More Than a Two Dozen Killed, Including Children, at Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I believe the identity of the gunman or woman should be out soon. I'd like to know what lead to this, I mean kids? It takes a certain kind of mind to do this...

If you declaw a cat, they can no longer scratch you, but they will start biting instead.

If you take away guns, the nut job will start making home made bombs.

This problem doesn't have to do with gun control. This problem has to do with the mental health system.

If you have a mental illness and need treatment, good luck finding any, unless you are rich.

One of the worst things the Regean Admin did was de institutionalization. So now mental illness has no place to go, except jail and crime.

People also need to start stigmatizing it, start educating themselves on it, and educate others.

People need to not only have ready access to care, but they also need to feel safe doing it, without society ostracizing and stigmatizing them for it.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
If you declaw a cat, they can no longer scratch you, but they will start biting instead.

If you take away guns, the nut job will start making home made bombs.

This problem doesn't have to do with gun control. This problem has to do with the mental health system.

If you have a mental illness and need treatment, good luck finding any, unless you are rich.

One of the worst things the Regean Admin did was de institutionalization. So now mental illness has no place to go, except jail and crime.

People also need to start stigmatizing it, start educating themselves on it, and educate others.

People need to not only have ready access to care, but they also need to feel safe doing it, without society ostracizing and stigmatizing them for it.

Not really true is it.

In countries where there are no guns you don't have bomb wielding maniacs running around instead.

reply to post by MDDoxs


Sorry to burst your bubble but no guns isnt working :/

It is after all, a gun-free zone. I would of have been pissed if I left mine at the car and something like this happened.

TIME OUT

There are now 27 families for whom Christmas will forever be transformed. Instead of a time of joy and family togetherness it will mark the anniversary of the most tragic of events possible. The death of a child.

I don't know what to say, it's devastating beyond words.

Hopefully amongst the assigning of blame and personal arguments we can all find some time out to say a prayer for, send karma to, or do whatever it is that you do in thought of the people that are personally effected by this.

This is tragic beyond words.......

Let’s Take A Deep Breath

When something this shocking happens, emotional responses are inevitable, and there's nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, they often lead to thread derailment and flame wars, as is the case here.

Let's please respect the importance of the subject and the AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use by:

1. Refraining from ad hominem attacks. That includes finger-pointing and scapegoating of other members.

2. Staying on topic. Posting off-topic comments in threads like these often equates to trolling, so let's please not.

3. Politicization of a tragedy. There will be plenty of time for that later, hopefully when it's not quite so tasteless and self-serving.

As things stand, facts are still sketchy and are what are most needed for civil discussion of this story. Olympic-grade conclusion-jumping is nothing new to our forums, but in the rush to point fingers at one another, let's please not lose sight of the need to Deny Ignorance.

Threads like these tend to move quickly and become problems in themselves. It is very understandable that a story as horrifying as this will tend to knock us out of our senses and lead us to regrettable behavior, but let's at least try not to let that happen.

This thread will remain closed for a short while to give members a chance to calm down a bit, catch up on the topic itself and hopefully give some thought to the heightened need for self-control when discussing particularly difficult topics.

Thanks to everyone for your patience in these trying times.

Thread Open...

...and let's please do our best to keep it that way. For anyone without the time to wade through this text wall, the short version is: please keep to the topic, and be nice.

For the much longer version...

We're honestly not trying to censor anyone's opinions about this, but it is absolutely vital that we keep our comments relevant and civil to avoid burying this heartbreaking tragedy in a ton of pointless flames.

It's completely understandable we will all try to make sense of it in our own ways. In doing so, we will tend to look for anything we can to try to explain why something like this will happen. We may point to the classic standbys of politics, conspiracy theories and the like out of reflex, and doing so is very, very human indeed.

And on ATS, of all places, we can expect that reflex to be that much stronger. No harm, no foul, provided we keep our comments focused on the actual topic and not one another.

None of us is perfect, and we all know it, so I'm asking that we try to keep the finger-pointing, mutual demonisation and hasty generalization within reasonable bounds of sanity. That means no name-calling, no nation-bashing and saving the partisan talking points for the inevitable follow-on political threads that will join the thousands of others we already have.

Some of us will fall short of that, but let's do our best and try not to contribute to problems when they arise. Please alert us to inappropriate posts and we'll try to respond as quickly as we can.

