Shooting In Us University

Really, Gareth? (Also lurching off at tangent... ) What are the factors behind them, do you know? Ireland has hit the Rich List of countries and I thought that it was really the land of promise for young people now, plenty of well-paid jobs and an excellent trickledown economy. Is it mostly in rural areas, where they may be feeling isolated or left behind, or is related to mental illnesses going untreated?

I agree with you, but one of the biggest probs with mental illness is getting those afflicted to agree, first, that they have a problem, and second, be willing to do something about it. And sometimes people don't want to admit that their son or husband might be going over the edge. The brother-in-law of one of my past work colleagues began to exhibit some very strange, paranoid behaviour when he got to around 30. He began to act oddly round his two young children, saying things like he wanted them to come to Jesus. His wife finally, after a lengthy period of anxiety, etc., changed the door locks and sent him to live with his parents, who denied anything wrong with their son. His mother changed her mind fairly rapidly one morning when she was woken by him attempting to strangle her, saying, "You're going to Jesus, now, Mummy... ". He was eventually put onto anti-psychotic drugs, but then decided he was cured and didn't need them. There's the problem now of the 'care community' saying things like they can't force people to take drugs if they don't want to - it's their 'right' not to, etc., so what can one do if one's neighbour is clearly off-centre, and refusing any help?
 
Some people are just idiots.

There was a sidebar in the paper today from a commentator who said that "if the students had been armed they would have been able to fight back"

I despair of America whenever gun control is talked about. It really does appear that a large number believe that the problem of too many guns being available is solved by having more guns available
 
If the students had been armed they wouldn't be able to tell who the gunman was, neither would SWAT teams and Police and there'd be even more dead - disgraceful comment from whichever commentator made it.
 
To quote Rhodesia's Ian Smith, "This would be comic, were it not so tragic." No, sir, they often don't wait a whole five weeks - why, some of them li'l critters wait a year or more to pop their wives and collect on the life insurance... as I said, America is deeply in love with gun culture, its mythology and its mystification into godlike status. They see themselves like the old Western homesteaders, protecting their houses and their kinfolk from the marauding devils outside.

Can you imagine the scene, where twenty kids with 'concealed weapons permits', having no idea who started the ruckus, all draw on everyone else they've seen draw? If their skills are anything like the American military's penchant for shooting up friendly troops and civilians, I imagine the death toll would be in the hundreds by now.
 
I just cant see for the life of me that he could have bought a gun, when authorities knew he had a mental problem!!That started some 2 yrs ago.

Why was it not brought to peoples attention and letters sent to gun dealers regards the same.

But there again aint hindsight a briliant thing to have???? but I might of thought it was a basic sort of thing to have done, but then, not forgetting it his the US of A, say no more........
 
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