Mass Shooting at Connecticut Elementary School

[MrsSpringsteen]

I think owning Bushmasters and Glocks is something done for ego gratification, and because people think they're "cool". Boys (and girls) with their toys. After that Chiefs player did what he did, I heard about some survey that concluded that 75 % of NFL players own multiple guns. I would guess that many are assault weapons. Most of these guys have so much money that they start competing with each other over cars, jewelry, and yes guns too. That ESPN special about broke athletes showed how they compete with each other and go broke doing it. I think plenty of people who are not pro athletes are doing the very same thing. Competing with others, collecting these things as some sort of gratification. Collecting things as a hobby is fine, but I just don't get collecting guns.

They get bored with boring guns, they want the exciting stuff.

[deep]

I don't know how many guns I own.

I only bought about 1/3 of them myself. The others were handed down to me when older relatives passed on. They (the guns not the dead relatives) are in the closets or drawers in one of my unused back rooms. I almost bought a locking gun cabinet. I have a 5 foot tall cd cabinet. I am going to buy some hardwood and reinforce it and convert it to a locking cabinet.

[deep]

guns and vinyl lps hold their value,
VHS porn, not so much

[PhilsFan]

I have one friend who has purchased guns. I think like three or four hunting rifles and a pistol. He keeps all of them in a safe, at least.

[corianderstem]

Originally Posted by BoMac

It's hard for many non-Americans to understand the gun culture in the U.S.:

It's hard for many Americans as well.

I found out this morning that one of the murdered teachers was also one of my company's employees.

[deep]

do we quantify them more if we have a personal relationship or link?
, is it more tragic?

everyday we read or hear of senseless killings,

I know when my sister died, yes it was much more tragic than any other death

each death it tragic beyond comprehension to those most closely related

but most times we are indifferent, this time - 1st graders and the number 20, some people even put down their coffee and hesitated before replying to a text

[PhilsFan]

Sure it is. To say it's not is simply condescending.

[deep]

Originally Posted by PhilsFan

I have one friend who has purchased guns. I think like three or four hunting rifles and a pistol. He keeps all of them in a safe, at least.

if you came to my house I would put my guns in a safe, too.

[corianderstem]

It doesn't change how I feel, it was just painful (and yet somewhat morbidly interesting) to see how the tentacles of a tragedy can reach far, the degrees of separation.

PhilsFan knew someone who had a relative die. I have another Facebook friend whose cousin's child died. And then this substitute teacher who works part time for my company.

I just mentioned it because I was thinking about it, logging in this morning and seeing the email from our CEO.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by deep

but most times we are indifferent, this time - 1st graders and the number 20, some people even put down their coffee and hesitated before replying to a text

i never openly sobbed at any point after 9-11 the way i did this morning when i listened to Mika Brzezinski list the names of the 20 children and the things they liked (baseball, jumping on the trampoline, a new pink dress bought for the holidays). and i knew people who died in 9-11, as well as people who literally ran out of the towers as bodies fell like sacks of potatoes all around them.

[BoMac]

Senator Mark Warner has changed his view of gun control in light of Friday's events. He's calling for stricter gun regulations, but still preserving the Second Amendment.

It's a start.

[BoMac]

Of course, Ohio Governor Kasich said today he will sign a new gun law allowing guns into statehouse parking garages & Riffe Center.

So there's that.

[Pearl]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

i never openly sobbed at any point after 9-11 the way i did this morning when i listened to Mika Brzezinski list the names of the 20 children and the things they liked (baseball, jumping on the trampoline, a new pink dress bought for the holidays). and i knew people who died in 9-11, as well as people who literally ran out of the towers as bodies fell like sacks of potatoes all around them.

I got a little emotional when Anderson Cooper did the same thing last night. Even he almost broke down live on-air.

The thing is, the people who died on 9/11 were adults who lived their lives. Most of the Sandy Hook victims were children who have only begun theirs. That's the devastating part.

[Irvine511]

i wonder what could have been going through those children's minds as something that could never have known or understood was happening to them, and how we, as adults, as a society, utterly failed them -- children rely on adults absolutely to keep them safe and protected, and they were murdered. for me, it's less about a loss of innocence than an utter betrayal of trust that they aren't even aware of.

i don't even know if that makes sense.

[anitram]

Given how quickly that gun discharges bullets, I imagine a lot of them didn't have any time to really think about things before they died.

You have to really feel for their siblings, especially ones that were in the same school. The one boy who was buried today had a twin sister in an adjacent classroom and she lived. I can't even imagine how difficult her life will be going forward.

[MrsSpringsteen]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

i wonder what could have been going through those children's minds as something that could never have known or understood was happening to them, and how we, as adults, as a society, utterly failed them -- children rely on adults absolutely to keep them safe and protected, and they were murdered. for me, it's less about a loss of innocence than an utter betrayal of trust that they aren't even aware of.

i don't even know if that makes sense.

It makes sense. What was going through their minds, it's just so painful to even have that thought.

Seeing their pictures-the little girl with the red hair, the little boy with the temporary New York Giants tattoo on his face. He was buried today. It's just overwhelming for me. But I want to look at their pictures and remember their faces.

[Pearl]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

i wonder what could have been going through those children's minds as something that could never have known or understood was happening to them, and how we, as adults, as a society, utterly failed them -- children rely on adults absolutely to keep them safe and protected, and they were murdered. for me, it's less about a loss of innocence than an utter betrayal of trust that they aren't even aware of.

i don't even know if that makes sense.

I think it does. I'm thinking the same thing. Do kids that young know what it means to have a gun pointed at them? I mean, I'm sure they do but can they comprehend what was really happening around and to them? It also bothers me that they suffered. Its just utter senselessness.

[deep]

the kids knew, their old enough. if you think about it, it is horrific

most likely he shot the adults first. because they would have moved to stop him

next he shot each child in an order, some were shot up to 11 times, all were shot at least three times.
the suffering, I believe was short-lived
very efficient killing machine, extremely horrific for the children.

[Pearl]

Originally Posted by anitram

Given how quickly that gun discharges bullets, I imagine a lot of them didn't have any time to really think about things before they died.

You have to really feel for their siblings, especially ones that were in the same school. The one boy who was buried today had a twin sister in an adjacent classroom and she lived. I can't even imagine how difficult her life will be going forward.

There was one girl who survived the shooting. She played dead and when it was safe to leave, she found her father and said "all my friends are dead".

I can't imagine the trauma and guilt she'll have as she grows older.

[BEAL]

Makes perfect sense. If there ever was a crime that could have no defense, it would be that against a child.

Your role, our role as parent or adult (as i don't have kids and never will) in a society is to make sure those who cannot take care of themselves are taken care of. Obviously in the case of the parent, their child.

We can now say we live in a society where we can't even promise the child going to elementary school that they will be safe or fine.

Something has degraded so bad in this country that we can't trust to leave our kids alone anywhere.

I realize tragedies will happen, and there's no way to promise everything will be alright every single day. But I'm sorry, I never worried about being lined up and executed when I was in school. I was afraid of falling down and everyone laughing at me, or some other ridiculous or absurd incident where my ego would take a hit.

Now, parents wonder if sending their kid to school today is the last time they'll ever see them. To sit here and say this is the price we pay for freedom is immoral and selfish. Because it's about YOUR freedom and the assumption that nothing bad will happen to you, it'll always be someone else.

To do nothing will be a complete and utter failure of our country, and our morals. How we can say the USA is the shining light of the world in regards to standard of living if we continue down this path.

I hope Obama goes for it all. I don't want him to be a divider of the country, but I don't want him to back down either.