Why Adam Lanza Killed So Many People
Please bear with me because this blog post is going to make some large assumptions. At the time of this writing, all of the details behind the shooting are not known and we still don't truly know why this young man took so many lives on Friday morning, December 14, 2012.
What I do know is that pundits are on television pontificating on certain issues such as gun control. We are just assuming that the shooter committed suicide because the police department did make it clear that no officer discharged his weapon during this incident.
What I can show you are some of the statistics directly form the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In the past few years, states have considerably reduced their funding for mental illness programs. Kentucky is one of the biggest offenders because they slashed their budget in half.
One in seventeen Americans live with a serious psychological disorder while in children, the figure is one in every ten. People with mental illnesses in this country have limited resources on where they can go to get help. Jails and schools have now become the front line on battling mental illness.
The gun laws in this country are already strict. Some states like Illinois have great laws on the books but cities like Chicago are plagued with high crime and deaths due to firearms. Sure gun laws can be stricter such as the Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. As a concealed carry card holder, I will always be responsible with my weapon, but my gun in the hands of the wrong person is just a tragedy waiting to happen.
The story that is circulating right now about Adam is that he was unable to feel physically and emotionally. Was he getting treatment? Was he on medication and taking it properly? We will learn the answers to those questions soon.
But lets be clear here. This was a case of a legal gun getting in the hands of a person that should not have possessed it. Do we prosecute gun owners for being careless? For not locking up their guns securely enough? Is the answer NO GUNS FOR ANYBODY? That's absurd and I don't think the government is looking to take away all guns, although many people think that it is a good idea.
Some people say ludicrous things like, well if I didn't have a gun, I could still choke someone half to death, are they going to outlaw hands?
Well if you're just one person, you can probably only choke one person at a time instead of pumping several bullets into the bodies of several people within seconds. Same thing with stabbing and knives. If you're just one person, you can only stab one person at a time. With guns, you don't have that guarantee.
Again, it bears repeating that guns in the hands of the wrong people will bring about tragedy.
What can we do to ensure that this doesn't happen again?
Those were young lives with unlimited potential. But we will now never know what those children could have grown up to be because we were robbed of it. That's what makes me sick on the inside. So much potential. So much beauty and innocence....gone in the blink of a madman's eye.
Implementing all of these measures won't ensure that this won't happen again. Hopefully, we all can work together, regardless of political affiliation, to make our children's lives safer.
Cuts in Mental Health Spending: STATE BY STATE
What I do know is that pundits are on television pontificating on certain issues such as gun control. We are just assuming that the shooter committed suicide because the police department did make it clear that no officer discharged his weapon during this incident.
What I can show you are some of the statistics directly form the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In the past few years, states have considerably reduced their funding for mental illness programs. Kentucky is one of the biggest offenders because they slashed their budget in half.
One in seventeen Americans live with a serious psychological disorder while in children, the figure is one in every ten. People with mental illnesses in this country have limited resources on where they can go to get help. Jails and schools have now become the front line on battling mental illness.
The gun laws in this country are already strict. Some states like Illinois have great laws on the books but cities like Chicago are plagued with high crime and deaths due to firearms. Sure gun laws can be stricter such as the Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. As a concealed carry card holder, I will always be responsible with my weapon, but my gun in the hands of the wrong person is just a tragedy waiting to happen.
The story that is circulating right now about Adam is that he was unable to feel physically and emotionally. Was he getting treatment? Was he on medication and taking it properly? We will learn the answers to those questions soon.
But lets be clear here. This was a case of a legal gun getting in the hands of a person that should not have possessed it. Do we prosecute gun owners for being careless? For not locking up their guns securely enough? Is the answer NO GUNS FOR ANYBODY? That's absurd and I don't think the government is looking to take away all guns, although many people think that it is a good idea.
Some people say ludicrous things like, well if I didn't have a gun, I could still choke someone half to death, are they going to outlaw hands?
Well if you're just one person, you can probably only choke one person at a time instead of pumping several bullets into the bodies of several people within seconds. Same thing with stabbing and knives. If you're just one person, you can only stab one person at a time. With guns, you don't have that guarantee.
Again, it bears repeating that guns in the hands of the wrong people will bring about tragedy.
What can we do to ensure that this doesn't happen again?
- Get help for individuals that are mentally ill. Put more money in state budgets to combat this problem. Our jails shouldn't be the front line in mental illness any longer.
- Ban assault weapons...automatic weapons. There is no reason why I or anyone else should be able to own a TEC-9.
- Stop saying that "I would have never thought this could happen in a town/city/village like this." No amount of money or influence can shield you from violence. That kind of fairy tale thinking keeps your guard DOWN. Know that it can happen to you, regardless of where you live or the skin color of your neighbors. Get those words out of your vocabulary.
- Naive thinking must go. That quiet unassuming person next door could be plotting something dangerous. Or not. Does that mean we bring back the McCarthy era and start calling the police every time that quiet neighbor of yours refuses to speak to you? No. But if you see something or feel something suspicious, report it. It could save a life.
- Tighter security for schools. I have walked into a school without anyone saying a word to me to pick up my niece. Because I was known to the security guards, they left me alone. That behavior should be seen as a security breach and stopped right away. Visitors need to be escorted while on school grounds.
- Schools should have locks on all doors and have a school shooting protocol in place. Teachers and staff members should know what to do in case this happens one day.
- Gun owners should be more responsible with their firearms and report them stolen immediately. Lock them up and out of reach.
Those were young lives with unlimited potential. But we will now never know what those children could have grown up to be because we were robbed of it. That's what makes me sick on the inside. So much potential. So much beauty and innocence....gone in the blink of a madman's eye.
Implementing all of these measures won't ensure that this won't happen again. Hopefully, we all can work together, regardless of political affiliation, to make our children's lives safer.
Cuts in Mental Health Spending: STATE BY STATE
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