Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

[psychoangel691]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I actually hadn't read anything saying that he had killed the brother or father, but I agree that they really need to get this stuff straightened out. I've never seen a news report get so many stories mixed up and every 5 minutes you hear news that negates previous reports. Highly disorganized, to say the least.

This was something I heard early in the day today. Like no too too long after it happened I guess.

[rparty89]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

it happened while i was at school

i didn't know til i came home
and this is kids AND adults but not teens

[ddr_f4n]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

Everyone wants someone to blame, but really, plenty of schools have virtually no security at all and you can walk right in. This is very reminiscent of the whole 9/11 argument... "How could you let this happen?!" But of course, "preventing" such easily-achieved feats requires some seriously invasive shit, hence the TSA. Hindsight's always 20/20.

Much like anything else in our two-party dominated system, everyone wants one side or the other. Some people want guns completely gone. Others don't want their freedom to bear arms infringed upon. No one is willing to fight for the middle ground, and we can see the devastating consequences of it. They aren't going to go away, and the current system is obviously failing.

We do background checks, but that is only good if the person has committed a misdemeanor or felony.

Two key aspects that go unchecked in sale of guns in the US:
1. The mental stability of the individual
2. How responsible the individual is in handling, storing, and educating others in gun safety

I would be all for a federal or state license that requires checks of those kind before you can legally purchase, own, or use firearms.

In all honesty I would agree.

Though my stance is generally in support of the "no gun" control, I think the best option is, let guns stay, but anyone wanting to get a weapon themselves should go through some sort of test to get a license, similar to how you need to take a test to get a driver's license (it's kinda silly that you have to go through a lot more for a driver's license then a shooting permit/license).

It'll really help get the hands off the mentally unstable or untrustworthy, and those people who really feels the need to keep a gun in their closet can keep it if they are deemed well enough to handle one.

[noname219]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

http://mashable.com/2012/12/14/mass-effect-facebook-shooting/

Oh god. Some people are really really stupid.

[Reach]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I can't help but think the only reason this happened is because the media reliably plasters this shit all over the news for weeks with pictures of the killer to the point of glorifying the mother fucker in a sort of antagonist type of way.

I fail to see motive otherwise, mental health issues and all.

Schools shouldn't need security. I can walk freely into the elementary across the street, where I went and felt safe as a child. I'm in Canada, and maybe this has something to do with gun laws, but I have a nagging feeling it's not the whole story.

[DotKritic]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I found out about this at about 10:20am Houston time while I was on my first break at work. Didn't know the severity until my lunch break at 1:30pm.

Some fucked up person to shoot up elementary school children.

Didn't realize how long ago Columbine was. 1999. I was in 5th grade.

[top]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

http://mashable.com/2012/12/14/mass-...book-shooting/

Oh god. Some people are really really stupid.

i can't read past the 4th post omg i just wanna slap the shit out of some people

[foxfire667]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

http://mashable.com/2012/12/14/mass-...book-shooting/

Oh god. Some people are really really stupid.

That is really pathetic, and not just because the person they were talking about wasn't actually the killer. The fact that people would outright attack a game just because someone else "liked" it is downright silly, regardless of their crimes. Oh god I bet he likes chocolate bars as well, oh boy we better try to ridicule the company and try to ban them from existence.

I know video games get a fairly bad rap for making kids violent (although I would honestly say it does the exact opposite, considering it allows you to escape, and release frustrations without consequence). People are just trying to find a way to justify their faulty beliefs by blaming some game instead of the mental instability of the individual, which is unfair to the company.

[Reincarnate]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I can't help but think the only reason this happened is because the media reliably plasters this shit all over the news for weeks with pictures of the killer to the point of glorifying the mother fucker in a sort of antagonist type of way.

I fail to see motive otherwise, mental health issues and all.

Schools shouldn't need security. I can walk freely into the elementary across the street, where I went and felt safe as a child. I'm in Canada, and maybe this has something to do with gun laws, but I have a nagging feeling it's not the whole story.

From http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...311070301/1023

Robert Ebert:

Let me tell you a story. The day after Columbine, I was interviewed for the Tom Brokaw news program. The reporter had been assigned a theory and was seeking sound bites to support it. "Wouldn't you say," she asked, "that killings like this are influenced by violent movies?" No, I said, I wouldn't say that. "But what about 'Basketball Diaries'?" she asked. "Doesn't that have a scene of a boy walking into a school with a machine gun?" The obscure 1995 Leonardo Di Caprio movie did indeed have a brief fantasy scene of that nature, I said, but the movie failed at the box office (it grossed only $2.5 million), and it's unlikely the Columbine killers saw it.

