but you follow ignorant beliefs. Innocent people die all the time like this teacher. Let's keep to topic. If this teacher was your sister, daughter or significant other, would you rant like this? or would you want people to show respect for her heroism? She's my SHERO!

@singlepayerhealth,

Can you explain how stricter laws would have prevented this? Have you done any research at all or are you just one of the Koolaid drinkers?

DawgFan,

Your post is so so right. People think to balme everyone and their brother for this, but the truth is the person behind the gun is the issue.

fact #1 Conneticut is the only state with the stricktest gun laws in the nation, fact look it up

fact#2 If the semi automatic weapons didn't exsist this kid would have used somthing else more powerful to do his deed, like a bomb or dynamite. look at schoolhouse killing in 1929 yes 1929....

fact #3 no one remembers the soldier that killed 10 innocent people in afgahnistan, are we going to ban the military too now?

fact#3 name one smart and non crazy person who has done somthing like this and was perfectly normal. answer NONE.

They do not want to see the fact is that we have to first arm our schools with undercover police officers or security agents, because a uniformed police officer will stick out and the perpertrator will find a way around this.

But in all you will never be able to ensure 100% safety for everyone, ther is unfortunetly going to be a situation that happens where the one person you would lest expect to do somthing like this will do it. So we all need to calm down stop blaming everyone and their brother for this and blame the people who are the ones that created this US we all are responsible, we all need to come togeather as a nation and stop placing the blame on everyone accept the killer himself. He could have done the right thing and took his own life, but instead he chose an evil path and brought evil to that poor town.

We all need to take a closer look at our surrondings and eventhough you think it's not your business to get involved,maybe you need to re think that thought now. Maybe if that Marine had gone to authorities and had voiced his concern about the kid and the fact that his mother has weapons around like he was aware of then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

If you really care about this tragedy, why not respond positively by getting involved in your own community. Its very easy to yak about gun control because you don't have to do anything - except vote or write a letter to congress. But if you want to honor the memory of the teachers, principal, and children, why not get involved in a mentoring program for kids. There are over 1500 children murdered each year by their parents - where were you? There are 100,000 kids in foster care 3 years of age or younger. Where were you? If you care, then put your love into action for someone who needs it.

They need to make people like this woman the focus of the story more often, rather than inadvertently glorify the mass murderers that comit these acts by making it (the news) all (or most) about them.

I agree with Taharrington and im not a gun owner.

A tragic moment in human history again to put into the history books, and my heart goes out to everyone that passed away and their family. I'm a new dad my self and I couldn't even imagine.

Everyone is to quick to blame the guns and automatic weapons. That's not the problem, its a short term excuse for what happened. A gun is just one of many weapons available to humans so even if they ban all guns and there are 0 guns left in the hands of citizens, a psychopath will just choose another weapon of choice "Pipe Bom, baseball bat, Hockey Stick, hunting bow, plain rock, rental cat ETC..." and accomplish the same thing. I could make a pipe bom in 20min and I never even take chemistry or shop class.

The problem is people and how they are raised at home and how parents act towards their children.

Example: The incident that recently happened in China at a grade school, guns were not involved and numerous children died by a knife. THERE WERE NO GUNS THERE.

Personally I think they should look at the mother and see what she did with the kids and how they were raised. There is a much bigger underlying problem here that everyone is trying to avoid.

Even the other school shooting from the past, again people blame guns.. Well some of those kids were bullied for years and nobody did anything about it. Even with a dog if you harass him long enough, HE WILL BITE BACK.

We need to take a close look at our standards as humans, teach our kids to respect each other more no matter how rich or poor, black or white, handicapped or not, smart or stupid, good looking or not. We all have a place in our society and the only thing that is missing is respect.

And not that I'm picking on Americans cause I'm not, but you guys need to learn to say Thank You fallowed by Your Welcome and not AhhHaaa.

So what will the USA do now.. Spend Billions more on new gun laws that wont help at all, just to make it look as if they are doing something about this problem and to shut everyone up.

For Dawgfan-4710266:

Please see rates of mass shootings before/after restrictions were put in place in UK, Australia. Both enacted them after large-scale tragedies. Gun deaths down 36% in UK since 1997 when ban went into effect. Down 59% in Australia, and no massacres since, versus 11 in the decade before going into effect.

22 children in China were injured. No Deaths from the mentally ill 36 year old man with a knife.

Source: CNN

Hey Dawgfan, Conn is not the only state with strict gun laws. NY has very strict laws and you don't see mass shootings here.

Those arguing about gun control how about you shift your arguments to some on topic forum instead of discussing it here, you are being rather disrespectful.

Instead let us comment on this article which is about how a hero is being laid to rest and about how a teacher tried to protect the children she was intrusted with.

What an amazing woman.

It is a pity the Purple heart is only for members of the military.

To Obama Whistles....you are a complete and bumbling idiot!!!

RIP to this beautiful teacher who was clearly loved by her students

This morning in our local paper the NRA Promises to Help Prevent School Shootings. Fantastic. They had days of self imposed silence out of respect for the families and as a matter of decency. They are the largest gun rights lobby and I so respect the way they have showed compassion to the victums and their families. They are made up of 4 million Moms and Dads, Sons and Daughters and they promised to " offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again." We are all saddened and heartboken by the news of this horrific act by someone who had to be completely out of touch with what a life really means. So all of us as gun owners should take responsibility for the safety of our weapons and work with the President and the NRA to come to an agreement on what can be done to help stop this. Hopefully the readers who continue to make remarks about the 2nd Amendment rights will stop with the scare tactics and realize no one is going to take away that right. No one. The President does not want to take away our guns. Our 2nd Amendment Right is in place and will stay in place. But as Parents, Grandparents, Brothers , Sisters, Aunts and Uncles we all need to be so much more responsible when listening to the people around us. We need to be cautious about how and where we store our guns. We need to listen closely at young people when they feel alone and take mental health a lot more seriously than in the past. Anyone who could do this has got to have a mental problem. It is hard to believe that in some of these cases the person is like our next door neighbor who we thought of as just a kid. Open our eyes and ears. Open our hearts to the ideas being given to us and lets make a difference in the way we all come together as a Nation. The political arena has got to stop bickering and the American People need to stop fighting over politics especially posting lies when the truth is so much better.

Sullyness,

There is a main difference. In both the UK and Australia they have been completely banned from owning or possessing unless permitted under strict conditions. No exceptions for firearms already in circulation. They also are not guaranteed under their Constitutions the right to keep and bear arms. Face it. There are over 300,000,000 firearms in this country, and there is not possible way to get them all turned in. Criminals don't follow the law now, so what makes you think they would follow the law if guns were banned? Criminals in the UK and Australia have guns. They have easy access to them in their black markets. The UK also saw a huge rise in violent crimes.

