Pres. Obama on Newtown, CT: 'We can't tolerate this any longer.'
Sen. Dianne Feinstein will introduce an assault weapons ban in the next Congress.
Newtown had its own recent fight over gun control.
The State Dept. is expected to get its independent report on Benghazi today.
Could Michael Dukakis replace Sen. John Kerry if/when he gets the nod for Secretary of State?
A Senate committee holds a hearing on voting laws this week.
News organizations are fighting big bills charged by the Romney campaign.
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As the former Chairman of the Hampden-Wilbraham, MA Regional
School Committee spending 9 years with a front burner focus on school safety, I
ask that we are come together with a determination that we mourn but yet take
action to protect our school children. We must address the issue of mental
illness - don't let this horrific incident get distracted by a gun control
debate. Yes we need gun control. But the real issue is what mental health
infirmary allowed this to happen. That is the hard question. That is the
question we need to answer as a society. The madness needs to stop and we as a
collective society need to not move on to the next media story, but to plant
our feet on the ground and address the reason and horror behind Newtown. Take
action, mourn, but please take action.
Denying someone who is mentally ill access to guns would be a step forward however.
Pesonally I'm following the absolute lack of voice coming from the GOP Sen and NRA in response to all the debate and questions arising from this tragedy.
NRA went dark on Facebook and all the Gun lobby supporters did a Noshow on MTP remarkable statement
The NRA went dark on Facebook because it uses rhetoric that appeals to gun zealots, rather than reasoned discourse and debate. Just look at how the PEOPLE OF NEWTOWN THEMSELVES opposed reasonable gun restrictions when they still thought of themselves as righteous people in a safe and picturesque community. They spewed the bull@!$%# rhetoric of freedom, pseudo-patriotism, and protecting future generations, in sufficient numbers to shelve the proposed gun restrictions. They talked about swimming being more dangerous, and insisted there were no safety concerns. Once again, ideology and zealotry prevailed over facts and evidence, and once again, it proved to be the recipe for disaster.
However, when Pres.Obama pushes reasonable gun control legislation in Washington D.C., the NRA will still be making the rounds, buying votes, and threatening supporters of reasonable gun control with smear campaigns and more money for their opponents. They'll still be dark, but their influence will be felt.
And politicians will place their egos, their need to be elected, above the good of their country, their state, their district, and tow the NRA line. All this happens because zealots elect whores. To say that whoring is the oldest profession suggests that there always were whores and always will be. I hope the same isn't true for zealots and fanatics.
I am watching MSNBC and Morning Joe and listening to Senator Joe Mansion from West Virginia. He is a member of the NRA and he conducted himself with such respect, such calm and his points make sense for America. I hope he can lead the way for some kind of assault weapon ban. That will be a start. I was also impressed that Joe talked about our violent culture - the culture of violent video games. That conversation needs to continue along with the movie industry and television programming. Let's start and let us not forget that we need to figure out some way to help those that appear to have mental health issues. WE CAN FIX THIS. If we can put a man on the moon....we can fix this.
I am vehemently against the idea that violent video games create violent tendencies. I grew up surrounded by them and it never affected me. I would say that it depends on the person, and at that point... anything could trigger an individual person. It would be hard to say that if he didn't have a violent video game he would be fine. If you really want to look at why so many people are violent and there are so many deaths caused by guns you should really look at pop culture. I'm eclectic and love all types of music but when I come home from college and listen to what my friends listen to... ghetto. There are parts of the country that ONLY listen to that genre and they perceive that as real life. That is just my opinion, based on the stark differences in groups of friends (college / back home)
@Jay Pee, Are you saying we can be influenced by the violent lyrics in the music we hear but not by playing a violent video game? Taking your logic a step further, would it not be hard to say that your video games did not affect you? Who knows, you may have otherwise become a monk. And your vehemence level may have been been significantly lessened.
