Will our anger be buried alongside Newtown’s dead?
A flag flies at half mast on a dark, wintry night in Newtown, Conn. This week, the townspeople will bury their dead, including the bodies of 20 young first-graders murdered by an assailant who broke into their school. Coffin manufacturers have donated the 20 small caskets that will be needed in the burials. (AP)
The Bushmaster .223, the weapon used by Adam Lanza to kill 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Each victim had been shot three to 11 times, according to the coroner's report. Lanza is reported to have brought multiple 30-round magazines to the school, and at the time of his death at his own hand still possessed hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
————————————–
Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie, has had to explain her death to her two siblings, ages 3 and 4. "They seem to get the fact that they have somebody they're going to miss very much," he said.
An excerpt from President Barack Obama’s message to Newtown and the nation, delivered at a prayer vigil Sunday night (entire text available here):
“Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around. With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves — our child — is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice. And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm.
And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t — that we can’t always be there for them. They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments. And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear.
And we know we can’t do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself. That this job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation. And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children.
This is our first task — caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.
And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?”
I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no.”
————————————–
The answer is no.
————————————–
– Jay Bookman
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977 comments Add your comment
Crazy Peeps
December 17th, 2012
11:03 am
ATL born
You can definitely get the coyotes with a uranium bomb.
It’ll get most varmints. You may have a few cockroaches left though.
stands for decibels
December 17th, 2012
11:04 am
gh @ 11.00, I’m sure you know the diff, it’s just that when one hears the words “twenty two caliber” one generally assumes you are talking about the kind of ammo that goes in a (say) good ol’ Nylon 66.
and I figured indigo knew this as well.
(and yes, I know that a Nylon 66 can, conceivably, take down a moose.)
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
11:04 am
ATL B & R — “Yeah, I need it so scare away coyotes on my farm. Or something.”
May I recommend Claymore mines with tripwires?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claymore_mine
Tman
December 17th, 2012
11:04 am
“Violent criminals are not deterred by the length of prison sentences.”
It sure keeps them off the streets longer assuming we convict them in the first place, which is a whole ‘nuther discussion.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:05 am
If everyone carried a gun, it would be just like the Old West! Cool! Nobody ever got shot in the Old West! We’d all be safe! That’s a GREAT idea!
Brosephus™
December 17th, 2012
11:05 am
I am surpised not to see propane tank IED on that list, given that they are such a dangerous and easy to make substitute for guns.
Well what do you know, I have my own little dumb stalker here back for more. Go hump somebody else’s leg for attention today, sport. (h/t Kamchak)
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:06 am
What might have happened if that teacher that went out into the hall and tried to stop the killer (with only her own body) would have had a gun and had been trained to use it?
+++++++
I think surprise would have been on the principal’s side. And with a shotgun instead of a pistol the chances of a hit would have been much better than 50-50. And a lot better than zero, which is what her chances were without a weapon.
hiram
December 17th, 2012
11:06 am
The second amendment “protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”
Arms is short for armaments(military weapons and equipment).
Therefore, shouldn’t I have the right to own hand grenades, artillery, tanks, F-16s, ballistic missles with nuclear warheads, or battleships?
It’s the same 1st grade logic that I see here. It’s too ridiculous to argue about.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:06 am
“Are you talking about LAWs or something more in the surface-to-air line, like a Stinger?”
One of each, please…
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:06 am
Once we elect a God fearing, gun-toting, antiqued white ultra-conservative male as our president, all of our fears will melt away and then the market will be flooded with cheap AR15’s that no one wants. Our land will once again be secure against those that would harm our constitution. Or something like that. I may have even heard Paul Broun use those exact words but I can’t be sure since I try not to listen to such “fruitcakes”.
The market is being flooded right now
Brosephus™
December 17th, 2012
11:07 am
JKL2
I missed the sarcasm big time in your post. My bad.
Partisay
December 17th, 2012
11:07 am
“What happens when you people start screaming about banning guns? More people buy more of them. So AR15s are flying off the shelves at gunstores thanks to people like Mr Bookman.”
Is this similar to those on the right claiming after President Obama was 1st elected that he was “coming after everyone’s guns” so those AR15’s went flying off the shelves because all of you right wingers were buying them? Or is it also similar when the same thing happened when he was reelected, because he was “coming after your guns” again? Who exactly was saying he “coming after our guns?” Those on the right or left?
Could you clarify that? I mean since you blamed those guns for flying off the shelves on Bookman and all….
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:08 am
A man not in Gwinnett County tried to kill himself with a 22 a coupld of years ago. The bullets would not penetrate his skull.
td
December 17th, 2012
11:08 am
Jay
December 17th, 2012
10:57 am
“What might have happened if that teacher that went out into the hall and tried to stop the killer (with only her own body) would have had a gun and had been trained to use it?”
