Connecticut elementary school shooting

[Circe]

I think the two things we're seeing a lot of focus on are, a) gun control, and, b) mental health care, not necessarily in that order. And I support both of those things. But I'm also wondering if maybe we shouldn't also take a long hard look at what it is that boys are hearing that girls aren't that leaves this sort of thing as an option.

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Maybe it is the video games. When boys need to unwind or take their mind off things, they turn to video games. Often first-shooter games. How much could these games contribute?

Maybe there is something to it - but if there is, none of the studies have caught it yet. And there are girls who love their first person shooter games, too, who don't take off on rampages like this. I would be completely willing to believe that there was a certain percentage of the population that was more effectively "programmed" - like, oh, the equivalent of the fraction of the population with an eidetic memory, or a sensitivity to flashing lights. What I wonder is if it's biologically based in gender, or socially based, or a combination of the two - we've had men committing these kinds of crimes, from knifings in the 19th c. to the bombings DS mentioned above for as long as we can remember. Heck, we have a few cases in Greek myth - Herakles "going mad" and slaughtering his entire family. Whatever it is, I would LOVE to pick it out, analyze it, and eradicate it.

 

[Sha]

I'm sure mental health care in the U.S is a lot better than in many other countries around the world, yet the troubled and mentally ill persons in those other countries don't seem to commit atrocities of the level and frequency seen in the U.S, so there's got to be some other factors playing a significant role. I'm thinking perhaps relatively easy gun access and violent games/media, as has been mentioned before in this thread, are those two other significant factors.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I think the two things we're seeing a lot of focus on are, a) gun control, and, b) mental health care, not necessarily in that order. And I support both of those things. But I'm also wondering if maybe we shouldn't also take a long hard look at what it is that boys are hearing that girls aren't that leaves this sort of thing as an option.

.

Maybe it is the video games. When boys need to unwind or take their mind off things, they turn to video games. Often first-shooter games. How much could these games contribute?

Maybe there is something to it - but if there is, none of the studies have caught it yet. And there are girls who love their first person shooter games, too, who don't take off on rampages like this. I would be completely willing to believe that there was a certain percentage of the population that was more effectively "programmed" - like, oh, the equivalent of the fraction of the population with an eidetic memory, or a sensitivity to flashing lights. What I wonder is if it's biologically based in gender, or socially based, or a combination of the two - we've had men committing these kinds of crimes, from knifings in the 19th c. to the bombings DS mentioned above for as long as we can remember. Heck, we have a few cases in Greek myth - Herakles "going mad" and slaughtering his entire family. Whatever it is, I would LOVE to pick it out, analyze it, and eradicate it.

For centuries, men were sent off to war. It was the brave thing to do. Kill or be killed. Either way, it was dishonorable to dodge the draft. Men were meant to fight during conflict. So, it was at least partly cultural. Maybe these men were raised in households that still held to that type of belief system and the boys/men misinterpreted it and due to mental illness just went nuts and lashed out where they could.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm sure mental health care in the U.S is a lot better than in many other countries around the world, yet the troubled and mentally ill persons in those other countries don't seem to commit atrocities of the level and frequency seen in the U.S, so there's got to be some other factors playing a significant role. I'm thinking perhaps relatively easy gun access and violent games/media, as has been mentioned before in this thread, are those two other significant factors.

The news is filled with so much violence. I wonder how much is confuses a person who is already confused into thinking acts like murder are "normal." The news is just seriously BAD. It is so negative and must mess up a troubled mind even more. I do not know how people can even watch it and not turn bonkers. I have noticed people are more negative and rude than ever lately. Sometimes I'll just sit in my car in a parking lot and watch people cut each other off in traffic. It's like we've reached a critical breaking point.

 

[Gypsy]

When I read the news report I felt like someone physically punched me in the stomach. And after that I felt ill for the rest of the day and every time I think about it thereafter. I can NOT imagine the horror of those parents, the classmates of those who died, and the staff at the school.

I do think that now is the time to talk. While it is still fresh.

I agree that there a a number of factors that contributed to this. And I think they all need to be addressed.

