Connecticut massacre

[SKYO]

Jesus christ so sad.

20 children among 26 victims of Connecticut school shooting.

Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

Within minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school's beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.

"Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown," a tight-knit community of about 27,000 just outside Danbury, said Renee Burn, a local teacher at another school in town. In the past 10 years, only one homicide had previously been reported.

How do we stop the violence?

'“@BuzzFeedAndrew: Wow, of the 12 deadliest shooting attacks in US history, six have occurred since 2007.http://wapo.st/PsjZCO'

[Topper]

Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

Harris and Klebold were dressed in black. Ban black clothing.

Within minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school's beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

What kind of elementary school needs a psychologist? Were all these kids waco?

The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.

If these teachers and students had been armed, lives would have been saved.

"Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown," a tight-knit community of about 27,000 just outside Danbury, said Renee Burn, a local teacher at another school in town. In the past 10 years, only one homicide had previously been reported.

"Stuff like this" just did happen, and Renee, tell the parents that the slaughter of their children was just "stuff".

[RoyalDude]

Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

Harris and Klebold were dressed in black. Ban black clothing.

Within minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school's beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

What kind of elementary school needs a psychologist? Were all these kids waco?

The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.

If these teachers and students had been armed, lives would have been saved.

"Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown," a tight-knit community of about 27,000 just outside Danbury, said Renee Burn, a local teacher at another school in town. In the past 10 years, only one homicide had previously been reported.

"Stuff like this" just did happen, and Renee, tell the parents that the slaughter of their children was just "stuff".

SAVE THE GUNS! TO HELL WITH THE INNOCENT! SAVE THE GUNS!

I love this stat. Since Columbine, there have been 32 shooting incidents at schools in the United States of America. The rest of the world combined - 14. Go NRA Go! THE RIGHT TO BARE ARMS!

[ukcanuck]

Everyone seems to be reacting to this with a discussion about gun control....either for or against.
Why do get the feeling that's too simple a view?

There aren't as many guns in the UK, but damn if the sicko meter isnt just as bad. It's a little harder to get to kids in schools but that's because all schools already have 12 foot steel fences with barbed spikes around them and a surly gate keeper...

I'm reminded of that story of what happens to lab rats when they are stressed and have their resources and living space slowly reduced...

[Island Nucklehead]

Yep. Nothing to do with the guns. Guns don't kill people... (mentally unstable) people (with easy access to weapons designed solely for killing people) kill people.

[dangler]

Got to wonder how much of this stems from Columbine.
Prior to that school shootings were a anomaly,now it's become passe.

"The W. R. Myers High School shooting was a school shooting that occurred on April 28, 1999, at W. R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta, Canada. The gunman, 14-year-old Todd Cameron Smith, walked into his school and began firing at three students in a hallway, killing one student and wounding another student.[1] This shooting took place only eight days after the Columbine High School Massacre in Littleton, Colorado, and is widely believed to have been a copycat crime.[2] It was the first fatal high-school shooting in Canada in more than two decades."

I think there is a bigger issue than gun control driving this even though i cannot for the life of me come up with a theory as to why someone would choose a elementary school to go postal on.Shooting politicians,cops,judges,leaf fans i can understand how they would be targeted. School kids....totally perplexed on the motive for that
Is it just copycats???? WTF

"BEIJING — A man stabbed 22 primary school students in a knife attack in China on Friday, officials said, the latest in a series of assaults."

[Island Nucklehead]

From the Booth Thread (trying to centralize all the gun related stuff here):

Maybe it's time to figure out why so many folks these days *looks directly at RD* are harbouring murderous thoughts.

Dude does hate the Gillis....maybe we should worry

My opinion is this:
There really isn't much need for assault rifles or handguns other than killing human beings. Hunting rifles are a useful appliance than many, many good people shouldn't have to do without because of a few nut jobs.
Why not adopt more stringent regulations and severely restrict access to these specific "anti-personnel weapons", then keep shot guns and hunting rifles available to hunters and those who aren't psychos'. It's a step towards a more globally recognized way of managing weaponry which may bring US murder rates down. I understand that it's not the guns doing the killing but restricting availability can't actually hurt.
The 2nd amendment was written in the day of muzzle loading muskets. How about every Americans "Right to Bear Arms" being limited to the weapons of this time period? I'm sure when the amendment was written the founding fathers didn't envision this much pain. A 20 lb muzzle loading musket, a horn of powder and balls would definitely slow down these idiots from doing this much harm.


Couple this with a more effective mental health evaluation system maybe? I don't know. I really can't imagine how this guy could do what he did. He must have exhibited signs somehow. He must have.

Exactly ADL. Nobody, and I mean nobody, needs an assault rifle capable of using 30-50 rounds of ammunition in a matter of seconds to defend themselves.

Americans are funny. They're all about personal protection and responsibility. The Cops aren't there to save you, you have to save yourself. The gun isn't the problem, it's the deranged individual wielding it that is. It all amounts to fear.

