<p>Its still not clear why the killer entered the school and committed those atrocities. At first when the mother was supposedly in the classroom and teaching, it made some sense as to why he was there. Now, nobody has a clue as far as I can tell and it is continuous coverage on our tv stations. I carpool from near the school. When I got back tonight around 6:00 PM, there were helicopters flying around and something being broadcast from the commuter parking lot where I picked up my car.</p>
<p>“reasonable gun control will never stop acts of evil…and won’t stop criminals from getting guns.” </p>
<p>^This</p>
<p>I agree that restricting guns ownership will probably not deter criminals from getting illegal guns. But does having less guns in our society mean less senseless murders by regular folks and the non-criminals? And having less guns also mean the criminals will get to kill more? Our police and authority will still have the same access to weapons. I don’t understand this line of argument?</p>
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<p>Clues to WHAT???</p>
<p>There is no one at large. This morning’s reports of a second shooter were speculative, and proved to be unfounded. There is one perpetrator. He is dead at the scene. There is NOTHING to indicate that this isn’t exactly what it seems.</p>
<p>If the perpetrator had survived and was facing prosecution, this would be another matter entirely. But that’s not the case. So, really, what’s the point???</p>
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<p>A sad but reasonable answer: Clues to what happened during the shooting, so the police can do a better job handling similar events in the future.</p>
<p>If it’s true that the shooter had autism, Aspergers or some autism syndrome disorder, that is not a “mental illness,” any more than Downs is a mental illness. I just want to clarify terminology.</p>
<p>"Clues to WHAT???</p>
<p>There is no one at large. This morning’s reports of a second shooter were speculative, and proved to be unfounded. There is one perpetrator. He is dead at the scene. There is NOTHING to indicate that this isn’t exactly what it seems."</p>
<p>Have you seen the crime scene, are you qualified to even say that there is nothing to indicate that it isn’t exactly what it seems? I’m sure they have good reasons.</p>
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<p>I agree . . . that is a reasonable explanation. And I guess, on a related note, the victims’ families will also want to know exactly what transpired. That makes sense, and has value for the survivors.</p>
<p>But looking for a stray hair that might have fallen on one of the victims? Looking for evidence of additional perpetrators? That seems like investigation for the sake of investigation alone. Just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.</p>
<p>At one point, there were reports of another individual who was driving a purple van and they were stopping people on I-84 (the major highway in the area). The wife of the guy I carpool with (who lives in Sandy Hook) was going to the doctor in Danbury and was driving a purple van. When she got into the doctor’s office, the police came through the doors in bullet proof vests and started to question her until they realized she wasn’t involved.</p>
<p>This is so very sad. Unimaginable really. </p>
<p>Although the probabilities of this happening to anyone is small, there appears to be a greater incidence, and it seems to be escalating. Unfortunately, I do think “gun control” is too simple an answer and will not stop it. I do not, and never have, owned a gun. And I do think buying a gun should be as, or more, difficult as about anything else that requires a license or prescription. But people will be able to get guns, like drugs, whether legal, illegal, requiring a license, prescription. </p>
<p>Mental health problems are still a stigma. People don’t want to deal with them because it might exclude them from certain jobs. Parents do not want to face that their kids have problems because of the stigma. They may think they will just grow out of it. And the truth is, although we have come a long way, we still can’t really “cure” or even, in some cases, fix in any way mental health problems. </p>
<p>But guns and mental health problems have existed for a long time. There is a greater cultural problem behind these mass killings I think. And I am not sure how that can really be dealt with. That cat is out of the bag. </p>
<p>I am not trying to be a pessimist. I am just very concerned.</p>
<p>Even after they identify the victims and remove the bodies from the scene, they usually do not release the bodies after this type of event until after autopsies are performed. Wouldn’t that be awful to work in the county coroner’s office today. 
Along with every other awful thing associated with this.</p>
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<p>Gun control laws WITH improvement in the mental health system (capacity, accessibility, and requirement of treatment for those identified as mentally ill BEFORE they threaten or hurt someone) AND an concerted effort over many years to continue to reduce criminal access to guns (stepped up enforcement WHICH DOES COST MORE, tighter laws on identifying and tracking existing guns) would do some good. So easy to just call it “evil” instead of working toward solutions. Just throw up your hands and be part of the problem.</p>
<p>I wonder what drugs the shooter had in his system. So many questions.</p>
<p>'reasonable gun control will never stop acts of evil…and won’t stop criminals from getting guns."</p>
<p>Then why is gun violence and acts of evil so infrequent in countries which are similar to ours (lets use the other G8 countries for example) that have much stricter gun laws?</p>
<p>I feel very sorry for the parents. Unless you have lost a child, it is difficult to imagine the level of pain. Their pain hasn’t really even begun. It is still surreal at this point. When they have to see the body, pick out a coffin, get funeral arrangements in order and buy cemetery plots is when the pain really begins.</p>
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<p>Worth repeating. CNN just reported that the shooter had “autism - a personality disorder.” The record needs to be set straight as to what autism is and isn’t. And it isn’t a “personality disorder”! Really, do we want parents to be afraid of sending their child into a classroom with an autistic classmate?</p>
<p>[Guns</a> in America: A Statistical Look - ABC News](<a href=“Guns in America: A Statistical Look - ABC News”>Guns in America: A Statistical Look - ABC News)</p>
<p>A friend sent me this article earlier this week, after the mall shootings in Oregon. Everyone on both sides of the gun debate should read it with thoughtful interest and concern. </p>
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It doesn’t seem that this individual was a “criminal” before this morning. He was a law abiding citizen. </p>
<p>Face it, gun advocates are living in denial. Or, in the unfortunate case of Adam Lanza’s mother, dead in denial. How safe did she feel when her son pointed one of her own guns at her face? What was her position on guns then?</p>
<p>DocT - Have you heard anything about your coworker’s children?</p>
<p>For those who are inclined, there are “today is the day” petitions online you can sign, but better still would be to email your representatives and ask them to establish a timeline and a plan for curtailing gun violence in America. </p>
<p>I think another part of the problem is God forbid we, as a country, go ask another country with a superior model for help. Oh my no, we have to be better than every other country, top of the pile, condescending … None of that taking advice from other places. Why does a country of relatively smart people stand for a policy that allows civilians to have military weapons for FUN?</p>
<p>* I wonder what drugs the shooter had in his system. *</p>
<p>I think it is more likely he didn’t have enough medication in his system.
An autistic individual has great difficulty managing in the world, at least on this continent.( some cultures allow more roles for those who dont fit nicely into a category)
The shooter was young, just 20 years old.
He has had a turbulent life, which would hit someone with autism particularly hard.
I do not know where he got the weapons, some sources say they were at the family home, although that seems fairly wild, considering she was living with someone likely prone to rages.</p>
<p>Piers Morgan is going ape*&it.</p>