Top 10 Violent Crime rates per 100,000 in the World.

1. UK-2,034

2. Austria-1,677

3. South Africa-1,609

4. Sweden-1,123

5. Belgium-1,006

6. Canada-935

7. Finland-738

8. Netherlands-676

9. Luxembourg-565

10. France-504

The US comes in at 466 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.

Rest peacefully Victoria, you are a wonderful spirit, and an inspiration to us all. God keep and protect you through all eternity.

Now..........To taharrington, and dawgfan......you are both wrong. Stronger gun-control legislation would have restricted the mother from owning the types of weapons she owned, in the quantities that she owned them. It would-have also required her to complete a weapons safety class, in which she would have been taught how to properly store and secure her guns, and would have required her to lock them up when not in use. Additionally, it would have required the identification of her son to the local police, as someone with a mental illness who had access to a house with guns in it.

Anyone of those measures could have prevented this tragedy.

@Trochj,

Top 5 States for Murders by Firearm.

1. California

2. Texas

3. Michigan

4. Pensylvania

5. New York

Top 5 states for murders

1. California

2. Texas

3. New York

4. Pensylvania

5. Michigan

Source FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORT 2011.

Zman,

First, we don't know how her guns were stored. For all we know they could have been in a safe with a biometric lock. He knocked her out, put her finger on there and then shot and killed her. We don't know the details, so you can't speculate on how they were stored.

Second, Even if she didn't have the AR-15 it wouldn't have prevented this from happening. He still killed people with the two handguns. There was also a 12 gauge in his car.

Third, a limitation on how many firearms one can own is a violation of constitutional rights. Nowhere in our constitution does it state how many of a certain thing someone can have. Cars kill 32,000 people a year, but we don't limit how many you can have. We would have an easier time banning cars as they are not a right gauaranteed by the Constitution.

Additionally, it would have required the identification of her son to the local police, as someone with a mental illness who had access to a house with guns in it.

Sorry, but that is a violation of Constitutional Rights basing one person's ability to keep and bear arms based on the actions of others.

I will say this. I think anyone that owns a firearm should be required to buy a safe. Now that doesn't restrict people you have given authorization to have access to them, but it would cut down on the number of accidental shootings. I have a number of different safes for my firearms. A couple 1,200 lbs safes that are bolted into concrete all with biometric and numberic locks, a couple wall safes for quick access in the middle of the night, a pistol safe in my desk, and I built a safe in my car for when I go to places that don't allow me to carry. But, there are people that will say that requirement is a violation of Constitutional rights, just like requiring training and competency tests are a violation.

@Obama Whistles, I am horrified that you thought this was the appropriate venue to spew hatred and racist remarks. Reread the article and please allow yourself to feel ashamed for using a story about loving heroism as a vehicle for you cowardly hatred!

@Maxine, I so agree with your comment. It seems obvious that this "conversation" about restrictions has to take place and the people who are clinging to the "you'll get my gun when you pry it...etc." are stating facts about like FOX news does! I grew up around guns, my husband and I have guns, he has his concealed weapons permit! When the Colarado shooting happened and I read that the shooter had ordered a huge ammount of bullets via internet I thought to myself, "that should have sent up some kind of red flag..." and I still believe that! When my husband got his concealed, he had to take a class and pass a test. I think that is just a smart requirement for all gun ownership. I also think that the gun show loopholes need to be closed. These are just a few simple regulations that make sense to me. Our constitutional rights are not without responsibility. If gun owners want to have a say in what regulations need to be created and enforced, they had better quit being beligerant and defensive and allow for some intelligent cooperation!

@Pronost,

I agree with several of your comments. How children are raised, and the general lack of respect that both children and adults give to their fellow human beings has certainly deteriorated. I'm not a psychologist, but I'm sure there are cases where no level of nurturing or guidance will change how a problem person will develop, but I do think there are many kids who just need a positive role model/parent figure to make a world of difference.

Pretend for a moment that all of the issues you cited stayed the same; children are raised poorly, kids at school are bullied, racial differences still occur. Now take (or reduce) guns from the equation. Yes, there will still be violent crime. Yes, a criminal intent on killing somebody will find a way. Yes, cars will kill more people than guns (sorry not your comment). But I have to believe in probabilities, and that the mass murders such as what happened in Newton will be reduced if access to firearms was controlled to a greater degree than it is now.

Blaming guns is very easy to do, but I think it's because they are an obvious part of the problem.

Catherine,

I'm with you on the concealed permit requirement, but for all gun owners that is an infringement. There are some people in this country that would be defended by the ACLU because making them take a test violated their constitutional rights and they have a slight learning disability because of a rough childhood and failed the test.

The Gun show loophole needs to be gone. Private citizens should have access to the FBI background check number to check a buyers status. That doesn't mean everyone will call, but i'm sure it would find a couple.

Those of you who have made not one single reference to Victoria Soto, you know the teacher that this @!$%#ing story is about, are vile human beings. All you disgusting people care about is the mention of @!$%#ing guns and you all go crazy. A brave woman was murdered while protecting her children and all you POS people can do is rant and rave about guns.

Victoria Soto: You will forever be remembered for the beautiful person you were. Thank you for trying to protect the children. RIP. May her family find solace in her courage and bravery.

★ ♡ †††††††††††††††††††††††††† ♡ ★ RIP

AlaskaGirl,

Kettle meet pot. Pot meet Kettle. You come on here talking about vile people while cursing and calling people you don't know names really turns the tables back onto you. Had Victoria been allowed to carry a firearm in her school I have no doubt she would have defended those children. Unfortunately we have gun free zones and the only people that follow that rule are the law abiding. That is why we see schools shot up so much, is because the shooters know there will be noone to stop them for an extended period of time.

Dawgfan, I actually know people who are very smart and unable to take written tests. BUT a mandatory gun safety class, (they can be free) with certification of passing the class would be good. Responsible gun owners are so safety conscious that we think in those terms as the norm, but geez I know people who still store their guns in the back of a closet!

No, Dawgfan. Wrong.

