Yes, absolutely irresponsible, the first outlet to report it should be held accountable; the followers also, to an extent—though at least they had one source that they might have thought was reliable. Guess nobody will make that mistake again.

The good old days...that was real journalism. I miss it.

The shooter was carrying his brother's id. Law enforcement relayed the information to the press. It has since been corrected. There's no going back to a mythical era when reporters got everything perfectly right.

Reporters reported on what POLICE said was correct information. Don't blame the media, folks!

absolutely irresponsible for the press to run out and name the wrong man. My sympathies to all affected. This is so sad.

So True!!!

They did?

BBC in the UK kept saying Ryan's name as well despite the fact that it wasn't official. The media should only ever listen to those authorized to talk to them. Last night that was the Governors assistant, the State Police Lieutenant in charge of the operation and the Governor himself. All other sources, police or otherwise were unauthorized to talk about the situation.. The Lieutenant even stated in multiple press releases he didn't have a name yet..

sooooo true.....how dare they report something about that poor innocent guy before they got their facts together....when I saw that on tv...I said out loud stupid reporters saying that JUST TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!!!.....never mind possibly ruining this guy's name and reputation!!!....if I were him I'd sue their company!!!...for slander....and besides that....the way the whole family had to find out about this is a tragedy in itself....they were probably shook up as much as the rest of us and STILL had to process what was going on and their own loss...wow...it's time reporters be held accountable for ruining people's lives with the misinformation they give just to justify 'a story'!!!...my prayers are with all those near to this situation....thanks for posting

Sally G.. Yes...
2 guns and one more in vehicle..plus he came equipped with bullet proof vest.

yep- used to happen - furthermore, I m so sick of the news media, paticularly tv ,plastering the faces of people in shock, of people who are in tremendous grief and pain, with a background of sorrowful music, on tv screens, and then some ignorant, stupid reporter shoving a microphone under the noses of these people and asking them how they feel.. These stations makes a circus out of tragedy.They disgust me.

If society wasn't so hungry for information, things like this wouldn't happen. If they'd wait patiently for accurate information they'd get it. Don't blame media, blame nosy Americans.

It's just another sign of the times with the news media. They go for the worst in people like gossip first. This poor man. He lost his sick brother and his mother.

Typical for the media of today - don't report the news, create the news!

Its not the first time the media rushed into a story without verifying information. complete idiots to me.

Anyone owning a gun in this country is a "potential" murderer. When the 2nd amendment is more important than children's lives this country needs to be burnt to the ground. We are pathetic. No one can be trusted with a gun in these times, in this country. Anyone who thinks they are a responsible gun owner is just plain naive. If I was President of the United States I'd take a flame thrower to this God forsaken country.

The media should be ashamed of releasing the wrong name, without proper verification. They will do anything to add to their story, including misrepresent details.

Exactly! if they didn't stay on air for hours yesterday, reporting every bit of wrong info coming in this wouldn't have happened. I didn't see one reason why they needed to stay on air for hours like that yesterday.

True journalists are as common as craftsmen furniture makers or artist glass blowers.

Bobby Cherry
6:56 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Reporters reported on what POLICE said was correct information. Don't blame the media, folks!

Give me a break...that information came from "sources who insisted on remaining anonymous BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO SPEAK TO THE MEDIA"

The media are a bunch of vultures who only care about generating headlines...maybe if they weren't in a race to be the first to break the news and took information from unreliable sources, they wouldn't have made this HUGE mistake

Rod Gibbons, you're a guy who would take a flamethrower to the country if you had the chance. It's easy to see why you think there are no responsible weapon owners. You clearly wouldn't be one.

Would you like him to sue the police as well? Why stop the vindictiveness at the press?

No, the suit suggestion was only half-serious anyway; I was just grasping at something to get the media to focus on accuracy before speed—especially important in our current instant-access Internet world. I should know by now that MSM is all about sensationalism and scoops.

Well nancy would you like your name slandered by being labeled a child killer, just out of curiousity? Media should not rush and type things till they have all facts straight.

Tamarya, "just out of curiosity", do you expect an answer to that ridiculously loaded question?

If the media wasn't under so much pressure to be the first, the best, the one who has all the information they might not have bad information. You can't place the blame squarely on their shoulders; where do you think they get their information from? First responders. So why not sue the entire place? You are part of America's problem...

It is almost impossible to prevail in a suit versus "the media" for this type of screw up, unless they published it knowing it was false, and did so with "malice".

I agree with you Brett.
It was not the press that released the name and it does not matter who did!
ANY name that could possibly be associated with this/any horrific crime should be released straight away so ALL possible victims can be notified and stop further violence.
Ryan will NEVER be harmed by being accussed of this! NO ONE WILL BLAME HIM!
He will be a victim of his brothers actions very similar to the actual victims.

