The Face of Evil In Newtown Connecticut Elementary Massacre: Adam Lanza Death Toll At 28
Newtown, CT- At approximately 9:40 this morning twenty year old Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT. Lanza With a Glock in one hand and a Sig Sauer in the other he locked-down a classroom of terrified students and by the time it was over had savagely murdered 20 children. Adam Lanza has no criminal record.
He was also in the possession of a semi automatic rifle, believed to be responsible for the majority of the mortal wounds.
At press time, their is one known injured adult survivor.
Parents were alerted of an emergency via text message and all access point to the school were clogged with hysterical parents and family members desperate for information about their sons and daughters.
The scene reduced hardened SWAT members and emergency responders to open sobs- As it almost did during President Obama’s press conference on it earlier this evening.
A parent attending a meeting with the principal and school psychologist, both of which are believed to be among the victims, called 911 from under a desk.
Taken into custody this afternoon was Adam’s older brother Ryan who is currently being questioned in Hoboken, NJ.
It is believed Adam was carrying his older brother’s identification which led to early erroneous reports that Ryan was the shooter.
Peter Lanza, Father and former husband of the late Nancy Lanza was alerted to the tragedy and questioned near his home in Stamford, CT. Mr. Lanza is a Tax Strategist executive for a division of General Electric.
Two 9 millimeter semi-automatic weapons registered to Adam’s Mother Nancy- a former teacher or volunteer at Sandy Hook who has also been found deceased at the pair’s Yogananda St residence were found with Lanza’s remains.
Adam Lanza ia believed to have taken his life at the scene and early reports suggest no law enforcement officers discharged firearms at the scene.
Lanza was dressed in black and wearing a bullet proof vest.
Today’s mass shooting is the second largest in US history after the Virginia Tech massacre, killing 32 college students.
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Thanks for the article blink
This is so sad. Someone has reported that the perp may have acted because of Asperger’s syndrome. This is a possibility as it does include anger in those behaviors.
Over and over we have seen such events at our schools and public places. These demented evil ones always pick on an area where no one will be armed to stop them.
I believe that all school districts need to hire experts to go in and evaluate the buildings for safety in case such an attack were to be launched. We must also train our teachers in the use of firearms and allow them to acquire a carry permit to protect themselves and the children.
Gun free zones are killing zones for those who choose to attack others. We must not fall into the trap of the control mentality. That only protects the lawless killers who know that they have the upper hand by having an illegal weapon.
To loose a child in such a way as this is more than horrible. My prayers to the mothers and fathers who lost one today and to the community.
I am no expert on Aspberger’s, but I did investigate and close a case of a missing-murder victim who had it, and he was the exact opposite. He was too kind and spent all his time with the wrong crowd .
I do think iirc, he had a predisposition to being quite angry when drinking.
B
They kick God out of schools and the devil walks right in..
When will our defense funds have focus on our own backyard? So sad.
Very very sad day at what should be a special time of year.
I wonder if we will find out that this guy felt like an outcast or something- I too heard Autism- I guess there is some kind of background that he was not coping with.
I wonder if they buzzed him in? They had a security system? Yet he was armed- wonder how that played out? Just awful all the way around.
I’ve been in tears all day.
There must be a way to identify these people and keep them away from
the rest of us.
I fear their almost always is- too late.
B
Blink, I’m so glad you’re reporting on this. I live here, just west of Newtown. The grief is so heavy. I’ve been crying on and off all day. Everyone’s crying, even men. And it’s shocking. Newtown is a quiet and peaceful town.
I have so many thoughts and questions about this boy who did this, but I just have to grieve.
But I would like to ask you this. There are so many conflicting stories in the news which is another reason that I’m glad you’re covering this. A local station reported that a policeman told them that the boy had been in and out of trouble for years. I don’t know that they would have really said that, being that he was a minor up until recently. I’m not sure that they were even talking about the right boy at that point. You said Adam Lanza has no record, but if he has a juvenile record, would anyone be able to say so? It doesn’t seem that many of the kids he went to school with knew him well.
As a juvenile, his record is sealed, you are correct. That is not available to ANYONE with limited exclusions without a subpoena or order for a PO to submit to an interview. He does not have an adult criminal record, that comes up clean for me.
It is my understanding within the context of conversations I am not permitted to “source” or “quote” from that this kid has a serious pathology.
