Troubled ‘From Day One’

Thank you LibertyorDeath! It's about time someone with a brain spoke up!
Putting a ban on guns only prevents law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves... A ban on firearms doesn't stop some thug from waltzing into my house with a sawed-off shotgun... All of you who are against owning guns, if that baseball bat or can of bear-spray by your bed helps you sleep at night, that's fine with me... I prefer to be armed, thank you very much...

THANK YOU, LIBERTYORDEATH!!!
IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN SPOKE UP... BANNING GUNS ONLY PREVENTS US FROM PROTECTING OURSELVES... A BAN ON FIREARMS DOESN'T STOP SOME THUG FROM WALTZING INTO MY HOUSE WITH A SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN... ALL OF YOU WHO ARE AGAINST OWNING GUNS, FINE WITH ME IF THAT BASEBALL BAT OR BEAR SPRAY BY YOUR BED HELPS YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT... I PREFER TO BE ARMED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Cleveland School teachers, like most other urban school teachers, spend most of their time on non classroom issues. The administration has no clue as to what goes on in the schools. Burnout rate is incredibly high for good reason. A 40 minute period with 45 students in the class after taking attendance what time is left to teach.

If it isso easy to get guns in that area put the military police on our streets in the troubled area's. You are going to always fail if you do not have disipline and order. We need our military home patroling instead over in Iraq. Saddam is out now let the country run itself. We need the patrols on our streets to stop the shooting the drugs NOW NOW NOW

I live in a state where ligitimate citizens are allowed to own guns. Obviously the trauma surgeon believes that people will become peaceful if they do not have access to guns. Pretty obvious that the surgeon comes from the trauma unit where he sees the disproportionate use of firearms to inflict injury on his patients. He probably does not see cars and other blunt force trauma as being lethal though they are so. About 2 years ago my husband, former Marine went to the garage at our property in Tucson and saved a man's life by doing so. The victim was being slowly slaughtered by members of the MS-13 a very violent gang oten made up of illegal aliens, my husband upon coming on the naked bleeding man with fingers recently hacked off and a large depressed skull fx started screaming and threatening everyone victim and perpetrators with death. The 6 men who had been trying to find the open desert on this very dark night, unable to find the path to the open areas south of Tucson, decided that our house was unoccupied and started on the victim. We never did find the fingers, the EMS was dispatched after the threat of death was issued, the victim survived and the perps were caught. My husband did not have a gun that night, but the threat specified that he did and because legit homeowners are able to shot to kill if a serious felony involving personal harm or a victim is being committed, the gang armed only with knives ran away. In other East Coast states, where the MS-13 are assured by the state laws against self defense, they would not have believed that a homeowner could have a gun and my husband would probably be dead as would the victim. I feel sorry for people who STILL BELIEVE THAT GUNS GO OFF ALL BY THEMSELVES. An unarmed citizen is not a citizen, they are pre-victims or sheep for the slaughter.
It is a shame that no-one took the kid away, but CPS all over is often at fault.
I will get off of my soap box now. I work on a Rez, there are very few gun related injuries here, but the inhabitants continue to beat one another with blunt objects such as baseball bats, where in Phoenix, the illegals kill police officers routinely after committing crimes such as jaywalking. There are plenty of dysfunctional families here, but knives and clubs are still the weapon of shoice for adolescents and adults alike. Perhaps the trauma surgeon needs to inspect his culture in OH as much as his own statistics.
tinkercamp

I read as many comments as I could and I see no one seem to notice that the child that committed the shooting had been known to be a troubled child from a dysfunctional home. No one bothered to step in and alleviate the problem. there are non-profit organizations all over the place, social programs or social workers, organiations that are created to help a child in need yet no one at that school, in the boys home or neighborhood bothered to take a minute to see what is this child's problem. But now that his anger has come to a head costing injury and death, everybody has something to say. Rather than chew on the problem like a dog chewing on an old bone, we need to really get down and dirty and find the source of problems especially in this category and work on solutions. The issue shouldn't be about guns and gun control it should be about disturbed children from all enviroments because it has happened with children from different levels of society. We need to quit thinking like it's not my business therefore it's not my problem. Anything could turn out to be your problem when there's a possibility that it could happen to you too. Only a fool will think, "that could never happen to me." I bet half the people buried in cemetarys right now should have those words engraved on their tombstone.