AMEN, To your comment Brett Bickley

I agree Brett.. And Twitter and Facebook don't help because ANYONE can put up "info" and it's automatically considered "official" because it was on the internet.

But the bottom line.. I think there is a bigger problem than unreliable reporting in our face that needs more attention right now.

Brett, you are not alone in this sentiment. The internet is a great invention, but we may just have unleashed the ultimate uncontrollable beast.

well at least people's ignorance and nastiness is out in the open where attention can be drawn to it - before the internet, it was still there but most didn't recognize the extent of it --perhaps more will be appalled and wake up to how ugly it all is

dido

Sally G. you are ignorant, oh by the way, it is MSN NOT MSM. It would be Fox "news" that sensationalizes and LIES. Let's pray for the lost children and adults who were murdered and pray for their families and friends instead of criticizing the "media".

Judy, actually MSM is correct - Main Stream Media

And yes Brett, I wonder the same

Agreed!

I agree with you and wonder the same thing. Unfortunately, I am sure he did not get the weapons legally. I am wondering why a developmentally challenged young man was out and about on his own?

Anyone can buy a gun at a gun show.

@ledis gazic, the horrific act aside, let's not make the focus about neurodiversity. This young man was an adult, and most likely his own legal guardian (and even if not, he still has rights), which is why he "was out and about on his own." Also, the guns belonged to his mother.

They belonged to his mother

According to the press (and of course this info could be wrong), five guns registered by the mother were found in the house. Why would she do that? He was described as having a mental disability. This tragedy has had me in tears all day and I'm not even a parent! So senseless!

The guns belonged to his mother. This is the first place I have seen a report of Adam possibly having Ryan’s ID—is there a source for that? What I heard is that Ryan had not been in touch with Adam for a long period, perhaps years. That does not indicate a situation in which Adam would have had Ryan’s ID.

The shooter's mother ( akindergarten teacher at the school) had 5 guns registered to her. If the brother, who described his brother as developmentally disturbed, why didn't his mother a teacher keep those guns from him? Why would you have 5 guns in the house with a child like that in the house?

Because we live in America. A country who doesn't seem to think we need any gun reform. They're more worried about trampling the right to have their weapons than they are our right not to be killed by them.

where was GOD ? oh thats right we kicked him out of our schools I THINK I WOULD REPENT AND ASK FOR HIM BACK. THE ONLY THING THAT WILL SAVE AMERICA IS A RETURN TO GOD . I BET THERES PRAYER IN THAT SCHOOL TODAY.

Exactly right.

BBC in the UK kept saying Ryan's name as well despite the fact that it wasn't official. The media should only ever listen to those authorized to talk to them. Last night that was the Governors assistant, the State Police Lieutenant in charge of the operation and the Governor himself. All other sources, police or otherwise were unauthorized to talk about the situation.. The Lieutenant even stated in multiple press releases he didn't have a name yet..

Ya know Bob Cherry boy, the guy had his brothers ID on him they are saying, don't blame the cops, they have been great through this ordeal, lets see how well you do walking into a situation with 20 dead kids in front of you, lets see if you're Johnny perfect. Grow up dude.

Quite frankly, in my 68 years, I've discovered that you can never rely on the press or hystarical people to report anything correctly. It will take days or weeks to learn what really happened here. I read that a reporter responded to the fathers residence to inform him of what happened! A reporter, interfereing with a police investigation. that being true, they should lock his inept self up. But again, we do not know if that is true.

Your right Bobby Cherry. People shoot out their mouths and starting blaming before listening and then when everything is in, comment. That's why there is so much confusion, people do not have the facts and just say stupidities.

Read the 4th paragraph. CBS news this evening also said he had a personality disorder. Could have both.

Regardless, he was freakin' nuts!

Yeah, but mentally unstable or personality disorder is VERY different from developmentally impaired. Was he learning disabled? That is the implication in this article.

Nora, what is your point? Do you need the correct diagnosis to hold him accountable? It is possible he had a developmental disability and psychiatric issues. Bottom line, he walked into a school and shot 20 innocent children and 6 innocent adults dead! Do you think they or their families care what his actual condition was?

I was simply pointing out that those are two totally different issues, and this is the only news outlet that had described the shooter as having developmental disabilities as opposed to mental illness. I was simply wondering about the accuracy of the details. Like most people, I am wondering what could drive a man to commit such atrocities. Clearly the families of the victims are not quibbling about such matters at the moment - I don't believe I implied otherwise.

Take the diagnosis of dyslexic, makes you learning disabled. So Einstein was learning disabled.

