Colorado Tragedy: 71 People shot

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I also agree that assault weapons should be banned. As I said before, I am an advocate of strong gun control and enforcement. I do think that would cut down on some shootings. But, as I also said before, I don't know if an assault weapons ban would have made a difference in this case. People who are deranged and hell bent on committing mass murder are not going to let the law stop them - they will get their hands on what they want, legal or not. As Topkat mentioned, there was a ban in effect in the '90's, and it didn't stop the Paducah, KY, Columbine, or other massacres during that time.

That's why I say we have to search for other answers, and do more to prevent these massacres by trying to identify behaviors in deranged people before they act.

There is really no way to know which person is going to "snap" and commit a mass murder. This guy had no criminal record. He had no terrorist affiliations. You can't throw people in jail for saying something a bit sick or being mentally ill.

Well, I couldn't disagree with this statement more. There are definitely ways to identify sociopathic behaviors. My point is we just need to get a lot better at doing it rather than accepting the idea that there is no way to tell that someone is a psychopath until after they snap. We may not be able to "throw people in jail for saying something a bit sick or being mentally ill", but we can commit them to a mental institution and try to give the help they need before they harm others.

[Topkat]

Dreamer, you misunderstood my statement. I think the ban was put into effect after the massacre in Columbine, which was in 1999, but each state has their own laws. When the laws expired, mass shootings went up again. As in Virginia Tech, in 2007 & the shooting of the senator. I'm not sure when those other events happened. It did help prevent mass murder. Why give these nuts easy access to these weapons? If they are hellbent on chaos, let them go through as much red tape as possible.

Another point I have to disagree with is that you cannot commit someone to a mental institution without their permission or unless they have already committed a serious violent crime. Metal hospitals usually don't keep patients very long,. They put them on meds & send them out the door. Pscyopaths act very normal, which is why when this happens, many that know them or live next door are shocked. Many serial killers are psycopaths or sociopaths. This guy was very smart; studying neuroscience at grad school. Never had more than a speeding ticket. Tell me how anyone knew this would happen? Even if he showed signs of metal illness. The only one's that could have known is the guy that sold him the guns & ammo. It seems his parents have had some clues that he was ill. I guess we will see what comes out with this guy because he is still alive & eventually it will come out. Now they are saying that he was obsessed with Batman.

[TimothyBFan]

What a very sad situation and I've been thinking a lot about the families of those involved all weekend, including the shooter's family. I can't even imagine.

As for gun control----I am one of those that believes guns don't kill people, people kill people. I think there has to be a happy medium. I was brought up around guns and have always respected them. We were taught the correct way to use them, clean them, store them, etc.... I agree that assault rifles shouldn't be on the market but I'll be darned if I will tell anyone who can buy a gun that they don't have a right to own one. Especially this day in age. BUT I did see someone on FB actually state that if people had been permitted to carry, then maybe lives could of been saved because they could of taken the guy out. Well I say, probably not, there probably would of been more killed if you got people just opening up and firing randomly. This isn't the old west! And who knows how anyone will react in a situation like this. Geesh!

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this guy. Hopefully he'll give insight into the why he did it. It's obvious it was something he'd been planning but why? This one seems a bit stranger than some others in the past since this guy seemed to be in no trouble and was obviously a very bright individual. What went wrong?

[Topkat]

The gun control I am talking about is "assault automatic weapons" not regular handguns or rifles for hunting. There is a huge difference. Assault weapons, like machine guns AK47 or AR-15 guns. No civilian needs these kind of weapons to defend their home or property. These weapons are designed for war & mass murder, yet they are easily available to anyone with a drivers licence. Everyone just goes nuts when they hear the words "gun control" Nobody is going to take away your gun, even though I don't believe in them, I don't object to homeowners having reasonable guns, but when someone can order 6,000 rounds of ammo on the internet as easy as ordering a book on Amazon.com there is something wrong here! Everything he bought was perfectly legal & easy to get. That's where the laws have to be changed. Don't think "gun control" means all guns. We need to get assault weapons off our streets or this will be happening again & again. Aren't you tired of hearing that innocent lives are taken in mass shootings? I sure am.

As for that movie theater; that guy was in full protective gear, so it would have been useless to shoot at him. All they needed was a few more guns going off in there with people running & screaming all over the place. That is not the answer here.

I urge you to ask out presidential candidates to speak up on their views on this & sign the petition. All out lives are at stake here.
Please visit Bradycampaign.org

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Dreamer, you misunderstood my statement. I think the ban was put into effect after the massacre in Columbine, which was in 1999, but each state has their own laws. When the laws expired, mass shootings went up again. As in Virginia Tech, in 2007 & the shooting of the senator. I'm not sure when those other events happened. It did help prevent mass murder.