If you're so terrified of the world around you that you need a Bushmaster .223 (basically a semi-auto M16) with a 30 round magazine to defend your home, you should move. You are far more likely to injure yourself, or your loved ones (or in this case have your loved ones steal your weapons, blow your head off and then kill numerous children), with a firearm than you are to fend off any potential attackers.

It's pure fear that makes the NRA successful in their quest to have as little control on weapons as possible. Americans will be asking themselves why and how those kids died. And when the answer comes back that they were killed with legally acquired weapons, stolen from one of the victims, they need to ask themselves why almost anyone can or should acquire these things in the first place...

[Brick Tamland]

I think one of the worst things that will come out of this is nothing. Call me cynical, but unfortunately this is just the story of the week for many news agencies. It is sickening and horrifying; I can't think about it and look at my kids at the same time. That said, I honestly think nothing will change.

IMO the recent school stabbing in China is probably the greatest argument for gun control. A totally deranged lunatic goes nuts in a school and attacks over 20 kids. The only difference is it’s with a knife. I’m not taking anything away from the mental anguish and damage it probably caused, but how many kids are dead because of it? We all know the flip side of the coin.

I really hate the argument that if someone there had a gun and shot back, maybe he could have been stopped. Regardless of the fact that it was in an elementary school, if someone starts shooting back that only increases the likelihood of more people getting killed. The actual percentage of bullets shot to the number of hits in police gunfights is well below 50%. How accurate do you think Joe teacher is going to be in that situation? I’m pretty sure not very.

[Topper]

From the Booth Thread (trying to centralize all the gun related stuff here):

My opinion is this:
There really isn't much need for assault rifles or handguns other than killing human beings. Hunting rifles are a useful appliance than many, many good people shouldn't have to do without because of a few nut jobs.
Why not adopt more stringent regulations and severely restrict access to these specific "anti-personnel weapons", then keep shot guns and hunting rifles available to hunters and those who aren't psychos'. It's a step towards a more globally recognized way of managing weaponry which may bring US murder rates down. I understand that it's not the guns doing the killing but restricting availability can't actually hurt.
The 2nd amendment was written in the day of muzzle loading muskets. How about every Americans "Right to Bear Arms" being limited to the weapons of this time period? I'm sure when the amendment was written the founding fathers didn't envision this much pain. A 20 lb muzzle loading musket, a horn of powder and balls would definitely slow down these idiots from doing this much harm.


Couple this with a more effective mental health evaluation system maybe? I don't know. I really can't imagine how this guy could do what he did. He must have exhibited signs somehow. He must have.

Exactly ADL. Nobody, and I mean nobody, needs an assault rifle capable of using 30-50 rounds of ammunition in a matter of seconds to defend themselves.

Americans are funny. They're all about personal protection and responsibility. The Cops aren't there to save you, you have to save yourself. The gun isn't the problem, it's the deranged individual wielding it that is. It all amounts to fear.

If you're so terrified of the world around you that you need a Bushmaster .223 (basically a semi-auto M16) with a 30 round magazine to defend your home, you should move. You are far more likely to injure yourself, or your loved ones (or in this case have your loved ones steal your weapons, blow your head off and then kill numerous children), with a firearm than you are to fend off any potential attackers.

It's pure fear that makes the NRA successful in their quest to have as little control on weapons as possible. Americans will be asking themselves why and how those kids died. And when the answer comes back that they were killed with legally acquired weapons, stolen from one of the victims, they need to ask themselves why almost anyone can or should acquire these things in the first place...

I have had a licensed handgun that I carried daily in the bush and would do so again. By far the safest fire arm to carry in the bush. Not as effective as a shot gun, but easier to carry, easier to get to if/when needed and much easier to keep clean while in the field.

If I were to have a gun for home protection, it would not be a semi auto rifle. I would have a shot gun. Few have the control to operate a semi auto effectively. Semi auto rifles (restricted in Canada) can be effective hunting guns. A fully auto is a toy, like a fast car. It serves little practical purpose, but damn, is it fun to open up.

The NRA is very much in favour of controlling guns. Individual control of guns.

[Cornuck]

Are guns the problem in these mass kilings, or are they deeply related to the drugs these guys are prescribed? Mental illness is at the root of each of these events.

[Island Nucklehead]

If I were to have a gun for home protection, it would not be a semi auto rifle. I would have a shot gun. Few have the control to operate a semi auto effectively. Semi auto rifles (restricted in Canada) can be effective hunting guns. A fully auto is a toy, like a fast car. It serves little practical purpose, but damn, is it fun to open up.

The NRA is very much in favour of controlling guns. Individual control of guns.

Semi-Auto rifles are not restricted in Canada. The "Assault Weapon"/Black Gun/AR-15 variety are. But you can get Rugers or semi-automatic AK's with a non-restricted permit. The Bushmaster .223 and the handguns this kid used are certainly restricted weapons in Canada.

