http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Report-NM-teen-had-homicidal-suicidal-thoughts-4210324.php
Yet another reason why keeping a gun in your home for self defense might be a bad idea. |
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The problem is the parent's home was a gun-free zone.
Wait...
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Huh? It apparently was NOT in a gun free zone. The guns were there legally, very likely for protection against either home invaders, or the tyrannical government. |
| The only thing that stops a 15 year old at 1 am with a gun, when everyone in the family is sleeping is.... What exactly |
| Honest question to the gun enthusiasts around here: Do you see this as a tragedy that could have been avoided? Or just Darwinism in action/one of those bad things that happens occasionally but has nothing to do with easy access to multiple guns? |
We saw the enemy, and he is us. |
Well for one, a gun safe might have been a good beginning. They had the thing lying in a closet. Like many "responsible" gun owners, I'm sure they taught their kids to respect firearms. Apparently they were not as successful in teaching their son respect for family, or human life. |
Yet another reason why not securing your guns in a home where you know your child is mentally ill is a bad idea. Why are you lumping everyone into this category? Very sad situation for the three other children in the home. |
The kid was clearly mentally disturbed. Parents didn't acknowledge that. They paid the ultimate price. Sorry for the three little ones involved. Mind you this kid, if hell-bent on killing his folks, gotten the weapon elsewhere. Sadly the parents made it too easy. |
Who do you feel is ultimately responsible for this tragedy? Let's start there. |
NP: 1) The kid himself. 2) The parents, who were too stupid to acknowledge that their son had a problem*, and were hellbent on keeping guns in the house. *Refusing to wear anything but military camo, and adicted to violent videogames? Yeah, sure. I'd look the other way if my 15 year old did that. 3) The laws that allow such stupid people to buy and keep as many guns as they would like. |
First two correct. Third involved changing laws that affect more than this couple. You're assuming everyone is as guilty as these folk were. |
It's so easy to say that. But honestly what do you know about his kid, aside from the fact that he wore camos, played violent video games? That describes about half of rural American boys. The fact is that most parents of youth who do things like this are totally surprised. And for that matter, most of the quotes from friends / relatives are "I can't believe he did it". Sure you may have one or two who were obviously dangerous, but most of the rest are a bit of a mystery. So either all parents are stupid, in which case we can just infer that they are equally stupid about handling firearms, or they aren't stupid but it is not as easy as you suggest to identify the one kid who will snap out of the many millions of children who are depressed or anxious or isolated or friendless or who have issues with their parents. |
No, I'm not assuming that everyone is equally guilty as these lamebrains. But that is the price that we pay for living in a society that contains people who, unfortunately, are a few potatoes short of a casserole, if you know what I mean. I don't like the fact that I -- an intelligent, educated, high-earner -- am taxed to the hilt to support people who can't or won't work for a living. But such is life. |
Of course we want to affect more than this couple. We aren't going to bring that family back to life. We want to deal with the next couple and their disturbed kid. |