New Town, CT - opinion

[Hargrave]

Hello,

I wanted to take a moment and comment on this and what we (law abiding gun owners) might voice.

First: I am a father of 4 young daughters who go to school just 300 feet from my front door. I am lucky that I can look across the street at them each day and know they are safe.

Second: I am a gun owner and proud of it. I have several guns and each of my girls, from 8-14, all feel comfortable with them and show them the proper respect.

Third: What happened today was a tragedy beyond limit. I am truly sickened by what I see.

Fourth: We should expect that some sort of legislation will come out of this. Unlike all the other mass-shootings (including that one in Wisconsin at the Seik temple a few miles from my home) ... this was directed at children. Nothing spurs action among the politicians and public like a threat against children.

We need to understand this reality and work with our local legislators to draft/comment/suggest legislation that does not restrict law abiding citizens like us, but those mentally ill people who represent a danger to society when paired with any sort of wepon. From a car to a drunk or a gun to a maniac.

My two cents.

[Billy Bristol]

I live in CT and am afraid of what our state will do now. We already have tough gun laws here. I am expecting it to get even worse now.
I feel very sorry for the families that lost loved ones.

My only hope is they blame the perp and not the firear

[GunClick Rick]

There is no moral compass anymore.We grew up with toys that looked real,but we had people that showed us a moral compass.I have always had a 22 rifle,i would go get the occasional cotton tail or gray squirrel,i lived on that stuff as much as i could,but never took any pleasure whatsoever in the taking,i was very gratefull.We have hunting shows on tv where the hunters jump up and down and dang near go ballistic becuase they killed something,ticks me off to no end,the games they have are atrocious,where is the dad of the shooter?Alot more going on here..

Ya raise a cockroach,ya get a cockroach!

[Billy Bristol]

just heard on the news that the guns he had belonged to his mother who bought them legally. Evidently she didn't have them locked up good enough.

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

just heard on the news that the guns he had belonged to his mother who bought them legally. Evidently she didn't have them locked up good enough.

The news is reporting that the mother is dead.  

This is a tragedy beyond words.  There are people that have lost loved ones, children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.  It is a shame that political factions are going to use this as a political tool for their own self serving ends.  It robs so many Americans of the right to focus on these victims because they have to start thinking and planning for the political assault that is ahead.

ABC news has already started the focus on the weapons themselves taking away from the victims.  "Glock semi automatic handgun and a Sig Sauer semi automatic handgun, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Additionally, .223 caliber shell casings--a rifle caliber--were also found at the scene"

For the next few days I will cry for and pray for all the people affected by this tragedy.

[Bugscuffle]

We must remember that there are twenty-eight victims involved in this crime. Twenty of them are children, shot at the school. Six of them are adults, shot at the school. One of them is the shooters mother, shot at her home. The last victim is the shooter who committed suicide. All of these people were the victims and yes I include the shooter as a victim because, is he crazy? I whole heartedly believe that you must be crazy to do something like that. In that he must have been crazy, he must have been an innocent victim of his own dementia. I will pray for all of them.

[PJ Hardtack]

Check the "Barracks'' forum for a couple of comments from "Thumper" and me on the topic.

It is more than just the availability of guns, as we've always had access to them. Our society has degenerated to the point where children are killing other children and men are killing children as well as their own mothers. Is it the loss of our collective moral compass?
You can count on political knee jerk reaction that will only affect the people who are not a problem with guns. When this sort of thing happens, the question that needs to be asked is not "Why did he have a gun?", but "Why didn't anyone else?". One teacher with a CCW permit could have made for a different outcome.

But when we need armed guards in schools, malls and churches, it suggests a greater societal problem than mere access to guns.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
Sad thing , prayers to the families .

[Cutter Carl]

Evil has existed in the world since the start of time.  No laws can stop this kind of pure evil. 

The only real way us poor humans have to cope with this evil is the strengh and comfort of the pure love and goodness of our Almighty Father in Heaven.

May He be with all of us that are grieving and trying to understand why.  God bless and comfort the loved ones of the victims. 

[Hargrave]

Hello all,


OK, one more comment I feel it necessary to make. With so many millions of people in the US, I am comforted by the fact this sort of behavior is rare. There are just a few people a year who "go nuts" and commit a mass murder crime. When compared to the volume of people, take comfort that people are inherently "good". Our society may be changing, into what ... who knows. We are bombarded by so much media that it is easy to think the world is going to shit. Most of that belief is based on the type of news being reported. For every horrific crime, like happened today.... millions of acts of kindness happen every day. We can chose to see the world through its rare horrors or instead, chose the see the world by the numbers .... kindness is the norm, what happened today is NOT.

If you do chose to see the world through its horrors, please take a moment to read the stats below. I hope they help you sleep better at night knowing you are most likely safe.

I am a "numbers man" by nature. I like to look at the Stats. I find it helps me make sense of the world. Here are some numbers to think about ......