You can have disability and many people wouldn't know.

If you meet me on the street you would not know that I'm learning disabled and visually impaired.

Nora your question was spot on , the two issues are very different. I suggest the Doctors that don't get your point try googling the 2 issues and educate them selves. When I read the article I asked myself the same thing.

I heard just the opposite; and yes, Tina, I heard CBS speculate that he MIGHT have had a personality disorder. We need to just wait and see.

Just a label someone stuck on him for some reason. No one knows if he was/is "developmentally disabled" Retarded perhaps, but again, who knows. Not disabled enough to not understand that you do not go to a school and kill your mother and innocent children.

Does it really matter?

Some news sites said he has autism

Don't believe or repeat everything you hear or read in the media. Words are thrown about by people who do not know the meaning of the words they are using. To wit; developmentally disabled, mentally impaired. Automatic assault weapons. All of these are used for dramatic effect by the press. None of the guns used was an automatic weapon. Listen to the news with a large box of salt next to you.

Again, this news was reported with information from a police source.
In your alarmist scenario you neglect the fact that with every check on the innocent man's name, a story like this will appear, titled "Wrongly Named...".

BBC in the UK kept saying Ryan's name as well despite the fact that it wasn't official. The media should only ever listen to those authorized to talk to them. Last night that was the Governors assistant, the State Police Lieutenant in charge of the operation and the Governor himself. All other sources, police or otherwise were unauthorized to talk about the situation.. The Lieutenant even stated in multiple press releases he didn't have a name yet..

Actually, I was surprised at how well-handled the kids’ interviews were; thought the reporters did a good job of keeping it at a not-too-threatening level for kids who had to have been traumatized, asked basically clarifying questions. The kids I heard talking were pretty articulate, even if not fully informed. I heard one actually defend what he had said to the reporter, not letting the reporter sway his position—pretty self assured; bravo!

Reporters should not even be allowed on the scene of such a horrifyng mess. This is a criminal investigation, and as always, they think they can out investigate the Police, ergo, false or misleading info. Freedom of the Press does not mean freedom to interfere. They are all looking for the "you heard it first here" label. Sad..

Instead of trying to reach for the Pulitzer Prize by naming a suspect, the press (media) could have said 'the police have a name and are investigating'. Too many in the media are busy making news than in reporting news.

Bonnie, agreed that breaking stories often contain inaccuracies; responsible timely correction is indeed crucial—but taking time to check something as important as a possible suspect’s name seems reasonable. (Not sure about the police giving the name out; if true, that was equally irresponsible.)
I am not sure that a simple interview of a child ever was, or still should be, illegal—those kids seemed pretty able to handle themselves, and I thought the reporters were better with them than I would have expected; just shows that adults do understand that kids need to be treated a bit more cautiously than adults. No watch lit, you may allege child abuse, but in my court you would not get a conviction.

Actually the truth is, if a patient is on anti depressants and is monitored by a psychiatrist and a therapist, this doesn't usually happen. The problem is when you have drugs prescribed by an internist and the patients are not monitored by a psychiatrist who will check regularly with the patient. And talk therapy with a qualified therapist is vital, weekly, to get a bead on what the patient is thinking. And drugs work individually and it can take awhile to come up with the right combination. This did not happen overnight. Experts have been saying it was planned and I believe it could've been prevented. Especially if the mother had not had guns in the house where the young man could've had access to them. He might not have come up with the idea. And you are wrong about Andrea Yates. She was NOT on antidepressants. That was the problem. Her husband didn't believe in them and she had postpartum depression that was left untreated where she did not see a therapist and have medication. And as a psychiatrist told me, patients who commit suicide while on medication do so because they have been prescribed by an internist NOT a psychiatrist.

where are all the state hospitals for these "crazy's"....this is the problem....WE ARE LETTING THEM ALL WALK THE STREETS and they are not being taken care of....hence.....shootings!!!!!!! killings!!!! and mass murders!!!!!! The mentally challenged that walk these streets....should be in institutions!!!! BUT we have so few that they are out and about....and then the stress builds up till "they" end up killing massive amounts of people!!!!!! If mental patients are out there....LOCK THEIR ASS'S UP IN INSTITUTIONS.......before they crack and take out 20--30 innocent people at a time!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For crying out loud...if a person does a crime---they go to jail!!! If they are mental......they should go to a mental institution!!!!!!

cc,
the drug issue is real; they are seemingly attempting to medicate any unusual personality. And heaven forfend one is diagnosed—from that moment forth, one is not allowed any display of emotion that is not approved; everything is considered a symptom of disease, and answered with “have you been taking your medication?”, “maybe your medication needs to be adjusted?“
What a society this is becoming!

