So? What? I go back and forth with you more than anybody on this board. I disagree with almost everything you say and you disagree with me. And, despite what I might say, I do respect your opinion. This event today transcends anything I've ever experienced, including 9/11. I have small children. I don't want to minimize what happened at Columbine, or anyplace else...but....for the love of god...Kindergarten children? What do we do? How do we keep this from happening again? Surely, we can't continue with the way things are going. Help me out here. We've got to do something.
Originally Posted by timpage
You are absolutely right. Something has to be done. This is what we know now:
1. The shooter was an autistic 20 year old on psychotropic medications.
What meds was he on? Was he just starting a new med, or coming down from an old med? Where on the spectrum was he? Who was monitoring him on his meds? Some autistic people who can communicate say its like being in a prison. That noise is everywhere, they can't focus on a single sound, so they hear all sound all the time. Their ability to reason and control themselves are limited.
2. The shooter had 4 guns, including a rifle. How the hell did he get ahold of these? I doubt if he bought them. Did the guns belong to his parents? If so, why weren't they secured? If he got them somewhere else, who gave or sold these guns to him? Did he steal them? This guy was a known mentally ill person. How did the guns get into his hands?
3. What changes in mood or behavior were exhibited prior to the shooting? Who was responsible for monitoring his daily activities?
4. His mom wasn't at the school. Didn't anyone wonder why he was showing up in combat fatigues? Why did they let him in when his mother wasn't there? Did anyone ask him why he was there? If so, what did he say? What was his demeanor?
I'm sure there are more questions to be answered in the coming weeks. Something in the system broke down. This should not have happened.
And as much as I hate it, I would not leave stricter gun laws off the table, but I also wouldn't start there. We have to find out what went wrong, and address that issue directly. This is a complex case, and there were a number of variables that could effect the outcome, including his access to guns.
But I still think we should let the families bury their children before we get into heated debates over national policy, and I think these other matters need to be addressed as well.