You know, one common thread runs through all of the school shootings this country has seen. All of the shooters have been on some kind of medication for mental illness; and all of them stopped taking their medications some time before they went off the rails and commenced firing.
I'm sure this is significant. What I'm not sure of is to what use the significance can be put.
The pistol carriage laws already have provisions in place barring individuals who have ever been committed to the funny farm from owning pistols. But there are plenty of people in this country who have never been committed, whose mental problems, temporary or otherwise, are as sane as we are provided they stay on their medications; or are certified by competent doctors as no longer needing the medications and able to lead normal lives without them. What about them?
Sooner or later this little correlation - crackpot shooter goes off his meds, crackpot shooter goes crazy and kills people - is going to occur to the antis and their fellow-travelling nanny-stater allies. To such idiots, the solution would be obvious: bar anyone who has ever had a prescription for an antipsychotic drug from owning a gun by law. But that's not fair.
As I said, there are many people who stay on their meds or who no longer need them and who function normally in society. I don't know what percentage of them participate in shooting sports; I suspect not that many. But it's exactly the sort of pseudo-"solution" brain-dead legislators adore. It allows the politicos to be perceived as 'doing something to solve this horrible problem' while not adversely affecting very many consitutents. It's the sort of pseudo-"solution" to a problem that sheeple who know nothing about mental illness, civil rights or shooting sports can get behind, because they will not stop to think the problem and the implications of the antis' pseudo-"solution" through. It would be yet another hoop in the permit process, which the antis would love. It would be yet another nibble at our Second Amendment rights, which we would hate if we could not stop it. If made retroactive, how many people would it affect?
To me, the real solution is clear: Do away with these all-you-can-shoot buffets for the insane, by doing away with the concept of the 'gun free zone' and simultaneously allowing concealed carry everywhere it is currently barred (except courthouses and courtrooms). But that is too easy a solution and not one the legislators, to say nothing of the antigunners and the nanny-staters, would like.
Just watch. Within the next sixty days, I'd lay odds one or another of the big antigun groups is going to lean on their political allies at the state and national level to introduce a bill to 'address' this "problem." Their solution is not going to be one of which we shooters would approve. As I said, just wait and see.
Ya know, I think stopping the meds is the last straw that broke the camel’s back… You can’t raise children with TV violence and video game that teach them that killing is easy, real, and ok and not expect stuff like this… You want to fight something, fight violence propaganda… We need to teach our children that there is a God and life is valuable… Take god out of our schools and that leaves no one there to protect them…
__________________ To much computer? I could be out plinking!
IMHO ... a Godless nation is lost. Being a fairly young guy (37) with no kids yet... it may be easy for me to say this... but I think too many people are either far too busy trying to make ends meet or running from the "R" word. The "R" word = RESPONSIBILITY.
I agree with Noel... watching people brutally murdered on TV is easy to do on any day... and at any given moment, yet they (FCC) edit out the campfire scene in "Blazing Saddles" because of a simple bodily function of flatulence... what gives?
Society has fallen off the rocker. Even the TV show "The Family Guy" spoofs this...?!
I see it this way: Doctors and parents are taking the easy way out... drugging their kids into a behavior they can control in their particular environment.
Scenario: Little Johnny can't behave, the doctors and the parents put him on Ritalin to "control" him.
The real answer should be somewhat like this... why is he so hyper? Why can't he pay attention? Maybe the problem lies in the home whereas the parents are not available, one parent home or they are too busy to make ends meet that they just don't have time for little Johnny?
This is not to say there is not a real case of ADHD ... but I feel too many doctors are prescribing these drugs to get the revenue in return from the pharmaceutical companies i.e. kickbacks. How are the parents to know if the doc is full of s**t?
If I am way off base.. someone, please tell me. When we were kids, most of us had a mother or father at home to raise us. We were not on all these exotic drugs that kids are on these days. We turned out fine, right?
Did they ever come out with the drug the shooter stopped taking before the act?
They've got all these kids on meds just waiting to explode because bullies are making fun of them. Remove the psychologists, the meds, CPS, the and bullies and you will not see this problem. Simple remedy. No child left behind huh? another stupid govt policy.
that was the problem instead of weaning himself off of the meds he completely quit, you have lower your dosages weeks at a time till you wean off of them, I ought to know i take meds cause i am bipolar, but it does not make me a killer, i have always been responsible, do what the doctors tell me to do, i am happy, it just tears me up though that someone with a mental disorder would do something as to go on a shooting rampage then take his own life, heck why didnt he just blow his brains out and leave everyone else alone, i will never understand it, sure i have guns and i have always been a responsible gun owner, and have been a police officer, armed security officer, firefighter/first responder, before i got down with back problems and such. Just because 1 person goes off his rocker for not taking his meds and goes on a killing spree, does not make all of us that take meds killers, we live life as best as we can just like everybody else. there are just as many people out there got problems and wont admit it or go see a Dr. to see whats wrong. I am not taking up for the guy that did all the killing, he was very wrong in doing so, how ever i am taking up for myself, because i always try to do whats right.
__________________
What Would Jesus Do ????? Just Ask Him.