Both the violent lyrics and violent games are red herrings...easy fixes that will do nothing. Look at the rest of the world. They are viewing the same violent games and listening to the same violent lyrics. The ONLY difference is the huge number of guns in this country.
Guns are attractive to those with unrealistic views of personal safety such as Nancy Lanza. Guns kill almost thirty times the friends and relatives as they do the 'criminals'. Getting rid of legal guns will cut gun deaths by a factor of almost 30.
As the former Chairman of the Hampden-Wilbraham, MA Regional
School Committee spending 9 years with a front burner focus on school safety, I
ask that we are come together with a determination that we mourn but yet take
action to protect our school children. We must address the issue of mental
illness - don't let this horrific incident get distracted by a gun control
debate. Yes we need gun control. But the real issue is what mental health
infirmary allowed this to happen. That is the hard question. That is the
question we need to answer as a society. The madness needs to stop and we as a
collective society need to not move on to the next media story, but to plant
our feet on the ground and address the reason and horror behind Newtown. Take
action, mourn, but please take action.
I was interested in this story and wondering how those same people feel now. Newtown had its own recent fight over gun control.
Good morning all y'all. It's a rare day to visit Maddowblog for me. I am happy to note that - assuming Senator Kerry becomes the new SecState - his seat will remain in D hands. So there, Republicans. That is, of course, what all their objections to Ambassador Rice were all about in the first place. They wanted to pry Kerry out of the Senate and get a fellow traveller in there.
RE: Newtown. I note so many memes on Facebook this week. Let's no longer waste our time with them. Address the issue wholistically - on all fronts. Don't bother riling up the wholly-owned subsidiary of the NRA in Congress and having major new gun bans voted down to further embarrass President Obama. Do it this way:
There are no easy answers. Nor quick fixes: the American way of "Doing Something".
Endless wars fought by disposable mercenaries has become the norm. Military suicides now are greater than combat deaths.
We have become inured to violence, and many embrace it, via video games, action movies aimed at the young male demographic, and the NFL.
We are ill, and taking away our "pacifiers" will not cure us.
Australia- that manliest of nations- had a buy-back of assault weapons, and school massacres went from 20 to zero. It is a start.
@Carolina "address more pathways for these desperate dorks to find social interaction, counseling, education, jobs so they don't feel they have to pick up the guns in the first place"
Dorks? Seriously name calling is probably what lowered their self esteem so low in the first place. So way to go with showing us what is wrong with America.
Miss Gail: thank you for reminding me that PC is as PC does.
The interesting thing is that if Kerry leaves whoever they run is going to have to really distance themselves from the NRA and I can't see Scott Brown doing that
Install bullet proof glass to all schools. Install metal detectors at each door in all schools. Improve 'shut down' or 'lock down' methods/procedures in all schools and gyms. Train teachers all across America to use guns or rifles and other survival methods. Would it help if the fire alarms went off at the sound of gunfire? The President does need to head up a committee to put an end to this crazy violence in our schools and let the top 1% pay for it.
Trudy
Why should we turn our schools into warzones to accommodate the rights of the gun advocate? I agree that schools should have security, but asking them to bulletproof the place? You just told them, "Well, I like my rights, so tough. You're just gonna have to deal with it. Get your own gun. Go get bullet proof windows. Train for survival." That's just wrong.
And by the way, it's bad enough that Republicans want to cut funding to schools--how much do you think schools will need to swing that kind of redecorating? The PROBLEM is not that the schools aren't bullet proof, it's wackos like you saying that they should be bullet proof because you refuse to give up your easy access to guns.
AnnaBe; Thank you .
twilson@gmail
Go here to see how a civilized country reacts to a mass killing:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2012/12/16/gun_control_after_connecticut_shooting_could_australia_s_laws_provide_a.html
There is a gun tragedy every day. It is senseless. We need to fix our society. Last night it was Topeka. Yes, our economy is a mess. Still we need to find a way to come together and help each other.
I have the families and friends of the victims in my prayers.