B
Eloise
I am not certain that a full security system was in place. I believe someone reported that the system used was not functional until 9:30 AM. He may have known about another entrance that was not locked. However, the school principal was one of the victims. This means to me that he came in the front and shot her and perhaps another prior to going to the classroom.
This is such a mess and shock that it will require several days or more of investigation to put together a sequence of events.
It has been reported that he possibly had Asperger’s Syndrome. This is related to autism type behaviors. These people have very poor social skills and sometimes cannot stop talking when they do talk to others. It is one of the disorders that have not been completly classified and the new standards to be released in 2013 have a proposal to provide a severity scale. The problem is creating a scale that provides good information.
His older brother and father are still alive, so they may be of help in trying to put together his mental condition and why he chose to kill. He may have had care from a trained professional at some point in his life.
Eloise, they may have buzzed him in because his mother was a teacher at the school.
I’ve been in tears all day as well. Those poor innocent children and their shocked and bereft parents and families. Sending prayers to the families and peace to the little ones who were violently ripped from this world. Where is a safe place to raise your children these days ? Sigh. How to carry on , go forward after this?
At what should have been a happy family time, it is just too unimaginably tragic but it it really happened.
So many victims. Without his arsenal of rapid firing weapons, how could he have shot so many in such a short period of time. His mother had the guns in the house. He was too young for a permit and obviously unbalanced. One 6 year old boy saw the gun man walk in and grabbed some of his friends and ran out.
Once he was in there there was only one way out and the children were defenseless.
This is like terrorism in other countries but it is erupting from within our own society.
In New Zealand where I am from there are very strict laws about gun possession and permits etc.Mainly hunting guns, very few other kinds of guns and the police do not carry guns. Most of the homicides are from knives or broken bottles. Without a rapidly firing gun he could simply not have killed so many people so quickly or easily. I know we need to protect ourselves and not have only the criminals carry illegal weapons. But the USA has more deaths by shooting by the thousands than any other country in the world.
I am so sorry, sad and mad about this. I heart you Blink, with all you do to have to witness this and so close to home.
We have a collective heavy heart. What are we going to do about this? How can we stop this cycle of violence, it is out of control. Innocent women and children preyed upon time and time again.
God help us all. Pray for strength for those mothers and fathers who have lost their babies.
Lord wrap them in your loving arms. Peace.Peace Peace.
May the murdered find solace, peace, and angelic healing. May their loved ones be graced with divine strength and understanding. May we all remember that our world is beautiful and evil shall not win.
I believe even those who faced evil today are in the heavenly realm asking us to see the beauty all around. If we forget how precious our lives here are, how much joy there is in the world around, then evil gloats in our forgetfullness.
Many many blessings for all of humanity during this Christmas season.
Eloise, sorry, I think I got that wrong. I’m hearing that the mother did not work at the school and for some reason, the news reports keep saying that she did.
Too painful to watch, but I finally turned on the evening network stories. I think it was an interview on the CBS Special. They interviewed a lady who knew his mother and the kind of relationship she had with the son. This interviewee was pretty adamant that the mother was very demanding and said some other things about her. I don’t have a link, but pretty sure it was the CBS evening special.
@Joan T. says: December 15, 2012 at 12:05 am
@Blink sez:It is my understanding within the context of conversations I am not permitted to “source” or “quote” from that this kid has a serious pathology.
B
Before this turns into “Gun Control” please look up the attack in China the same day that injured/killed 20+ (Reporting is spotty) This person used a knife. I’ll say again,there must be a way to protect the rest of us from killers. Life in prision should mean exactly that.
why did a kindergarten teacher have an assault weapon ,in the safest town in amerca? around a mental challenged son ,and he gained access ,how? and this :”It appeared that Lanza died from what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The rifle was found in his car.” this is the second article that says the rifle was in the car , yet implying he shot himself with the rifle ,wasnt he found inside in the hallway? the first reports were two shooters.
prayers for everyone . is the result, that children will be afraid to go to school ,for fear of being shot. one report said ,he shot through the school door to gain entry. i wonder how he accessed his moms weapons,where did she keep them ,no doubt a 20 year old could access them by killing her,was she shot? and is it true that his girlfriend is missing? — i’m just asking questions.
What a gut-wrenching situation that is almost too much to take.
