a mothers love; she tried all for 20 years to control a monster, at the end the monster turned on her and 26 other persons paid with their lives; some illness can not be controlled, they need to be kept in mental hospitals for their safety and the safety of others; she is also a victim of a horrible insane act, from a insane person, may she rest in piece.

We don't have mental hospitals in Connecticut. The state shut them all down many years ago.

Reagan shut them down in the early 80's to save money.

For the most part, I agree with you. However, I want to know how far we need to go. My daughter attends preschool, and I'm now worried about some disturbed individual walking in and shooting in a situation similar to Newtown. How do we deal? Do we need armed guards or cops in daycares also?

1927'S bombing in Michigan was an isolated incident. The school killings now are turning into a three or four-times a year event.

you sir , not only lack in knowledge of mental illness , you also lack in mercy

We don't need to make this country an armed camp where you have to be checked by armed guards at every place. If we do, then the nutbags that represent the NRA have won. There are too many guns of every kind imaginable floating out in the country and gun bans, assault weapons bans or extended clips bans will have little effect. What I believe needs to happen that can make some ompact is to require the licensing and registration of guns, and periodic state run tests to determine competency and to determine if a licensee has comitted a felony or has been determined to be mentally unsound.

Like I read that someone wrote, it's become a contest now for these crazies. They all are trying to out do the last guy. We read all about the killer and they make them a household name in the news. Over and over and over, till the next nut case sees it and then thinks....they haven't seen anything yet. You have the Tuscon shooter that tried the..."I don't Remember" insanity thing. Then the shooter in Aurora, tries the same thing after her killed all those people. He heard that from the other killer and just figured it would work too. After all he was studying mental problems at his school in Colorado. What will be next, they just stopped a kid in Oklahoma from killing students with bombs and guns. Maybe we do need to have armed guards at these school now, it's at that point...

a mothers love

Was it love, or was it denial? Did she have her head in the sand? It's a common parental strategy these days.

she tried all for 20 years to control a monster

First, I don't believe a human being is a "monster". Adam Lanza was an extreme example of humanity, but he was a little child once too. He was a seriously disturbed young man, not a monster.

How did she try to control him? What help did she get for him?

Why did she take him frequently to a shooting range if she was "trying to control a monster"??? It seems to me she helped create a killer. Would you give your disturbed child access to guns?

at the end the monster turned on her and 26 other persons paid with their lives; some illness can not be controlled, they need to be kept in mental hospitals for their safety and the safety of others;

Why wasn't he receiving treatment? And where was his father in all of this? Perhaps if he had been treated and had not had gun training and availability, this never would have happened.

she is also a victim of a horrible insane act, from a insane person, may she rest in piece.

That part I do agree with.

Denis III

The mother was as looney as the son, giving shooting lessons to an obvious nut and buying 5 or 6 guns to collect. She is as guilty and may she rot in HELL.-----------------

Denis,

It's people like you who scare me more than the shooter. You make assumptions not based in fact. The internet allows people like you to get on here and make ANY claim/statement they want w/o the least worry of having to back your posts up with fact and with the freedom of not having to answer for your hatred. Hiding behind a computer keyboard is a cowards way of doing things.

Personally, I think someone like you, full of hatred, has a much better chance of ending up in hell, if there is such a place, than does his mother. In the mean time get some professional help. You seriously need it.

---------------------------

kaybeetoys

First, I don't believe a human being is a "monster". Adam Lanza was an extreme example of humanity, but he was a little child once too. He was a seriously disturbed young man, not a monster.

kaybeetoys,

Then I guess Hitler, Stalin, Khan, etc. weren't monsters either. I disagree with you. Human beings are the only animal species that exhibit this kind of behavior. We are the most destructive species in the history of this world.

Chris Matthews...a guy who has drank so much in his life you can see on his nightly broadcasts how many brain cells have been destroyed...

...his mind; a terrible thing...a waste...

kaybeetoys,

Then I guess Hitler, Stalin, Khan, etc. weren't monsters either. I disagree with you. Human beings are the only animal species that exhibit this kind of behavior. We are the most destructive species in the history of this world.

I agree that humans are the only species that seems bent on destroying each other for no reason.

You can call people names, but it doesn't change anything. It doesn't increase our understanding of why some people do evil things. It doesn't stop it from happening over and over again.

There has to be a better answer. We should keep trying until we find a way to identify and help disturbed people. And we should certainly do our best to keep deadly weapons out of their hands.

And the 1927 massacre was because a 55 year old guy lost an election for court clerk. Not the same as whats is going on in the US.

Since 1998 there have been numerous shootings in malls, schools (since 1998, the first of this type), and movie theaters etc.

One thing that sticks out is intermittent explosive disorder. This disorder normally affects young males and basically, they have triggers some of which are understood some not. But the reaction to the trigger is way over the top in response.

that the society we live in is more violent now than in the past? How about WWII. Lots of killings there done by other than military.

that the freedom anything goes society we live in could be casuative, however, violent video games? gangs? How about a breakdown in the family unit. both parents work. Children have been raised by daycare workers and parents buy their kids nearly everything trying to make up for being a bad parent. This point is evident when mom and dad find out their kid is sexting on the phone. We even have a cute name for it. This is a prime example of parents not parenting. Expecting teachers to make sure your kid graduates? How about parents working with their kids on their homework. How about all the parents that put kids in situations that would never have occurred 40 years ago. That children growing up today have no motivation to get a job, they want to be the ceo but not flip the hamburgers too far below their place, so end up hanging out sucking off mom and dad and gaming.