But, I also have deep concern for the first-responders and the coroners who had to face the horror, identify the bodies, document what happened.
A six year old little boy was shot 11 times? Oh my Lord, I can't even bear to think....
Someone had to count....
God bless them and grant them peace!!
Maphi, I am a First responder, Fireman, I have been to hundred's of Rescue Call's, On some I witnessed Miracles and on other's I witnessed absolute Tragedy. We as 1st responders Have access to Counseling, I have participated in that, When WE go on a Run, Bad crash, fire, Rescue call, WE talk about it and ask each other If they are OK with what they saw or did. At any Time anyone can get help. We also keep an eye on each other, Look for possible Signs and Symptoms of depression, withdrawal from Call participation, Training etc And we address it right away. I can say that MY Officer's and fellow Blackhat's are true Professional's, Caring Individuals and WE are helped when there is a need to be. Because Yes, at times WE need it too.
I'm pretty sure when the second amendment was written they had no idea that a gun would be invented to mow down a group of children.It's also my constitutional right to not die in a senseless bloodbath.Grow up and admit it's an outdated amendment!"Assault rifles are for soldiers not citizens!
Why was this mother, knowing full well her child had problems having guns in the house?
Our military will not issue weapons and ammo to sane combat soldiers... until they are thoroughly trained and tested. Yet any wacko in America can obtain guns-s-s and ammo... regardless of the cursory background checks.
Michael, true story, When I was in the Marines, Infantryman, I had a guy that was so as we would say Spastic, Dangerous when we would do a Live Fire Training Exercise that involved our whole Squad or Platoon, HE would NOT get Live Ammo, He would have to just yell Bang, NO joke, It wasn't worth the Risk
I am liberal, but I believe in gun rights and I know most of that stats about guns. That being said I have an Idea what can be done. There should be a bill that require you to have some kind of lock on your guns to prevent the mental, children or anger family member to get it. you know the key lock, an iron gun safe or a fingerprint protection on it. how about this one, background checks every 5 to 10 years. that way if you have mental issues or criminal issues after buying the guns the government can step in and take the guns. this shooting was horrible and I have been in tears all weekend, but we need to have a smart conversations on guns. let's be honest the 2 amendment is out dated because the government have weapons 100 times more powerful then anything you can buy over the counter. that leave guns as a weapon for hunting or protection. I am for gun control, but smart gun control.
Someone I know lives in Hartford and they have a State Trooper there guarding. I cannot imagine what kind of emotional scar that this is leaving on both the children and the teachers. We need to place more priority in Mental and Emotional Health. If there is not enough focus on physical health in the U.S. there is even less priority for Mental Health and for many, the subject of mental health is so stigmatized and taboo that they are unwilling to devote the necessary attention to promoting their own family's mental well being. The priority of mental health has to change. Access to appropriate mental health treatment needs to become more accessible as well as less stigmatized and appropriately trained people who are capable of handling severe mental health crises need to available to those who need it. Mental Health Care needs to not be driven by profit margins i.e. it is not profitable so therefore not a priority. People in charge of the administration of Mental Health facilities need to not be driven by corporate values i.e. the bottom line is more important than the effectiveness of mental health treatments. And more importantly, mental health should not be such a low priority that it takes 6 or more months to get accepted to a counseling or therapy program or that people get pushed out of counseling programs after short term therapy due to the fact that so many people are waiting to get therapy.
And WE as a Society have to have some Compassion towards those who do or may have a Problem. Avoidance, Denial, Disrespecting those whose family members have an issue, Acceptance.
An argument I am hearing against gun control goes back to 30 year old laws in Morton Grove, Illinois (banning gun ownership) and Kennesaw, Georgia (requiring everyone to own a gun), and claiming that crime escalated in Morton Grove, and declined in Kennesaw as a result. I've tried to look into this, but can't find statistics from any website I trust. I wish this blog, with its amazing research tools, would look into this. And hopefully refute it as justification for mandatory gun ownership (for people like me who would prefer to never have to touch a gun).