Two of the most devsatings stories I saw yesterday was the parent removing the child car seat from the back seat and putting it in the trunk, not ever to be used again. OMG, my heart aches.
The other was the story of parents removing Christmas presents from beneath the tree and instead of preparing for the joy of Christmas Day and the excitement in their child’s eyes, preparing for a funeral instead.
Oh Dear God, my heart and prayers go out to all who lost yesterday.
R
Just read this-Nancy Lanza was an avid gun collector who once showed him a “really nice, high-end rifle” that she had purchased, said Dan Holmes, owner of a landscaping business who recently decorated her yard with Christmas garlands and lights. “She said she would often go target shooting with her kids.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/15/us-connecticut-towns-idUSBRE8BD0U120121215
After 60 school shootings since Columbine why do parents with kids that have mental health issues, not have the common sense to lock up their guns if they have them. All of this rallying around gun control, and I don’t own guns and especially don’t think assault rifles have any place in this world, but where is the responsibility of the parents in these repeating tragic events.
did she know how to shoot that rifle? why? those arent your typical home protection weapons are they? in a no crime city.what did she have gold bars and diamonds? what exactly what she protecting? those are weapons for gansters and drug dealers arent they?someone who has a specific fear .if my momma was on the gun range with her weapons ,and wasnt le ,i might be dark and disturbed ,too.whose the boyfriend?
NEWTOWN, Conn. – Connecticut State Police say a gunman who massacred 26 children and adults at an elementary school before committing suicide forced his way into the building.
Lt. Paul Vance said Saturday morning that the suspect was not voluntarily let into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton.
~snip
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/15/at-least-26-dead-in-shooting-at-connecticut-school/
One of the saddest days ever. Hard to get on computer or watch T.V. with out crying. Prayers to all the families.
I can’t stop crying..I have a kindergarten and a 6th grader student. They built them a new school that can lockdown in 3.5 seconds! My heart is very heavy and I’m not sure if I should pull them out and home-school them or send them with rifle’s that we hunt with. I know I have a prayer to every child who’s life has cut short. To the Momma’s and Daddy’s that lost their baby. I am soo SORRY. May god Bless you and have the streangth to get thru this.<3 Hail Mary full of grace the Lord be thee. Blessed art thou Among women, with you blessed is the fruit of they womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now at the hour of our death Amen. GOD BLESS YOUU
Please don’t use this tragedy as fodder for personal opinions/beliefs. This is not a gun control issue; it is a people issue. We will never be able to fully understand, explain, or prevent such tragedies. It is a sad fact of today’s society. For all those who denounce guns, there are such as many who say a law-abiding teacher with a lawfully owned weapon could have taken him out with a well-placed head-shot. The fear and distrust I have of my fellow man is why I have a concealed handgun permit. I’ve never drawn it and pray I never do, but I won’t hesitate to defend my life or those of helpless others.
Heartache and sadness at the thought of those who lost a loved one. Prayers for Sandy Hook CT and all those touched by this unimaginable tragedy.
It’s been published on a few Canadian news site, that a young angel girl from Winnipeg, Manitoba who attended Sandy Hook E.S., was one of the victims. Her family (she has a brother who also attends the school, but was not harmed), moved to Newtown from Winnipeg last July (2012).
I have no words…just one of my favourite worship songs going through my head…..
So, God of the universe
Do you hear the cries
That pour out from all the earth?
Can your hands of glory
Reach down and heal the hurt
Of the broken?
And God of eternal things
Will you give us eyes
To see all the light you bring?
Will you be the voice
That causes our hearts to sing
For the broken?
~Bebo Norman~ The Broken
May God grant the families of the victims, peace and strength. May He administer to them in His perfect love and reign down on them His sweet mercy and comfort.
My heart is broken for Newtown, CT. Praying fervently. Please continue your prayers. They DO make a difference and are needed.
James 5:16. Prayer does not equip you for greater works. Prayer is the greater work.
Pray with faith and confidence in our Lord.
~Amen~
2 words…
Emily’s father.
I don’t have a link to his statement but Emily would be so proud of her daddy.
God bless our babies!