The ignorance about mental illness and developmental disabilities is tragic as well! These conditions are what makes people kill. Persons that do such things have suffered some sort of trauma in their lives whether it was a single episode or some ongoing trauma or abuse. What happened is horrible but so is all the hate being spread here. Pray for all involved, including the soul of that young man that he will finally be healed and delivered from the evil that held him in bondage!

I totally agree. I have worked in pharmacy for 30 years and have seen many children prescribed stimulants for behavior issues instead of using parental disipline. I agree that there are children who need these drugs, but they should go through major testing before a prescription is written. Also, if people would get back to living by biblical principles, this world would be a better place all around. Just read the ten commmandments if nothing else. I have noticed that everytime there is some type of trajedy, the churches are filled. Don't wait for something bad to happen, let's fill those churches every week, pray for those all around us including our government officials and the decisions they are making for our lives, and see for yourself the possitive changes that would come about. Our world is falling apart and we need to put it back together.

Agree lou, look at the guy that went into the police station begging for help and they called off the ambulance and let him go free then he killed his mother and injured his father.However the mental disorders are getting old for these killings, just between the movie theater and the school almost 40 people will not be spending the holiday with their family and both were pinned to the shooters being mentally ill. Sorry but I have neurological problems plus not all that cheerful and pleasant because of them and would never ever consider plotting a mass shooting. I suffered clinical depression as a teen and could not take the meds because of side effects I suffered and did not murder. I am sure there are tons of mentally and neurologically impaired people that do not kill. What we need is to start punishing and stop excusing this and maybe someone will not want the punishment that follows the crime, and if people outright say they need help or want help, just because they are over 18 DO NOT IGNORE IT.

cc, would you label the shooting by the Empire State Building a few months ago a mass shooting? After all more than four people shot. They were shot by the police but...

Nobody slandered him! Well, his brother did so sue him!

STOP THE CULTURE OF LAW SUITS!!!
Not ONE person meant anyone harm!
THEY DID TRY TO STOP AN A&^HOLE from shooting more innocent people.
If the name was correct and they arrested him WOULD YOU BLAME them NOW???
His brother is in enough torment and does not need anyone to add to it!

By the time they plastered his face on TV there was NOTHING to stop, it was already confirmed that the shooter was dead.

Dear Barbara,
First... I assume you meant to write "madness" and not "maddens.s"
The "outrage" is expressed EVERYWHERE you look!
If I was a betting man... I would bet that you feed feral cats inside and out of your abode.

The question is Barbara, what are you going to do about it. That is one of our country's problem, the people want everyone else to fix the problems. Well guess what you have to get off your but and help fix " it "

Your point is valid about health insurance companies. If they would reimburse adequately for mental health, which is a disease, then more patients could afford expensive treatment and incidents like this wouldn't happen so often.

The main problem with your solution for this is we have no money to put into more law enforcement or anything else. Our country is teetering on broke. It doesn't matter whose fault it is ... it just is.

Actually nonnie, the money that would be spent on mental health and law enforcement would reap many benefits in the long run. You have to look at the big picture. When people who are mentally ill are treated properly, like anyone else who has a disease, then you have more productive and less dangerous people in our society walking the streets, etc. The problem mentioned by another commenter is the way the law works if a patient, who is an adult, doesn't want to take their medication, their is no way to force them to have treatment and take their medications. The laws have to be changed so that people who need to be medicated and treated can be forced to. We need places, not just mental hospitals, for these people to be supervised and where they can live and receive meds as needed.

Are you serious? I have a Down Syndrome cousin and another with schizophrenia - both fully capable of working a gun. The Down Syndrome man helped his mother run a motel and the other cousin has a job and drives a car. There are different degrees of developmental problems and mental conditions.

There is absolutely nothing about being developmentally disabled or about having a personality disorder (a rumored diagnosis) which would have impaired his ability to load and shoot a gun. Clearly he was severely mentally impaired -- probably far in excess of the current diagnoses. The trouble is that our current system offers little in the way of protection from mentally ill people who refuse or do not respond to treatment. Even when a parent fears the violent potential of an adult child, she is often afforded no help by law enforcement or the public mental health system. Even the best insurance policy wouldn't be of much help if he was unwilling to participate.
I am inclined to agree with the writer who suspected that the mom was armed to protect herself from her son.

Army/Navy store? Walmart?

You're right Jack. I have a family member who was suicidal until she was put on drugs because talk therapy alone didn't work. And I have another family member that took narcotics, including heroin, because he was undiagnosed and he was self treating. Most drug addicts have underlying mental illness that is untreated.

Jack u should look into MK ultra...with regard to the Colorado shooting.....but then again our government wld neeevverr partake in such nefariousness....