The NRA is in favor of arming everyone. I know if I owned a LAV-3 fighting vehicle, I would use it responsibly for off-roading and defence of my personal compound. Does that mean everyone should be allowed to own a LAV-3 fighting vehicle? Probably not. It's pretty sick when the pro-gun wingnuts come out and say we need to arm (and probably train) teachers to carry and use firearms in schools.

“Gun control supporters have the blood of little children on their hands. Federal and state laws combined to insure that no teacher, no administrator, no adult had a gun at the Newtown school where the children were murdered. This tragedy underscores the urgency of getting rid of gun bans in school zones. The only thing accomplished by gun free zones is to insure that mass murderers can slay more before they are finally confronted by someone with a gun.”

Are guns the problem in these mass kilings, or are they deeply related to the drugs these guys are prescribed? Mental illness is at the root of each of these events.

Absolutely. And there is no way to stop all these events from happening. But it's very telling that when a guy goes crazy vs. children in China (4.9 firearms/100 population), he uses a knife and kills no one. In America (88 firearms/100 people), it's simply too easy for the deranged and mentally damaged to acquire this type of weaponry.


And for the anti-Booth/anti-Christs in the crowd, David Booth's twitter reaction:

David Booth ‏@D_Booth7
Can't get over yesterday. Still thinking about CT. Wondering... with all the thoughts & PRAYERS why not bring Christ back into the schools?

[RoyalDude]

America has been averaging on a yearly basis 'Death By Guns' at around the 10,000 mark for a long time. This is the funny stat, they usually average around 500 in accidental gun deaths.

3,000 people around there were killed in the 911 attacks, that was a one off. Compare that to 10,000 people killed on a yearly basis. Tell me, who is the biggest fucking threat to the U.S. citizens? GUNS. Wake the fuck up, America. It ain't the barefoot, 120 lb Ali Baba Muslim working in the Poppy Fields of Afghanistan you should be worried about. The real terrorist you should be worried about is the NRA. 10,000 people are killed by guns every year in the states. What a joke. Even in just accidental gun deaths on a yearly basis alone they still lead the world in gun deaths.

90 guns per one hundred citizens in the U.S.
8 guns per one hundred citizens in the United Kingdom
30 guns per one hundred citizens in Canada

I love how the Christian Loving Republican NRA Fanatics yell and scream "YOU CAN"T TELL ME THAT I CAN'T OWN A GUN!" But they feel that they have a right tell a young woman whether she can have an abortion or not, or whether Gay people can have equal rights.

I thought Jesus was a Socialistic fellow human loving man, against organized religion, for the people, Meek Shall Inherit the Earth. Pretty much a communist, really. Yet, the fucking NRA, McCarthy-ism Republican Christian freaks go completely against what this Jesus fellow truly believed in. Go figure. I guess they just misconstrue the bible to their own liking.

Go Gun Culture Go. Keep on selling weapons solely made to kill humans, semi-automatics and hand guns.

[RoyalDude]

Are guns the problem in these mass kilings, or are they deeply related to the drugs these guys are prescribed? Mental illness is at the root of each of these events.

The guy who killed those people in the theatre was a highly intelligent person with a Doctorate degree

This Lanza kid who killed those kids in Conneticut was considered a genius by those around him

The guy who killed those soldiers in at that army base was a psychologist.

The Virigina Tech murderer had mental illness but he was also an undergraduate there.

These murderers tend to be very smart and educated, yet have an underlying mental illness. They ain't those screaming schizophrenics you see standing on city street corners. Because they come across as scholastically intelligent, their mental illness is somehow not seen as a threat if it is ever discovered in which most times it never is discovered til after the fact. That is the problem.

The two kids behind the Columbine murders were smart kids as well, without any known mental illnesses

This whole notion that it's strictly about mental illness is your typical stock answer by every fucking NRA Republican out there.

[Uncle dans leg]

If it's not directly related to mental instability then what is it?
Your average academic isn't plodding along through life then all of a sudden sees a gun then becomes a mass murdering homicidal maniac. It's absolutely a mental health issue.
So what is the real issue? We have guns too. Topper rolls with a pocket rocket even but we just don't seem to go from normal to not like they do across the pencil line to the south. So why?

[Brick Tamland]

If it's not directly related to mental instability then what is it?
Your average academic isn't plodding along through life then all of a sudden sees a gun then becomes a mass murdering homicidal maniac. It's absolutely a mental health issue.
So what is the real issue? We have guns too. Topper rolls with a pocket rocket even but we just don't seem to go from normal to not like they do across the pencil line to the south. So why?

Clearly these people have something different going on in their heads. I don't think that's even debateable. Call it a mental health issue, call it whatever, we all know that the cultural norm isn't to go on a shooting rampage in a school.

Like many have already noted, it's the ease of access to guns that make the US what it is. Canada is nothing like the US, we may have guns, but they are clearly not the same variety. The vast majority of gun owners here own hunting rifles.
I can count the people I know in Canada on one hand that own a handgun, at least half of my American friends own handguns. It’s just not the same.