Do you think the politicians will finally realize that gun legislation in the US requires immediate changes? How come teachers and other staff members are left unarmed when something like this happens? When I heard the news I was thinking about the safety regulations in my own country. A few days ago I read an article on my native Vancouver which is often presented as one of the most liveable cities with the safest neighborhoods in the world but only now I realize that you are no longer truly protected anywhere. And the risks your children are exposed to every day are omnipresent when the safety regulations are imperfect. So I hope the politicians will take their responsibility and this terrible massacre will be an impetus for them to finally act and change our laws.
A reporter had mentioned on the news that Adam had been described as having a “flat affect”.
I hear that occurs often with schizophrenia. not sure about antisocial pd.
My beautiful stepdaughter has been diagnosed with aspergers which left us scratching our heads as we can think of no soul kinder or more empathetic than she. We have read that children with aspergers have a difficult time reading social cues, which she does struggle with, but also have a hard time empathyzing, which she does to a fault. We worry about others taking advantage of such a kind little young lady.
I am an expert on Asperger’s – okay maybe not an expert but certainly experienced as I have a brilliant, socially stunted son with Asperger’s Syndrome. And we have a group of Boy Scouts with Asperger’s and also participate in support groups with other families and I can tell you this – not one of those boys has a violent bone in their body. From what I’ve been reading, Asperger’s or not, Adam Lanza had a “Goth” disposition, wearing black all the time, negative attitudes and mental health issues. I just want people to understand it is possible to have co-morbid conditions along with Asperger’s, and along with every other child in the world, an Asperger’s child can be warped by life circumstances too. I don’t want anyone to become afraid of my son when they find out he is an Aspie, please please don’t let that color your view of all Aspie children!
Very well stated and I appreciate you saying that.
B
From what I have read and seen and heard, there are no better people than the people of this town. If there were to ever be a solution for this kind of travesty, I believe in time, it may come from them. And when they are ready, we need to listen.
Pray, pray and pray some more. Put prayer but in schools. Keep the evil out. Our mental health system is broken – those who need help won’t seek help as they are in denial. You can’t make someone seek help if they are an adult unless they commit a crime or hurt themselves.
I heard good recommendation yesterday, it was to hire cops on disabilities and pay them more than what they would receive on disability and they can secure the schools. What a fantastic idea. Also, maybe retirees who would still like to work. They have the training and would be a great asset to protect our children from the evil of the world.
I’ve shed so many tears the last two days and I’m miles away with grandchildren close to the ages of these victims. Pray for their innocent souls and familities.
What kind of meds was this kid on? Sometimes, the meds are worse than the disease.
Saddeden beyond comprehension.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/grandmother-of-adam-lanza-a-winter-resident-of-brooksville-preparing-to/1266246 here the grandmother says she has a son ,who is a police officer .would that be ms lanza’s brother? that would help to explain the gun fascination and teaching her sons guns. the guns are said to be common police weapons. http://news.yahoo.com/connecticut-gun-rampage-28-dead-including-20-schoolchildren-002304562.html the rifle was used in the shootings , and ends up in the car ,so he exited the school ,put the rifle in the car and went back in to shoot himself,not with the rifle ? huh? how long did the shooting last,how long does it take to shoot a 100 rounds?does this timeline work? and he was in a altercation with three of the dead adults at the school ,the day before,true or rumor.
I hugged my daughter a little tighter today.
We are a nation in trouble. No less than 7 mass murders this year alone. Now 20 innocent babies have lost their lives. What have we become?
Targets.
I am not being glib in the least.
B
I too – like Joan T. – am VERY close to this town in Connecticut. I lived in Newtown for a number of years – it is not a place you would ever think something like this would happen. Until the investigation is complete, and LE releases more details, let’s all just keep the victims in our thoughts & prayers.
Too many little angels went to heaven yesterday.
May God bless their souls, and heal the grieving left behind.
#30 sorry for my poor typing skills in my posting, it has been a rough couple of days.
My heart is broken. Emilie’s dad brought me to tears once again. Rest in peace sweet babies. May God bring peace and comfort to the families. There are no words for this tragedy.
I have to say that I am so impressed with the teachers and other administrators in this school. They were well trained and performed at an exceptional level under extreme circumstances. Congratulations to all of you for trying to make sure the kids were exposed to the least amount of trauma as possible and attempting to make what could have been their last moments, memorable ones free of fear. God bless all of you. My heart aches for all of you.
