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But therein resides the problem. Most of these massacres have been perpetrated by people who were law abiding and outwardly sane. .
Er, no. Not even close. They are seriously mentally unstable and ill, and need constant care and supervision to avoid harm to themselves and others. Each account of such "shooters" over the past quarter century is a recitation of anti social behaviors, previous threats, and injury to others.
We've gone 180 from locking up too many for too little, to releasing those who demonstrate the need for supervised care back into the community at rates that cannot be found elsewhere in the Western world.
Do not be surprised when such horrors continue.
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I grew up in the sixties and seventies. We didn't have school shootings then
So the problem is how the US handles mental illness NOT gun control.
Guns + mental illness = accidents
The shooter lived in Connecticut, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the U.S.
It has now come out that he tried to buy a gun on his own THREE TIMES, and was refused because he didn't want to submit to the waiting period or the background check. That IS gun control in action.
He resorted to using his mother's guns. No idea if they were locked up, but Connecticut may even have laws about that. His mother had legal permits.
I think his mom made a huge miscalculation in allowing guns around her unstable son and teaching him how to use them. And he was VERY unstable. He was assigned his own psychologist in school, and even that wasn't enough. His mother took him out to home school him because she thought the school wasn't doing enough. He used to back up against the walls or walk the other way when other kids were walking toward him. He also had episodes where he was disturbed and his mom had to come to school to calm him down. The school had to watch to make sure he didn't hurt himself because he couldn't feel pain.
Recently, she confided in a friend that he was going downhill. She said she was losing him and that he had resorted to burning himself too.
Last edited by Shooting Stars; 12-17-2012 at 04:11 PM..
Er, no. Not even close. They are seriously mentally unstable and ill, and need constant care and supervision to avoid harm to themselves and others. Each account of such "shooters" over the past quarter century is a recitation of anti social behaviors, previous threats, and injury to others.
We've gone 180 from locking up too many for too little, to releasing those who demonstrate the need for supervised care back into the community at rates that cannot be found elsewhere in the Western world.
Do not be surprised when such horrors continue.
??? Seriously?
Trouble is .... we only found that out after the event.
Hindsight is 20-20
Reality is that it is far less likely to happen in the UK because people don't have access to guns.
Trouble is .... we only found that out after the event.
Hindsight is 20-20
"We" doesn't matter. What does matter (and again, going off of reports) is that he had been under care and had been reported previously, and that, as currently constituted, could not be put under more rigorous care.
Er, no. Not even close. They are seriously mentally unstable and ill, and need constant care and supervision to avoid harm to themselves and others. Each account of such "shooters" over the past quarter century is a recitation of anti social behaviors, previous threats, and injury to others.
We've gone 180 from locking up too many for too little, to releasing those who demonstrate the need for supervised care back into the community at rates that cannot be found elsewhere in the Western world.
Do not be surprised when such horrors continue.
Word! I have never seen an account of a shooter that didn't turn up psychological issues and warning behavior.
This is the source of our homeless problem too in big cities. Many of them are mentally ill or addicted, but can't be confined.
The shooter came from a family that was financially well off. Reportedly, the mother was getting help for him. But the laws make it difficult to put someone in an institution, no matter how badly they need to be there for their own protection and ours.
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Originally Posted by Jayess1
??? Seriously?
Yes. Hardly any homeless people either back then.
Not enough people stop to ask what happened between earlier decades when this stuff was unheard of, and now.
As for limiting gun access - will never happen in the US. Fundamentally, the UK and the US are completely different.
It will happen. There will be tightening of the federal laws somewhat. My state of Massachusetts, like neighboring Connecticut, already has strong anti-gun laws. The rest of the states may not ever get as strict as we are but they will change.
So if we tighten up on the guns, do something to provide more alternatives for mental health, and tone down the amount of violence (which we tried to tone down many years ago but no one would listen....) maybe things will get better.It will be a long and complicated road but some of us in certain states are sick and tired of all this. The gun people will just have to change, along with other changes.
The way this particular incident played out, the shooter wasn't able to buy a gun himself due to CT gun laws.
Aside from 2nd amendment issues, his mother had legal hobbies - hunting and target shooting. On what grounds could you could prevent her from owning guns? Even in countries with stricter gun control, there are licenses for such activities.
The way this particular incident played out, the shooter wasn't able to buy a gun himself due to CT gun laws.
Aside from 2nd amendment issues, his mother had legal hobbies - hunting and target shooting. On what grounds could you could prevent her from owning guns? Even in countries with stricter gun control, there are licenses for such activities.
But ..... he was still able to get hold of a gun.
In the UK it would be virtually impossible for him to do that.
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