However, I do know that children of drug addicts who are not taken care of as the parents are too stoned to do the job causes Issues. Basically the kids are on their own cause the parents do not feed them etc and learn to take care of themselves at an early age, like two years. What you end up with is a kid that has no empathy and cannot attach to an adult as the child normally does to the mother. Even if taken away from that environment.

After WWII the men came home, went to work, the women got pregnant and had kids. Also the women stayed home as in the past centuries mostly they had, however, there was a bonding that occurred between the baby and the mother very soon after birth. Dad came in later. But the child attached to someone. Could even be an adoptive parent. However in this day and age we have progressed past women staying home, they have careers also. Now not all kids from families where both parents work have problems. However where the child and parent do not have the attachment, this seems to be the problem. Numerous reasons why. Read the news and look at all the idiots that have kids, not just the ones that kill their kids, the ones that dont take care of them. you dont have to be a meth addict to mess up a kid. Putting the kid in front of the tv watching barney 18 times a day to keep it quiet will do the same thing. Kids need attention and they are not getting it.

People attitudes are really messed up. We have the freedom to smoke dope, who cares how many coast guard get killed trying to stop the drug boats, etc.

As far as Chritianity, we live in a moraless society. Chritianity does teach morals, course if you listen and there are enough teaching other than Gods word. Course what morals do you get from hollyweird, glorification of killing. You want to play the car theft game where to pass the 4th level you have to rape a woman. Theres a lot wrong with society now, and the Chritians did not cause that. Sorry.

WAKE UP!!!!! We do need God, respect for life and each other back in our country and schools. The violence is everywhere you look...tv, video games, music etc. It is becoming the norm and it is very scary. I do believe Adam Lanza was an extremely sick young man but his mom used very poor judgement training him in weaponry. I understand her desire to bond with him but it seems to me she could have opted for a more peaceful avenue. I'm sure her life was extremely hard caring for a loved one like this. Unfortunately, there were so many innocent victims from this horrific tragedy and those left behind must endure the worst kind of pain imaginable. May they all find the strength to go on knowing their loved ones are being cradled in Jesus' arms...

Bring back mental hospitals.

Starbuck49, while Reagan cut funding for the mental institutions, a number of them were slowly being closed back in the Carter years. I was part of the office staff at a workshop where people came to learn how to do simple jobs (slave labor - they were paid pennies for bagging things), so they could live in the "real world". Some of the patients had already been moved to group homes or shuffled off to what were once senior residences. I felt sorry for the seniors as some of the former psychiatric patients would attack them and there was no one there to protect the elderly.

As for Kaybeetoys comment that the mother was in denial, I read at a different news site that the mother was in the process of trying to become his conservator so that she could have him put into a mental hospital. Whether that report is true or not, I don't know.

Thomas

Your assumptions about working mothers are insulting and archaic. I guess if all us ladies stayed barefoot and pregnant as you implied, we would be home bonding with our children and have everything ready when daddy came home from work. I call BULL$HIT. My grandmother was a stay at home mom(after WWII) and I have heard the stories from my father of the neglect he and his brothers endured while she played bridge and watched soap operas until my grandfather came home, and he was physically abusive.
There have always been poor parents, its not a new phenomenon.

I can't quite get my mind around the fact that a mother who had an emotionally disturbed child would ever keep firearms in their home. I've heard it was because she was a single mother, but I've been a single mother for 30 plus years and have never needed a gun for protection. The law of averages says that if you have a gun, chances are you will be the one hurt or killed by that gun. Access to mental health care is a joke and still carries a stigma that is just plain stupid.

imwhitewolf

You attacked me without giving any useful info or facts. I know she was a teacher who had to collect guns (who needs 5 or 6 guns including something that looks like an assault rifle (that killed all these kids). The media reported that he was brought by her to practice shooting which is probably why he could shoot so many in minutes!!! That all we have unless we travel ourselves there and do our own research. Who is a coward? Me who doesn`t need to hide behind guns like so many in America. I was afraid of home invasion and having my own child who I bring up on my own so I had an alarm system installed NO GUNS. You attacked me and my sanity when America is paranoid. Why did gun sales explode after this tragedy!!!

I have been through this. I have been through an attempted murder and suicide. The shooter didn't kill anyone, save himself. He attempted to kill his father, my brother. Two bullets right between his eyebrows. I adored my nephew.

It could have gone much worse and I'm well aware of that, but I'm also aware that years of second guessing have provided no answer. The one person I don't blame is the shooter, but I also don't blame anyone else. We will never know the motives, reasons, or make sense of this in any way. We will try for a long, long time, but we will never reach an answer. We are only guessing - at best.

Right, Thomas, if all mothers stayed home and bonded and raised their numerous kids, everything would be good with the world. However, when I was in college, I had a roommate who was the oldest of six kids. She resented having to babysit her younger siblings all the time and not being able to go out with her friends on occasion. She reached the point where she told her parents that they had the kids so they should stay home and watch them, not her. Oh, and by the way, I do not want Christianity taught in public schools. Too many of my ancestors died at the hands of "good" Christians who wanted to convert them.

Gee Denis, when your alarm goes off, what then? Not everybody expects someone else to be there to protect them. I don't.

I feel sorry for y'all. maybe you should look into yourself and ask God for some reconciliation

starbuck49

Reagan shut them down in the early 80's to save money.

Hmmm, do you have a link to that information?

My research shows that most deinstitutionalization started in the 1950's and progressed most dramatically during the 1960's and 1970's during JFK and LBJ's terms.

Fairfield State Hospital (also known as Fairfield Hills State Hospital or Fairfield Hills) was a psychiatric hospital in Newtown, Connecticut, which operated from 1931 until 1995. At its peak the hospital housed over 4,000 patients. The entire facility was owned and operated by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health.