Much love; many good thoughts; and, oh so many prayers from central Texas. We are grieving for you here.
forget tears ***sobbing***
Asperger’s classification changes, now incorporated as form of autism
By Dan Goldberg/The Star-Ledger
on December 07, 2012 at 6:45 AM, updated December 07, 2012 at 9:17 AM
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Sayreville High School bowler Eric Applegate (left), who has asperger’s disorder, shares a laugh with teammate in 2010.
In a move that redefines how autism will be viewed and diagnosed by physicians across the country, the American Psychiatric Association has decided to eliminate “Asperger’s Disorder” as a clinical diagnosis.
The change, approved earlier this month, will incorporate Asperger’s as a form of autism spectrum disorder and will be included in the first major rewrite of the psychiatrists’ diagnostic manual in nearly 20 years.
The move has particular resonance in New Jersey, which has the second-highest rate of autism in the nation.
Placing Asperger’s under the Autism umbrella will simplify the diagnostic process, according to Yvette Janvier, a developmental/behavioral pediatrician and medical director of the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Toms River.
“It will actually improve understanding from a parent, patient perspective,” she said.
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Although some said they are uncomfortable with people who have Asperger’s losing identity, others feel the criteria to diagnose the disorder has led to confusion. The same patient might be given a diagnosis of Asperger’s by one physician, but “classic autism” by another, said Alycia Halladay, a senior director with the group Autism Speaks, which has offices in Princeton.
“There has been scientific evidence that the way the clinicians diagnose Asperger’s really varies,” she said.
Under the current manual, called DSM-IV, children can be diagnosed either as having autistic disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome or PDD-NOS, which stands for “Pervasive Developmental Disorder — Not Otherwise Specified.”
In the new “DSM-5″ manual, which will be published in May, all three disorders will fall under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Other reforms in the new manual include a new classification called “hoarding disorder,” which had been considered a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Also, substance abuse and substance dependence will be combined into one category.
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Full details on all the revisions will come in May when the American Psychiatric Association’s new manual is published.
More than 13,000 New Jersey public school students have some type of autism.
There are no specific numbers for those with Asperger’s, but the national Center for Disease Control estimates about one-third of those with autism would fall into that category.
The DSM manual is used by the insurance industry to decide which treatments to pay for, and reimbursement rates.
Catherine Lord, an autism expert at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York who was on the psychiatric group’s autism task force, said anyone who met the criteria for Asperger’s in the previous edition of the manual would be included in the new diagnosis.
People with Asperger’s often have high intelligence and vast knowledge on certain subjects but lack social skills.
Janvier said the new criteria will make it easier on patients and doctors moving forward.
“(Asperger’s) is not something different,” she said. “Truly, the way we look at it as not a separate disorder. Folks diagnosed with Asperger’s feel they have something different than autism, but in all reality it is autism.”
Kelli Gibson of Battle Creek, Mich., who has four sons with various forms of autism, said Saturday she welcomes the change. Her boys all had different labels in the old diagnostic manual, including a 14-year-old with Asperger’s.
“To give it separate names never made sense to me,” Gibson said. “To me, my children all had autism.”
Wendy
Thanks for sharing your real life experiences with children affected by Asperger’s syndrome. Every child is unique and even those with mental health problems. In my post above, I stated that anger is one of the behaviors. However, we don’t have any information regarding how large or small that behavior pattern is.
There was more than Asperger’s affecting Adam Lanza. I am speculating that his home life created some of his anger. We have little information concerning the family. If his mother was a gun collector and she did not keep weapons secured so that Adam could not access them, she was an enabler who made it possible for him to kill her and all these innocent people. Only time will produce the whole story.
The school environment is an easy target because of most choosing to be a gun free zone. There is a school district in the Dallas area that sent all of their employees to a speciall training session during the summer to get a concealed carry permit. They are expected to have guns in the classroom for their protection.
It was ironic that when the news of the school shooting came on the TV, I was shopping on-line for a 22 cal. revolver for my daughter-in-law. My son wants me to give her beginner training so she can work towards a concealed carry permit. She is a tiny woman and I will move her up to a 32 magnum for her carry gun. A 95 grain 32 magum bullet is only about twenty-five per cent smaller than a regular 38 bullet.
Guns do not kill. Some people who choose to kill use guns. Others kill just effectively with knives.