Oh, I don’t know. What do YOU think would have happened if a schoolteacher armed with a pistol was surprised by an experienced intruder such as Adam Lanza, armed with an AR-15 equipped with a 30-round magazine?
My point Jay is that this teacher went out into the hall and attempted to stop this killer with nothing in her hands and she died. How much would her odds have went up going out with a weapon? Also, this morning on the news the police said the killer committed suicide when he heard the police arrived when he still had over 200 rounds left.
Now I can not read this killers mind but a good assumption would be that he was scared of the police coming with their guns so if this teacher had a gun then maybe he would have killed himself before he could have killed all those children.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 17th, 2012
11:08 am
“Violent criminals are not deterred by the length of prison sentences.”
It sure keeps them off the streets longer assuming we convict them in the first place, which is a whole ‘nuther discussion.
Nope. Most of these mass murderers appear to be anticipating their own death as part of their action. So there is no deterrent effect of a death penalty. Crimes of passion are not deterred when logic fails or emotions overrun. And of course, there is the whole “mentally deranged” are not held responsible because they do not have capacity.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 17th, 2012
11:09 am
Length of prison sentences has next to ZERO value as a deterrent. By definition, these are people at the edge of the social order, who have already fallen off the edge. They’ve already voluntarily taken onto themselves a fate far worse than anything the legal system can mete out. They’re, as it were, one step ahead of that.
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
11:09 am
Jay- If that’s true, heathen, then nothing is lost in banning high-capacity clips and firearms with high rates of fire, correct?
By high rate of fire you mean one bullet per trigger squeeze. Should I be outlawed because I have faster reflexes than you?
Magazines are incredibly complicated machines. I’m sure criminals will never be able to adapt the technology to make such an intricate device or modify an existing one to hold more ammunition…
Jefferson
December 17th, 2012
11:10 am
Shotguns and Bolt Action Rifles should be all the guns anyone needs, all others along with ammo should be illegal.
Instant jail for possesion, 30 days min. If nothing else the cost will go up.
Legal guns are the tools these nuts are using.
NRA The World Is Watching What You Do and What You Say
December 17th, 2012
11:12 am
@Morality?
December 17th, 2012
8:35 am
Last night Obama used a tragedy to push the camel’s nos under the tent.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The last camel in the line…..
walks as fast as the first…..
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:12 am
Stevie Ray “People say people kill people….I say without guns it would be difficult to kill on a mass scale without bomb making capacity. Home invasions affect about 3% of homes in US…I note that there are 310,000,000 non-military guns in private ownership in the US…
Why do people need them? If so, why not keep them at a gun club? Too late for pontificating on this as we all know we can’t confiscate..”
I would suspect that less than 3% are killed in massacres such as Newtown. What good does a gun at a gun club do? Excuse me Mr. Home Invader. I need to leave for a half an hour or so, so that I can retrieve my firearm?
I have two guns. They are there strictly for protection. It seems to take our local law enforcement 35 minutes or more to respond to security system alarms. In 35 minutes, you will already beginning to assume room temperature.
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:12 am
hiram – In the revolutionary war, the milta turned the war around by volunteering and bringing their own guns, long rifles. They were the difference in South Carolina and North Carolina and the British retreated to Yorktown where they surrendered.
The people who wrote the Second Amendment were aware of that, and wanted to protect the milita. They were referring to the long rifles owned and furnished by the milita.
What’s the present equilivent of the long rifle used by the militia in the Carolina’s?
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
11:14 am
Any of our cons want to explain to us how this got passed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act#Categories_of_firearms_regulated
Seems to me that it accomplished the same sort of thing most of our progressive posters want to accomplish again — and I’m not seeing any reason why a revised and updated version wouldn’t work.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
11:14 am
43 minutes between the time the first calls placed to the police and police enter the building? Anyone seen anything about this?
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:14 am
Now I can not read this killers mind but a good assumption would be that he was scared of the police coming with their guns so if this teacher had a gun then maybe he would have killed himself before he could have killed all those children.
Right. Because a teacher with a pistol = a state patrol SWAT team.
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:14 am
td – agree with you totally. Any chance is better than no chance.
Crazy Peeps
December 17th, 2012
11:15 am
I wonder which of us crazy peeps hasn’t already purchased their bushmaster or AR15.
I mean, those dudes are slow.
Horse has probably already left the barn on this one. But that’s no reason to turn more horses loose.
Buzz Belle
December 17th, 2012
11:15 am
I hope they pried his beloved gun out of his cold, dead hands.