R.I.P Victoria Soto

R.I.P 20 children ages 6 & 7

I try very hard to figure you people out - but time and time again I come to these boards - even boards like this set up to remember a very heroic teacher who died protecting her children and all people can do is freak out because their love of guns is so strong that that is first and foremost in their minds and to he** with all these babies and teachers etc. who were slaughtered by this moron. What is it with you people. Why are you so paranoid that you must have not one gun, but 4, 5, 6 of them and included in them are semi-automatic guns?? Why the paranoia that without a gun in your house you feel threatened to violence? I cannot wrap my head around this. Did you people even bother to stop for a moment and look at the pictures of these babies and teachers whose lives were cut down way too soon. They will never graduate or have their first prom, get married and have children or fulfill their dreams. That is what this board is about folks. I cannot even fathom what these families are going through - so have a heart folks and stick to the subject of this board. And go to another board to rant and rave about your fear of losing your precious semi-automatic guns and clips holding more than 30 bullets. I am Canadian and I dont feel badly for any one of you gun owners - and I hope strict regulations are put on your loving guns - cause you see I value the lives of babies and other humans more than I do you being subjected to some form of gun control

May God be with these families at this really sad, sad time and help them get through Christmas as best they can with one little one or one adult missing at the dinner table. Lots of love to all of you.

Oh and for your information we have very strict gun laws, very few people here pack guns like you do and we feel safe in our homes and on the streets. And people will argue the fact that we have only 150 shootings a year, but it is true - so we must be doing something right.

Amen, SHar. Your post brought tears to my eyes. My eyes fill everytime I look at the pics of those slaughtered. May none of us ever know the violence and fright that each and every person in that school endured. And, yes, your country is definitely doing something right.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Victoria Soto, she will always have all our respect and them some. Im sure at some point during those final moments she wished she had some way to defend herself and those little kids. If this president really wants to make schools safer he'd fund a nationwide program for teachers so they could get specialized training in the use of weapons and tactics. Doing this while funding programs for at risk kids with mental problems makes more sense that anything he's said so far.

Shar, Alaska, and Catherine, it seems you three are more intelligent than most people makinmg comments on this board. Why do people need murder weapons such as assault rifles? After all, that is what assault rifles are, they are murder weapons. They are not used for hunting or protection. The reason the ban was lifted on them was the NRA has a lot of puppets in congress. They believe the BS the nra claims about having the right to own a murder weapon. Why not a rocket launcher or grenade launcher too. I have no problem with someone owning a gun even though I have no desire to.

Linero

If you really care about this tragedy, why not respond positively by getting involved in your own community. Its very easy to yak about gun control because you don't have to do anything - except vote or write a letter to congress. But if you want to honor the memory of the teachers, principal, and children, why not get involved in a mentoring program for kids. There are over 1500 children murdered each year by their parents - where were you? There are 100,000 kids in foster care 3 years of age or younger. Where were you? If you care, then put your love into action for someone who needs it.

People are starting to do something about it. In fact, I and a number of engineers I know have already started work on devices that will make guns a vary dangerous an fruitless thing to use on the general population without increasing the risk to the general population.

If we do our job right, one of the things we will be able to do is make an assailant unable to hold their weapon basically at the push of a button and at range in some cases outside the range of light weapons.

It is time for those of us that can to put an end to this madness. No more dead people because you fools need your guns. Time to put it to bed.

My heart breaks every time I look at the faces of these victims.

There was another family member of one of the murdered children yesterday who said some of the families had talked about getting together and taking action toward stricter gun laws in America.

To all the families who are grieving right now: there are millions of us who hear you and grieve with you. Whenever you are ready to lead the charge on this, we are here to back you up.

We will not let these beautiful children and their teachers die in vain.

Dawgfan-4710266

A bit late I know nice twisting of the states there but if we look at firearm MURDERS the US is at least 2 times higher rate per 100,000 than any other western country on Earth.

These weapons were banned from 1994 to 2004 with no effect on violent crime. Columbine happpened during this ban. Not a good solution but a politically popular one with LWNJs.

The laws were not strong enough. but they will be.

The bill that Feinstein is proposing is virtually the same bill. Its not a retroactive ban. 285,000,000 privately owned weapons in the USA. You can't get a law through congress that will have any effect at all. It may make you FEEL safer but not BE safer. Better to focus on the type of people who commit these terrible crimes.

Laws may be passed banning them....but rest assured they will not go away.....far far too many of them out there and far far too many people that will resist the tyranny of this Gov't.

Such a tragedy.....I work in a school and see daily the good that teachers do....it is unfortunate that the Gov't and school districts have such silly standards they have to to abide by sometimes, but overall our nations teachers do a wonderful job....now if only we could get discipline back into our schools......

Me, Too, RBshoots. I work in an elementary school 20 miles from Newtown. I drive by there every day. Last night I saw that the motorists began leaving stuffed animals by the exit and exit signs. I am making it a point to visit Newtown more. I ride my bike over there when the weather is good. I used to be an advocate for gun control, but now I am an activist. It may be that the weapons will still be there, but as one person, I will leave this earth active in pursuing the removal of all assault weapons. It is the least that I can do to help the families and honor the dead children, teachers, and families. Nothing will change my attitude, except my passing from this earth.

Oh yes the gun laws have done so much good in Chicago. The highest murder rate in the nation. You can ban what you want to ban, people will get it if they want it. If I am not mistaken drugs are ban, but seems they are still fighting like hell to end it.

I am sick and tired of hearing, ‘oh, there’s too many guns out there now’, and ‘will never get a strong enough law passed to do any good’. We hire those legislators with our votes. If our legislators are in bed with the gun lobbyists, then vote them out. They work for us. We will find legislators that fulfill our needs.

The report done ofter the ban ran out in 2004 showed that the crime rate from Assault Style Weapons was the exact same in 2004 as it was in 1993. It is still the same today at 1.9% of all gun crimes. In 1993 the year before the ban there were 3,000 ATF investigations into assault weapons. In 2004 there were 3,100. The highest number of traces conducted came in 1997 at just over 5,000. That was in the middle of the ban. Now tell me how banning them would make any difference?

And when a dozen people are killed with a handgun, do we ban those too?

Yes, handguns should be banned, too.

Any new gun legislation should include a retroactive ban on said weapons. It's the only way. It should also come with absolutely ridiculous penalties and jail time, for those who think they can just keep it locked away and the government will never know. Start with the weapons registry, go house to house and get them. The Government should reimburse any citizen for the money spent on the item (including accessories). Include new laws that hold the gun owner, and seller accountable if their weapon is used in a crime. Make the prospect of your weapon being used in a crime so costly in fines and jail time, no one will want to risk it.

All future sales of any semi-automatic/automatic weapon should be the responsibility of the gun manufacturer and seller to do appropriate background checks. If a seller is pushing out quantities of semi-autos, the manufacturer should research how that's happening and demand documentation of where those weapons went.