In 1995, Gov. John Rowland closed Fairfield Hills and its sister hospital, Norwich State Hospital. All patients that remained were moved to Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown.

Nice try blaming Reagan.

Try to keep up Spanky.

Then the shooter in Aurora, tries the same thing after her killed all those people. He heard that from the other killer and just figured it would work too. After all he was studying mental problems at his school in Colorado.

Spew more crap Larry. Holmes up till 4 months before the shooting and also going under grant with NIH/DARPA was an out going brillant person. You can see videos of him. Then he goes into this gov. funded program and everything went haywire. Many of the witness reports don't match what the cops have said and the Judge has put a gag order on everyone. What are they hiding? It is clear that Holmes was wacked out of his skull in court and appeared to be on a scopolamine type trip. Why would he also invest all that money and time into the bombs/booby traps in his apartment only to tell the cops about it? It was so complex the FBI was quoted as saying they took 2 days to defuse and remove

wolfe, A cursory search reveals that the state of Connecticut operates 4 inpatient mental health facilities. There are at least an additional 5 private facilities. Please try a little research instead of posting inaccurate information.

I totally agree with you Denis III, I was thinking the same thing after reading in the media how she bought all these guns, was paranoid and how she taught her son how to shoot. What normal mother would do that to not only a mentally disturbed child but any child. So I guess many of you will be "gunning" for me too. She should rot in hell!

Ok Lori, you cited one event from 1927. Yes they prayed in the schools and in the homes back then, and things like this rarely ever happened. This happens every week/month here now. Not on as large a scale but the only reason this event made such headlines was it's location and the amount of tots murdered. Jesus was killed and He prayed more than anyone. Re-allowing prayer in the schools won't be the facilitator of world peace, but I guarantee you it'll help. How, you ask? Give it a try then take note of the results over time.

I have not learned any information that supports the opinion that Ms. Lanza had any reason to fear her son would harm someone. As far as I can tell, there was no sign or symptom that indicated he was a danger to anyone. I know what he did was absolutely horrible and unthinkable, but that does not make it his mothers fault for not getting him help when she had no reason to think he was a danger. There are so very many people all around us that have some level of disorder but there is no way to know who will be the ones to "snap". It is very sad that Ms. Lanza is being blamed for this tragedy and being ignored as a victim. She is as much of a victim as all the other people were. It is being said that she is to blame for owning the guns used in the massacre and also for educating herself and her son on how to operate the guns. This is equally preposterous. Droves of people all around us regularly go to firing ranges to learn to shoot and for a form of recreation. It makes sense to me that a family would do these activities and do them together. Mothers are always looking for ways to "connect" with their sons and shooting guns is usually something guys love to do. There is nothing sinister in the fact that Ms. Lanza did this with her son, even if he did struggle to "fit in" or be what the world considers is "normal". She still had NO WAY of knowing that her son would ever want to use those guns to murder her, 26 other people and kill his own self too. It is ludicrous to blame this poor woman for any of her son's actions. She had no clue this would ever be an issue....ever. I hate that this tragedy has happened and I mourn for all the precious lives lost...including Ms. Lanza and her son.

I see quite a few comments on here bashing her and showing absolutely no remorse or sympathy. I will not go as far as to say that she deserved what happened to her, but she certainly asked for a situation like this to occur and brought it on herself by leaving the weapons in an accessible location knowing that her mentally disturbed son could easily get to them. Guns are not the issue here, it's irresponsible owners who do not fully understand how to handle them, or keep them in a safe place. RIP Nancy, and to the rest of the victims of this horrendous tragedy.

The mother is NOT a victim. She was the Frankenstein who created the monster, trained him to be a killer. She was then killed by her own monster, an ironic story going back to the beginning of time. This is what happens when you give a drunken hillbilly from NH alimony in the sum of $300k+ a year. White trash can't handle money, they always self destruct, it happens to soooo many lottery winners....

Actually...........she was born into money. Her family was rich and from the Hamptons. She however did raise a monster and had no awareness of what she should be doing with him. He should have been in a institution. He was just that crazy.

Jazmin-977249

Jasmine or is it Jissem they both are the same in this case, anyway what kind of a Douche most of the time replies instead of his or her on post when posting in forums or copy/paste giving other people the impression that they are intelligent. We at the Pirate’s Inn have this person as a nasty troll. I could go on about this Douche but we do not attack people most of the time but this is special time of the year (Christmas Season) so be alert if you decide to vote or respond to this Douche. Pirate Dave

Jazmin

We though about it and had a few drinks over it at the Pirate's Inn and it must be JIZZEM is this correct. Your Friend Pirate Dave

Tell us drip, how do you feel about abortion? Thanks to people like you the biggest feel good legislation -The Brady Bill was the biggest money making do nothing law that ever hit the books. But if it feels good, do it. The men behind the oak desks will love you for it.

dirp

Well, if as a result of this, at least all assault weapons (you know what I mean)

I don't think you know what you mean.

and high bullet count magazines/clips (whatever!)

How many rounds are too many?

Stonepipe

Abortion is legal according to the US Supreme Court, and also another subject for another vine to discuss.

The soul doesn't enter the body until the first independent breath. It may look like a baby, but it's only an empty vessel until then. Now go have an aneurysm over that one!

Life begins at conception stonepipe2 - too bad I can't say the same for you.