P.s. there are many other ways to treat mental issues without drugs...one of the side affects of anti psychotic drugs is suicide.....

You are so right. I was watching their coverage tonight. And I am a Democrat!

The stopped-clock rule applies in this instance.

Not true. I watched Fox News Channel 5 and they made the same mistakes.

The network that his facebook image plastered on their screen and in a giant shot on their web page several hours AFTER Ryan was already posting that it's not him? That should raise enough flags that they either (a) have the wrong Ryan Larza or (b) their unofficial source who couldn't confirm it got it wrong...

That could be from the wrong medication. It's not an exact science. I have a relative who's on 3 medications and it took a year to get the combination right and it saved her life. And when we tried to take her off of one of them, she became suicidal and only felt better after we resumed it again.

You are so right mom. And mentioning aging parents, it looks like my mom in Florida has dementia and possibly alzheimer's. My family members are looking into it. And it's becoming a serious problem in this country. Because the care involved, as with those people with mental disorders is expensive and they need round the clock monitoring.

Musique you are right on target. It's a disease and the treatments are not covered properly. There is a huge stigma and people mistakenly believe that it's the patients' fault and that it's easily controlled without any help. It's the way the brain is wired, that's not something you can change with antibiotics and mental diseases are not cured but controlled. And you are right about the families who will never see their children grow up and for the adults' relatives who will never see their loved ones again. But it will also be tough for Ryan because he will always be known as the brother of a killer and he will never get to see his mother again.

Well said Musique!

Thank you, Musique, you are so, so right!

You've got 1000s of schools in this country with 1000s of "sick" and "disturbed" students. How do you propose to fix all this. There isn't enough money in this country to fix every social problem we have. This country with all its laws and all its money and all its social programs is unsalvageable. This country will collapse and burn under its own weight. Only then will we rise from the abyss. Until then more killings like this will occur. I have no solution because there is no solution.

Agree Mary Bell. I have zero guns. I always believed that if I did have one and attempted to use it, the perpetrator would take it away from me and use it on me. I still believe that. They just flat scare me. In the meantime I have two Chihuahuas who raise enough of a racket (and one mean one bites if you look at him cross-eyed) and if that doesn't scare anyway away then I'm toast. But frankly, I'm reconsidering my fear. I mean a class of kindergartners? Four and five year old babies? Moms sent them off to school 10 days before Christmas and probably spent time making Christmas cookies, shopping and wrapping presents while they were 'safe' at school until they got home.

As a mom of 4 (all grown) this makes me weep. My heart breaks for those poor moms and dads who have lost their precious little ones.

Which makes you a potential killer.

I hope you qualify with your gun regulary and clean it as well as have relatively new ammunition or you will be beaten with your own gun.

You're free to mention anything you like, just don't expect agreement. There's nothing "pathetic" about a wide range of ideas.

you can mention any god you wish just don't force it down anyone's throat. You can also pray if it makes you feel good but don't expect prayer to change anything. It won't bring those killed back and it won't console those who lost them.

Karen you are so right about it getting worse because of the economy. People don't understand the long term costs of ignoring the mental health needs of people. Depending on the diagnosis there are people who need long term treatment and drugs, until they are stable, and there is no place for them to go. It's penny wise, pound foolish thinking. God knows what this young man's diagnosis was and if he was receiving treatment. They said today that this brother and father had been estranged from him and hadn't seen him in years. There had to be a reason for that. And the fact that he planned this, including getting the bulletproof vest, means that he was thinking of this for a while and had been sick for a while. This breakdown would have taken time. And the worst part is, now they say his mother didn't have a connection to the school, so why did he choose to go their and shoot those children. It makes it even more senseless than it already is. And the problem is that no matter what his motivation was, it will never make sense to those of us who's thinking is not warped.

It is a tough job to have a mentally ill child. You are right Karen. And it's a helpless feeling when you can't help your child at times feel good about themselves, feel some sense of normalcy and feel that in the end, they will turn out all right. There is also a lot of anger directed at you, as the parent, and it's hard to be strong at times and always do the right thing for them. And there is a lot of fear that your child will never have the life you dreamed they would.

I cannot imagine what Ryan is going through, as tragic in a different way as any of the parents who lost children; he lost both a parent and a brother (from whom he had apparently been somewhat estranged), and to realize that one’s brother killed their mother! wow.

There were enough real victims today, please don't try to hypothesize your way into political, or any other kind of martyrdom.

Sorry, but it was Mike Huckabee who first started politicizing this tragedy by claim pining that if we just had more people forcing their religion on others this wouldn't have happened.

Dear Chopped Liver: get a life. This is beyond politics.