Ban all sales of weapons at gun shows, without a background check. Those sales should also be included in a national registry with normal gun store owners. Any store/gun show that has no access to said registry, is denied the permit to sell weapons.

Ban high capacity clips, unless they're military, and stored ON military bases/armorys.

Couple that with meaningful improvements in our Mental Health infrastructure, and you might see some improvements. Yes, someone will always figure out a way, if they really want to do harm. But that doesn't mean we have to make it easy for them. The harder it is, the likelier they will get noticed/caught in the process.

I love guns, I really do. I enjoy shooting, and I enjoy the technology behind weaponry. But, I like my brothers and sisters more. I view schools as a place to learn, free from the ills of the world. And if we don't come together and start talking about possible solutions to this dire issue in America, everyone in Newtown died in vain.

I am simply in awe of these brave teachers and school staff. Actually, I guess I shouldn't be - they died doing what they loved, teaching, and they died fiercely protecting the children they loved. They are true heroes and may they always be remembered and may they rest in peace.

Victoria Soto - you are a hero to many.

For those saying the assault weapons ban had no effect:

You're leaving out the gaping whole that you could drive a howitzer through: the banned weapons were still made available at gun shows, without paperwork, without background checks. Dawgfan listed ATF background checks, but didn't mention they did find a reduction in usage of the banned assault weapons in violent crimes from 4.82% to 1.61%. But yes, crimes mostly shifted instead to the non-banned weapons.

By the way, Chris Rhodes Scholar, Columbine may have happened during the ban, but the two shooters bought their otherwise "banned" weapons at gun shows, without a background check, without paperwork, and without any traceable receipts. Some of their guns were not even on the banned list, however (shotguns, 9mm pistols, etc.).

B Murphy,

Any new gun legislation should include a retroactive ban on said weapons. It's the only way. It should also come with absolutely ridiculous penalties and jail time, for those who think they can just keep it locked away and the government will never know. Start with the weapons registry, go house to house and get them.

The Germans thought the same thing. Turned out so well for the Jewish population and most of Europe right?

No amount of background checks or regulations would have stopped this. The Ban back in 1994 did nothing to stop the violence. The sad reality is that there are crazy people in this world and will kill people with whatever they can find. In China they use knives, and yes they also have gun violence even with their strict gun laws. In the Philippines they use machetes and firearms. In Mexico they have strict regulations on firearms and we know how well that's going for them.

El Salvador, Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Swaziland, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Philippines, and South Africa all have a gun death rate per 100,000 residents higher than the US.

El Salvador has strict gun laws. Everything gun control groups in the US call for is in place in El Salvador, but they top the list in gun deaths per 100,000 residents.

Jamaica has some of the strictest laws in the world. Gun owners are required to have a license and pay a $6,000 fee each year. The penalty for unauthorized possession of a firearm is an automatic life in prison. They are number 2 on the list.

Honduras requires owners be licensed, and must re-apply and re-qualify every 4 years. They are limited to 5 firearms, firearms are to be registered, unique identifying marks on each gun, and tracing procedures.

Guatemala all firearms owners must be licensed. Full auto is prohibited. Background checks are completed based on criminal, mental, and army or police service records. Owners are required to undergo training. Licenses must be renewal every one to three years which includes training/qualification. They are also limited in the number of ammo they can have. They have to register their guns.

Swaziland is under the UN guidence for regulation of firearms.

Colombia only handguns are permitted under license. Owners must have a valid reason for being permitted, background checks include criminal and mental records. Domestic violence denies or revokes a license.

Brazil requires owners be licensed to acquire, possess, or transfer firearms. They must have a valid reason for obtaining a firearm, must be a minimum of 25 years old, background checks consider criminal, mental, and employment records. Safety training and understanding of a firearm, and testing on a training course are required. Guns are also suppose to be registered.

Panama requires a valid reason for obtaining a firearm. Guns are to be registered.

Mexico law gives a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, but most types and caliber weapons are reserved for the military. Owners must also be licensed to possess a firearm that meets private ownership criteria. Background checks look at criminal, mental, physical and addiction records. Civilians are limited to 2 firearms for legitimate defense purposes, and they are limited on the number of bullets they can have.

Philippines requires owners be licensed, prove a genuine reason for possession, and limited to pistols and revolvers. Background checks are required.

South Africa requires license for the possession of pistols and revolvers. Civilians are not allowed to possess semi-automatic firearms without special endorsements. Background checks include criminal, mental, medical, domestic violence, addiction, employment, and previous firearm license records. They are limited to 1 firearm and 200 rounds of ammo.

All of these countries have more restrictive laws just like many of the gun control crowd wants, but the death rate exceeds the rate of the US. It just proves that no amount of regulation will prevent gun violence.

What?? You mean MSN decided not to post this story next to the "tragedy" of Selma Blair being photographed without makeup as appeared on MSN mobile yesterday?

My thoughts and prayers for this wonderful teacher who is passing.

@BMurphy, Are you serious about going house to house to collect all guns? How about we authorize the feds to go house to house and collect all illegal aliens, drugs, etc, etc. I personally will not support ANY legislation that gives free hand to the govt to just openly go door to door for anything. That is ridiculous and exactly what they did in Nazi Germany, USSR, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. still do in Communist China, North Korea and others.

Where does this all end? How many more children and adults have to die because of this insanity. Everyone wants to scream gun control, but is that really the answer. No I am not a gun toting enthusiast, but I am a mother and grandmother, and prior military. Every time something like has happened , the shooter has been called mentally deficient or ill, sorry but that is a cop-out excuse that we as a nation have to quit using. Am I mad about this, hell yes. These children were innocent and should have been allowed to liveand grow, and thier teachers , the loss to this country is just too great to bicker amongst ourselves about this should have been done, or that should have been done. Words can't bring these lost back to us. They can't give solace to the anguish that thier families feel , or the emptiness they will face for the rest of thier lives.

We can remember them and hope that a lesson is learned, but it is now up to usas a nation to do something about it. No I am not saying answer this violence with more violence. But we DO have the power in our hands and it's time we made our government officials act, or replace them with those that will. The greatest resource our country has is our children. They should be put first, above pay increases for government officials, or "committee talks", the time of words is over, it's time for action on the part of nation to say NO MORE!!!

@BMurphy: You know, strangling someone to death comes with jail time, sometimes a death penalty. Consequences do not seem to enter the minds of the people who commit such evil acts.

The main point here, is, these families that survive, the surviving classmates, how will they have the strength to handle all these funerals? This makes me hurt for them all so bad. What a monumental mountain of grief they are/will continue to suffer. Whoever in another article stated "we are broken", well, they were right. We are broken. My heartfelt prayers go out to the grieving families.