And for those who want to "ban" guns you are all fools.

and if they are not banned what then. Banning will not solve this issue. Opening the mental hospitals will. Security guards at schools will

You should not speak ill of the dead, Nancy Lanza was a victim also and that bell should be rang 27 times not just 26 times. I'm glad to see that other states are not following their ways. Here the world is mourning and hurting for Newtown then you read @!$%# like this. That woman was a victim and tried her best to get her son help. What if it was your relative they were excluding like that?? She is a victim to me!! Newtown you should be ashamed!! God would not approve of what your town is doing. THERE IS A TOTAL OF 27 VICTIMS, AND THE WORLD WILL ALWAYS SEE IT THAT WAY!!

How many rounds are too many?

One, if it kills an innocent child.

THERE IS A TOTAL OF 27 VICTIMS, AND THE WORLD WILL ALWAYS SEE IT THAT WAY!!

So you're not counting Adam Lanza as a victim too?

no it won't beacuse i can tell you how much i think he should have died a long time ago him and his mother were both insane,and no i don't think she was such a good mother because she was just hiding the fact that her son was an evil being,she was just as bad as he was,and these little angels and teachers had no fault in this,he should have never been born!!!

Did you know to get mental health care a lot of the time due to civil rights of the mentally ill there has to be a police report. You cant just put someone in a mental institution because you think they might hurt someone. The politicians can barf about gun control, however, mental health is more the issue here. And I would not be too hard on lanzas mother. She was probably fighting a system where the cards are stacked against her. Either way mental health is the issue. But this is only one area. This does not include domestic disturbances. Only in a rare few are people killed. The day after the school, we had a guy shoot his wife two kids, and a cop. He was cut off in an intersection by police got out of the car with a rifle and was wasted by swat. We have a pretty good swat team for a small town. However, how do you figure which one is going to kill? i dont know. The guy who shot giffords. Dont know that either. Its not just schools. How about arora (spelled wrong). dont know that either. The main problem with society is we have sunk to a new level of lower morals. you know its ok to run around on you mate. dopes ok. Heck the only group that has not gotten their civil rights are the pedophiles and when i read the vine on one incident i was surprised at some of the people who were sypathetic to peds. Like i said lack of morals. And some people cant deal with it.

Read this:

In the post-Newtown debate over mental illness, a distraught and exhausted mother has written a chilling article describing life with her troubled son and the health care system's shortage of options. The boy, "Michael," remains undiagnosed, and despite medication he continues to exhibit a hair-trigger temper. His mother says Michael shares characteristics with gunman Adam Lanza and other mass killers, and during his unpredictable episodes he makes frightening and violent threats. The mother's lack of help is typified by her meeting with a social worker who informed her that their best option is to get Michael charged with a crime, because "That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges."
The entire article is republished below with permission from "The Blue Review."
Friday’s horrific national tragedy—the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Town, Connecticut—has ignited a new discussion on violence in America. In kitchens and coffee shops across the country, we tearfully debate the many faces of violence in America: gun culture, media violence, lack of mental health services, overt and covert wars abroad, religion, politics and the way we raise our children. Liza Long, a writer based in Boise, says it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.
Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.
“I can wear these pants,” he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.
“They are navy blue,” I told him. “Your school’s dress code says black or khaki pants only.”
“They told me I could wear these,” he insisted. “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!”
“You can’t wear whatever pants you want to,” I said, my tone affable, reasonable. “And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. You’re grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.”
I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.
A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan—they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to. I managed to get the knife from Michael, then methodically collected all the sharp objects in the house into a single Tupperware container that now travels with me. Through it all, he continued to scream insults at me and threaten to kill or hurt me.
That conflict ended with three burly police officers and a paramedic wrestling my son onto a gurney for an expensive ambulance ride to the local emergency room. The mental hospital didn’t have any beds that day, and Michael calmed down nicely in the ER, so they sent us home with a prescription for Zyprexa and a follow-up visit with a local pediatric psychiatrist.
We still don’t know what’s wrong with Michael. Autism spectrum, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant or Intermittent Explosive Disorder have all been tossed around at various meetings with probation officers and social workers and counselors and teachers and school administrators. He’s been on a slew of antipsychotic and mood altering pharmaceuticals, a Russian novel of behavioral plans. Nothing seems to work.
At the start of seventh grade, Michael was accepted to an accelerated program for highly gifted math and science students. His IQ is off the charts. When he’s in a good mood, he will gladly bend your ear on subjects ranging from Greek mythology to the differences between Einsteinian and Newtonian physics to Doctor Who. He’s in a good mood most of the time. But when he’s not, watch out. And it’s impossible to predict what will set him off.
Several weeks into his new junior high school, Michael began exhibiting increasingly odd and threatening behaviors at school. We decided to transfer him to the district’s most restrictive behavioral program, a contained school environment where children who can’t function in normal classrooms can access their right to free public babysitting from 7:30-1:50 Monday through Friday until they turn 18.
The morning of the pants incident, Michael continued to argue with me on the drive. He would occasionally apologize and seem remorseful. Right before we turned into his school parking lot, he said, “Look, Mom, I’m really sorry. Can I have video games back today?”
“No way,” I told him. “You cannot act the way you acted this morning and think you can get your electronic privileges back that quickly.”
His face turned cold, and his eyes were full of calculated rage. “Then I’m going to kill myself,” he said. “I’m going to jump out of this car right now and kill myself.”
That was it. After the knife incident, I told him that if he ever said those words again, I would take him straight to the mental hospital, no ifs, ands, or buts. I did not respond, except to pull the car into the opposite lane, turning left instead of right.
“Where are you taking me?” he said, suddenly worried. “Where are we going?”
“You know where we are going,” I replied.
“No! You can’t do that to me! You’re sending me to hell! You’re sending me straight to hell!”
I pulled up in front of the hospital, frantically waiving for one of the clinicians who happened to be standing outside. “Call the police,” I said. “Hurry.”
Michael was in a full-blown fit by then, screaming and hitting. I hugged him close so he couldn’t escape from the car. He bit me several times and repeatedly jabbed his elbows into my rib cage. I’m still stronger than he is, but I won’t be for much longer.
The police came quickly and carried my son screaming and kicking into the bowels of the hospital. I started to shake, and tears filled my eyes as I filled out the paperwork—“Were there any difficulties with… at what age did your child… were there any problems with.. has your child ever experienced.. does your child have…”
At least we have health insurance now. I recently accepted a position with a local college, giving up my freelance career because when you have a kid like this, you need benefits. You’ll do anything for benefits. No individual insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.
For days, my son insisted that I was lying—that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, “I hate you. And I’m going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here.”
By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. I’ve heard those promises for years. I don’t believe them anymore.
On the intake form, under the question, “What are your expectations for treatment?” I wrote, “I need help.”
And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.
I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother. I am James Holmes’s mother. I am Jared Loughner’s mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho’s mother. And these boys—and their mothers—need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.
According to Mother Jones, since 1982, 61 mass murders involving firearms have occurred throughout the country. Of these, 43 of the killers were white males, and only one was a woman. Mother Jones focused on whether the killers obtained their guns legally (most did). But this highly visible sign of mental illness should lead us to consider how many people in the U.S. live in fear, like I do.
When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.”
I don’t believe my son belongs in jail. The chaotic environment exacerbates Michael’s sensitivity to sensory stimuli and doesn’t deal with the underlying pathology. But it seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise—in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.
With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation’s largest treatment centers in 2011.
No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, “Something must be done.”
I agree that something must be done. It’s time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That’s the only way our nation can ever truly heal.
God help me. God help Michael. God help us all.