We will continue to see these shootings until society as a whole changes its behavior. I blame a lot of our social problems on the movie industry and the type of game entertainment available to our children.
The ten commandments in the bible came about because of the need to provide a guide to behavior for the tribes of the desert. Without them, they would not have survived.
This sadly isnt the first school shooting and it sadly will not be the last.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings_in_the_United_States
These schools shootings have occurred in Christian Schools as well as Sunday schools in addition to having occurred in private religious & non religious boarding schools and public schools -
so it seems putting God into the schools is not the solution nor the problem- nor is better more well funded schools or districts etc the answer either.
JFTR Many of the school shootings that have occurred throughout history have involved personnel with guns as well-
Why would we think arming our teachers would be the answer?
Why would we want there to be accessible guns on school grounds already?
Where would these guns be kept? under lock and key? on their person? would they be taken home?
Seems to me it would just be adding more opportunities for someone to get the gun and use it against the students or the teachers
Its a fact that easier access to guns ups the chances for accidents to happen-
Teachers principals staff have enough responsibility all with LOW pay just trying to teach our children -
why on Earth would we think arming them and requiring them to take gun classes and giving them the added responsibility of not only doing this -but also basically putting the responsibility of killing or maiming a human being as part of their job description?
Homeschooling is safer if you want to prevent a school shooting but if your home is a gun home sadly there is still a risk that your child may access that gun- or your childs friends-
How is sending a child to school with a gun going to protect them? How is arming the teachers or staff going to protect anyone especially against a semi automatic weapon?
All schools have a no gun policy
Guns in homes are locked up for safety would the teachers guns be locked as well? If not how would that be safe
If they are locked up how could they get to them in time to use them?
Locks are great but all locks can be opened….
I dont think arming the teachers or the staff is the answer
Better security off duty police men? perhaps- but sadly there is more than one way into every school and more than one classroom and so many schools and districts thats alot of man power-
If I read it right in at least 75% of these school shootings the guns were obtained legally or from the perps home relatives or friends-
It seems to me that we have to find a way to have the conversation of curtailing the easy access to semi automatic weapons
Hummingbirs is right tat the very least the # of victims would not be as high if we could take semi automatic weapons out of the equation
without infringing on anyones right to bear arms—there has to be a way we can all come together and figure out the common ground
Guns dont kill people people kill people but semi automatic weapons allow more people to be killed in less time
The truth is even if we outlawed every gun there would still be school violence done by shootings knifes fists…
Unfortunately There is no set profile to a school shooter or a mass killer-
Some plan it way ahead of time with writings etc and some dont some are honor students and border line geniuses and some arent…some just broke up with their girlfriends or got in an altercation with a teacher just before some dont….
I am sure we will find that this kid had certain markers and with hindsight we can all second guess if someone should have seen it coming but in truth there is no way to say yep HE/she fits the profile..
there goes that shy kid- that bullied kid -that goth kid- that rich white suburban kid who has a penchant for guns or horror movies or online gaming or batman movies— there goes that kid from the divorced parents the one who has underlying issues
The truth is its not that easy to pinpoint who might be and who will never be
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts
AJMO
Peace
My heartfelt prayers and condolences to all
Im in Australia, we have very strict gun laws- every gun has to be registered. I work in the social work feild and have seen how well our laws work many times. Any person who is reported to act out violently and has guns has them confiscated. I believe our system is working extremely well. We only have guns if we hunt or enjoy target shooting.
I went to see a movie tonight. The mall was festive; lots of holiday events were going on. I walked past the cutest group of little first graders singing carols. I stopped and watched them for as long as I could. They were so little and so sweet. I became so overwhelmed watching them that I couldn’t stop myself from breaking down. Others were doing the same. No words.
None.
B
I along with every person I have spoken to today are so!! sad about what has happened, Your country really needs to look at gun law!!!!
I am just so sickened by all of these shootings. A few days before a man in his 20′s opened fire in a Portland mall killing two and himself. Then there was the horrific massacre at the movie theater in Aurora by another deranged monster. Not to mention the school shooting in Oakland a few months ago where a man opened fire killing 7.