Sorry, I stopped reading your defeatist garbage after the first sentence. You have no ideas, you have no solutions, you simply accept the status quo and that we're powerless. Congratulations, you're muppets.

Sullyness,

I cited ATF Traces on assault wepons. The number of background checks in 1998 was 892,840. In 2012 not including December is over 16.5 Million.

PBgeorgia: You know, strangling someone to death comes with jail time, sometimes a death penalty. Consequences do not seem to enter the minds of the people who commit such evil acts.

Are you saying we should legalize murder then? Since despite our laws against it--murder always happens anyway?

@ bmurphy, you are sorry alright. A sorry lot.

@maxwell's, no, he just said that owning an assault rifle should have ridiculous jail time... like murder doesn't??? Does it stop murder?? Hell no!! I wish every state had the electric chair ready for murderers, rapists, and child molesters. You grossly misunderstood my comment. You should have read the ramblings of bmurphy above before showing how truly ignorant you are.

Dawgfang,

The countries with strict weapons laws, yet high rates of death by firearms that you list are hardly a comparison to the US. Everyone of those countries is not a first world developed country. They have severe underlying political and social problems. In many cases their gov'ts and police are run by a corrupt mob.

There is no comparison. Of all the developed nations in the world, the US has by far the most deaths attributable to firearms. Gun controls are required.

B Murphy has it right; I too like guns, how they work and the thrill I get from using one... but I like my friends and family more.

@PBGeorgia: Very constructive, yet again. Good job, guns are more important than children, I get it.

Did my comment leave a bald streak when it went over your head? You are nothing but a troll. I don't appreciate having words put in my mouth. I never said that guns were more important than children. I am not powerless. I have professional training from swat team members how to use a gun, how to keep it in my hand and never take it out against a person unless you will use it. That is for my safety. If I'm carrying it, and had a chance to, I would try to stop an evil nut job from committing such crimes. I am a decent person unlike yourself. OH, yet again, (rolls eyes) when in the hell did I say guns were more important than children? What comment? Go troll someone else. C U Next Tuesday!

In Japan, and other countries there have been attacks on school age children that resulted in death. All done with a knife. So you dont think many can be killed or wounded with a knife? How about 8 dead and 20 wounded. All with a knife. How about 911, 2,993 deaths all because criminals had knives.

@PBGeorgia:

Did my comment leave a bald streak when it went over your head?

Something going over my head, wouldn't actually affect my head, therefore it would leave no distinguishable mark, whatsoever.

You are nothing but a troll.

A troll who proposed ideas to at least work towards finding a solution to the escalating violence inside the United States. What did you do? Nothing.

I never said that guns were more important than children. I am not powerless.

Your vehement opposition and lack of any thoughtful dialogue regarding what I said, says otherwise.

I have professional training from swat team members how to use a gun, how to keep it in my hand and never take it out against a person unless you will use it

You must've missed the lesson on professionalism, because you clearly have none. Most SWAT team members actually behave in a manner befitting their position. You, behave like a child.

I am a decent person unlike yourself.

Baseless conclusion drawn from perilously little dialogue, because you had nothing constructive to say. Simply attacking, vehemently, what you disagreed with. Nothing I proposed is in the pipeline in our Government, let alone about to be signed. Therefore, your response was woefully inappropriate.

OH, yet again, (rolls eyes) when in the hell did I say guns were more important than children? What comment? Go troll someone else. C U Next Tuesday!

The mere fact that you responded, would indicate a successful trolling. However, I'm not trolling. As, mentioned before, I actually had some ideas to present. You had nothing, but name calling. And since your kind only knows name calling, I returned in kind. Next time, Mr. Professional SWAT training, attempt to broaden your mind, or in the very least understand that not everyone has the same ideas or solutions, as you do. You may actually have some very good thoughts regarding what we as a country can do, to at least make it more difficult for wannabe toughs like Mr. Sanza to obtain weaponry and/or find help for those who need it before something like this happens again. It's just that simple. If not, you are admitting powerlessness, and not worthy of anyone's thought or consideration.

And no, there's no way you will ever stop every bad person from doing something terrible. But increasing safeguards, or providing early Mental Health services to those disturbed individuals out there, just might remove many of them from the equation. It's far better to have 1 or 2 less mass shootings a year, than do nothing at all.

You are the ever present troll, BMurphy. I have just as much right to make comments on this vine as you or anyone else on here. Your opinions of me are just that, opinions. You clearly do not know me. What a horrible waste of your time and effort to make the post above. I know plenty of SWAT team members and let me tell you, some of them are a little skewed. One of the points I tried to make to you is, if someone is going to kill you and others, their mind is made up. If they don't have access to a gun or guns they will use whatever means possible to get the job done. I totally agree with the mental heath services for the people who suffer from mental health. It is also all of our responsibility that if we know someone in that state of mind, who has access to weapons of any kind, we should report them, give a heads up to authorities that this certain indiviual may pose a serious threat to him or herself and to others.

You write as though I am a blithering idiot, you see a few posts and make your ASSumptions and jump to all sorts of conclusions about me. I can't believe that you think authorities should go house to house to retrieve weapons. You wrote a lot of so called solutions, none of them made any sense so in effect, you, as well have made no contribution to this discussion. You know, I will take part of that back, the only contribution you may have made was about mental health issues. Here is where I take issue with that. The Northwest GA Regional Hospital was a state-run hospital that housed the criminal mentally ill, mentally ill, and they HOUSED a TB ward. Due to loss of state funding, the doors were closed and not all were relocated to other facilities, some of them were released to their families, so now the burden of care for these people is back on the families who couldn't begin to be of any help anyway. So, back to square one with that one. The less funding there is for treatment for the mentally ill, the more and more of these types of crimes we will see. Let's talk about "not worthy of anyone's thought or consideration". What you have proposed is more restriction on our freedoms, which I did not like, found you worthless for all your statements that led me to that conclusion. Law abiding citizens, even if they have let's say.. legal cannons in their front yards, are not a danger to society, no inanimate object can rise up and kill you. It takes a killer to kill you and to me, a killer is not a law abiding citizen. My family was attacked we suffered a fatality, and an injury, had I been smart enough then to be armed and trained we may not have had that fatality. So for someone to want to take my freedom to own firearms away or pick and choose what I can PROTECT myself and my family with, I get extremely vehement. I have a very good reason for that.

Chefaz: Indeed. Sad beyond words.