Please include Nancy Lanza in your thoughts and prayers. She was a victim as well. God rest her soul.

Wanda; be careful when you judge others. Your day will come.

Dennis I'm with you 100% ....With the others ......they have to experience "having your child ripedfrom ypour heart first to have the same judgement against a women that she received $300 thousand a year to take careof her NUT KID ( NO sorry her )and she did what taking him to shooting range ? Common people use your compation for those valuable families that are in so much pain, that we feel here at the EAST of the world .I cannot stand american people naivity on just because you are a gun owner THINK for a moment .The father could not do anythink ,she did not keep her nut boy connected (she probably badmouth him the father that is) .But she lived on a high horse life ......Why didn't she reach out to the churches ,sinagogue etc. NO she chased man in the bars with her money .Who was her friends ? did you see who came forward a few sinlge men .NO MERCY at all she can rotten in hell .She is responsible for allthose sweet children that suffer that horor ,have you thought about what those children saw on their last moment .Put your self in those family shoes .SHE DID NOT BELONG IN SANDY"S COMMUNITY.....

Ok I am a little mad here. The media is only calling the burial of the "shooters mom". SHE HAS A NAME. I might be the only one that feels this way but she should be the 27th victim for a bell ring. I am quite sure when she went to sleep she didn't think for one minute that her dillusional son would kill her. The media is ridiculous call her by her name.

No, Kris I agree with you - this woman deserves to be acknowledged too - she is also a victim..... we have no idea what she did or did not do to help her child... So stop passing judgement!!!!! @ Bambi... you stand here making all these alleged allegations when in truth you have no clue... I'm sure she had no clue as to how sick he was, otherwise she would have feared for her safety also... Give her and the victims a little respect... How dare you pass judgement on who or who not belongs in a community, according to everyone who knew her she was a great teacher with a strong passion to help children.. She lost her life also and no one deserves that... The whole situation is a travesty

where are you ppl getting this info that she trained her son in handling weapons?

It is there in several news articles. You should try to read something and inform yourself.

Yeah, I'd like to know where that information came from as well. The information from the new media hasn't been the most accurate. I would also like to know if this kid was on any antidepressant drugs. Was he actually diagnosed with a mental disease or did the new media give him one? The SSRI drugs would explain a lot in regards to this heinous massacre!

vs 101 , i spend more time on news than anything else & ive yet to read any reliable source as to her doing this , in fact , fbi said in their investigations so far , this young man was NOT at any ranges , please , next time supply your source & you try reading, just because you say something is so , dont make it true & just because you read a blog or misinformation , doesnt make me ignorant of said misinformation

So who are we to believe, stimulatingsolutions? The FBI, that you indicated said the young man was not at any firing ranges, or interviews with workers at firing ranges that said the mother brought her son in when she went and may have also practiced firing guns? (Sorry to the English majors for that second, improper sentence.) Unfortunately, there are quite a large number of articles floating about various sitesthe internet, some of which contain wrong information, that were never updated.

There are some social workers and therapists who say that if one of these problem children (or young adults) are interested in something, you should encourage it. It is also possible that the mother thought that if she let him fire the gun, he will lose some of his rage. This is something we will never know, and the truth, if the investigators can find it, may be something totally different.

The facts remain , evidently his mother didnt trust him with guns , otherwise he wouldnt have tried buying them earlier & the articles your referring to , said she may have done this , as it is a common place occurence for parents to take their children , there has yet to be someone stand forward & say , yes , that kid was shooting at the range . I havent even read where his brother or the dad/x husband say he had been shooting at range with his mom.

What I read in an article on Huffington Post (I know they aren't so great either) was that the mother took up guns after the divorce. She supposedly was afraid someone would break into the house. He hasn't spoken to his father or brother for something like 2 years.

dude - Actually someone posted the other day Connecticut's laws on assault weapons one of the strictest in the nation enacted in 1983 I believe - illegal to own one, yet Nancy purchased this Bushmaster in 2010

Why does the news state these guns were "legal purchases" when obviously they were not - did no one bother to look up Connecticut's laws?