I am glued to the TV as is the rest of the nation-wanting to share our grief, sympathies, and try to understand how such an atrocity can happen, especially to such defenseless and innocent children. But I also think that the media of these shootings empowers and makes these monsters ‘get off’ and excites them in a sick way. They love to see the pain and fear on the faces of the victims families. They want to inflict that. As much as we want to know what is going on, I believe the 24/7 coverage of mass-shootings is extremely detrimental-though I am guilty of watching. I hope that the FBI and behavioral analysts study the patterns of these sickos. Granted, there is much more that goes into it, but it would be helpful to see how much attention-the psychos paid to violent video games and media coverage of shootings etc. It almost seems as if these killers have to ‘one-up’ one one another and they want to go down in history as creating the most destruction, fear and pain in others. Sick.
I just still can’t wrap my head around it all….
“Sleep in heavenly peace”, dear little angels…
I believe this issue is deeper than gun legislation though do not rule out closing gaps with some common sense. It has been said that CT has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Assault rifles are no longer legal in CT, though some, as in this case, were apparently grandfathered in.
The greater component, I believe, is that this is a mental health issue. Many people that are in need of mental health care either do not want it, and they can not be made to get it, and, or are not in a position to afford it and therefore are unable to receive care.
Completely agree. I feel so much for parents of children with spectral, neuro, psych, or other personality-compromising conditions. I get the sense that Peter and Nancy were quite educated and active in Lanza’s “care”, but let’s not forget that when someone with his impairments has become an adult- the control really goes away without specific conditional restrictions if warranted.
That can be more than some are willing to concede, I have to presume.
B
Imo the big picture is not that this single incident is a platform to debate gun control issues.
Nor did Adam’s act stem from his probable Aspergers which would have muffled his social sensibilities.
Obviously his precipitator lives in a neurocognitive illness, and with more & more experience I see various diagnoses such as Intermittant Explosive Disorder as more neuro, with complex constitutional & developmental strands, but mostly constitutional.
Imo there are 2 broad public policy issues that apply to at risk children with disabilities like Adams’:
1) the current mandatory ed system is not set up to educate or make socially-emotionally safe children with significant neurocogitive issues–ones with level 4&5 ieps. They are put in mainstream classes, & the legal rule is they are not owed the most appropriate ed setting, just some public education, no matter how many experts stand in line to testify if a parent sues for the professionally recommended treatment/educational setting.
Of course school was excruciating for Adam from K on; he himself would’ve perceived how very different & ill suited to mix in educationally or socially he was. That causes the neurocognitively disabled child great pain in itself. And kids like him are always bullied & belittled in the mainstream by teachers & students alike.
So one public policy issue is when will we stop putting kids with diabilities like Adam’s in inappropriate educational settings? Programs need to be designed for kids like him. Neurologically disabled children need educational choice in a best practices setting.
2) The public health issue is research into etiology & into treatment for kids like him, and most especially guidance for parents & pediatricians. It is very hard to parent or treat a kid like Adam. For most of these lads, pediatricians simply dispense a ritalin-type med, often with an SSRI so the ritalin-type med dose can be higher. Then, as the child ages and doesn’t improve but appears to worsen as he faces high level challenges, the fallback is to blame the mother, the primary caregiver.
At one time I worked in a mental hospital when the concept of a schizophrenogenic mother, who caused or exacerbated the illness had been debunked, but many workers in the hospital still believed it.
As a result of research we know know it’s more likely toxoplasmosis from a cat than a mom’s personality. It’s a brain disease.
In the LD community, I’ve seen pediatricians, psychologists & lay folks attach the old schizophrenogenic-style label to moms. This type of neurocognitively impaired child takes high external structure to succeed. It’s often mom who gives it, and often dad disengages.
Not knowing how to treat or explain the child’s poor adjustment and increase in anger as he cannot easily weather the developmental transitions he faces, it’s much easier for medical, mental health, and educational caregivers to begin to explain his adjustment as the fault of a rigid demanding mother, the caregiver who is sheparding him with the external structure he needs manage the “mainstream.”
It’s like the ill understood schizophrenia of the 1950s.
So, research must be funded to identify causes & treatments for these very neurologically impaired kids, including a path to the adjustments of adulthood, and to train physicians, parents, and educators in their care.
Rose, this post is compassionate and spot-on in a highly charged emotional issue for so many.
I am so raw on this I am crying while watching ESPN this morning myself.
