the Big Mattress - Freeform Interactive Radio on the Net

Is there any truth to the rumor that this boy was on Prozac for his depression?

So this means we need to ban guns right? May I remind people that he stole the guns from his grandfather who was a police officer. Police in New York were charged with mob hits. If only the police are allowed to have guns, we'll be in Nazi Germany people.

Funny how Masschusetts has severe antigun laws, while Maine has basically no gun laws, and there is no crime here in Maine... the story is the same all over America: Of the 39 "shall issue" concealed carry weapons permit states, the Crime rate is 60% lower than states that do not have "shall issue" CCW permits. Criminals dont care about LAWS, THATS WHY THEY ARE CALLED CRIMINALS!!! Its common sense, look at NYC, DC, Cali, Mass, NJ, etc., EVERY SINGLE State with antigun laws has serious crime issues, compared to pro-gun states where there is hardly any crime. I know this from personal experience, I moved from an antigun police state (Massachusetts) to a pro-gun State (Maine) in 2000, and it was the best thing I have ever done. In Maine one can go to any gun shop on their 18th birthday and buy a semi-auto AK-47, M-16(AR-15), Uzi, or any other rifle that the antigun liberals like to call "assault weapons" with NO PERMIT, NO WAITING PERIOD, done in 5 minutes or less. WHY IS IT THEN, that there is hardly any crime here, especially gun crimes and murders???? It should be the wild west right? While just over the border in mass, its almost impossible to own defense firearms, and there is such a huge crime problem, such as the murder rate rising almost 70%? England banned all civilian ownership of firearms, and the crime rate skyrocketed, AND ITS AN ISLAND!!

The lesson is: CRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS GET GUNS. Criminals in Maine know that over 50% of Maine households have at least one firearm, that's why they don't break into houses and feel free to commit crimes like they do in Massachusetts and other anti gun areas.

I'm sorry that poor kids parents aren't responsible gun owners (again the guns were stolen from a police officer, and only cops should have guns???) But antigun liberals need to realize it isn't the gun that's the problem, its the person.

::getting off soapbox::

I didn't read anything posted by Charles about gun control. I think he was addressing the heinous nature of this guy's twisted mind. Evan, you should just chill out and stop being so defensive about gun rights when innocent school kids are being massacred.

Evan's on a right wing rage rampage. Be kind...He cannot help himself. He saw the writing on the wall and he was just pre-empting the upcoming "liberal commie" anti-gun barrage. 'Course these guys have all the blah blah NRA "facts and figures" on why guns are wonderful, but they never explain why the murder rates and homicides are incredibly lower in countries that don't allow guns..

"Of course we all need guns now, stupid!"
It's because the gun nuts have turned our country into a fucking wild west side-show; and now we all NEED guns, to protect ourselves from those morons, idiots and psychopaths that you allowed to get the millions of guns you've been putting out there for the last 50 years."

"but they never explain why the murder rates and homicides are incredibly lower in countries that don't allow guns"

Hmmmm, let's take a look at a few things...

North Korea...
The chances of being shot by any other subject or criminal is very low. However, violent crime is still very high. Cannibalism, murder/robbery, government executions, etc. are VERY common; not a very fun place to live to say the least.

Brazil...
Recently, most firearms have been banned while some types are just highly restricted. Violent crime is on the rise. Firearms, still being obtainable due to something called the black market. The cocaine cartels and law enforcment/gov./ officials holding hands isn't helping the populace one bit. The situation in Brazil isn't far off from the state many countries in that region currently find/have found themselves in.

England...
After outlawing their subjects the common right to self-defense and firearms - murder/robbery are on the rise.

Nazi Germany...
Let's never forgot what Hitler did after disarming the population.
------------------------
Blaming an act that an individual committed on a tool/object is ridiculous - talk about steering the blame exactly where it doesn't belong.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall NOT be infringed. The 2nd is there for a reason.

If you don't love it - leave it. I'm sure you'll fit in nicely in any of the above listed police states.

shit- here we go again. The "same ol' same ol'" stupid arguments between the NRA Cowboys and the Indian peacemakers.
Shut up all of you, and go take your kids to a ballgame or something.

not surprising no one can talk about the issues. typical liberal PC "argument"

Evan: you should've read this (http://www.jhsph.edu/gunpolicy/myths.pdf) before you made your first post.

