Muscatine

choose once again you have

shown your compassion. This young man was not an idiot. He was mentally disturbed. Mental illness can strike anyone, anytime, anyplace. He didnt go out that moment and buy a gun. I am not sure where it cfame from, but you know it is not possible fo someone to go out on the spur of the moment and buy a gun without jumping thru some hoops. Keep this discussion honest.

I just broke one of my rules....I fed a troll.

Herman

Gun?

I believe that the original news release said that the gun came from his ''step fathers''' collection. I'm sorry, but, I believe that, that's as much a part of the problem as is anything today. NOBODY grows up with a biological mother and father anymore, shucks, hardly anybody grows up with any father figure anymore. I think that most of these problems we can put the blame at the grass roots level. I can see it in my OWN ''step'' family. Just something to ponder.

You got that one right Tom!

I think you hit the nail on the head there.
What do you think the ''root cause'' is of the breakdown of the old style family structure. (The one where all of us gun owning boys never thought about going out and massacreing a bunch of people) Was there one cause? A tipping point? A combination or progression of causes?
I believe any sane individual knows in their hearts, and can trace, the causes of this - but today you can't be politically correct and truly discuss it.

Somewhat

Yes in some ways I do put some blame on the media. When something like this happens they go on and on about it and many times it is for days, weeks and in some cases even years later we hear about it. Yes they need to tell the news but not to the point where it seems they are putting these people in the limelight. How many of them have said in thier ''suicide notes '' that now they will be famous. Don't let that happen.

As for the gun, it was stated that he got it from a family member. When are people who have guns gonna store them correctly where they can not be just picked up and taken by anyone who wants to use them?

I do believe this boy had lots of problems and it sounds like he had a very unhappy childhood, with his family splitting up, having step parents etc. In our society today so many kids are not in a loving , caring home, and too often they are raised by only one parent or sometimes by themselves. No wander they often feel the way they do. This one threatened to kill his step mom, why wasn't something done then and some help gotten for him ? I feel as tho many people let this one fall thru the cracks and this is the result.

This is just my opinion but that is the way I feel.