A lot of blame to go around

Did he really need any practice, considering the type of gun he used?

Stimulatingsolution ....She was taking her sons at shooting range to teach them how to shoot it's all over the media including statements from her male friend one Landscaper fpr the community all ame forward with the same info . There is no record that he Adam went by him self ,but that is how he learned and there is no indication that he was participating in any sports ,or social activity in the community .SHE WAS A NUT LONER ALONG WITH HER NUT SON. Do not be a burden for this families with your commnets to make any excuses for that women because there are many more in this denial in this world .They take our joy and rip our hearts away with their ignorance .They should not BREED.

I am glad that they finally put a board up about the Mom. You see as a Mom myself I never judge another Mom unless I have walked a mile in their shoes. We only know bits and pieces about Nancy Lanza because she was the first one to die - and she died by her own guns and it was a blood bath of being shot 4 times in the face and head while she was sleeping. She had been at a spa and only returned home on the Thursday night and he shot her first thing Friday morning. She paid the ultimate price for having the guns in her home. But what we dont know is were they locked up safely. He had pulled a knife on her once and anyone that babysat him were told not to take their eyes off of him. So I very much doubt the guns were left in the open for him to just gather up and go. She and her son are dead so we will never know the facts in all of this because the only two people that could tell us are dead. We dont know what the father has said yet and it doesnt look like it was a close knit family cause the last time he saw him was in June (and he lives in the same town) and the brother hadnt seen him since 2010. But they have to know because the divorce papers she was paid that much money to pay the mortgage on the house and to seek mental health for him etc. I do believe that she was in denial to the degree that she tried home schooling and told people she could handle his problems - so she thought he didnt need outside help - but we dont know do we. He could have been treated and was on medication that has terrible side effects of making him violent. A lot of them do that. When this happened the media had every fact or detail out there wrong. In fact they were saying the brother was the shooter. And the police have not disclosed anything yet. I am really disappointed though that she was left off of everything. There was 26 Christmas trees, 26 wreaths, 26 candles and not one mention of the mom being shot and killed. Those bells should have been rung 27 times after all as parents dont we really do the best we can with what we have. We are not perfect and we dont have perfect children so until the facts are in now that she is laid to rest I think the judgement of her should stop. Can you say with the knowledge of her that you have, most of which is wrong that you would have done a better job!!

Her problem was she thought owning guns was the answer.

Hey, she didn't do it alone.

Denial and shame are beautiful things, eh?

She contributed a normal son as well, who works as an accountant in NYC where his dad works. Geez, it's always the mother's fault.

Isn't it quiet odd that we have not heard a single word out of Daddy or Brother.

The Father got his divorce and high/tailed it.. I can only imagine how that made this boy feel.

Many adults create problems and this might have helped this young man off the edge. Like another blogger said, many things we will never know or understand.. But I do think its odd that the Father has not had the decency to show his head, or speak up about anything. Seems he has just tucked his tail and is hiding.

Jean: wasn't the brother quite helpful to the police? What do you want them to say? Two of their family members also died. Besides, they don't owe the media anything.

Jean you are woefully uninformed.

Cannot agree with you more...

ditto voice

I agree with you, most people are condemning the mother and they don't know what she did or didn't do to try to help her son. NO ONE knows what she did or didn't do, except for her and him. It is really sad. Yes, my heart breaks for the families of the 20 children and the 6 adults that he killed. However, I also feel for his mother's family. They also lost a family member they loved. Sometimes, there is nothing that can be done for those with mental issues to keep them from hurting others, except to get them locked up-which is not very easy. You have to be able to get them 'diagnosed' as being unstable and a danger to others or themselves. Not that easy to do that - because some of these people can act perfectly normal - even though they are far from it. No matter how you look at it, is a very sad situation. The only one I don't feel bad for is the one who did the shooting.

Tonya,

You are so correct! No one knows the full story, and probably never will.

Surprising how many people think they know exactly how to raise PERFECT children; children which are never moody, always at ease in social situations, never back-talk, never break rules, do well in school, etc......

The point is she had a mentally ill son and taught hin to shoot and to use violent video games. She is NOT Mom of the year as Spike and his kind make her out to be. Parents ARE responsible for their children and one of the problems of our society is that their kids can do no wrong. The NRA and this parent (and I use the word loosely) are the BAD guys here.

Denis no proof, the FBI checked the ranges and there are no records none like none

Try not to talk out of your ass.

SolarIstheWay - Try not to talk out of your ass.

Very eloquent.

do you not understand that you may be days or weeks away from a tumor that could snatch away any grip you may have on reality , or a tiny clot & a few seconds away from being even more an idiot? Do you not understand that a tiny clot could damage glands , receptors & you could become an even bigger monster than a jeffrey dahmer. Mental illness is every bit as real as any cancer & sometimes every bit as fatal . Are you familiar with the dark lonely hurting & angry places within that young mans mind or wether he was in a type of hell . Why dont you leave the judging to someone that atleast has a clue?

"...She is NOT Mom of the year as Spike and his kind make her out to be...."

Really? How do you deduce such BS? I am sure you have ESP and time travel capabilities that enables you to know everything that occurred. Tell us, from you vast knowledge, what kind of mother was she? Particulars, not just Pavlovian responses based on your political opinions.

The NRA is the bad guy? How about the Founding Fathers? They wrote the 2nd Amendment.

Denis 3 if anyone is talking out their a$$ its you.