You said it Christine. The main thing we need to do is to figure out to prevent more tragedies so there won't be a next one and that it won't become a commonplace thing.

Freddieboy you just asked 4 excellent questions , I'm waiting for the answers the bloggers have for you.

I heard “black clothes”; I did not hear “body armor”. Not sure about the guns.

his teacher mother had them legally registered....and don't forget that BOX CUTTERS brought down planes and more than 3,000 were killed...and not a gun in sight....so, put it in perspective...and pray for the chldren instead of making it a liberal thing....it is Constitutional to own guns....and don't even drive a car again, it might kill you or someone else....live in a bubble.... EVIL WILL PREVAIL WHEN IT WAN'TS TO....no moral values left in America..and our children are paying the price...hate to blame the one who actually did the crime, right?

wonder if they had any joy in their classroom before this happened...did they get to have Christmas Songs or Hanukkah songs sung...were they allowed to have anything in their classroom....like non-denominational Santa Claus..or a tree with ornaments.....bet not...bet the liberals made sure of that...and they didn't get to enjoy what we did when we were young....just a steril environment with no mention of a higher power...I wouldn't dare mention HIS NAME

Olivia, you set up your straw man then knocked him down, not much of a challenge, eh?

the police are the usual scapegoat...that is why...blame it on the police and all nod in agreement...like they have time to speak to media, think they were a tad busy...

what? brothers 20 and 24 can't live in different states, that is so unusual to you? Maybe he just used an old ID for clubs and had it on him...if he went where the drinking age is 21....why do you have so many inane questions...it happened and we will learn the facts MAYBE, when we learn the facts....talk abut the media jumping to conclusions......why are so-called regular and normal people do it? Who knows why the teacher mother had guns....it was her prerogative under the law...but, know not all like to follow the law...the Constitution has been shredded so often nowadays it is hardly noticeable....maybe that will turn out to be the reason...NO VALUES ANYMORE...PLAIN AND SIMPLE....DO YOU SEE THEM IN GOVERNMENT?

Sarah, it's very possible he had a copy made. There are many underage children who have fake id's so they can drink at bars, and I have seen one and it's very authentic looking. So it's very possible he had one made up. And maybe he had it because he was trying to punish him because of the estrangement. We will probably never know.

I'd like to know that also. Why did the mother have guns in the house knowing her son had mental issues. I hate guns, period...

you have to produce a picture ID, if bought legally as said....the guy must have been blind not to see a man in the name of a woman..., or the obvious age difference...she was a TEACHER....think anyone will want to know that a teacher bought a gun legally? our own government sent guns to walk in Mexico...and no one cares about those which killed more than one person....pray for the children and their families....and leave the psychoanalyzing and real facts to the people who know what they are doing, for once in your lives........

Olivia it's possible he bought it in another state or at a gun show. There are so many dealers who turn a blind eye to gun purchases and don't do background checks. Hopefully we will find out, so we can possibly put a stop to the person who sold him the guns, if they weren't sold to his mother. I really hope his mother didn't buy the guns, because that would be even more tragic to be killed by your own son with your own weapons.

Johanna, it's not January yet and you've already gone over the cliff?

No. What brought down planes on 9/11 was poor security and political correctness. Profiling would have kept those fanatics off the planes. Destroying every gun in this country would have prevented this mass shooting. Profiling would have prevented this mass shooting. Communism would have prevented this mass shooting.

Olivia Love, don't mix box cutters with GUNS!!! Boy, it seems like you love God, but you sure love your GUNS more.

Robin, I second your comments and thoughts

I agree with you Robin. My heart is breaking for the families of the victims, and for Ryan too, who lost his mother, and has to live with knowing his brother was responsible for this horrible crime. I hope he has close family and friends to help him through this.

They should dig a hole and jump in it

Beautifully said Robin. I second your statements.

Missing the point here. 20 children are dead. Getting the facts wrong is the least of our concerns.

Yes 20 children are dead and resting in peace, leave it at that. 6 innocent people over 18 are dead also, I see no mention of them and one teacher gave her life to protect her class. However you are missing the point that a surviving family member of the killer is being labeled as the killer himself. Will ask you the same question I asked nancy, would you like the title of a child killer. Would you like if thats what you were labeled as. I think John who commented after me had a good conclusion, they should keep it anonymous and claim under investigation till they know all info is correct. And you seem to be more focused on destroying the guns over accepting the fact 20 kids are dead and regardless of what happens to any gun we can still get killed and those 20 kids are not returning unfortunately.

Inaccurate reporting is not the problem. Guns are? No guns, no mass shootings, no erroneous reporting.

No. Guns need to be destroyed. NO one in this country can be trusted with a gun. No one. No one.

