O/T feel sick inside - CT Elementary shooting

[Kenny Cole]

Brian,

Read the post I responded to. I meant every word I said.

Kenny

[shammus]

And I meant every word I said. No personal attacks allowed on the board.

[Kenny Cole]

I put my name by it and stand by it. I understand your postion but do not regret for an instant what I said.

Kenny

[shammus]

I understand you feel strongly about where you side in this issue. I also don't fault you for wanting to make that point known. But I need you and everyone to keep the discussion clean from this point moving forward. You can get your point across without attacking someone in the process. It's all I ask.

[sdkammeyer]

Sorry everybody ........ I'm going to make an on topic post.

What a horrible tragedy. Truly. I feel for the parents and families of all the victims. I feel for all the first responders/police/fireman that will live the rest of their lives with the images of what they have seen. Rooms full of dead children. I feel for the entire community.

So close to Christmas. Plans have been made, presents have been bought.

Sad.

[xdrx]

[QUOTE=sdkammeyer;1062924...
So close to Christmas. Plans have been made, presents have been bought.

Sad.[/QUOTE]

I've been through this, though in a very different way, with presents being purchased and never opened. One of the saddest things I've ever experienced. Somehow those prettily wrapped boxes just symbolize the potential lost with that life. A piece of that sadness never goes away. I can't imagine what the circumstances of these deaths add to that. Beyond what I can comprehend.

Leon, I give you great credit for letting this thread run the way you have. I'm not here much, but clearly to me it is a good thing for a close knit bunch like you have to be able to "let it fly" when something like this occurs. I imagine it has helped some folks deal with it in some small way, me included. Thank you for that.

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by xdrx

I've been through this, though in a very different way, with presents being purchased and never opened. One of the saddest things I've ever experienced. Somehow those prettily wrapped boxes just symbolize the potential lost with that life. A piece of that sadness never goes away. I can't imagine what the circumstances of these deaths add to that. Beyond what I can comprehend.

I am sorry for your loss and your experience.

As far as the hunting thing goes..... I have never touched a gun in my life. I have no desire to. Call me ignorant, but I am VERY thankful for those who do hunt. Without population control on animals such as deer, the human death toll would be astronomical.

I live in a rural part of Northwest Ohio. Farmland and forest around here. I can walk out my back door on any given morning and see numerous deer frolicking in the fields around my house. As pretty and naturalistic as it is..... the simple fact is that without a hunting season every year the United States would be overrun by deer. There are a few human deaths around here every year stemming from a car hitting a deer on the highway. I'm a numbers guy, and I feel safe in saying that 10 times more deer around here would mean 10 times more traffic fatalities.

Don't get me wrong, I am an animal lover ..... but I am also a people lover.

Furthermore, I am a firm believer that "guns don't kill people... people kill people". If this psycho kid was hell-bent on breaking into a school and killing 30 people I'm with the belief that it would have happened with or without a gun. Using a sword probably would have taken longer, but the carnage probably would have been much more ugly ...... either way the death toll would be the same.

Ignorance is bliss. In this society of instant information sharing I am forced to think about the way of life 50-100 years ago. Although the media doesn't "glorify" these horrible tragedies, they sure spend enough time covering them. The days and days that the media spends covering these stories is bait for the sick-minded people who perceive this as glorifying. These deranged shooters MUST be thinking "If I am going to go out, I am going to go out in a blaze of glory with guns flaring and tons of media coverage". I am only in my late 30's so I can't speak much about life pre 1970's but how often did these things happen before then?

It seems that since the Columbine shooting, and the weeks of media coverage that followed, this crap has become commonplace.

[bbcarddan]

Ok one thing is certain this nation will never be in agreement on gun control this is a fact! So to argue over it is pointless to me.
In my opinion what resposible gun owners can and should do is always keep their firearms locked and secured. I know some will say they keep a gun unsecured and at the ready for home defense. I can actually understand that reason though I don`t necessarilly agree with it, but ask yourself do I need "all" my guns readilly accesible?
The details of this tragedy are starting to emerge and it sounds as if the weapons were the gunmans mothers, I am wondering how were they secured? Were they really his and in her name to keep it legal?
If it were me guns and ammo are locked and stored separatly and not easy to gain access to. If someone lives in your home who has mental issues remove the guns from your home why give someone who is not thinking clearly access to guns?If it was too difficult to get at the guns maybe this tragedy never happens! I feel gun owners can never be too carefull when it comes to securing weapons in the home it wont stop all of these psycopaths such as the killer in Aurora but it may have prevented this one!
I own one .22 rifle that I inherited from my father it`s old as the hills and I rarely have shot it. I keep it in my home with the bolt action removed,any bullitts are kept at one end of the house in a locked box the bolt acton in another location and the rifle itself in another only I know where they are located not my kids! Since it is my only firearm and I am not really into guns I do not have a gun cabinet to store it in but to actually use it will take a bit of doing in it`s current state it is about as deadly as a baseball bat which by the way is my preferred weapon of home protection!

[jb217676]

"There were 310 million nonmilitary firearms in the United States as of 2009, according to federal figures"

This figure sure stood out to me when I was surfing around the net today. With that many firearms out there, no wonder these horrific events occur. In my opinion, all guns should be banned. Police or military I can understand the need, but I never could understand why regular citizens need them, or are allowed to acquire them. I don't need one, and never will. Ban hunting too. Should have been banned when grocery stores were invented.

Prayers go out to all of the families affected by this, I have a little one in kindergarten too.

[Gecklund311]

Originally Posted by jb217676

This figure sure stood out to me when I was surfing around the net today. With that many firearms out there, no wonder these horrific events occur. In my opinion, all guns should be banned. Police or military I can understand the need, but I never could understand why regular citizens need them, or are allowed to acquire them. I don't need one, and never will. Ban hunting too. Should have been banned when grocery stores were invented.

That is so naive as to be childlike. Let us assume that you get your wish and guns are "banned" - what do you do with the ones already out there? Would you go door to door and round up the guns of those who have lawfully registered? That would be a wonderful way to instantly create an armed criminal class that is in possession of the many unregistered guns floating around the streets.

I do share your antipathy for hunting, but do not share your wish to ban it simply because you dislike it. Frankly, I find that kind of attitude disturbing at best - simply because you "feel" something is bad is not a legitimate reason to call for the imposition of your will on every other person in the country.

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by Gecklund311

That is so naive as to be childlike. Let us assume that you get your wish and guns are "banned" - what do you do with the ones already out there? Would you go door to door and round up the guns of those who have lawfully registered? That would be a wonderful way to instantly create an armed criminal class that is in possession of the many unregistered guns floating around the streets.

I do share your antipathy for hunting, but do not share your wish to ban it simply because you dislike it. Frankly, I find that kind of attitude disturbing at best - simply because you "feel" something is bad is not a legitimate reason to call for the imposition of your will on every other person in the country.

Your answer?

[Gecklund311]

What specifically would you like my answer to?

[kmac32]

I find it disturbing that a 20 year old has a glock, a high powered rifle, and another kind of pistol legally! Or they were legal guns! Where was the background check for this person done? The latest I had heard is there may have been a history of mentor illness. Authorities need to really crack down on weapons background checks!