The killer disowned his father two years ago, when the man re-married. Apparently, he also cut off all contact with his brother at that time, too.

Tragic situation, regardless of who you count among the victims...

Let's not forget that the killer was a 20 year old man! He was beyond the age at which anyone could have made him get help--and besides, he had not displayed any violence beforehand.

jay, i heard he was on an antipsycotic drug if thats true then there was some history of him being out of control.the guy sat in the basement playing video games also.i also heard his mom wanted to have him commited.if all of this is correct, he seemed like a ticking timebomb.the drug,i forget the name, but it should be looked into further.sometimes drugs have opposite effects than the desired one.teaching him how to use a gun is, well,crazy.

So, a 20 yo kid disowns his father???? And the father takes that as permission slip to absolve himself of his parental responsibilities for a kid who clearly had mental health issues for a long time? Adam Lanza did not just show up out of his mind last week, this stuff builds over time. His parents had to have known, and why they did nothing...well, ask his dad. He is still alive to speak to it.

amen & amen !!!

Not feeling any love for a mother who took her known mentally ill son to a gun range!!

Harlan

All responsible gun owners and enthusiast take their children at some point to a range to learn gun safety and

to learn to shoot.

What she did was perfectly correct.

She did not know that her son had such a defect.

She was aware, ( a mother's love is blind) but that is a moot point.

The man tried to buy a weapon at a gun shop probably because mom had the guns at home locked up.

He more than likely beat her and took the keys, the guns and ammo, and shot her.

She might have very well been the hero that failed.

Viewer, thanks for having my back.

We all can only hope it doesn't happen to us or anyone close to us.

You never know what the mind is capable of.

No medical evaluation of the killer has been released, so there is no reason to assume he had a history of mental illness. All we are hearing is "developmentally disabled" and rumors from the neighbors about Asperger's. Until the police uncover more, let's stop spreading the story that she took a dangerous killer to the gun range to sharpen his skills. That's just absurd. Thousands of people take their children target shooting. I think Viewer_Ready is on the right track.

are you people stupid, The FBI checked the Ranges and NO NO NO Evidence that He was there.

NO EVIDENCE HE WAS THERE!

Solar: Please read some other articles and interviews with her friends. They all indicate the sons had gone with mom to a range to shoot. Show us the FBI article you found.

Solaristheway Apparently you haven't been to a gun range. You pay the fee if their is one and go shoot, you don't sign in with your name, no ID is checked so i guess that makes you the stupid one!

Are you serious?? Armed personnel at every school in the nation to protect kids from nuts. DUMB How abouts gun control!

No harlan that is NOT dumb.

In MS we have armed police at every school all day when school is in session.

Gun control is a myth.

You can NEVER remove guns from the US let alone the world.

It is a pipe dream.

You have to be joking. Armed teachers in the classroom so we can have real shootouts! What a ridiculous idea! What's next, everyone walking around with a gun strapped to their hip? More guns is not the answer, any more than more bombs is the answer to war.

I teach. If I was told that I was going to be the weapons person I would quit my job on the spot. I go to work to teach, not have a gun on my person with the training behind me to use it. The problem is in the larger society and that is where it should be addressed.

Ariel-920409

Every school needs to have a team of trained teachers/facultytrained in crisis management with always 1 on duty and be armed. they should be kept confidental from the students and public. If the public and students know there are secretly armed trained teachers in schools then they would have some serous hesitation before entering a school to attack innocents.

I wholeheartedly agree!! These nuts will think twice about going in with guns blazing if they know there will be guns blazing right back at them. As a matter of fact, I think banks should be the same. At least once a week, a bank is robbed/attempted to be robbed in my area. They never hurt anybody and only about half ever actually get away and stay away long term, but still. If the tellers were allowed to have guns or there was a "team" or whatever in the banks that were armed, these guys would think twice about going in there to rob the places. Security cameras used to work, but that is no longer a deterrent.

The scary part about most of these mass shootings is that the guys are all in their 20's. They are now "adults" and there is little the parents can do. I wish someone would do a documentary/study on these guys and their families so we can see what the common denominators are, besides their age and history of social behavior issues. Same medications? Same diagnosis? Same habits? A couple of the gunmen, including this one, came from wealthy families so they had resources at their disposal that a family from the other side of the tracks wouldn't. Ban assault rifles, you say? Great. He only had at least 4 other guns he could have used. Tighten gun laws? To???? If you are crazy or an immediate family member is, you can't have a gun? Do you simpletons that think there is a quick and easy solution see where I am going with this? There is NO simple solution to this. Berating each other for their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc., is not going to change things, either. And by the way, this is all stuff I would say to any one of you posters' faces. I don't hide behind my computer. I watch the news (all the networks), listen to the interviews, and read the news stories online and try to help find a solution to this problem that frankly scares me to death. I used to be scared of meth heads breaking into my home, looking for stuff to steal, but now I'm more afraid someone will go crazy on me while I'm out shopping or going to the movies. The bullying and violence are now higher than ever and morals and good role models are at an all time low. We all need to open our eyes, take responsibility for our actions and those of our children and work to try to be better human beings. The buck starts and stops with us and our actions. Until that happens, no laws are going to do much good. (and for the haters out there....you can call me whatever you want when the 30-somethings who grew up on atari, no computers, healthier eating, playing outside, spankings/discipline and the cosby show/full house/dukes of hazard start shooting up grade schools, high schools, colleges, malls, hospitals, truck stops, banks, subway, the wal-marts, etc. etc. etc. That was only about 30 years ago. Ask yourself what's changed in 30 years to make bullying on school buses the norm, kids attacking one another and posting it on youtube, prescription drugs, bath salts and pot smoking/meth the new norm?)