First off it is a complete misrepresentation of fact to say that guns are more often used for violent pruposes. In actuality it is more like a 10 to 1 ratio that guns are used for constructive purposes. Anyone who blindly states that is is terrifyingly easy to get a gun has obviously never tried. Goto a local gun store and ask to look at a gun. They will not even blink until you show them your FOID card and drivers license. Then you still have the background check and the wait period. And there is no "gun-show loophole", it is just as hard to acquire guns there as it is anywhere else. It is not easy to LEGALLY pruchase a gun. However it is very easy to illegal purchase a gun. So how would you stop that? It is already illegal for them to sell guns and yet they still do it. Drugs are completely illegal, yet they are more readily available and prevalent than ever. If a ban on drugs didn't work then how will a ban on guns be successful? It won't. Almost 3000 more children die from car accidents than from guns. How come there is no outrage against that? You could take public transportation or bike or walk and that would save thousands. And yet we do nothing but get bigger and faster cars. Before people open their mouths and spout their unfounded, inaccurate opinions as fact they should be quiet, think for themselves, and actually research the problem. Do not take the media at face value since they only show a small fraction of the story, and they must sensationalize it to grab headlines. Think for yourself or sit down.

It's interesting how whenever some messed up person goes into a school and shoots their classmates, all the Christians rush to say "I told you so." Except for that whole thing in the Constitution about the government not establishing a religion, and the whole religious freedom thing, forcing kids to believe in God against their will seems like a pretty good idea. Here's the thing: A 2005 survey published in Encyclop??dia Britannica found that the non-religious make up about 11.9% of the world's population, and atheists about 2.3%. Atheists are a very small part of the world, and to imply that they are the cause of violence in schools is ridiculous. It's as if you're implying that unless someone believes in God, they are morally reprehensible, and have no idea of right and wrong whatsoever. That's not an atheist; that's a sociopath. Rather than restricting free will and forcing a religion on students, the schools should present the basic tenets of a variety of faiths, and let the students pick for themselves. It would be a compromise between those that want religion in schools and those that want it out; it respects rights without leaving anyone in the dark. The school system has a tough job, and incidents like this are few and far between, but they're so heavily reported on that it looks like an everyday occurence. It is the parents responsibility to build a child's moral identity, to teach responsibility and compassion, and if the parent cannot, it's up to the government to find somone who can.

It is absolutely necessary and vital that we review our right to bare arms. How many times does someone get injured by gun use outside of self defense? TOO MANY! There are more cases of innocent people and children hurt by guns than someone using a gun in self-defense. It's terrifying how easy it is to get a hold of guns. It is NOT the child's fault. We can't just blame the parent if the parent has tried to help the child or if the parent is in a low-income, povery stricken situation. Many times there isn't a lot of help available for these people. The GUNS need to be taken off the street!

Does missmanners84 have children? From the sounds of it, it don't think so. I have one child who was raised in a good, loving home. No matter what u do for that child they can still get into trouble. I went thru the whole counseling, punishments, etc. but it made no difference during the teen years. I can only thank god thats he's grown to a responsible young adult.

I think for to call that CHILD a coward makes your statement about the problem being "the parents" null and void. He was a child. Plain and simple. Saying his mother should be punished is right, but to place a hateful name on a child is WRONG!