Exactly! Remember, everybody: TWENTY-PLUS PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THIS TRAGEDY, INCLUDING THE DUDE RESPONSIBLE FOR SAME! And even anybody living under a rock knows by now that THE MAJORITY OF VICTIMS WERE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD AND IN FIRST OR SECOND GRADE!! HEL-LOOOO?!? While I understand the calls for stricter gun control and even the pro-gun saying about "when guns are outlawed" being brought up, this is no time for that kind of debate. Especially after this particular school shooting and the nature and scope thereof. If you want to post anything on this board--I'm **with** *you* on this, Becky--it should be condolences to the families of the victims and even to Newtown, CT as a whole. I mean, God forgive me, but if you don't have even 1/16 of compassion for the victims and their surviving families, you hardly have any business calling yourself a human being whatsoever.

I'll bet that deep down, your heart is hurting for the victims of this past Friday's massacre, especially for the little kids who were gunned down therein. No matter what you think of President Obama (or even the Democratic Party), he hit the nail right on the head: those kids will never experience (another birthday, never mind [, as he said that afternoon, ]) "graduations," (or, I would like to add, bar mitzvahs or bat/bas mitzvahs if they were Jewish, or First Communions or Confirmations if they were Catholic), "weddings, kids of their own."

(continued)

Did any of you see ABC News--'and/or, for those of you who, like myself, live in the New York City area, its ABC station's--interview with one of the school's hero (or in this case, what we now call a "she-ro")/survivor teachers--Kaitlin Hoig? Did you see her sob (during both interviews) as she was describing her ordeal (because of which her students have themselves survived the shooting)? At the end of the network interview in particular, even Diane Sawyer (who conducted that interview) was crying! Plus, I was listening to the audio of the local interview (via radio simulcast of the New York ABC-TV station's wall-to-wall [at that time] coverage of the shooting and its aftermath). I may be of the stronger sex, but I was crying along with Kaitlin during the local interview and watching the network interview via MSN.com. (If this ordeal won't make even the most macho man or the most callous and/or skeptic person of either gender cry on the inside, never mind weep and sob like a baby, what will.)

And on that note, I just watched the last part of a special episode of "Dr. Phil"--the third straight episode that dealt with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Today's installment of the show appropriately ended with Dr. Phil and his wife Robin reading a special version of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (a/k/a "The Night Before Christmas) (re-)written (by a viewer of the show) about-and in memory of-those innocent children that we (and by "we," I mean the whole human race) lost five (Man!) days ago. Tune in to this episode (if the show airs tonight or later this afternoon where you live) or log onto www.drphil.com , where I'm pretty sure excerpts of that episode, including the reading of that aforementioned poem. By the way, as Dr. and Mrs. Phil McGraw were reading that poem, not only was there not a dry eye in the house (in this case, the "Dr. Phil Show" studio), Robin's eyes included, but so was I crying during much of that time. Pay close attention to the words as you watch this. Those words--and the bell tolling for the victims, plus the acccompanying caption--say it all.

I meant, "...where I'm pretty sure wil feature excerpts of that special episode (instead of the episode that was originally taped for today)." If you don't shed tears while Dr. Phil and his wife read that special version of "The Night Before Christmas", you're not human. I don't care how hard-nosed you are or (if you are of the male gender like myself) how macho you are.

I read that a couple of days ago David and it only added to the tears I have been shedding since learning of this massacre of those babies and teachers who did the unthinkable and sacrificed their lives to protect those children. When I saw the pictures of these babies - beautiful, beautiful children I sobbed more than ever. I have 3 kids and 2 grandchildren and I cant even begin to imagine losing one of them in a massacre like this. I keep thinking about how fearful they must have been knowing they were going to be shot, how long did they feel that fear and how long did they suffer. The medical examiner says if they suffered it wasnt for long. That is where my mind has been since Friday. Not listening to all these people who dont seem to have any compassion for anyone or anything except their beloved guns. I believe something has to be done. You guys cant have a defeatest attitude and say "it wont work ". Well after witnessing what happened and after listening to Obama I agree - you guys at least have to try or else all of these deaths are in vain. Can you live with that??

My apologies, everyone. In comment # 6.3, I incorrectly identified the name of the Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher who tearfully described her heroic ordeal on TV. Her name is Kaitlin Roig, not Kaitlin Hoig.

Joemike404:

Thanks for the Bible verse.

joemike:

What a beautiful sentiment and although I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state I agree with you about the majority of our teachers being willing to sacrifice everything for our children, including an upper income lifestyle. I would like to see that no more have to.

All rhetoric aside, everything we do from banning assault weapons and large capacity clips to requiring registration and classes for gun owners to closing gun purchasing loopholes will help. If these measures stop one crazy person from doing this type of unimaginable harm then we have created a compromise where gun owners can keep their misguided 2nd Amendment rights and teachers/children can keep their lives.

Augment these changes with more attention on regulating video games, overhauling our mental health care system and just plain better parenting and we might make schoolrooms in America much safer.

For those of you who argue that the problem lies with the removal of religion from schools I would have to totally disagree with you. As an agnostic I actually don't have a lot of knowledge of Bible verses and religion as a whole BUT I do know that Christians and Jews and other religious people carry God in their hearts at all times. Why would any person who is a good Christian need to outwardly express their Christianity in school? Prayer doesn't have to be said out loud for God to hear your prayer. The prayer can be and should be in your heart. Showing your religion in public is not necessary. I imagine that every person that was slaughtered by the murderer was screaming to God to have mercy on them, to save them, whether in their hearts or out loud. No, Christianity has not been removed from schools - it is there every day in the hearts of good Christians. Their God was with them in this terrible time.

Thank you JoeMike for that passage from the Bible. And BigdogMom your comment really spoke the truth in all of this. God is good and God promised that no matter what He would never leave us. He was there without a doubt and maybe without His presence there more babies would have been killed. The moron had lots and lots of ammunition and this tragedy could have been so much worse. But having said that to me it was bad enough.

And Thinking Mom - I couldnt agree with you more.

STFU with the political crap! There is a place for it and this isn't it.

@obams...

you need serious help dude...

@Obama Whistles: You're probably one of the mentally unbalanced who has free access to weapons of mass destruction.

@Obama Whistles: Oh? And what has the GOP done about illegal immigration? Hmm? Neither side has touched the issue, because it was an election year, and they prefer holding their power, rather than risking their political future proposing legislation that would be seen as unfavorable either to their constituency, independents or the opposite side of the aisle. Get a grip.

@Sablelace: Incorrect. Now is the time to start discussing all options that we as American citizens can employ in order to prevent as many future tragedies as we possibly can. Can we hope to stop them all? No, that just won't happen. However, inaction is the same as giving up.