I feel like I want to know much more about Lanza’s actual condition (diagnosed) before I can comment on violence correlations- although my education and training has more specificity to criminal-related pathology markers and not spectral disorder root causes, – so I could be in learning curve like most.
What I do know is that if this kid had episodes or behavior that included potential for violence whatsoever, it is irresponsible to maintain weapons in the home he potentially had access to.
Le, EMT and all first responders are going to want to quit their jobs for the next few weeks, I want them to feel as much support as the victims families. I can analyze as gruesome of a crime scene from the comfort of my office chair, and do regularly- you would not have gotten me in that school Friday professionally for any reason. They are heroes to me.
B
@peg but in China with strict gun laws the children were injured not killed. BIG difference they don’t have to put unopened Christmas presents away, or look at an empty bed at night.
And personally I am tired of people saying now isn’t the time to talk about gun control. When is? When twenty more first graders are killed? I understand that guns would possible still be available but if stricter gun laws prevented even one of these massacres it would be worth it to me. When our right to bare arms was added to our constitution we were talking about muskets not rifles. Muscats took time to load etc., and you’d potentially have more time to defend yourself. Do you know how long it took the killer to take the lives of those innocent babies? I think I read less than five minutes. First responders were then within ten. If we had stricter gun laws I’m guessing one of those babies lives would have been saved.
Sorry for iPhone typos!
I agree wholeheartedly with Rose C.
People who have to have guns MUST be responsible if they also have family members who have major anger management problems. Guns, ammo, and people set to explode are simply an equation for disaster.
While I personally don’t understand one person needing to have 5 guns …at least one of which as an assault rifle, that was Nancy Lanza’s prerogative. What was NOT her prerogative was to have those weapons in her home with ample amounts of ammo with a severely psychologically sick son ….and I agree with those who state that this psychological illness was not the Asperger’s.
In my own family, I had someone who was descending into severe mental illness. He had a gun. I actually hid the ammo, and told him (when he was in a rage) that the ammo was in a storage unit for safekeeping, and gave him the key. Since the unit wasn’t open 24/7, he would need to wait until the next morning to get it. By the time 8am rolled around, his rage had passed, and he would sheepishly give me back the key…..He couldn’t get the help he needed, and he eventually committed suicide. He was a wonderful man … but I knew that I had to take some sort of precaution to avoid disaster.
I am convinced that if I had not done what I had done..he potentially could have taken out all of my family ..and perhaps others.
With the right to have guns comes the responsibilities to secure them …and for those with family members with mental health issues …that means taking extra steps. I don’t know how we can “legislate” or “regulate” that….
But we have to start talking about the real issues and coming up with solutions. I have been crying all weekend …. and I don’t know how you come back from loosing a little child to brutal murder….
thanks, Blink, for anything you can do to keep us on track to solutions here.
Let’s guide the conversation to the “how” not the “with what” as the information grows.
Bottom line- this is a mental health issue as the genesis. It is a safety/intervention issue if some of the rumors I am hearing about previous incidents come to bear.
B
Regarding gun control…. I have never been an advocate of guns, I refuse to have guns in my home, I don’t hunt nor does anyone in my home. I don’t get the concept of hunting either so what do I know.
The mall shooter and the school shooter both obtained guns (at least some) from a home.
I can understand people’s stances on waiting a gun for protection but how many times has anyone ever used that gun either by shooting or showing it for “protection”? Very few. Most just have it for a “sense of security”.
I myself have placed a knife near my bed when I have been home alone. (I am partial to steak knives, don’t know why but makes me feel better)
imo, the only way that any kind of gun control would work in prevention of tragedies would be to ban personal guns of any kind and that would never happen.
I am on record as to my thoughts on the gun ownership issue, but wanted to comment on the knife by the bed from a safety perspective.
I don’t know you, but I presume you have never stabbed anyone. To use a knife as a defense weapon means you are essentially going to engage in hand to hand combat in a dimly lit situation with someone who may be in possession of a firearm or other weapon they know how to use.
You are better off if you do not already have one, investing in a security system, or employing some turn key solutions like motion lighting, and developing an escape plan in the event of an intruder, which should include immediate access to your cell phone in the event an intruder disables a land line.
B
Hey Blink. Is there a problem with the Kyron thread? When I try to access it, it takes me to a pharmacy page of some sort. Thanks.
Not at all, a pop up maybe?
B