So true Lydia and Rod I know responsible people who know guns and even use a special finger lock to their gun case so that no one can open the gun case except the owner, and they keep the bullets locked securely. Evil always finds a way. What about bombs? There are plenty of instructions on the internet on how to make one and they kill many people.

Exactly. NO one in this country can be trusted with a gun. No one. Anyone who owns a gun is a potential killer.

You're right Laurie. If you want to own a gun, you should have to follow the same rules in every state. And so should the gun dealers. And I believe in having psychological testing, some jobs require it, to make seriously mentally ill people who might be dangerous, are unable to obtain one. And most of all, get assault rifles off the streets. NO ONE needs to own one, except the police and military members who are at war. Unfortunately, the NRA has too many lobbyists that are against gun control laws.

This country is a mess because we have laws that allow people to own guns. This country is a mess because we allow people to have the freedom to kill other people and then we want to wail about it afterwards. This country is a joke.

No. The only way to stop gun violence is to keep guns out of the hands of everyone. My right to live and survive outweighs any need or right to own a gun.

Rod, seriously how do you propose to do that? Have the government search every home, car, and person in the nation? What if people hide their guns behind their walls in their houses because they know the government is coming to look for them? Do you think the government then has a right to destroy your house, ripping walls down and whatnot looking for guns that may or may not be there? What if people hid their firearms in the woods? Burn all the woods down? Seriously, how do you collect the guns?

Get a grip. Guns are here to stay. Here is another fact. Not being from Jersey I grow-up in a place where we high school age children took our rifles into school, stored them in our lockers, and went hunting after school. No one shot anyone, not to say our high school was atypical. We still had fights and all the other garbage that goes on in high school, but no one ran and got their gun. I hazard to think what would happen to anyone who did. Of course back then we all had morals, the Ten Commandments were posted on the walls of our schools and people unfit to fit into society weren’t allowed to walk about as if they were fit to!

But no, the policeman called a SWAT team who called the bomb squad who took the backback to a range where it was detonated because he thought it had a bomb. And the teacher/principal in a panic shot himself in the foot. Oh, please, stop this 'if more people were armed' nonsense.

Rod you sound like a complaining child with the guns, and don't ever become ill terminally because your right to live will get thrown right out the window and you are not stopping it.

Look around the globe my friend..........there is no peace on earth, and certainly no goodwill to all men..........that is until after a tragedy like this occurs. Then we all jump on the bandwagon like sheep until time passes and then we forget until the next time. Sheep are dumb and shouldn't own guns.

Clearly she needed those weapons to protect herself against her insane son.

I don't believe she needed "all those weapons"~~she was a gun fanatic and even taught her children to shoot. This story just came out today. And, if you believe she needed "all those guns" to protect herself, why did she not get him out of the house and get some help for him?? That was a really lame argument, Y. Rosenbaum. Maybe you need to think that through a little better. Those guns should never have been in that house in the first place, especially if was as crazy as you say he was. Apparently, she had quite an arsenal, and even her acquaintances/neighbors/friends said she was an "enthusiast"~~I believe it was a little more than that. That was on the news as well.

@Kat K,
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/nyregion/friends-of-gunmans-mother-his-first-victim-recall-her-as-generous.html?src=me&ref=general

Click here: Adam Lanza’s Mother Was a Gun Enthusiast, Friends Say - NYTimes.com

Thanks for the link John. It really explains a lot except for why a mother would teach a mentally ill child, asperberger's doesn't make you a killer, but mental illness can, to shoot. Because the reality is that even though some mental illness doesn't show up until the 20's, from the link you can see he had obvious signs for years. She definitely taught him well. And now they are saying that it was obvious that he killed himself once the first responders came, and that he intended to kill more people, before he was stopped.

@Kat K.
There will be many questions asked over the next couple of weeks about this. Some will be answered. The question you raise,however, about why this woman would teach her son how to shoot is one that we will never have an answer for.
This episode is awful for all who were directly affected by this horrible act. Many not directly involved have also been affected by this. The hurt for those who lost loved ones will never go away especially those who lost children.

Rod Gibbons,

I usually do not comment on this sort of issues. However your statement that "If you own a gun as far as I'm concerned you are a potential killer" is in my view incorrect. A killer will use any method to kill, be it with a gun, saw, bat, chainsaw, screw driver, circular saw, car etc.. Guns just allow you to kill at a distance rather than up close. Please note Tim McVeigh who killed many without the use of a gun. Enough said on this matter.