Please forgive me for editorializing, but it is precisely events like these that challenge us to look more clearly at what is happening in our world. Doing so requires looking honestly at facts, rather than plastering them over with slogans or prejudices.

As surely as the sun rises and sets, the endless gun control debate will surface here again as it always does and as it already has. Again, we're not trying to suppress the opinions of members on this subject, but given the thousands of threads we already have on gun control, and the way the issue is being used as a club for bashing other members, we may, at our discretion, remove such posts and any other posts we consider inappropriate to the topic.

When we do, please do NOT argue with mods over staff actions or comment on them in threads. Such posts are off-topic, subject to removal, and may lead to temporary suspension of posting privileges to avoid such arguments derailing the topic. Instead, if you disagree, please feel free to alert us and let us know. We can and do make mistakes, and when we do, we try to make things right.

Something very, very bad happened in Newtown, Connecticut today. Let's please respect the gravity of the topic by focusing on the facts, treating each other with courtesy and respect, and doing our best to Deny Ignorance.

Sigh well it doesn't get any better ....they have now found his father dead at home and apparently his mother worked at the school and he killed her too

www.guardian.co.uk...

Too sad for words. Christmas will never be the same and a constant reminder of horrendous loss

Originally posted by Sandcastler
Let me guess. This will actually turn out to be a lone gunman. Mid-twenties. Just recently dropped out of college. No prior record. Parents say they didn't suspect anything. Friends say he was a bit unusual, but a nice guy. Did I get all that right?

Called it. They said it was two gunmen, one was father of a student. That turns out to be bogus. Now they are saying lone gunman, 24 years old.

Originally posted by CosmicCitizen
reply to post by Soulreaper54

 

Dont forget it is people who "hate their species" who commit despicable acts like this.

i know, i edited my original post, kinda got caught up in the moment with all this. I just feel so terrible for all those children and their families

Let me say this first. I feel like I want revenge, but there is no one to take it on. That is an annoying feeling.
It is also exactly what the shooter intended me to feel. We must not let our emotions get the best of us.

There is something definitely weird about this.


We have had crazies and weapons in the world for a very long time.

Why all of this now? There was also a massacre in China in this 24 hour period.

I have my ideas of why, but they are irrelevant. We have to come together and defeat this issue.

We should have a nation-wide vote on what to do to prevent this. Not a vote on who will decide, we need a vote on the plan of action specifically. This is too important to let some bozo politician handle it.

The ones who survived will never be the same. Guns are extremely loud. Combine that with hallways and you have a traumatic experience just with the noise level alone. I try to imagine being one of those children, and it is the most paralyzing fear there could be. A grown man might deal with it fine, albeit not likely calm, but a child!? If I were one of those children the level of fear would have been unimaginable. It is the most paralyzing shocking fear possible. To feel that right before death!? God will bless their souls, this is something I know with certainty.

Those children that survived should not have to work a day in their lives. The government made them go to school, they should pay for them to live now. That is my opinion, and I do not expect everyone to agree.

reply to post by Power_Semi


Apparently you have forgotten the school terrorism in Afghanistan.

Thanks, Majic, for getting control of this thread.

School is getting out on the east coast in the US - if you have kids you may want to think about shutting off the TV, radio, and watch what they're doing on the Internet - this story is quickly becoming one of the worst massacres in US history.

As a dad I'm taking precautions, but we're all adults in the room, I'm just throwing that out there.

God bless the little ones.

Wow kindergartners.. really?? kindergartners

why do these crazy sobs always kill innocents? why dont we ever hear about one of em shooting
up a bunch of big shot bankers, or big oil barons.. god just not a bunch of frikin kindergartners

please people if you have ever even considered doin something like this.. GET HELP NOW

its not normal or ok to even think about it

Ryan Lanza is not the killer.... Looks like we have false reporting from the news agencies... Ryan lanza is reporting on his Facebook page that he is alive and at work... Check out the screen shot below of his FB page

twitter.com...

reply to post by AGWskeptic


I'm just wondering how people like yourself are still debating this issue after today's slaughter of innocent children!!

I just dont get your mindset!!

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

Please, let's try not to go back before the thread timeout, let that go for now and stick with the story itself.

Thanks.

I haven't had a chance to post in here yet on this topic.

All I have to say is this, this is happening all to often. Very sad and I wish the best for those families involved.

One more thing, two shootings in a week. I see gun control in the near future....

Again very sad story. I hope this kind of thing stops...

-SAP-