America massacre

That shocks me jeni. Children shoud not have to be exposed to the idea of weapons threatening their young lives. I could understand the need for weapons to warn off wild animals in the days when pioneers were opening up the west, or even to kill wild animals for food, but there's no excuse now, and why a teacher woud have guns in her home is beyond my comprehension.

I've just heard that its normal. In the USA for 5 year olds to be drilled in procedures for shooters in their schools. What sort of world do we live in?

Signed and shared on fb

Signed

Signed and shared on Facebook.

Signed too.

Petition signed; sometimes the will of the people as a whole can bring about change. The United States has to be shamed into doing something this time. Even if an action may not do any good it's no reason not to at least try; apathy never won battles that needed to be fought.

Signed and shared the link

Here's the petition. Link below:

No more school shootings -- gun control now!

27 people killed at an elementary school shooting. 20 children among the dead. It's happened before and it will happen again. But we can stop it if enough of us demand that our leaders enact meaningful gun control now.

It won't happen unless we push them. President Obama’s spokesperson just said, “Today is not the day to talk about gun laws.” Let's tell him that it is! Because just yesterday, a state legislature voted to allow gun owners to bring concealed weapons to school. Because on Monday and every day after that, our children have to go to school and we need them to be safe. We can’t continue to sit by while this madness cycles on repeat.

When the news came, like millions of parents across the country, I fought the urge to rush to my daughter’s school and take her back to the safety of our home. It’s not an irrational thought. Columbine, Virigina Tech, Colorado. The truth is, America’s children are no longer safe because our government officials allow the gun lobby to get away with murder. Lax rules and the absence of crucial regulation have let guns loose in our society, permitting almost anyone with an axe to grind to get his hands on automatic weapons. In Connecticut, the site of the latest shooting, you don’t even need a permit to walk into a gun store and buy a rifle. Putting all of us at risk.

Please call on President Obama and all of our representatives to enact real control now.

If we reach 1,000 signers in the next few hours, family and friends of people affected by gun violence will deliver our message to President Obama at the White House. Today is the day. No more gun violence.

www.avaaz.org/en/petition/No_more_school_shootings_gun_control_now/?tqlPscb

Avaaz.org is a 16-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 6 continents

Signed and shared on Facebook. This is an international call for the USA to impose tighter restrictions on gun ownership. They often tell warring countries and terrorists that the world is watching what they will do to reduce the numbers of innocent citizens being killed, so maybe they will take some notice when the world is watching them?

Assuming 99.9% of us are not US citizens, what use is this petition?

Just bumping Faye's petition for those who missed it overnight.

'There is a new petition for gun control on Avaaz'.

I can't get the link to blue but it is on this thread at 02:31:54

I heard a spokesman for the gun lobby say this morning that gun control would not have stopped this terrible tragedy! So they are already lining up to defend their right to bear arms.

I also heard the gun belonged to the Mother and was purchased legally, but as she was a teacher why would she need a gun?

I believe a gun and ammunition need to be locked away but how many Americans actually comply.

This is so awful but I fear will happen again and again

email sent and reply requested. I've worried about Obama being shot for the past 4 years so hope he's well protected on that score. They need to see that the eyes of the world are watching them in horror; maybe some sort of national pride will spur them on if nothing else.

crimson my thoughts exactly and when I will follow your example too. My only worry is if he does take on such a controversial reform of gun laws is that some trigger-happy survivalist will shoot him.

crimson you have spurred me on, and I have just written to President Obama online. It's easy to do. I just googled 'write to Obama.' You can tick a box for a reply.

My friend had a terrible job trying to get any help for her mentally ill daughter in the states. And her OH is a retired lawyer.
Obama has not got the legislature behind him, so he will have a hell of a job. Vested interests and huge campaign budgets rule the roost.
The pro-gun americans i have talked to cannot grasp the notion that the biggest threat is that a family member will use a gun against another family member. They are convinced they need guns to protect them from burglars etc. And that in an emergency they will be able to use them to defend themselves.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families , also the town itself and the people who must be trying hard to make sense of this terrible business .

I cannot begin to imagine how they must be feeling , it is all so terrible .

Bad enough he shot his Mum but to then go to the school and mow down innocent children ?

President Obama has four more years in power. He's not going to get re elected after that anyway so, whatever he does isn't going to change the outcome of that election [ok I suppose it makes it more likely that a Republican president will be elected]. If he has any balls he will do something about the gun laws in his country and his name will go down in history as the man who stopped these massacres [and there will be another, and another]. Maybe we should all write to him and say so; in fact I am going to do just that. The power of the pen and all that.

I'm shocked every time this happens but apparently nothing shocks the Americans enough to make them stand up to the pro gun people. Guns are everywhere in America and easily accessible to anyone be they sane or otherwise.. nothing will change yet again and more innocents will die in the future.

I don't understand the 'mentally ill' arguement as, surely if some people are mentally ill and not accountable for their actions there shouldn't be a system in place wherby they can easily gain access to guns of this kind?

What I don't understand is why these killers always choose schools as their target, its cowardly and picking on the week, I wonder what would happen if they tried attacking a prison, maybe killing a few Murderer's ...... OR would he get killed first, no words to explain my disgust....

I'm not sure that gun control would have stopped this tragedy from happening - there was security in place at the school and that should have stopped it if only it had been adhered to.

Gun control here hasn't stopped bad things happening. I'm completely against guns of any sort but I think there are other issues that need looking at more closely - the parents themselves knew they had a problem son.

Try as he might I think Obama is going to have enormous trouble getting the Americans change their mind set about gun control. Even in the wake of this latest shooting. It's in their Constitution the 'right to bear arms' clause, without thinking when this bill was drawn up to help the Americans fight their cause in the Revolution.
Unless you are a hunter, I can't think of any reason to own masses of guns. Most of the guns owned by the common man are for killing people not animals, some are really powerful - the type used by an army. So why do they need them in their own home?
After they have finished mourning for these poor little children and their teachers, they will carry on using and buying guns.

Every time something like this happens in the USA they say that the "red line" has been crossed and something will change. But nothing does. Most of the children were kindergarten kids their poor families and the whole community are devistated.
The Americans are very strict and old fashioned in their treatment of the mentally ill but to always say that the person must be mentally ill is perhaps missing the point that some are just bad.
Everyone must send loving thoughts to all the bereaved and the survivors.