Newtown Shootings

[Mr Man]

I think it would kind of be nice if we could separate the tragedy of what happened from the Gun Control debate though. My heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones and those who were affected.

[Justsit]

Agreed, Mr. Man.

In the interest of accuracy, though, the rifle used is not a "hunting rifle" - unless one is hunting humans. (Available for about $800 at your local Walmart. Gotta love America.)

[corrine]

While I live in the southwestern United States and I am an advocate of gun control, at this time my only feeling is one of grief for these innocent lives lost and for their poor families who may never recover. How do you move forward when something so unthinkable has happened to your sweet little angel? Are there any answers to be had? Anger is a normal but not helpful response. I really believe that we have to find a way to stop these senseless slaughters. My country, which I dearly love, seems to have become a shooting gallery. I do not know what has changed to cause this. It was not this way when I was young. Children were, overall, free to live their precious little lives safely. I grew up in Los Angeles and ran around the entire neighborhood without my parents having to worry. In the fifties. The neighbors watched out for all of the kids.

What has happened to us as a nation? I simply cannot come to grips with this. Are there answers? To be angry in the aftermath may be natural, but it does not seem to address the actual horrible problem. What can we do, now, to stop this?

corrine

[LonesomeYogurt]

What has happened to us as a nation? I simply cannot come to grips with this. Are there answers? To be angry in the aftermath may be natural, but it does not seem to address the actual horrible problem. What can we do, now, to stop this?

We can have a meaningful conversation about the gun laws that allowed this to happen!

[daverupa]

What has happened to us as a nation? I simply cannot come to grips with this. Are there answers? To be angry in the aftermath may be natural, but it does not seem to address the actual horrible problem. What can we do, now, to stop this?

We can have a meaningful conversation about the gun laws that allowed this to happen!

Guns are not magical talismans that break the minds of those who come into contact with them. Violence being done, the particular tool chosen is not a sole cause (it may not even be a cause). Trying to remove means without addressing motives is going about things altogether backwards.

[anjali]

but unfortunately it probably wouldn't have mattered in this case since he acquired the guns illegally.

True.
But why is there so many guns in the US?
And why are they so easily obtainable (legally or illegally?)
kind regards,

Ben

Originally, there was the notion of the citizen militia. No standing army. Of course that changed very quickly, but the notion of an armed citizenry didn't. That doesn't totally explain the current situation in the US, but it does give context.

[SDC]

What has happened to us as a nation? I simply cannot come to grips with this. Are there answers? To be angry in the aftermath may be natural, but it does not seem to address the actual horrible problem. What can we do, now, to stop this?

corrine

Slow down...which we won't.

As a nation, the US wants to keep moving, producing, creating, developing, progressing...more, more, more, and we want it with peace and happiness maintained the entire time. Have cake, eat too. Every day. No matter what. All the while, we do our best to combat all the negative side affects that arise. Problem is, the faster we move the more elaborate the negative side affects become, and the more difficult they are to combat.

If we continue at this pace, there is absolutely NOTHING that can be done to stop something like this from happening again. "As a nation" we have lost control.

[appicchato]

Just read this elsewhere...true that...

'...not even the taliban have done something so vile. He shot each child several times.'

[Monkey Mind]

{removed editorial comments, this does not seem like an appropriate thread for that...}

May the surviving families of the dead (and of the perpetrator) experience wellness during this difficult time.

[Yana]

I don't understand America's gun culture.
Does this look like a weapon "civilians" purchase for "self defense"?
Assault Weapons...come on...are you waiting for some kind of zombie invasion...seriously how man rounds can you pump into an intruder..

One man brings a shoe bomb at the airport now everyone has to take their shoes off through security.
A lot of people die of gun related deaths and nothings been done about it.Mental health issues or not.I'm pretty sure If you took the gun away it would have limited his way of killing.

[poto]

Does this look like a weapon "civilians" purchase for "self defense"?

This is a common misunderstanding. Our 2nd amendment rights were written specifically so that the population be well armed and able to fight against an army.

It was not written to protect the rights of hunters, sportsmen or for mere self-defense. The founding fathers feared the British would return and attempt to retake the fledgling nation, and as such they wanted to ensure the people had the power to resist them. This is why the 2nd amendment allows us to keep assault weapons that are on par with military small arms.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

It was not written to protect the rights of hunters, sportsmen or for mere self-defense. The founding fathers feared the British would return and attempt to retake the fledgling nation, and as such they wanted to ensure the people had the power to resist them. This is why the 2nd amendment allows us to keep assault weapons that are on par with military small arms.

But are Americans still scared of the British?

What would be more manly than renouncing this fear and the constitutional amendment that such fear spawned?

Metta,
Retro.

[Justsit]

But are Americans still scared of the British?

What would be more manly than renouncing this fear and the constitutional amendment that such fear spawned?

No, now we're scared of big government, drug dealers, whackos - basically each other.

In America, manly is equated with big guns. Big anything. Bigger is better. Bigger is powerful. Big guns are equated with big, um, anatomy.
Really. A lot of American men have issues.

[manas]

Right now I feel nothing but pure, raging, caustic anger at the killer. Anger of such intense magnitude that it has completely overwhelmed my senses. THEY WERE CHILDREN. NOW THEY ARE CORPSES.