We owe it to Victoria Soto (Rest in Peace), and the other 25 people who lost their lives over this, to do everything we can, to come together and discuss any and ALL ways to prevent it from happening in the future.

First of all what does a story about a "Hero" who we should all look up to start a dialog about Illegals. Oh and for you nut cases who hate Mexicans they are leaving Arizona in greater numbers than are coming in.

Getting beyond the political side of this is important. I am a democrat and voted for President Obama. I do also agree that we need to enforce our gun laws and ban assault weapons. But the fact is that there is over 300 million guns already in the hands of Americans that we know about.

This is an issue that will come up again. Count on it! We are fortunate that so far the terrorists haven't exploited our greatest weakness. The shooter entered one of the most secure schools through a blown out window in a State with the strictest gun laws. We do not have enough police officers to maintain the security of our children at these schools and we know it. Lets also remember that until 911 it seemed outragous to arm the pilots of planes.

We must arm the principles and vice principles of every elementry and high school in the country. We must also put a locked gun safe with a loaded hand gun inside of every class room. The safe should only be able to be accessed via biometrics i.e. finger print and the safe should be linked to an alarm system so that if anyone opens it it sends an alarm to the closest police department much like a panic button that is triggered on a safe at a bank if it is opened incorrectly. This would ensure that only the teachers and or designated personel would be able to access the safe and that anybody opening the safe would only do so knowing that such an action would bring the world to tht room in a matter of minutes.

I say this as a former school police officer with advanced active shooter training. This strong woman who tried to shield her students from this idiot would have shot him if she could have to save these kids. At least she should have had the chance.

We will not be able to protect all of our schools. Lets be smart and provide the tools necessary to keep them safe to those people who we already trust with providing them the education that they need for life.

@Obama Whistles Idiots Follow You sound like an idiot or you may be on drugs did you snort, smoke, or pop anything before writing that ridiculous post? Do you not realize that the person that caused this tragedy did not fit any of the criteria you listed? Illegals, drugs, and gang bangers have nothing to do with this hero's death above.

Obama: you forgot Iraq & Afganistan. Oh. Doesn't fit your agenda. Woops. I noticed you stopped when you realized how wrong you were.

No, there are not more people being killed/maimed in Chicago. There are gangbangers with guns provided by the racist GOP. Do you think the two I mentioned are not wars? And WHO put us there? I also noticed you became a member of newsvine just this month. Better you keep your thoughts to yourself and be thought a fool than reveal them and confirm it.

Although this is not the forum to discuss illegals , since the subject has been opened I just have to say that while illegal Mexicans are a drain to the economy in some ways in other ways their deportation as a whole could actually collapse the economy.

Who do you think are harvesting the crops in California? It sure isn't the white people, the black people, the yellow people or the other brown people. It is the Mexicans, legal and illegal. I live in the central valley of California where we produce much of the food that is on your table. We produce grapes, carrots, potatoes, tree nuts, safflowers for oil, oranges, apples, lettuce, alfalfa, cattle for milk, cheese and beef, chickens for their meat and eggs and much, much more. Actually California produces nearly anything you put in your mouth.

Without Mexicans crops wouldn't get harvested on time or at all. It's a differentt world than during the depression when "Okies" and the like came to California looking for work. They were desperate and would work any job where they could get a few dollars to live on. Now most Americans find manual labor somehow beneath them. It's backbreaking, dirty, hot work and the Americans just won't do it. They would rather work at McDonalds than work a field. I have seen how these Mexicans work and they are good at what they do. I hate to admit this but it is true - we couldn't live without them.

I;m sorry for not sticking to the heart of this board but I just needed to remind people where much of their food actually comes from. Good or bad Mexicans are needed in the USA.

Obama! "We owe it to all the Americans who died fighting evil to remove all Mexican invaders from the United States!"

You do realize it was WE who originally invaded what USED to be "Mexico" and took Texas and California for ourselves? Whoopsie!

Obama Whistles Idiots Follow

Do you actually consider Iraq or Afghanistan wars??? Look at the casualties. There are more people being killed in Chicago right now.

Unfortunately, facts don't actually stand with your insane ramblings. You're actually quoting a Huffington Post Article (which has been updated since), that indicated more people have died in Chicago than in Afghanistan. False. The story was updated to reflect that more people have died in Chicago than US Troops, killed in Afghanistan, this year. It does not reflect civilian casualties, nor does it reflect all US Casualties in Afghanistan, or Iraq, let alone coalition casualties.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/16/chicago-homicide-rate-wor_n_1602692.html

To make that claim, only proves that you're simply saying anything inflammatory to incite thoughtless arguments. Which is typical, rather than make tough decisions, or actually think about the situation, you'd rather derail the conversation entirely.

@Obama - I LIVE where most of the illegals are working. I have seen Cesar Chavez work the grape fields to unionize the workers. I have seen the Mexican workers every time I drive up and down the California's central valley. I don't know where you live but I guarantee at least some of the produce in your nearby store comes from California.

And about you jumping to conclusions - I do not, nor have I ever worked for LaRaza. Neither have I been brain washed. I live and work where Mexican legals and illegals live and work. I have stood in live behind them in stores buying their supplies for a day of harvesting the food I eat. They are a necessary evil and until you actually live where they live, watch them work you will never understand.

Do what you can to get rid of them if you wish but be prepared. When all the Mexicans are gone from California you will go hungry because I know that I won't be doing the harvesting and I dare say you won't either.

You might want to check your facts before you spout and spew your racist, insulting, childish remarks because it only makes you look like the fool you are.

And before you get your knickers in a twist you need to understand - I am not defending their illegal entry into the USA. I am defending my right to eat the food that is harvested by hardworking Mexican laborers. BTW - have you ever harvested grapes, strawberries, potatoes or any produce not grown in your own back yard? I thought not. When you do you will see that those machines don't run themselves, the grapes don't harvest themselves nor do they prune themselves. Those beautiful oranges that are sweet and delicious and from California certainly didn't make it to your table by osmosis.

"We don't need no stinking Mexicans" - oh yes we do. Unless you want to hunt your own meat, churn your own butter, grind your own flour, raise chickens for meat and your own eggs and have a nice "truck" garden in your tiny back yard then tell me YOU don't need "no stinking Mexicans." Otherwise do your own research. AND - veggies aren't MADE anywhere, they are grown. AND if you are such a good American why are you buying them grown in other countries? Shame on you.

@Obama idiot
What the hell you learn from history? The Aztecs means anything to you?? Oh yes, the Aztecs are from North America...ujum...yeah... The Mexican culture have contributed to North America culture like the rest of the world, which by the way is forged by immigrants...or not? I am confused.... North America is the land of immigrant, forged by immigrant for the immigrant or the history is wrong?