Oh, I forgot to add: Massachusetts has the lowest gun injury rate in the nation (http://webappa.cdc.gov/cdc_mxt3/dataView.asp?POI_SELECT=1989-1998&STATE_CAUSE_SELECT=FARM9698_AGEADJ&COLOR_SELECT=Red,%20Blue,%20Gray,%20White%20(4%20colors)&sourcePage=/cdc_mxt3/NationByState.asp&mapState=3420,-95.8865999887645,34.4056999586157,False,False,False,False,False,False,True,False,True,False), and some of the toughest gun laws (not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship if you read the previous Johns Hopkins link).

By the way, Maine ranked 14th ....

Folks, there are children behind these guns in the schools. Kids who have grown up surrounded by violence in one form or another. I've worked with a lot of these kinds of children, they are all in pain and they all need someone with whom they can connect. They appear "normal" to a lot of people. The ones who act-out are easier to recognize than the ones who keep it all in and try to maintain a calm, maybe detatched, demeanor. Some of the latter cut themselves, they say it feels good, it releases their pain. The point is that eventually they take it out on someone else or they take it out on themselves.

Often these kids are very bright but not doing well in school. Sometimes they are getting great grades and doing all the "right" things but are still under huge amounts of pressure. The commonality is that they are all children full of hopes, fears, and confusions.

Throw a lifelong dose of violent images into their immature brains (blurring fantasy and reality) along with the knowledge that liars, cheats, mean people and manipulators often rise to the top of government and industry or maybe the local gang or social clique, toss in easy access to guns and all the solutions seem easy. Just like on TV and in the movies.

These kids need us to help make life okay for them. They need us to intrude into their lives in a caring and nurturing way, we need to show them that we care about their future and we need to guide them toward positive expressions of their talents and skills. We also need to help them connect with their peers and other supportive adults.

We seem to have sunk into a culture of dominance in our country. Scrambling and fighting to the top of the pile, for what purpose? Attacking people with different points of view, name calling, put-downs, shutting out whole classes of people...it's time for a paradigm shift.

By the way, I'll go full-on head-on with anyone about gun issues (grew up with them, won a few awards with them), but this kid was getting pushed aside (again).

Off the soapbox.

Another cost from these laws comes from the possibility
of an “arms race” between criminals and law-abiding citizens. Previous research suggests
that this is a plausible concern. Currently, a full 75% of robbers do not use guns to commit
their crimes.5 If more potential victims start carrying handguns, those robbers who continue
to perpetrate street muggings may be more likely to use guns to commit their crimes. When
they do, these robbers may be more likely to shoot first and ask questions later

wow that's a really scientific report...

"another cost is the possibility that aliens will start arming criminals for their evil plans to take over the country and these criminals will then use these super-weapons to shoot first and ask questions later, and say things like "go ahead, make my day." Another possibility is..."

blah blah, why dont you show the CRIME RATES for both states?

DCB, gun injury isn't crime, tap-dancer.

For real stats, not that biased hippie spew, try REAL sources like the DOJ.GOV, BATFE.GOV, CDC.GOV, etc.;

You anti-freedom/gun/america types disgust me.

Where is the LOVE, people?

(Can't we all just hop along?)

Yea, so in some countries they don't have guns. Amazing they do a study on how many people are killed by guns. How many people are stabbed, strangled and killed in other ways? Guns aren't the only form of killing yet it seems to be the most widely studied. If strangling becomes an epidemic, what will we do, cut off everyone's hands? Deal with the mentality, not a weapon that is not dangerous until someone picks it up and uses it.

Almond Joy,
Maybe the people are different in those countries, BESIDES, the fact that they have banned guns. Maybe they are more homogenous, the socio-economic strata more equitable, less violent..historically...

Tommy gets it.

Heidi you rule, and im sure you are very attractive physically in addition the allure of your intelligence. Especially regarding gun control.

elp: thanks for talking about the real issue.
everyone else: this story is about the KIDS.
almond joy: "can't we all just hop along?" guffaw.