The ABC national newscaster stated on the news this evening that the studenets were killed by a gun. I don't know about ya'll, but I've never seen a gun decided to kill anything. There has to be someone at the butt end contolling it.
two-70, you prove my point. You are a responsible gun owner, ex-LEO, and security type. You stay on your meds, manage your meds, have no problems and are a responsible person. I have a couple of bipolar friends who aren't shooters, but otherwise ditto. Both of them are business executives and extremely creative.
And if the antigunners decide to try and expand the definition of mentally unfit to include anyone who has to take meds to stay on track, the three of you are on the target list. As I commented in an unrelated thread, in the medievalist group I belong to, if someone gets hurt in training or in competition, the powers that be do NOT take a long, hard look at how he was trained and who trained him. The immediate reaction, every time, is to increase the amount, type and weight of armor the fighters have to wear to prevent a repetition. The authorities slap bandaids on the problem. They don't cure it.
So it is with firearms. They would much rather paint with broad strokes and splatter people who have a problem but have it under complete control, as you do, than use a fine brush and examine people on a case by case basis, because that's much harder and actually requires work and thought. Politicians hate work and having to think.
Start marshaling your arguments against expanding the definition of mentally unfit now, old son. You are going to need them soon if you want to retain your ability to shoot.
They did not say what meds he was on. Just that a family member reported that he'd stopped taking it/them. I'm sure if he was on depression medication, that does not qualify as mentally deficient. And I do not believe he was adjudicated by a judge as such either. just because he may have been depressed and on meds for same he can still be legal to own and buy. More then half the population to probably 3/4 of it have been depressed at one time or another in their lives.
If he was on depression medication and stopped taking it abruptly, I can guarantee you if it was any kind that requires tapering off and not one he was suppose to just stop taking, it is possible he went through an immediate withdrawal and became totally emotional or totally non emotional. It would depend on if it was medication for depression, and which one.
But it has not been said what medication he was on. It has also not been said if he was depressed. Depression and medication is all speculation at this point.
Also, they do not have a motive or know why as of yet, last I heard. Remember, it did happen on Valentines day, so it could have been a girlfriend thing or something that happened regarding a girl or Valentines day sometime in the past or present, it's anyones guess. Then him being off or abruptly stopping his meds, for who knows what? Again, SPECULATION!!!
__________________ "My next door neighbors two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs then Obama has." - Gary Johnson
Last edited by GlockMeister; 02-15-2008 at 09:25 PM.
most of that stuff yoou have to gradually decrease it to wean yourself off of it, hard to say what he was feeling inside when he did all this only a physcologist would know , heck i dunno
__________________
What Would Jesus Do ????? Just Ask Him.
Not trying to sound cold, but what kind of gun did he use? Whatever it was I bet Illinois will try to ban it.
In watching the news conference about the shootings, the Chief of the campus police stated he had and used four guns. One shotgun, a Renmington 870 pump shotgun, they said it held 6 rounds and he reloaded it one time. Then the other three guns he had were a Glock 9mm, a Sig 9mm and a Hi-point .380 or 9mm, can't remember which.
They also said that he recently purchased and picked up the Remington and the Glock on the 9th of Feb. (picked them up) and he was legal to own and from what they found, he also bought them legally from a Champaign, Il. dealer of whom they would not name.
They also stated besides knowing he reloaded the shotgun, they found 48 casings, because someone had asked how many shots he fired if they knew.
Not sure about what it will lead to, but in JUST watching the local evening news in Il. they interviewed some lady clambering for MORE GUN CONTROL.
__________________ "My next door neighbors two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs then Obama has." - Gary Johnson
You have too many side effects with drugs, Magnesium is a natural way to reduce stress. Normally, it is a mineral or vitamin deficiency. Drugs should be last choice.
The television, movie, and violent game killings have deadened our children's feelings to death, it's something they see almost daily. We need to start doing something about THAT! Those of us who served in actual combat, in waror against criminals, never want to go through it again. On the other hand, it's glorified on the screen and in games, and kids think nothing of it, if anything it's a way to get your picture on the primetime news. Something needs to be done!
I find it interesting that many of you believe putting a plaque on a wall in a classroom could or would have prevented this. When something great happens you are the first to praise god. However when something bad happens your the first to blame the lack there of. I will admit that parents today let the TV, computer, and video games raise their kids, causing the majority of the problems with the youth in this country, but it has nothing to do with god. If god is a perfect being then he knew this was going to happen, and he allowed it. And for what, because he wanted those who died to come up to heaven with him? Right. The true problem in this country can be linked to two groups, people like you, who believe ALL of our problems are caused by the lack of god, and those who believe all of our problems could BE solved with the lack of god. There is no common sense in this country. Somewhere along the way this country became stupid, and the truth is religion caused it in one way or another. The true problem is that the people of this country allow businesses, corporations, and our government to bleed us dry. Both parents have to work 50 hours a week. A single person in a smaller town has to make $30k a year to even live with some sort of comfort. People come home from work and they've got no energy, so the kids and our bodies suffer. God has nothing to do with it.