I want to see a chart on the defunding of mental health issues to the rise in massacres in this country. I want to see semi automatic weapons and the right to own multiple magazine cartridges outlawed. I want gun shows outlawed. I want the NRA be forced to cough up some of their profits to the mental health community. I want our small, innocent children saved from people like this. Because you own a gun right now and don’t use it for horrible scenes like this one, doesn’t mean in five years you will not go crazy and shoot up the world. It doesn’t mean a crazy person will not get access to those guns and shoot up the world. The ONE thing every single massacre has in common is guns.
guy
December 17th, 2012
11:16 am
Maybe we could bury the anger. It would be nice. We abort babies like pulling teeth and move on as if nothing is wrong. Then there are predators who abuse and murder children. It’s sad and until we clean out our hearts and souls,nothing will change. Anger and war on the inside leads to anger and war on the outside. WWJD?
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
11:16 am
Tax the guns, ammo, and accessories. 100% excise Federal, State, and Local.
Freedom comes at a price.
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
11:17 am
Oscar — “What’s the present equilivent of the long rifle used by the militia in the Carolina’s?”
What, you mean the primary infantry rifle for the armed forces?
It depends on the unit and loadout, but almost certainly some version or variant in the M16 family. I understand that the M16A4 is standard with the Marines and a few Army units now.
clem
December 17th, 2012
11:17 am
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/?hpt=hp_c2
willie lynch
December 17th, 2012
11:17 am
Ind. man with 47 guns arrested after school threat.
Gunman shoots 1 in Texas movie theater parking lot.
2 Kansas police officers fatally shot outside market.
Police: Man cooperative after firing shots at mall.
These are headlines in today’s news. What would these stories be if there were no guns?
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:17 am
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/security-heightened-at-metro-schools/nTYLb/
Security heightened at metro schools. Shouldnt security in our schools always be heightened?
Crazy Peeps
December 17th, 2012
11:19 am
Barking grog
Cause rich peeps are never ever crazy…..
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:19 am
What, you mean the primary infantry rifle for the armed forces?
________
No, the primary infantry rifle for the armed forces in the revoluntary war was the musket. Not the long rifle. Musket was only accurate at about twenty or thirty yards. Long rifle at 100 or more yards.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:19 am
Steve – “the Oregon Mall situation was minimized because the shooter’s gun JAMMED.” He killed himself with a jammed gun? Interesting.
Buzz Belle
December 17th, 2012
11:19 am
And what if teachers are allowed to have guns – and they go crazy! How many people were shot up by the police at the Empire State building? Trained police – to one shooter? You think MORE guns will slow down these horrific acts?
stands for decibels
December 17th, 2012
11:20 am
Can any of you sobbing “we ‘bort de BAYBEEZ! wahh!” guys kindly produce any evidence that links higher murder rates to those nations that recognize a woman’s right to reproductive autonomy?
(I won’t hold my breath, mind you.)
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:20 am
These are headlines in today’s news. What would these stories be if there were no guns?
But there are guns and criminals will always be able to obtain them. Taking guns from lawabiding citizens will do nothing to ensure your safety as has been proven in the UK.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 17th, 2012
11:21 am
The .223 cartridge is not your basic .22. It is a full jacketed round, high volocity and is backed by 55 grains of propellant…
“When loaded with a bullet that expands, tumbles, or fragments in tissue, this cartridge is capable of delivering devastating terminal performance.”
Now imagine that “devastating terminal performance.” on a six or seven year old’s body…
td
December 17th, 2012
11:21 am
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:14 am
Now I can not read this killers mind but a good assumption would be that he was scared of the police coming with their guns so if this teacher had a gun then maybe he would have killed himself before he could have killed all those children.
Right. Because a teacher with a pistol = a state patrol SWAT team.
You are being a jack-a$$ Jay. You know exactly what I am talking about but only want to make light of it.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:22 am
“43 minutes between the time the first calls placed to the police and police enter the building? Anyone seen anything about this?”
Yes. The initial 911 call came at 9:35. By 9:53, the suspect was reported dead. Eighteen minutes from initial call to dead suspect.
http://middletownpress.com/articles/2012/12/16/news/doc50ce30182ab15653131689.txt
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 17th, 2012
11:22 am
LIBERAL GUN CONTROL HYSTERIA
better focus would be to outlaw alcohol, cars, cigarettes, and all fast food/colas
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:
•Heart disease: 599,413
•Cancer: 567,628
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,842
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 118,021
•Alzheimer’s disease: 79,003
•Diabetes: 68,705
•Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,909
Firearm homicides
•Number of deaths: 11,493
GT
December 17th, 2012
11:22 am
Name one time a victim stopped one of these things with a gun. The idea is a myth like so many things the right believes and the rest of us suffer because of. A few things all these attackers have in common, they are all young, white, males, that are suicidal, most are higher than average intelligent, so how do you profile this at your door every day? Wasn’t it easy when we just had to worry about Arabs wrapped up in sheets, now these guys look like Tea Party members, only one knob ,turned up, more crazy.
