Sandy Hook 5 years later

[marc]

5 years ago yesterday 26 children and adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Yesterday at St. Rose of Lima Church in town bells tolled 26 times to honor those who lives were taken from them, their families and loved ones.

Five years and an overwhelming majority of Americans still wait for common sense to overtake the stupidy of the sitting president, the enablers in his party in Congress and The NRA to do something.

Don’t hold your breath waiting.

This isn’t about politics, it’s about dead children. Over 800 gun deaths this year alone in the USA.

We live about 30 minutes up the road from Sandy Hook. Whenever we take route 84 going west and pass the Sandy Hook exit I can’t help but try to imagine the terror that those children, teachers and administrators must have felt as they had their lives snuffed out in that school on that day and the terrors that those who are left behind face every day trying to deal with the senseless loss. The second amendment doesn’t protect this kind of murder except in the minds of the imbeciles in charge.

And still we do nothing.

Marc-

[mcdtj]

Saw a report today that said there have been 268 school shootings in the USA since Sandy Hook, an average of 1 per week. And while none of these resulted in more killed and injured than at Sandy Hook, we can't say this is because of anything other than Divine Providence and better "active shooter" response procedures in the schools.

Or, in other words, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

What a state of affairs. Just pitiful.

[fanjack12]

A swipe at those sitting in DC positions now is fine, but don't forget who the President was at the time and for a longer time after Sandy Hook than the now sitting Pres - Don't want to start any political crap, but facts are facts.

[jonr]

Excellent post Marc. I’m about 30 minutes the other way from Sandy Hook. And of course we know that sensible gun legislation was proposed on one side and the other side blocked it all. Even the most basic proposals that most Americans wanted was blocked. Shame on them.

[pocojim]

I used to live in Monroe CT, next town south of Newtown. We had many friends (and some coworkers) who lived in Newtown and sent their kids to Sandy Hook Elementary. I can still vividly recall the shock of sitting here in CA and reading about the shooting. What a tragic day.

I also recall the day President Obama stood with parents of the Sandy Hook kids to announce proposals to limit gun violence - proposals which, of course, went nowhere in Congress. It's so sad to live in a country - the only one in the world - where sensible gun regulations are considered a political issue and not a human issue.

How many more children (and adults) will we lose while our 'leaders' do nothing?

Sorry for the rant - this issue is very close to me.

Jim

[Bogeyfire]

This is such a sad and horrid anniversary. I don't want to trample any feelings. However, there is at least some movement on the issue, mostly from the recent Las Vegas massacre.

I think the reason there is more traction now is, the mom in the Sandy Hook murders didn't really do anything illegal, other than give her son with disabilities access. In fact, on paper she was the ideal gun owner. The laws weren't the problem. But, the mom messed-up big time.

In response to Sandy Hook, (in the mindset of, "never let a good crisis go to waste"), Feinstein wrote an emotional bill that was illogical. Banning rifles with pistol grips??? Why? Because they look like assault weapons? Nine round magazine limit, the gun buyback program... none of that would solve the problem of a mom with legal ownership, who was well trained doing something as stupid as giving her unstable son access.

From Las Vegas, however, the story is different. Banning bump stock automation is being supported by the NRA. Good start. The shooter should have been banned. And, after all the purchases? Big questions were ignored. He should have never passed a background investigation.

This is stuff the law can help with. But banning "pistol grips on rifles"? Irrational. Doesn't help. Pi$$eS off hunters.

[marc]

26 children and adults murdered in the name of the second ammendment and the mother of the murderer is the perfect gun owner and Sen. Feinstein is the problem?

Imbeciles in charge indeed. Keep selling that stuff and wait for the next mass murder of innocent people.

I am pro second amendment, I fully support the right of Americans to own firearms and I support all federal action necessary to stop the proliferation of ignorance as far as gun ownership is concerned.

Sen. Feinstein is the problem? Give me a break. The murderer who pulled the trigger is the problem. Keeping your head buried in the sand to avoid seeing the damage to the United States of America is the problem. Mass murderers with guns are the problem.

Marc-

[mcdtj]

Marc, I think Mark's point about Feinstein and, by implication, the entire Congress, is that they took credit for doing something that, in fact, did nothing to protect little children from gun violence in schools.

Similarly, his point about the mother of the shooter was that all the training and locked gun cabinets in the world mean nothing if a "responsible gun owner" slips up and gives access to a seriously disturbed person...
even once.

But, as you rightly point out, these observations still beg the question of what have we done in the past 5 years to seriously and intelligently prevent/reduce mass murderers?

[Bogeyfire]

Thanks Tim. I'm wondering what solutions we can find that will help solve the problem. And, its rough with Sandy Hook. As the father of a kid with autism, I've tried to put myself in the shoes of the mom. That kid was pretty severe, and she had mistakenly tried to bond with him through shooting on the range. I can't imagine anyone thinking that was a good idea. So, I agree with Marc on one point. The murderer is responsible, except for one huge point here that is so often dismissed.

The murderer was incompetent. That murderer was to be the mom's roommate for life because, he had no life skills. He was put in special education at age 2. It was documented that he was anti-social in his early education by his private Catholic school. He was OCD and a hand flapper. He had never had a job, and had he lived, he would likely never have a job. He had only one friend. In the not too distant past, he would have been institutionalized. That would be a solution. However, we don't do that anymore in this age of mainstreaming children with typical kids.

So, there's your solution, Marc. Institutionalize kids that are "wrong". And, don't forget, the first person this deranged soul killed was his mother, his one and only caregiver. This 20yr old murderer wasn't a "man". He was a confused and angry person with lifelong disabilities.

So, when it comes to legislation, banning "pistol grips" on rifles is pretty lame.

But, real progress is, background checks and bump stocks are being seriously scrutinized. Also, if the military drums out a service person, the military has to report it to the database.

[marc]

I have my own solution: Elect smarter Presidents, Senators, Congressmembers, Governors, State Houses, Town Councils and don’t elect anybody who tells the CDC what words are acceptable to use.

Marc-