Sorry Topkat – I did misread your post. However, I’m almost positive the assault weapons act was enacted during the Clinton administration. I think the ban was originally signed into law for a period of 10 years. So if you are correct that it expired in 2004, that means it was enacted in 1994, which sounds about right to me. So, I’m almost sure that the Paducah, Jonesboro, and Columbine massacres all happened while the law was in effect. Again, I am still in favor of the law, but it is, obviously, not going to single-handedly stop the acts of some deranged individuals.

Another point I have to disagree with is that you cannot commit someone to a mental institution without their permission or unless they have already committed a serious violent crime. Metal hospitals usually don't keep patients very long,. They put them on meds & send them out the door. Pscyopaths act very normal, which is why when this happens, many that know them or live next door are shocked. Many serial killers are psycopaths or sociopaths.

Well I don’t agree entirely with your assessment here, but I do realize that you can’t just commit anyone to a mental institution. I don’t agree that psychopaths act very normal, although I would agree that sometimes it may be difficult to detect their behavior. So that’s the point I was trying to make. Since gun control is only part of the solution, we need to revise our laws when applicable to help us deal more effectively with these sick individuals.

Tell me how anyone knew this would happen?

Well I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I think it starts with awareness. In virtually every one of these cases, there were clues that people reported after the fact. I’m no psychiatrist, but I know there are tests that can help detect sociopathic behaviors and other mental illnesses. One thought is that maybe we could begin testing children when they enter school to screen them and establish baseline behaviors for mental illnesses, just like we screen them for other health problems and basic knowledge levels. These tests could be repeated periodically to help to identify significant behavioral changes in individuals.

Again, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I strongly believe our society needs to begin taking actions to address these problems so that we can improve our chances of preventing these horrific acts.

[Topkat]

Sorry Topkat – I did misread your post. However, I’m almost positive the assault weapons act was enacted during the Clinton administration. I think the ban was originally signed into law for a period of 10 years. So if you are correct that it expired in 2004, that means it was enacted in 1994, which sounds about right to me. So, I’m almost sure that the Paducah, Jonesboro, and Columbine massacres all happened while the law was in effect. Again, I am still in favor of the law, but it is, obviously, not going to single-handedly stop the acts of some deranged individuals.



Well I don’t agree entirely with your assessment here, but I do realize that you can’t just commit anyone to a mental institution. I don’t agree that psychopaths act very normal, although I would agree that sometimes it may be difficult to detect their behavior. So that’s the point I was trying to make. Since gun control is only part of the solution, we need to revise our laws when applicable to help us deal more effectively with these sick individuals.



Well I’m definitely don’t have all the answers, but I think it starts with awareness. In virtually every one of these cases, there were clues that people reported after the fact. I’m no psychiatrist, but I know there are tests that can help detect sociopathic behaviors and other mental illnesses. One thought is that maybe we could begin testing children when they enter school to screen them and establish baseline behaviors for mental illnesses, just like we test them for other health problems and basic knowledge levels. These tests could be repeated periodically to help to identify significant behavioral changes in individuals.

Again, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I strongly believe our society needs to begin taking actions to address these problems so that we can improve our chances of preventing these horrific acts.

Dreamer, I stand corrected & you are right it was during the Clinton administration. I don't know what the answer is. I am just so frustrated watching these mass murders happen so often.

I don't know that these mental issues can even be detected at a young age. I'm no psychiatrist either, but I do know that some disorders like schizophrenia don't usually appear until the late teens or even early twenties.
The one thing I know is that when someone is stockpiling weapons & ammunition, that is a sure sign that there is something wrong.

We can only offer our sympathies to those affected by this tragedy & hope that something can be done to prevent them, whatever that may be. Our legislators need to address the problem because it seems to be happening more & more often. Seeing this stuff has really gotten to me, so my apologies for sounding off. Just so upset seeing this going on.

[Brooke]

The one thing I know is that when someone is stockpiling weapons & ammunition, that is a sure sign that there is something wrong.

Surely it will come out that someone had a clue what this guy was doing or that he was acting strangely? That or he became a complete recluse for a few months before this?

[thelongrun]

How stupid this mad World has become.
Poor souls may they RIP.

[Tiffanny Twisted]

i just heard tonight that the lady whose little girl died and she was shot in the head and stomach had a miscarraige.

it is so sad..now she has lost another child too . so sad