Buzz Belle
December 17th, 2012
11:23 am
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/24/justice/new-york-empire-state/index.html
16 rounds fired by cops, 9 people injured – and we need more guns to stop this?
the cat
December 17th, 2012
11:23 am
td-the only jack asses here are you and keith
Partisay
December 17th, 2012
11:23 am
Nice to have you back Keith. Now, could you clarify your past statement?
Did those AR15’s go flying off the shelves when President Obama was elected because democrats were saying, “we have a democrat president now, and we are coming after your guns” or was it because the republicans were saying, “OMG we have a democrat president now, he is coming after our guns.”
Which was it? I see earlier where you blamed people like Bookman for the high sales of guns.
Could you clarify that? Which was it?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:23 am
SFD – I never realized abortion was a source of humor. You are one sick puppy. I hope you get some help.
willie lynch
December 17th, 2012
11:24 am
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:20 am
How many people died from gun violence in the UK last year?
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:24 am
I dont want to see guns restricted but if they are the AR15s I paid 600 dollars for will be worth 3 times that. I guess everything has its plus side.
interested observer
December 17th, 2012
11:24 am
While I would support a ban on military-style assault weapons and large magazines, I can’t think of any legislation that could stop someone bent on suicide by atrocity.
This is akin to a suicide bombing — an angry and insane individual deciding to kill himself and taking others with him. The ease of acquiring firearms does make it easier for those intent on committing an atrocity, but if guns were not readily available we’d see other means. There is nothing to stop someone from pulling up alongside a school bus and detonating a car bomb. In the end, it’s a mental health issue in a society that embraces and markets violence as entertainment.
ClydeFr0g
December 17th, 2012
11:25 am
Jay, you are insistent on exploiting this tragedy to push an agenda and frankly it’s sickening.
When I’ve read through the comments on your blog the past few days I see insult after insult from the gun grabbers…calling gun owners cowards, saying they need a big gun to compensate for having a small penis, etc. Really, check over the comments and see who are the people most disrespectful of others’ opinions. And you, Jay, have done not one thing to try to maintain a civil discussion. You seem content with your followers directing their vitriol towards those of us that own guns as if we killed those children ourselves.
Shame on you Jay. Do you think there should actually be dialogue on this subject, or do you just want to try to ram an agenda down the throat of others? I’ve never been fond of the NRA for a variety of reasons but after reading your blog and the comments on your blog I’m going to be joining them and sending them money to fight for the Constitution, freedom, and my rights. And purely because I can see that there will be no civil discussion about this, no dialogue, no reason, just emotion and misdirected hate.
I’ve already posted some of my thoughts on this subject which you and the other petty insulting gun grabbers here have chosen to ignore because you cannot answer with reason, only emotion. But I will challenge you and your commenters to attempt to answer with some reason.
Guns used to be sold without restriction and without background checks AT ALL for many, MANY years. Why has this only become an issue over the past 30 years or so, and under the most restrictive gun purchasing environment this nation has ever known?
Approximately 150 people die annually in these “mass shootings”. Approximately 75,000 die annually from alcohol-related deaths (according to the CDC). Which is a bigger problem? What valid purpose does alcohol serve that it SHOULD be legal while guns (however “scary” they look) shouldn’t? Same thing for tobacco…many, MANY more deaths annually from smoking AND second-hand smoke, and yes, more children are killed by second-hand smoke than guns. Where’s the outcry over banning tobacco? Where in the Constitution does it say we have the right to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes? Bear in mind, I believe in a free country so I don’t support any of these, but it strikes me as extremely hypocritical.
Why do you think the right to bear arms even exists? Do you know the history of our nation and how our people secured their freedom from a tyrannical government with our guns once already? And is it possible that the Founders wanted to ensure our rights to do so again if necessary?
Along these lines I see comments about how “do you really think citizens with rifles are any match to a tyrannical government?” Well, I would hold up what’s happening in Syria as an example that yes, citizens armed with rifles CAN overthrow a tyrannical government.
Do you think the Jews in Europe had nothing to fear from the civilized governments there that sent 6 million of them to the gas chambers, including children?
In New Orleans after Katrina hit our civilization completely collapsed. The police became completely ineffective and were incapable of maintaining a safe, orderly environment and the military wasn’t on hand to restore order for days in which many, MANY citizens were extremely vulnerable. You think this can’t happen again, and anyplace in the country?
I see comments about how when the Second Amendment was written there were no “assault weapons” or semi-automatic handguns and that *surely* the Founding Fathers didn’t have these in mind or they wouldn’t have written the Second Amendment. Well folks, when the First Amendment was written there was no internet, television, or radio…so should free speech only be limited to spoken word? Because *surely* the Founding Fathers didn’t have these things in mind.