The reporter looked disappointed, so I offered her my theory. "Events like this," I said, "if they are influenced by anything, are influenced by news programs like your own. When an unbalanced kid walks into a school and starts shooting, it becomes a major media event. Cable news drops ordinary programming and goes around the clock with it. The story is assigned a logo and a theme song; these two kids were packaged as the Trench Coat Mafia. The message is clear to other disturbed kids around the country: If I shoot up my school, I can be famous. The TV will talk about nothing else but me. Experts will try to figure out what I was thinking. The kids and teachers at school will see they shouldn't have messed with me. I'll go out in a blaze of glory."

In short, I said, events like Columbine are influenced far less by violent movies than by CNN, the NBC Nightly News and all the other news media, who glorify the killers in the guise of "explaining" them. I commended the policy at the Sun-Times, where our editor said the paper would no longer feature school killings on Page 1. The reporter thanked me and turned off the camera. Of course the interview was never used. They found plenty of talking heads to condemn violent movies, and everybody was happy.


Edit: Also see

[Charu]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

"Oh great, lets divert our attention and blame video games!" ~Everyone who can't think for themselves

That's really dumb that people would blame the first thing that may or may not have helped with this person doing what he did.

Really though, the investigation is far from over. Can't really blame anyone yet until all the facts are straightened out.

I again however wish the families effected a moment of silence in tribute to their kids and or family members.

[Reach]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

From http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...311070301/1023

Robert Ebert:

Let me tell you a story. The day after Columbine, I was interviewed for the Tom Brokaw news program. The reporter had been assigned a theory and was seeking sound bites to support it. "Wouldn't you say," she asked, "that killings like this are influenced by violent movies?" No, I said, I wouldn't say that. "But what about 'Basketball Diaries'?" she asked. "Doesn't that have a scene of a boy walking into a school with a machine gun?" The obscure 1995 Leonardo Di Caprio movie did indeed have a brief fantasy scene of that nature, I said, but the movie failed at the box office (it grossed only $2.5 million), and it's unlikely the Columbine killers saw it.

The reporter looked disappointed, so I offered her my theory. "Events like this," I said, "if they are influenced by anything, are influenced by news programs like your own. When an unbalanced kid walks into a school and starts shooting, it becomes a major media event. Cable news drops ordinary programming and goes around the clock with it. The story is assigned a logo and a theme song; these two kids were packaged as the Trench Coat Mafia. The message is clear to other disturbed kids around the country: If I shoot up my school, I can be famous. The TV will talk about nothing else but me. Experts will try to figure out what I was thinking. The kids and teachers at school will see they shouldn't have messed with me. I'll go out in a blaze of glory."

In short, I said, events like Columbine are influenced far less by violent movies than by CNN, the NBC Nightly News and all the other news media, who glorify the killers in the guise of "explaining" them. I commended the policy at the Sun-Times, where our editor said the paper would no longer feature school killings on Page 1. The reporter thanked me and turned off the camera. Of course the interview was never used. They found plenty of talking heads to condemn violent movies, and everybody was happy.


Edit: Also see

Good to see someone with a functional brain.

I don't see why media outlets can't be banned from mentioning any names of people involved in these types of crimes, displaying their pictures, or talking about any of their life events etc.

I suppose you could turn the argument full circle and blame everyone, because it's obvious that people are inherently interested in morbid shit like this, whether we want to admit it or not.

But I don't agree with exploiting this for profit. At least we can do something about censoring the media and hopefully preventing acts like this from happening again and escalating to probably even greater extremes. It seems inevitable at this point, if coverage continues the way it does. Attempting to beef security or other nonsense fails to address the issue and is analogous to trying to bandage a punctured jugular.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

foxfire, that goes into correlation =/= causation. There was bullshit about Marilyn Manson being blamed for the Columbine shooting because of his heavy rock and roll music.

When it comes to looking for something or someone to blame, yes, people can get retarded.

[AlexDest]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

Yeah, I have no words for this. This is just completely awful.

My condolences go out to the families having to go through with this... Christmas immediately sucks this year.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

I suppose you could turn the argument full circle and blame everyone, because it's obvious that people are inherently interested in morbid shit like this, whether we want to admit it or not.

I was thinking of that paradox... when you have people who say they don't want to hear about something, see/talk about it, but then it appears on the news all the time because they know it's what gets attention.

[Reincarnate]

Re: Newtown, Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

foxfire, that goes into correlation =/= causation. There was bullshit about Marilyn Manson being blamed for the Columbine shooting because of his heavy rock and roll music.

When it comes to looking for something or someone to blame, yes, people can get retarded.