2011 US Population:             311,591,917
Mass Shootings in US (2012)       13
Percentage of population
who Commit mass Shooting:       0.000004%

K-12 Schools in US:            132,183
School Shootings 2012:          7

Note: 1927             Bath School disaster (Michigan)
               38 Elementary School children killed by Bombing
               (School treasurer)

Note: Killed in Schools      (2011) = 8
               (2012) = 36

Killed by drunk Drivers:               (2010) = 10,228
Domestic Abuse Assault      1,300,000 per year (under reported by 75%)
                                           Adjusted for Reporting   5.2 Mil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings_in_the_United_States#1700s

[Billy Bristol]

It was just on the news that the shooter tried to buy a rifle a couple weeks ago but was denied.

[PJ Hardtack]

Watch the anti-gun politics that gets played now on the backs of the dead children. Knee jerk reactions of any kind are generally wrong and in the case of the aftermath of such events, always wrong.

It happened in Dunblane, Scotland; Tasmania, Sweden and Canada after similar mass shootings. Banning guns, registering guns and gun owners simply doesn't work.
Israel suffered many such attacks on schools until they armed teachers and issued guns to parents. After that, terrorists were less inclined to meet Allah through targeting children.

Why do such things happen in "Gun Free Zones" and not where people are armed and prepared to shoot back?

[yeti76620]

What I KNOW for sure.......

Children DIE in "Gun Free Zones"......

Proven way too many times here in the Colorado Territory...

       

[Blair]

Look at the stats on drunk drivers;
Quote;

"Killed by drunk Drivers: (2010) = 10,228"  (the newest stats published on this death rate, and they are two years old)
Driving under the influence is illegal!

Drivers are licensed,
Cars are registered,
Records are kept of these infractions,
The deaths have not stopped! Why?

Too many every-day-common "Joe's" feel the automobile is necessary. Even those Law abiding citizens that chose to drink and drive.
If the Laws that are enacted were actually enforced to the max... one would even find this death rate reduced. Without creating more Laws!
Just my thoughts on this subject,
  Blair

[PJ Hardtack]

I agree with your drunk driving stance. However, the US already incarcerates more people per capita than any other nation in the world. So, unless it's a case of vehicular homicide, a lifetime ban on driving might get the message across. If disregarded, then some serious jail time to think it over.

In Kanuckistan, you can kill someone while driving drunk and get sentenced to two years house arrest, but be allowed to drive to work! Driving prohibitions are meaningless to repeat offenders. Get caught with an unregistered handgun and you face up to 10 years.
Most likely a lifetime an as well, which is meaningless to a career criminal.

In most Scandinavian countries, the law has 24 hours to get a blood sample from you. If they find you've been drinking, it's an automatic lifetime ban. That negates the drinking of alcohol right after a crash as was demonstrated by a member of the RCMP recently.
He had his kids with him, driving drunk and killed a motorcyclist. He drove them home and returned to the scene, having had a few to steady his nerves!

[yeti76620]

Look at the stats on drunk drivers;
Quote;

"Killed by drunk Drivers: (2010) = 10,228"  (the newest stats published on this death rate, and they are two years old)
Driving under the influence is illegal!

Drivers are licensed,
Cars are registered,
Records are kept of these infractions,
The deaths have not stopped! Why?

Too many every-day-common "Joe's" feel the automobile is necessary. Even those Law abiding citizens that chose to drink and drive.
If the Laws that are enacted were actually enforced to the max... one would even find this death rate reduced. Without creating more Laws!
Just my thoughts on this subject,
  Blair

I agree with your drunk driving stance. However, the US already incarcerates more people per capita than any other nation in the world. So, unless it's a case of vehicular homicide, a lifetime ban on driving might get the message across. If disregarded, then some serious jail time to think it over.

In Kanuckistan, you can kill someone while driving drunk and get sentenced to two years house arrest, but be allowed to drive to work! Driving prohibitions are meaningless to repeat offenders. Get caught with an unregistered handgun and you face up to 10 years.
Most likely a lifetime an as well, which is meaningless to a career criminal.

In most Scandinavian countries, the law has 24 hours to get a blood sample from you. If they find you've been drinking, it's an automatic lifetime ban. That negates the drinking of alcohol right after a crash as was demonstrated by a member of the RCMP recently.
He had his kids with him, driving drunk and killed a motorcyclist. He drove them home and returned to the scene, having had a few to steady his nerves!

Really?....

Bringing alcohol and automobiles into this subject is as KOOK as some punk arse shoot'n up children in school...

   

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Yeti;  The point was that this tragedy, as horrible as it is, must be put in perspective.  Comparisons with other causes of violent death are legitimate.

[yeti76620]

Yeti;  The point was that this tragedy, as horrible as it is, must be put in perspective.  Comparisons with other causes of violent death are legitimate.

OK........

What OTHER "straw-man" arguments shall be thrown in here that distracts from THIS tragedy..... 

This is the behavior of Liberals...

When talk'n 'bout apples..... stick with APPLES.... Therefore; Sir Charles, I strongly DISAGREE.....

[GunClick Rick]

Yeti sit down and write up a plan....We are all ready to listen

[yeti76620]

Yeti sit down and write up a plan....We are all ready to listen

What is this supposed to mean Master Rick?......