And those that chide the Second Amendment and say that it was intended solely for things like the National Guard (which wasn’t formed until 1917)…even if that WAS true (which I don’t believe), does it specifically say anywhere else in the Constitution that we DON’T have the right to bear arms? Forget about the fact that it was explicitly spelled out in the Second Amendment, it wasn’t explicitly or implicitly ruled OUT anyplace!
I fully expect this comment will also be ignored but at least I tried to introduce some logic and reason to the discussion, and to share the views of one Second Amendment supporter with those of you that refuse to listen to any other opinion or try to understand where millions of American gun owners like myself are coming from.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:25 am
“Magazines are incredibly complicated machines. I’m sure criminals will never be able to adapt the technology to make such an intricate device or modify an existing one to hold more ammunition…”
As a rule, criminals are neither intelligent nor diligent. They want to take the easy way out, and I see no reason the rest of us should accommodate them by making such material readily available. The legal uses of such guns and magazines are minimal, while the consequences of illegal use are … well, take a look at those 20 little coffins.
Crazy Peeps
December 17th, 2012
11:25 am
better focus would be to outlaw alcohol, cars, cigarettes, and all fast food/colas
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:
•Heart disease: 599,413
•Cancer: 567,628
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353
——
So you applauded Bloomberg’s big gulp ban?
td
December 17th, 2012
11:26 am
Buzz Belle
December 17th, 2012
11:15 am
I hope they pried his beloved gun out of his cold, dead hands.
I want to see a chart on the defunding of mental health issues to the rise in massacres in this country. I want to see semi automatic weapons and the right to own multiple magazine cartridges outlawed. I want gun shows outlawed. I want the NRA be forced to cough up some of their profits to the mental health community. I want our small, innocent children saved from people like this. Because you own a gun right now and don’t use it for horrible scenes like this one, doesn’t mean in five years you will not go crazy and shoot up the world. It doesn’t mean a crazy person will not get access to those guns and shoot up the world. The ONE thing every single massacre has in common is guns.
I want 2000 children being killed everyday to stop but alas there are those pesky Constitutional rights to deal with.
Brosephus™
December 17th, 2012
11:27 am
No, the primary infantry rifle for the armed forces in the revoluntary war was the musket. Not the long rifle.
Muskets were easier to train people with and could easily be reloaded to send large volleys of rounds downrange. Rifles were used by sharpshooters as a means of quality shooting vs quantity shooting of the musket.
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:27 am
I think that are three ways to go at this.
1. Increase security at schools
2. Increase our ability to recognize and treat mental illness and personality disorders.
3. Better control of assult weapons. Make people that own them more responsible for keeping them out of the hands of people who should not have them.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:28 am
” Taking guns from lawabiding citizens will do nothing to ensure your safety as has been proven in the UK.’
More murders with guns than in the US, right?
Nero
December 17th, 2012
11:28 am
Never waste a perfect moment of political opportunism huh Bookman? They’re not even in the ground yet! You make me want to puke! Save your Nancy hand wringing for a later time. Maybe when they eventually come to regulate your chosen profession under the guise of “doing enough”, you’ll be in the front cheering that on as well. After all, since the pen is mightier than the sword, it’ll just meeting your obligation for a more orderly and safer nation, right?
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 17th, 2012
11:28 am
read this GT
by Wayne Laugesen
This article was originally published in the Boulder Weekly, and is posted here by permission.
Oct. 15, 1999. More from the Independence Institute on school attacks and armed resistance.
Vice Principal Joel Myrick held his Colt .45 point blank to the high school boy’s head. Last week, he told me what it was like. “I said ‘why are you shooting my kids?’ He said it was because nobody liked him and everything seemed hopeless,” Myrick said. “Then I asked him his name. He said ‘you know me, Mr. Myrick. Remember? I gave you a discount on your pizza delivery last week.”
The shooter was Luke Woodham. On that day in 1997, Woodham slit his mother’s throat then grabbed a .30-30 lever action deer rifle. He packed the pockets of his trench coat with ammo and headed off to Pearl High School, in Pearl, Miss.
The moment Myrick heard shots, he ran to his truck. He unlocked the door, removed his gun from its case, removed a round of bullets from another case, loaded the gun and went looking for the killer. “I’ve always kept a gun in the truck just in case something like this ever happened,” said Myrick, who has since become Principal of Corinth High School, Corinth, Miss.
Woodham knew cops would arrive before too long, so he was all business, no play. No talk of Jesus, just shooting and reloading, shooting and reloading. He shot until he heard sirens, and then ran to his car. His plan, authorities subsequently learned, was to drive to nearby Pearl Junior High School and shoot more kids before police could show up.