There are many things that can be done. As with anything it starts at home with responsible gun ownership. LOCK THEM UP!!! I do not know why ammo is not a part of the NICS check. If you are buying ammo, and you are not legally allowed to own a firearm then you have one illegally. You are not buying that ammo to throw at people. There should also be a limit on the amount of ammo that can be purchased at a time, as well as the allotted amount in a month. This would prevent anyone from going to multiple shops to purchase ammo. Hi-caps were illegal before, and should be made illegal again. Gun shows need to either be shut down or monitored a lot more closely for legal transactions. We need to stop being afraid of the words mental illness, and start providing more access for help to these people. None of these things will stop all the violence, but it is a start.
work for a livin banned, re-reg of multiple accounter cellar ppl and others.
I'm looking for new work, full-time, part-time, or more photography work with clients that appreciate a qualified photographer.
In my town, the mayor went to a shooting range with a friend and learned how to shoot. She later borrowed the gun to killer daughter and herself. In my opinion, that friend is guilty of murder, and should be prosecuted.
From
the social media comments I've seen over the past few days, the sentiment I am
most concerned with is the question of why couldn't he just shoot himself, why
did he have to shoot those children too? To which the answer is always about
never understanding such evil. Well, why don't we ask ourselves that question
in reverse? My nephew's father shot himself in the first week of November
several years ago. Why didn't he wait until we gathered for Thanksgiving and
shoot us all. I was a junior in high school when a classmate shot himself in
his bedroom with his father's service revolver. Why didn't he get an AK-47 and
mow down 10 or 20 of us? Why don't the 274 children between the age of 5 and 14
go to school and murder their classmates, as opposed to just shooting
themselves each year? Such sentiments dishearten me simply because, by asking
such a question, we make the suicide itself somehow acceptable. Does anyone
realize that the annual number of suicides since 1993 is virtually unchanged in
this country? Yes they fell from 31,104 to 29,199 in 1999, but they steadily
rose each year to 38,364 in 2010. Since many of the mass shootings in the
United States are murder-suicide situations, it seems to me that, in addition to
dismissing the notion that civilians need military type weapons, we might want
to also work on mental health. Especially since nearly 1,000,000 people make a
suicide attempt every year. Especially since 90% of people who die by suicide
have a diagnosable and treatable psychiatric disorder at the time of their
death.
I look forward to TRMS tackling this complicated issue. I hope all things Maddow will explore our culture of violence and guns that, while perhaps not a direct cause, serves as fertile ground to allow horrors like Friday's to happen. "First person shooter" video games readily available to any 8-year-old... ultraviolent Hollywood offerings more "acceptable" than nudity and sex in movies (how about a "V" rating, like an "X" for movies like Django), the NRA's "power" over our elected officials... the challenge of accessing adequate mental health service... those are complicated and will take work over time. What we can do quickly we should just do: ban assault weapons, background check everyone, eliminate big clips. We need a cultural paradigm shift... we need intelligent, logical arguments in front of TV cameras.
Nobody wants to talk about how those kids were REALLY killed.
They were killed with dum-dum (hollow point) bullets, banned in warfare since 1899. PERFECTLY legal to use on domestic school kids, though.
Can't we at least talk about banning them?
http://wp.me/p5dEo-4V7
RE: School shooting in Sandy Hook
I just recently read this: "We must reject the idea that everytime a law is broken society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time the American precept that each individual is responsable for his own actions" RONALD REAGAN.
My question to this is; When the offender kills him or herself in the process of commiting a serious crime against society is it...
not the responsibilty of society to affect the laws so that the criminal faces the responsibilty of his actions denying him or her an easy out?
The effect would be, making it difficult to impossible for those with prior criminal records i.e. manslaughter, crimanl neglect, negligent homicide etc... or those that have mental issues i.e. split personality disorder, severe paranoid delusions etc... to obtain the means by which to commit such acts.