1. I do think that several classes of guns should be outlawed. However you want to define them, certain weapons with high repeating cycles per minute need to be outlawed and for use ONLY by law enforcement.
2. I think that if you do outlaw them, then access will be cut off for some, and that is good enough for me. Yes, there are still illegal means but... I am a 'normal citizen in a state that has no legalized pot. I KNOW for a fact that you can get it by illegal means. But I have no idea what those are and don't cherish lurking at street corners in bad areas. Having things be illegal IS a deterrent for some portion of the population. Just because the truly determined can't be stopped doesn't mean that we shouldn't make it illegal. If it cuts DOWN the number, that's good enough for me. It doesn't have to eliminate the problem, just make strides toward confining it.
3. I do not believe asperger's is a mental illness. But it can cause isolation and feelings of being apart from society and that can lead to depression and other mental diseases. I agree, in part, with the suggestion of mental illness farms. Where people can live and work and have lives that are productive-- but where they live apart if they are judged incompetent in a court of proper jurisdiction. I don't think drugs should be mandatory at these facilities. And I do think that there should be judicial reviews of these cases every 18 months. But... we're back to the cost again. Who is going to fund it? Not just the facility but the court administrative burden. Still I think it's a good idea and I WOULD vote to fund it.
5. I think arming teachers is asinine.
6. The Constitution is a problem in some ways. But the Constitution can be limited by a compelling enough interest for public safety. It's a balancing act. But I think the argument can be made that for several classes of weapons it is NOT in the public interest to continue to keep these legal. And I think that with the right support that can make it past the Supreme Court.

 

[ruby59]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but ....

The mother knew there was something wrong with her son. I was just reading an interview with Adam's babysitter. Even then, the mother had told him not to turn his back on Adam, even when he had to go to the bathroom.

So I will ask again. Why would the mother keep guns in the house and teach an obviously disturbed person how to shoot guns????????????

 

[Gypsy]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but ....

The mother knew there was something wrong with her son. I was just reading an interview with Adam's babysitter. Even then, the mother had told him not to turn his back on Adam, even when he had to go to the bathroom.

So I will ask again. Why would the mother keep guns in the house and teach an obviously disturbed person how to shoot guns????????????

I really wish there was a way (there isn't, so this is just fantasy) to license parenthood. Driving a car? Have to take a course and pass tests and there are cops to ensure compliance. Have a kid? NOTHING.


Yes, sometimes no matter how good a parent you are your kid is out of control. I agree with that. But I really think that a lot of the of the time parental judgement and knowledge and skill is lacking too.

 

[GoldFish8]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but ....

The mother knew there was something wrong with her son. I was just reading an interview with Adam's babysitter. Even then, the mother had told him not to turn his back on Adam, even when he had to go to the bathroom.

So I will ask again. Why would the mother keep guns in the house and teach an obviously disturbed person how to shoot guns????????????

THIS! This really makes me want to rip my hair out How can someone vacate all common sense like this ?!?

I dont know if this was posted or not, but I think it is worth a quick read...

http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2012/12/thinking-unthinkable.html

 

[ksinger]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but ....

The mother knew there was something wrong with her son. I was just reading an interview with Adam's babysitter. Even then, the mother had told him not to turn his back on Adam, even when he had to go to the bathroom.

So I will ask again. Why would the mother keep guns in the house and teach an obviously disturbed person how to shoot guns????????????

THIS! This really makes me want to rip my hair out How can someone vacate all common sense like this ?!?

I dont know if this was posted or not, but I think it is worth a quick read...

http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2012/12/thinking-unthinkable.html

Because denial - especially parental denial about the nature of one's offspring, is the most powerful force in the universe. Honestly, given the snarling defensive posture many parents assume when anyone even whispers the merest hint of a criticism of either their child or their handling of certain issues pertaining to their child, is it any wonder that parents, especially mothers, REALLY don't want to have to face up to an ugly reality they probably had a large hand in producing?

 

[Gypsy]

Don't know if this has been posted, but its a great article.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-life-aspergers/201212/asperger-s-autism-and-mass-murder

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The thing that bothers me is that there is judgement being made toward that mother and none of us here knows how she handled the guns. We do know he accessed them, yes. But what we do not know is how secure they were. She could have had them locked and he searched until he found the key. We just don't know. But I am not ready to accuse the mom of gross negligence at this point. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. Easy for us to judge after the fact.

 

[ruby59]

diamondseeker, it is not just having the guns in the house that bothers me. It is the fact that she put a lethal weapon in the hands of a person with little impulse control.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

diamondseeker, it is not just having the guns in the house that bothers me. It is the fact that she put a lethal weapon in the hands of a person with little impulse control.

Is there a report out yet from his psychiatrist or psychologist saying that he had little impulse control? Is there evidence of him getting into trouble with the law prior to this incident?

There is a lot of speculation going on and some of it may be true, but a lot is not based on fact at this point.

 

[ruby59]

diamondseeker, I know this topic hits home for you so I do not want to cause you any distress. This is just my opinion from what I have read and heard on the news. There are articles about interviews with Adam's babysitter, his friends at school and problems in high school. Adam had displayed behavior that raised many red flags and warranted a psychiatrist being consulted. In the divorce decree his mother acknowledged he could not be left alone and she would need to care for him for the foreseeable future.

So again, imo, this is not the type of person where "an arsenal of guns" (medias words) should be kept in the house nor should he have been directly exposed to them by bringing him to a firing range.