But Myrick foiled that plan. He saw the killer fleeing the campus and positioned himself to point a gun at the windshield. Woodham, seeing the gun pointed at his head, crashed the car. Myrick approached the killer and confronted him. “Here was this monster killing kids in my school, and the minute I put a gun to his head he was a kid again,” Myrick said.
Doggone/GA
December 17th, 2012
11:29 am
“Can any of you sobbing “we ‘bort de BAYBEEZ! wahh!” guys kindly produce any evidence that links higher murder rates to those nations that recognize a woman’s right to reproductive autonomy?”
Especially as it’s a decision a man NEVER has to make…but virtually all such mass murders are committed by MEN
Oscar
December 17th, 2012
11:29 am
Bro – I know that. But my question was what do you think they meant by the second amendment.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
11:29 am
What happens when you people start screaming about banning guns? More people buy more of them. So AR15s are flying off the shelves at gunstores thanks to people like Mr Bookman.”
Is this similar to those on the right claiming after President Obama was 1st elected that he was “coming after everyone’s guns” so those AR15’s went flying off the shelves because all of you right wingers were buying them? Or is it also similar when the same thing happened when he was reelected, because he was “coming after your guns” again? Who exactly was saying he “coming after our guns?” Those on the right or left?
Could you clarify that? I mean since you blamed those guns for flying off the shelves on Bookman and all….
Didnt you read his article? When people start talking about banning things people buy those things. Is that too hard for you to comprehend? So when people like Bookman, Obama, Scumer start that talk AR15s start flying off the shelves. Im sure if it were researched you would find the gun market picking up substantially recently.
Partisay
December 17th, 2012
11:29 am
Yeah, let’s compare someone getting and dying of cancer to someone, a child no less, dying because someone walked into his school with an AR15 and shooting him.
Hmmmmmmm……
the cat
December 17th, 2012
11:30 am
clyde-did you see the bushmaster ad? small penises are being compensated by guns.
Oops
December 17th, 2012
11:30 am
“As a rule, criminals are neither intelligent nor diligent.”
Debatable
Homocidal maniacs are definitely unhinged
But not necessarily dumb (though they may be)
This is an emotional IQ problem
Not a traditional IQ problem
hiram
December 17th, 2012
11:32 am
The solution for school security is not pistol toting teachers, but the combination of a swat team trained guard and a facial recognition surveillance system, covering the entrances. If the software doesn’t recognize the person, it locks the door, and the guard is alerted. Fence the perimeter of the school and monitor with infared, just like the common garage door. All of the technology exist now, and is affordable. End of argument.
http://www.facerec.com/
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:32 am
the cat – so the shooter’s mom was really trying to compensate for her short penis?
Jack ®
December 17th, 2012
11:33 am
It’s a blessing to have a healthy, well balanced child. And I can’t begin to imagine the pain of losing a child through sickness or someone’s madness.
Oops
December 17th, 2012
11:33 am
Will we ban war based video games?
That will help activision blizzard stock.
willie lynch
December 17th, 2012
11:33 am
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 17th, 2012
11:22 am
Oh my God, there was a guy trying to burst into school and kill kids with his heart attack! With the exception of accidents none of these things you have listed pose a threat to anyone else. Can a person attack someone with there Diabetes? Are you serious?
The idea that 12,000 deaths due to firearms can be lumped in with chronic illness is ridiculous. And how many of the suicides chose a gun as there way out?
too little time
December 17th, 2012
11:33 am
I have an AR-15… I use it for hunting (deer, hogs). I also use a Ruger 10/22 semi auto with a 25 round magazine for hunting (small game). Functionally, they are no different. The AR-15 LOOKS meaner, but that is all! If you ever watched several of the reality based shows in Alaska, you know that the natives there use AR weapons to hunt caribou, elk, wolves.
Just about any rifle that is accurate and of sufficient caliber is suitable for hunting. For most hunters, there is no such thing as an “assault weapon” because there is no way to sufficiently distinguish them from any other semi auto rifle. Most modern military style rifles are well suited for hunting. Assault Weapons bans try to distinguish them based on pistol grips, flash hiders, etc. But the guts of the rifles are STILL THE SAME.
On March 23, 2010, Zheng Minsheng (郑民生)[2] 41, murdered eight children with a knife in an elementary school in Nanping
Just a few hours after the execution of Zheng Minsheng in neighboring Fujian Province,[5] in Leizhou,[6] Guangdong another knife-wielding man named Chen Kangbing, 33 (陈康炳)[7] at Hongfu Primary School wounded 16 students and a teacher.