I understand that many people are up in arms and upset and those are arguing for more gun control laws. However, is there an official report on where Adam Lanza got the guns?

do you really think banning guns will mean no one has guns? that you can get rid of guns?that you can destroy all guns? if so, you are incredibly naive -- those who want them will always have them --this world is weaponised -- it is big money - it will never stop

Here is what I found so far:

"The guns — Glock and Sig Sauer handguns, as well as a Bushmaster .223-caliber assault rifle — were legally obtained and registered to Nancy Lanza"

If one has a person living with you that has developmental disabilities or other mental issues then two questions stand out.

1. Why were the guns easily accessible to him? If the mother kept the guns loaded in the house without securing them then she is responsible for this massacre as much as Adam is.
2. If they were not easily accessible to him (such as locked in a safe with a trigger lock and unloaded) then how did his get his hands on them?

I own four firearms, they are kept in a safe, unloaded with trigger locks. The ammo is also kept in a locked box which is inside yet another safe. Both safes have different combinations. This is responsible gun ownership. Keeping loaded guns where they can be easily accessed by a mental unstable person or a child is not the fault of gun laws. it is the fault of irresponsible people.

Mr.Gibbons, you are pathetic and pretty ignorant. I hope to meet you some day.

Gun control is not pathetic in this country...there are so many "controls" yet they are rarely carried out. More gun control will do nothing. For you to say that anyone who owns a gun is a potential murderer is highly offensive. You'd better hope that the 2nd amendment stays put...the alternative is that the bad guys and the government (one in the same?) are the only ones who have guns. I personally would end up sleeping with one eye open every night if that were the case because criminals will still get guns even if it's illegal. The only people who suffer from gun bans are law abiding citizens who want to defend themselves from violent criminals. Also, that nasty 2nd amendment is in place to prevent the government from complete tyranny.

Rod, you are a potential rapist. Should you be castrated?

The news media are given a very wide berth under the First Amendment. There will be no legal consequences for any misinformation lacking "actual malice." See Times v. Sullivan.

Amen!!

Being a Marine(Viet Nam Era) I couldn't have said it better myself....

Suzie, it seems you feel that you have to defend that you own guns...YOU DON'T! It is your right as an American citizen and you show own them proudly. All these anti-gun nuts scream and yell right up until they are the ones looking down the barrel of a gun and can do nothing about it except wait 15 minutes till the police arrive - too late! This is just another way for Obama to attempt to take guns away from law abiding citizens...disgusting how he would use something like this tragedy. Not really surprised, though.

Suzie, I don't own a gun and have no intention of owning one but I respect your right as a responsible person to own one.

Edward, you have a point. Politics is being played out here. So, Let's get rid of alcohol in America. No more drunk drivers. Not political, just good common sense. No more illegal drugs. Health care costs would definately go down. No more abortions cause that is murder of the more hanus kind. Again, health care costs would go down. Sorry Edward, I had to vent. You're a good guy. Take care.

Auto deaths are accepted by Americans who refuse to accept lifesaving 55 mph speed limits. Are they that complacent about firearms? Looks like it.

I know drunk driving is a horrible thing but let's not get carried away. Let's make a list of every "item" that has caused a death and outlaw all of them, OK? Drugs/guns/alcohol/rope/knives/matches/baseball bats/scarves/bare hands/airplanes/cars...I'm sure there are many more! Let's just do away with everything that might look/smell/taste like it could hurt someone. There. All better.

What prompted people to violence before video games, in your opinion?

There are tons of them, Suzie! And in response to Nancy Duggan - TV has been around for a very long time. Violent? You bet. You put violence on TV and in movies, violence in video games, God out of EVERYTHING, the mentality of "whatever feels good, do it", etc. That's where all the violence comes from.

$50 says the media is right now outside his building waiting to harass the guy.

this is seriously delusional.

please seek help.

Uh huh.

I heart the freepers they are amusing in the most pathetic sense.

Edward, it's probable nothing that w̶e̶e̶k̶l̶y̶ daily ECT sessions won't clear up.

I was wondering how long it would take for the conspiracy theorists to come out of the woodwork though some have already said it was MK Ultra.

I do not in any way wish to trivialize what has happened in Newton, CT. Murder is horrendous and the numbers in one episode don't make more or less so. There are more suicides in this country by guns than there are murders by guns. Those suicides are by and large committed by handguns than by semi-automatic rifles. Revolver or pistol; one shot is all it takes. Most people who own guns do not commit crimes with them. Notice I did not say ''do not commit crimes'' I'm sure many bankers own guns and they'll rob you with a pen than with a gun.

Thanks for the link John. I really had no idea, not owning a gun, how in some ways it's more dangerous because it gives a false sense of security. And now impossible it is, without training, to actually use a gun for protection. So it really gives a false sense of security to owners who purchase guns for protection.

If it were me I'd be wanting a beer about now.