Do you know that the civil war had more casualties that WW1 and WW2 combined?? Was the bloodiest war ever fought in USA!!! Oh yeah… the Mexican were the cause of the war….hahaha. OMG.

You may have born in USA…but your roots are from other part of the world… The real Americans are quartered in reserves... the rest are uninvited guest..

Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, China, Greece, Germany, Egypt, Africa, England, etc, THOSE are the real cultural initiators and the precursors of the culture in North America and the rest of the world.

And shame on us to use this post to discuss this stupid and never ending issue.

Descansa en Paz Victoria!!

That's right, the GOP would just sweep it under the rug and say it didn't happen.

what by chance are you folks on ? please check your meds.

You would lump all conservatives as GOPers? Some of us have a heart, pay our taxes, and even contribute to the betterment of the community. Yet you want to lump any conservative in the One per-center category. Not all of us a Millionaires, but we do love our country.

GOP/NRA people do NOT love our country or our children. The only things that the lunatic fringe love are power, money, and the stockpile of weapons they can get with their power and money. They don't want or use Buckmasters for hunting. If you can't take out a deer with a plain old rifle, then you are a bad shot and need to take up fishing. The GOP/NRA want to cling to these weapons of mass destruction to protect their money and power. The 2nd Amendment and other smoke screen excuses they give are just slight of hand distractions.

The GOP sure didn't want to come on the Sunday Talk Shows.Gun Manufacturers are making tons of money from the AR-15,and the NRA will lobby to protect their profits.The Gun Manufacturers give alot of money to the NRA.Blood Money.I see WalMart took the AR-15 off of their website,will probaly put it back up after this blows over.The GOP does what the NRA says,or else.Why are our Gun Laws being decided by the Gun Manufacturers through NRA.It's Crazy.

Segdirb - Whether you choose to "go through all 20 something funerals" or not is entirely up to you. Turn off the TV, don't open stories about the funerals online. Retreat into your denial and stay there. We all handle grief in our own way. No one is making you look. On Friday 20 first grade children and 6 adults were murdered. It is Monday. There will be a time to move on. For most of us, that time has not yet arrived.

I think he means how the media wont leave Newtown alone. They talk about WHY and HOW. They dont seem to actually care about the Straight fact that people DIED.....

Could be, but it doesn't come across that way.

Umm Joe...its Weds.

^ Hes got a point ^-^'

Brutus - oops, time flies... I stand corrected but I don't think that substantially changes my point.

JoeMike don't forget the mother of the killer. No one is even mentioning the fact that her son blew her face off. HIS resposibility and choice no matter that they were her guns he was using.

I think the media needs to get a grip. They are running around this grieving little town looking for anybody who might have had even the tiniest connection with the killer or his mother. The hairdresser for crying out loud? Please - as someone mentioned last night the hairdressers could have been his target if anyone! Look at the horrible "bowl" haircut. And talking to people who went to school with him ten years ago. Again - please. The press needs to take a breather and when all is said and done then inform us of the real facts.

Exactly!!! Thank you for such an intelligent comment.

Brian,

What needs to be done is impose harsh penalties on those that use guns in crimes. Financial as well as prison time. I think a mandatory sentence of 30 years for being in possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony or other forcible crime would be a good start. Then mandatory LIFE in prison if a firearm is actually used during any crime.

Right now the criminals barely get a slap on the wrist. Many of the people convicted or on trial for murder have run ins with the law, and a lot of those involve firearms. How may lives could have been saved if we have harsh penalties on the criminals instead of trying to infringe on the rights of the law abiding?

What rights did those babies in class have? Since when does the 2nd Amendment trump the 14th Amendment? The individual who carried this massacre out had no previous criminal history. He is not alive now to impose harsh penalties. Your argument is doesn't apply in this case. Brian's post is quite accurate. This doesn't have to be a political quagmire. It is about firearm regulation. It is about mental illness. It is about family support. It is about schools, religion, and community. It is about funding. But most important, it is about children and their right to attend school without being assassinated. We all have blood on our hands over this. We all failed our children, our Nation, and each other. We have an obligation to these youngsters and their teachers to do anything and everything in our power to make sure this does NOT happen again.

People are cra-zy is right - most of the time these things end in a suicide or with the perp getting shot by the police. No one is ever held accountable! His mother should have been held accountable too for letting her mentally ill child have access to weapons but she's dead now too. That is what is wrong with the mentality of gun enthusiasts - they all believe that they are totally in control andnothing bad could ever come of them owning guns. I have been to a funeral of a 15 year old who accidentally shot himself before a hunting excursion. Like the families of Newtwon, his family's lives are devastated forever, and for what? A hobby? Same thing with Lanza's mother. She couldn't protect herself when she really needed to. Her guns did her no good at all. So please tell me again how we need guns because otherwise we are all victims.

suspended, you don't know the circumstances of how the son came into possession of his mother's guns. He could have forced her physically to take them out. She may not have "let" him have access. I'm speculating because neither you nor I know the true circumstances.

You, my friend, have problems. I doubt Victoria wants to be remembered as nothing more than Collateral damage. Have a heart.

Obama Whistles needs to be investigated for history of mental illness and then searched for any weapons.

Ummm we aren't allowed to have guns in schools in Texas, either! So why are you spitting out erroneous information... and BTW it's just a matter of time before it happens in another state...

ralph: "Except of course when Clinton and Reno massacred the children at Waco."

You DO realize the people at Waco had LOADS of guns, don't you? It didn't save them, did it?

If she were armed she and a lot of others might be alive. But the government gives gun free zones for killers to roam unhindered in.

When moments count, the police are only minutes away!

Do not be surprise if it was "Mind Control" by the U.S. Government!!!

Ralph, are the voices telling you that the Gvt is trying to create "New World Order"? Seek therapy.

I wholeheartedly agree.

How do you both know he didn't take her guns by force? Do you think she said "here take my guns I know you're upset honey, go kill something" I highly doubt she didn't put up a fight as her face was blown off. Stop deciding what happened in that home when no one knows except 2 deceased people.

How ‘bout we create a different culture, one in which we don’t need to tote guns around with us everywhere we go. We don’t need this generation of students thinking that they need to carry guns for the rest of their life to be safe. The NRA and gun manufacturers may like this idea, but this is not the way we have to live. I’m not ready to give up.

It's better than creating an arms race between the insane and the commmon folk. I mean, when I heard the joke that the GOP wanted to take us back to the 1800's, I thought it was just a joke. Clearly it's not...