An attacker named Wu Huanming (吴环明), 48, killed seven children and two adults and injured 11 other persons with a cleaver at a kindergarten in Hanzhong, Shaanxi on May 12, 2010;[3
On 4 August 2010, 26-year-old Fang Jiantang (方建堂) slashed more than 20 children and staff with a 60 cm knife, killing 3 children and 1 teacher, at a kindergarten in Zibo, Shandong province.
Even in the absence of guns, children WILL die due to lunatics. To suggest that the killings would stop if we could just get these AR-15s off the street is naive stupidity.
the cat
December 17th, 2012
11:34 am
Nunna-was it the mom who did all the shooting? you are being dense on purpose or are you really this obtuse?
guy
December 17th, 2012
11:34 am
It’s almost impossible to stop terrorism.
Tom(Independent Viet Vet-USAF)
December 17th, 2012
11:35 am
As most of you know, I normally do not agree with Pres Obama on issues. Last nite, when I heard his words of caring and comfort to the families and community, I was very touched. It did make me feel proud of him as our President. Yes, we do need to take a long look at the assault weapon issue and make it difficult for people like the gunman to obtain it. Something will have to change, it will not stop every bad guy but if it stops one, perhaps it would be worth it. As a retired military/law enforcement, new ideas need to be looked at to improve school security. One thing, that I’ve thought about was the staff at the school. All six staff members are women, who bravely attempted to save those children with their lives. Perhaps more men should be on staff at the elementary school level. Physically they would stand a better chance against a intruder. This is not meant to diminish what those heroes did trying to stop that gunman! It is just a suggestion, what do you other people think? Only reasonable people should respond?
stands for decibels
December 17th, 2012
11:35 am
I never realized abortion was a source of humor.
Well, Nunna, I’m all about the enlightenment.
–
Have you heard about the Irish abortion clinic?
There’s a 12-month waiting list
–
What do you call an abortion in the Czech Republic?
A cancelled Czech!
–
Q: What do you call a cow that’s had an abortion?
A: De-calf-i-nated.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 17th, 2012
11:35 am
The deflection with “more people die from X” is truly sad and pathetic. Yes, perhaps kids die from heart attacks, cancer, etc. People die from all sorts of things. But how many have died from gun violence. 20 heart attacks or other deaths does not = 28 dead from one killer. If 20 kids dies in one day from an illness in a single school, there would be a call shut the school and figure out a solution. The CDC would be involved. NO one would say “well more kids die from X”.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:36 am
Clyde, your attempt to portray yourself as uncommitted on this issue until you read the comments here is a dismal, dismal failure.
You also write:
“Guns used to be sold without restriction and without background checks AT ALL for many, MANY years. Why has this only become an issue over the past 30 years or so, and under the most restrictive gun purchasing environment this nation has ever known?”
Until 30 or 40 years ago, rapid-fire assault-type weapons with large magazines were not widely available commercially and had not become a popular source of manhood enhancement (and if that phrase offends you, Clyde, take it up with the Bushmaster people, see above. They know what they’re selling.) Most hunting rifles were single-shot bolt-action rifles of the type that I grew up using, and most pistols were revolvers rather than the rapid-fire large-capacity semi-automatics now on the market.
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
11:36 am
30 round clip =3 10 round clips=6 5 round clips
Partisay
December 17th, 2012
11:36 am
“Didnt you read his article? When people start talking about banning things people buy those things. Is that too hard for you to comprehend? So when people like Bookman, Obama, Scumer start that talk AR15s start flying off the shelves.”
My point exactly Keith. Just when did Obama, Bookman, Scumer(??) “start that talk” after he was elected? It will be easy for you to google. Got any quotes, with dates, that they said any of that kind of talk after being elected? Did Obama actually say, or even insinuate in any way, that he was going to restrict AR15’s after he was elected? How about the 2nd time he was elected? Did he say anything about that then also?
Only those on the right (like you probably) – they “assumed” – that since Obama was elected and he was a liberal, he would go after everyone’s guns.
See if you can find any of those quotes for me…..
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:36 am
The Cat – and you’re sure that the shooter had seen the ad and asked his mom to buy it? You’re the one being obtuse, by making a meaningless inflammatory statement.
clem
December 17th, 2012
11:36 am
wonder what NY uses for compensation of his small mind?
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 17th, 2012
11:37 am
liberals think that more children dying of cancer is not a problem
doesn’t shed a tear for those children
only ones that can push an agenda
cold and heartless
as the CDC state
In the United States, cancer is the second most common cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, surpassed only by accidents.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 17th, 2012
11:38 am
http://www.upworthy.com/why-talking-about-gun-control-laws-during-a-tragedy-is-not-disrespectful?c=upw1
Nunna Yobinnes
December 17th, 2012
11:38 am
the Cat – Hopefully the coroner’s report will provide the shooter’s penis size so that your point can be validated.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:39 am
too little time – you’re argument that, because people kill with knives, we need do nothing about assault weapons, doesn’t really make sense.