I'm a parent, and my initial reaction was of horror, and of shock. They were just little kids...it's unthinkable.

But then reality sank in. Such cruelty to the vulnerable has been ongoing throughout history. Little children are, tragically, abused or killed in all kinds of ways, most likely somewhere every day, all around the world, whether or not we hear about it in the 'news'.

imho it's fine to feel some sadness for a while, but not to dwell on it too much, because there is important work to be done: the work of purifying the mind of the defilements. Anger is a defilement of the mind, so we've got to let go of anger towards the perpetrator, not to 'let him off the hook' in any way, but rather for our own sakes. Didn't he (also) kill his mother and then himself? If so that would mean his current location is in hell (if my memory serves me correctly, intentionally killing one's mother or father leads to a hellish rebirth in the very next life). Truly, we can have compassion for everyone involved in this tragic event.

[Kusala]

I agree Jonno.
However, I think its well over time that Americans demanded real action.
kind regards,

Ben

Hi Ben, I hate to sound like a pessimist, but it's virtually impossible. Gun control is about as effective as the "war on drugs"...

[Ben]

I agree Jonno.
However, I think its well over time that Americans demanded real action.
kind regards,

Ben

Hi Ben, I hate to sound like a pessimist, but it's virtually impossible. Gun control is about as effective as the "war on drugs"...

Don't give up hope, Kusala.
We managed to do it in Australia following Port Arthur in 1996.
Despite the extraordinary catastrophe that happened in Conneticut over the weekend, it may provide a window of opportunity for real change.
Hopefully, Obama has the testicular fortitude to take on the vested interests and make gun control a top priority in his second term.
with metta,

Ben

[manas]

I agree Jonno.
However, I think its well over time that Americans demanded real action.
kind regards,

Ben

Hi Ben, I hate to sound like a pessimist, but it's virtually impossible. Gun control is about as effective as the "war on drugs"...

If even just a majority of American gun owners, without being coerced, hand in their firearms in response to some new kind of 'buyback' legislation, I will dive into the Yarra River in Melbourne. That's how sceptical I am that Americans will ever willingly hand back their guns en masse!

(Edit: you would have to be familiar with the water quality of this river by the time it reaches the city, to really appreciate what I just said above.)

[David N. Snyder]

This is a common misunderstanding. Our 2nd amendment rights were written specifically so that the population be well armed and able to fight against an army.

It was not written to protect the rights of hunters, sportsmen or for mere self-defense. The founding fathers feared the British would return and attempt to retake the fledgling nation, and as such they wanted to ensure the people had the power to resist them. This is why the 2nd amendment allows us to keep assault weapons that are on par with military small arms.

I support the right to bear arms in limited cases, but I have to agree with our Aussie friends on this one. It is an anachronism. If the U.S. were attacked in today's modern warfare, pistols and shotguns are going to be of little use; even assault weapons. The modern warfare is in the skies with missiles and nuclear warheads. It is a much different world from 1776.

[Papashaw]

Good and evil dont look balanced, it doesn't look balanced to me because the Buddha has said human rebirth is rare.
But the bigger doubt causer is events like these! Those kids won't be able to hug their parents now, that pain from longing by those parents!

Pray for everyone. Goodnight.

[Jesse Smith]

What has happened to us as a nation? I simply cannot come to grips with this. Are there answers? To be angry in the aftermath may be natural, but it does not seem to address the actual horrible problem. What can we do, now, to stop this?

We can have a meaningful conversation about the gun laws that allowed this to happen!

Guns are not magical talismans that break the minds of those who come into contact with them. Violence being done, the particular tool chosen is not a sole cause (it may not even be a cause). Trying to remove means without addressing motives is going about things altogether backwards.

I agree that guns are not a unique talisman for unstable minds. But they do offer an outlet that holds the promise of ending more lives, more immediately, and more effectively than any other readily available means. If you had a room full of mentally unstable people in a room with the floor covered with guns, you'd want to remove the guns before moving on to address each individuals mental illness.
Individuals taking out their anger at innocent people is nothing new. People losing touch with reality to this degree and suffering similar levels of mental illness as the Tucson shooter, and recent mass killers is nothing new. I don't think they are reaching new heights of mental instability. But how they are choosing to act out, how their instability is being manifested as gun violence is undeniably significant. Seemed for a bit, we had serial killers who would kill one at a time, string it out, and include the element of eluding detection in their actions. We've always had suicidal people. But something significant is occurring in these times. We're seeing a combination of these two elements coming together in the actions of mentally unstable people. Though mentally unstable, they do recognize the logical effectiveness of the gun, and large amounts of ammunition in playing out their final act, and their choosing to kill strangers assembled in large groups. This as a current "trend".
We have such a limited and insufficient means to identify mental illness early on or cure the mentally unstable in later stages. We have means, but they are very limited. But we certainly have the knowledge and means of limiting access to guns and put limits on the physical capabilities of those guns that are accessable. It makes sense to take the action you can first, prevent what you can now. It doesn't mean we abandon efforts to help the ill. We can do both. But addressing the guns now will stop the bright red bleeding.