And for any meth heads now thinking about coming over, breaking in and taking my vcr or any other of my valuable electronics (clock radio from college WITH a built in cassette player that works!!!, 27" zenith old-school tv, or my panasonic cordless phones) think again. The BB gun is handy...or will be after this post...and the BB's can be located instantly and loaded in under 3 minutes. So unless you want to suffer a pelting like you have never had, you should think twice. I learned alot of awesome shooting skills from atari and I'm not afraid to use them to protect my stuff. And get off the drugs and go be a contributing and useful member of society!!!

We have armed policemen at our schools every day all day too Viewer.

Sialia no one would ever MAKE you be armed, but if you wanted to be you should be given the choice.

knock off condemning religion...this is not about faith ..its about freedom of choice and the laws of this nation and our laws!

Harlan, you keep your religion, and I will keep supporting my laws and the constitution.

You really need to find a valid point.

So far, in you, I cannot see one.

Viewer Ready ......... dude , i consider myself a christian & i hurt for the mother & the son & the 26 others & their families. Much to the anger of alot of christians , i even prayed for sadam husein before his execution .I find no joy at any death or loss of a soul.

On your statement I can concur as well.

But acording to some or most religions, the shooter as well as Hitler are being cradled by Jesus in heaven.

So, why not ring the bells?

what moronic church you been attending that says hitler is saved & in heaven? Not one single church i can think of would make that stand & ive attended most every denomination & studied most all their doctrines, even outside the mainstream , such as JW , LDS, SDA . Onyl 1 i know that would hold to that belief would be universalist & they amount to about a grain of sand on a florida beach when looking at all the other "christian churches"

Anybody or anything can get to heaven according to the unitarian universalist church.

Ah, the Westboro folks have entered the building.

Sorry, pastor65, I disagree with you. A return to the old time religion is not the answer.

I have studied many religions, the Amish is not one that I really have gotten to yet.

But what you say is what I am trying to put forth here.

I abhor what this man did.

And a part of me wants him in hell.

I am also a responsible gun owner and only use my weapons for protection and recreation.

However, most religions I have studied are forgiving to the victim and the perpetrator.

Because, if there was perpertration, the person was not stable.

In essence, sick.

So, if you want to be in a religion, you need to follow suit.

I do believe in God, but I have found very few religious doctrines who follow what they preach.

This is why I don not follow any organized religion.

The what is Jay?

THEN what is Jay?

pastor65 , get the movie ,,,,,,, isaiah 9:10 judgement , by jonathan cahn , or access some of his videos on youtube

Regardless of his age, she could have had him involuntarily committed for a few days for a psych. eval. However, he can also walk out if he wanted to after (3 days I think???) There are not many mental health facilities in this country anymore. We did not want to support it as taxpayers. The mental health hospitals opened their doors and suddenly the country was flooded with homeless mentally ill people. We have made it real hard to address this problem in the USA. We like to pretend apparently, that it does not exists, not in OUR country.

Sialia, in some states, the only way a person can be involuntarily committed is if they commit a crime. I don't know what the laws are regarding this in Connecticut. However I do agree that the mental health hospitals flooded communities with mentally ill people that ended up homeless. If, by remote chance, the laws regarding mental health care change and some hospitals are reopened, they will need to make sure that the attendants are not abusive of the patients. (That, as well as trying to cut budget costs caused the closing of these hospitals.)

NO Ottoawa.

The "swinging cocks" were the ones in the woods who fought WITH GUNS to make America.

And you and a LOT of other people do not know jack about guns.

Do you have any idea what a musket can do with a load of grapeshot?

Probably not.

Have you any idea how much more efficient this mans killing would have been with a Remington semi-auto

shotgun with 00 buckshot and a hand full of shells in pocket?

No, you do not.

Weapons, most ALL weapons were designed to kill.

But in responsible hands they only do so when absolutely needed.

It pisses me off when people talk smack and do not know the facts.

No bad guy is getting weapons in this country from the outside, they all can be traced back to legal sales by people that should have never had the right to buy them

Statistics, please. Evidence, please. The fact that you say it is so, does not actually make it so.

you are thinking rationally...psychotic killers don't think rationally...this particular psycho was angry at his mom because she had decided to put him away, and angry at this school because it got more attention from his mother than he did, so it's not like he was going to choose some place else...and if he plans on dying, what difference does it make if they have guns where he's going or not? if this killer thought logically, he would have just killed himself, and his mother could've gone on partying

I agree whole heartedly. And to say this woman was also a victim just burns my ass. She was a perpetrator, an accomplist, an enabler, and an irresponsible flake..but if she was a victim, then my ass is a wind instrument and for my first number I'm going to play "Flight of the Bumblebees"

Right on! BTW why is the father still walking free?? I kinda feel sorry for the brother but the apple can't fall far from the tree...

Gut Instinct you are wrong; there are thousands of gun owners who pray everyday that they never have to use their guns to kill another person. I have guns and I pray that I never have to use them to protect myself. This is a very sad situation that should never have happened. I don't blame the mother, I blame the sickness that her son had. That being said: "Don't hate the sinner, hate the sin."

Ya know, Sheryl. You could stop praying that you will never have to use your guns to protect yourself

IF YOU GOT RID OF YOUR GUNS.

just sayin....

...and not thinking.

Sialia, if I got rid of my guns I wouldn't have to pray that I will never have to use them, but I'll have to pray 10 times harder that the need to have used them never arrives. And I would rather pray that I never have to use them in self defense than to think seconds before some dip murders me that it would have been really nice to have kept the gun.

just saying...