Uncle Samantha, I think we’re ALL afraid of that guy who killed 20 first graders with a heart attack. What do you propose?
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:39 am
“30 round clip =3 10 round clips=6 5 round clips”
Again, barking, if they are so easily substituted, then surely you will have no problem accepting a ban of the 30-round clip, since you will still have access to six 5-round clips that are exactly the same.
Correct?
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
11:39 am
Keith — “But there are guns and criminals will always be able to obtain them. Taking guns from lawabiding citizens will do nothing to ensure your safety as has been proven in the UK.”
And your counterfactual proof is Japan. Checkmate.
newkid
December 17th, 2012
11:40 am
To return to the theme (mentioned in my earlier post) of establishing a profit basis for removal of assault weapons from our culture.
Cars don’t kill people, people driving cars improperly kill people, right? Yet government requires us to purchase auto insurance before we’re allowed to drive the thing off the lot. Why not require that all weapons sales be accompanied by a requirement that the purchaser buys liability insurance for all ‘drivers’ (and potential drivers) of the weapon in the purchaser’s household (and this ought to be retroactive)? No insurance, no weapon. Why not make the insurance company libel for any illicit use of the weapon (and harm associated therewith) unless the weapon, even if the weapon has been pnroperly reported to law enforcement as having been stolen? And while no amount of money will bring back those poor kids and their teachers & administrators, the families of the victims would be able to seek financial restitution (and hopefully LOTS of it) from the insurers who would have perhaps unwittingly provided insurance to less than responsible gun purchasers.
Make sure the insurance rates reflect the potential losses these weapons AND AMMUNITION may bring to the families of victim, and the harm that is done to the larger society as a result of the weapons denying the society the lifetime benefits that would have accrued to society had these lives not been cut short. Any SINGLE assualt rifle should be required to carry at least $20 million worth of liability insurance. Eighty percent (80%) of the annual profit the insurance companies make from selling this insurance ought to go to providing protection of the society’s defenseless citizens at the places at which the gather in number (i.e., schools, shopping malls, hospitals, employment centers, etc).
If we must have insurance to protect other members of society from the abuse of our autos, then why wouldn’t we require insurance to protect society from the unspeakable horrors associated with the abuse of weapons.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 17th, 2012
11:40 am
too little time
December 17th, 2012
11:33 am
If you really use an AR-15 for hunting, you are either a lousey shot or you don’t eat what you kill.
Jefferson
December 17th, 2012
11:41 am
Selfish people cannot solve this problem.
Ronald Reagan
December 17th, 2012
11:42 am
Reasoning with a Liberal is like talking to a billboard!
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:42 am
“liberals think that more children dying of cancer is not a problem”
IYHTLTMYPYHNP
If you have to lie to make your point, you have no point.
Bill Orvis White
December 17th, 2012
11:43 am
“I have already donated to Mayors against Illegal Guns and written to the White house and Congress. I’m going to do all I can to outlaw assault weapons like the one above.”
That’s like admitting to soiling yourself. You’re a fool, plain and simple. Amen, Bill
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
11:43 am
Nunna – you seem a little sensitive about this size thing…
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
11:44 am
And if those twenty, six and seven year old children had been the children of the gun rights advocates posting here, we can rest assured that they would all be on here telling us that it’s just the price that has to be paid in order to preserve their 2nd amendment freeeeeedoms.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
11:44 am
“I have an AR-15… I use it for hunting (deer, hogs). I also use a Ruger 10/22 semi auto with a 25 round magazine for hunting (small game).”
You must be quite the sharpshooter.
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
11:45 am
Jay 11:39
correct. and none with banning the firearms they are used in. and banning
all other firearms, and you feel this way also…
CORRECT?
willie lynch
December 17th, 2012
11:45 am
ClydeFr0g
December 17th, 2012
11:25 am
“Do you think the Jews in Europe had nothing to fear from the civilized governments there that sent 6 million of them to the gas chambers, including children?”
Didn’t the Iraqi army have guns? Weren’t they obliterated by the U.S.? Even if the Jews had guns (and some did) they would not have had enough to prevent the Nazi war machine from achieving its end.
This idea that you can protect yourself from the government because you have a gun or guns is ridiculous, you don’t stand a chance. If the tyrannical government decided it wanted to kill you they would/could. Do you think you would be any match for a Navy Seal team? A drone strike? I think you need to think a little further. That rational has long ago lost it’s luster.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 17th, 2012
11:45 am
Bill Orvis White
December 17th, 2012
11:43 am
Bill, coming from you, I call that high praise…thank you.