The 2nd amendment states that we have the right to bear arms (paraphrased). However in todays world was SCOTUS correct in the decision of District of Columbia v Heller? And even though SCOTUS left the provision that "the United States Constitution would not disallow regulations prohibiting criminals and the mentally ill from firearm possession"; have we gone far enough?
Not that the goal would be Utopia; but isn't our society responsible for protectng innocence?
Yes we are responsible for protecting innocence. How about instead of attacking an inanimate object you start attacking society for not helping people out with mental problems. How about we actually fund things that help people with disorders instead of taking way funding from things like this. Though most people only want to medicate the symptom and do not care what is causing issues.
I am a father and I had a hard time trying to explain to my child what had happen and why it happened. I hope that some of our elected officials will now start working for us instead of the NRA. There needs to be more done to stop this kind of violence against our children and neighborhoods. We need more done to protect our children and increase security in our schools.
The laws we have in place are inadequate and we need more checks in place to stop people like who caused this tragedy to get a hold of a gun and ammo. We need more security in our schools besides locked doors to prevent people from coming into the schools.
Our politicians work for the highest bidder. How shall we outbid them?
So these families don't have the right to have their kids all because the NRA wants the right to have their guns.
If you ask me, that's a pretty bad trade-off.
It is obvious that Kerry should not accept the Secretary of State position and remain as Senator as it is the right thing to do.
First to have Kerry literally appointed by McCain, et al., so that McCain can take Kerry's seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is abomination. McCain's ancestral heritage of irrational supporting wars, and begging bomb attacks and of constantly advocating military positions that are destructive to keeping peace, if not bankrupting the Country.
Second to have Scott Brown reenter the race for Senate enables the Republicans to slap Obama in the face for as long as possible, by keeping the Election highly visible across the nation. The mishandling of the first Senate race allowing Scott Brown's election allowed constant whip against the President, such a repeat would not have to win the race to become the constant distraction.
Third the amount money spent by wealth campaign donors is nearly criminal, and the voters in the state are early exhausted with frustration. The state's democratic apparatus is nearly enfeebled, spread too thin from years of entrenched power, most primaries and elections are in fact unopposed.
Fourth Scott Brown, has solid, if belligerent supporters who are incapable coming to the conclusion that 18th century economics belong in the 18th century, missing entirely from their knowledge base the fact that the most farmers started leaving the state 200 years ago. Yet subscribe to the belief that their private wealth is significant comparable to the vast majority of the wealth held by global enterprises that are only shallowly represented by American Ownership. The amazing brown shirts will support Oil Barons, Tycoons and foreign Moguls, while having their Chinese's made clothing, ill tailored as it is, come apart at the seams. The Chinese apparently have figured that if American clothes fitted a bowling ball, then Chris Christies North Face mountain sized personality, would become a big embarrassment as the poor stitching unravels.
Fifth Massachusetts politicians, are like Kerry in one special sense, they are invisible, Kerry has kept such a low profile, that you would forget that the state had a Senator. Then to bring up Dukakis, remember that that his strength is in the size of his signature on state documents when he was a governor, how long ago? Then again how is any invisible man going make good run against the Inevitable Scotty Brown.
Sixth it would right smart of Democrats not to be embarrassed, by an unneeded race now, by the prolonged exposure of Obamas flank to the obvious prevarications of the McCain like Republicans instigators. This combined with the, likely, lame compromise of "One million + Debt Limit to Go" would be award McCain some sort of victory leading to years more of government, fiscal and business stalemate. McCain will spend all he has to gain a negative future - "He wins by making everyone else lose".
If you think any of this is unfair, remember that unfair as new definition, as we remember the Newtown Children.
where was Feinstein when this happened?
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-18/news/ct-met-girl-shot-dead-0318-20120318_1_drive-by-shooting-chicago-police-police-officer
no outrage for a 6 y/o inner city girl?