Why?
I wanted to take a moment to put down my thoughts about the tragedy at Sandy Hook. There have been many people that have said, "It was an act of evil that coul dnot be stopped." I disagree with this thought. I made a facebook status recently that said, "I don't believe in evil. I believe in mental illness."
Clearly the shooter was not in his right mind. Clearly he was also facing a life he didn't think he could handle. He wanted to commit suicide, but he knew that if he simply killed himself, that no one would notice. He wanted to yell for all to hear, "I existed!" Unfortunately, he chose the most horrible thing imaginable in order to do that.
When I say that something could have been done, I'm not talking about any specific law or mental health program. I have heard reports that he was receiving treatment for his condition. However, there had to be a warning sign somewhere. If he was receiving treatment, perhaps it was started too late, perhaps the mental health professionals did not realize the gravity of the situation. It's not a snap decision to kill your mother, then take three guns down to a nearby school and start shooting kids. It was something he had put at least some planning into.
Clearly the shooter was not in his right mind. Clearly he was also facing a life he didn't think he could handle. He wanted to commit suicide, but he knew that if he simply killed himself, that no one would notice. He wanted to yell for all to hear, "I existed!" Unfortunately, he chose the most horrible thing imaginable in order to do that.
When I say that something could have been done, I'm not talking about any specific law or mental health program. I have heard reports that he was receiving treatment for his condition. However, there had to be a warning sign somewhere. If he was receiving treatment, perhaps it was started too late, perhaps the mental health professionals did not realize the gravity of the situation. It's not a snap decision to kill your mother, then take three guns down to a nearby school and start shooting kids. It was something he had put at least some planning into.