Those of you who believe not having religion in schools is the problem need to take your blinders off. I too am a christian but i feel it is the families responsibility to teach religion and the schools to to teach readin, writing, arithmatic etc. . It is also the schools responsibility to protect the children in their school. In this case they did not do their job. They were aware of what this kid was going through but did nothing to protect him. A also am still a true believer in my previous posting. The government has taken discipline so far out of parents hands as well. When I was a kid I got smacked when I deserved it. I turned out just fine. There needs to be a law forcing the school to report these troubled kids so they can get help...........OH THATS RIGHT THERE IS!!! I do not totally blame the school. The family and school need to work hand in hand to help these kids, and depending on the religion of the kid the church. mosque, tabernacle should help as well. NOT ALL AMERICANS ARE CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I firmly believe that the problem America is having with youths and gun violence, is NOT about the guns. It is about the parents. Where are they? Why do they not know their child has possession of a firearm? What parent buys their child a firearm? If all these teachers knew he was troubled his mother must of known as well, for her to not have sought out treatment for her son is ridiculous. She should be punished, since her son was a coward and committed suicide. Parents need to start talking to their children, going through their rooms and acting as adults not as their childs friend. For any parent to buy any child a gun that is not intended to be used for hunting is ludacris. When parents do buy their children guns for hunting they should be placed in a locked cabinet where only the parent has and knows where the key is. The school shootings are getting out of hand because today's parents have become lazy, overworked, and selfish. They need to first and foremost know what is going on in their childrens minds. If your child is depressed or not acting properly they need help. Parents start noticing the signs and get to know your children. Know what is normal for your child and what is not. Also stop buying them firearms and start randomly searching their rooms. When you had a child, your also gained the responsibility of a human life, now take that responsibility and raise wonderful teenagers and caring adults! Your the only one who can, no one is going to do it for you.

I grew up in cleveland public schools district and back in the late 70' and early 80's we never had any of the problems that they are having in school now the most we had was someone bought a knife to school an once the word got out that student was suspended right away not to return . The Cleveland Schools did not have half the problems that it has now back then it was drop outs not GUNS .POSTED BY lynnettehollins@cableone.net

Leave religion in the churches, synagogues and mosques. As for weapons easily available, if you own a gun, LOCK IT UP, 75% of guns traded on the streets are stolen and/or sold by family members that are involved wtih narcotics and criminal behavior. Face facts, if people were instilled with self respect from childhood they wouldn't so easily fall in line with others inclined to have them commit crimes and acts of violence all in the name of acceptance. This particular kid took it upon himself to relieve his anger in the only way he knew how, violence and rejection. We as a nation need to expand spending on our mental health systems and as for our criminals, lock them up and keep them locked up. Probation and other such programs only overload the system with repeat customers.

Leave religion in the churches, synagogues and mosques. As for weapons easily available, if you own a gun, LOCK IT UP, 75% of guns traded on the streets are stolen and/or sold by family members that are involved wtih narcotics and criminal behavior. Face facts, if people were instilled with self respect from childhood they wouldn't so easily fall in line with others inclined to have them commit crimes and acts of violence all in the name of acceptance. This particular kid took it upon himself to relieve his anger in the only way he knew how, violence and rejection. We as a nation need to expand spending on our mental health systems and as for our criminals, lock them up and keep them locked up. Probation and other such programs only overload the system with repeat customers.

I am a devout Christian. I believe in God with my whole being. I'm not sure that bringing God back into the schools is the answer. Having God in school isn't going to stop students from shooting themselves. I believe that it starts in the home. That's where we learn things like anger and morality. We learn from our parents what we get angry about and how to use that anger. If we want to change this, we need to have a system that will address it. A system where the kids are cared about and not treated like a number. A mentoring system where they can learn how to channel this anger and learn a better form of right and wrong. Obviously the parents in this situation didn't teach him the right stuff. We need to stop judging and start coming up with solutions to help. Anyone can see this is a problem, not everyone has the answer.

It sounds like this kid never had a chance. HIs home life was competely dysfunctional with a mother who couldn't or wouldn't cope for whatever reason. You do what you know. If all you know is violelnce that's what you'll do. It would have taken more than a village to save this boy. He was a throw away and he probably knew it somewhere in his mind His mother certainly didn't care about him. His brother was already lost.
There are people having children who have no business having a pet much less a child. And this mother is probably one of them. It's all a vicious cycle. It starts at home.

I do agree that we need to open our minds to religious thoughts and actions. I do not believe, however, that we should bring religion into schools because that would cause riot after riot between the schools and religious communities around the school. The students and their families all have different religious affiliations which will cause a huge argument which is unneeded. What the community itself, as a whole, needs to support parents teaching their kids right from wrong and helping them to understand moral issues.