I’ve been shaken to the core thinking about those precious innocents and their last moments while teachers struggled to protect them with their last breath.
In the name of these sweet children, we must address the serious issues that face this nation.
Yesterday, I posted on Twitter ~ In the name of these innocent children.. we need strict gun control. to hell with the NRA~ over and over again. I was at a loss for words so I just continued to post it over and over and over again.
I couldn’t believe the hate I received in return!
More evidence we need to address the serious societal issues our nation is facing,
Mental health- many posted yesterday that it was easier to get a gun than it was to get mental health services
Gun control- we need serious campaign finance rules to neutralize the power of the NRA
We often make calls to child protective services, we try to get kids the help they need with health, and mental issues, we try to identify the risks, we work on safety drills, we work day in and day out to create a safe and secure environment for the children we love and teach. Yet evil find it’s way in to our safe havens.
Sometime we can’t stop evil, yet we mustn’t ignore the things we can do to deter it. Gun control, mental health services must be thrust to the top of our nations agenda.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“When I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people helping.'”- Mr. Rogers
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While I understand gun control will become the hot issue, these and all the other mass shootings say more about our inadequacies to help those with mental health issues. And I sincerely hope this will become the focus. I have a family member who was not helped by either the schools or the hospitals even though he had suicidal episodes while in middle school. They couldn’t afford to put him in a hospital setting when he was younger, and begged both the doctors and courts to do so. His last visit to the emergency room, right before Thanksgiving, had the same results. They keep him for a week and returned him home only to send him to some out-patient services which haven’t worked in the past. He even told the doctors he had the right to check himself out. Now that he’s 18 and considered an adult (which emotionally he is not) his parents are powerless. I pray he never turns his emotional turmoil out on others.
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schoolgal, you are on the money. That is what I believe. The rugged individualist mentality that built this country is good to a point, but not when it makes it a stigma to seek help. And seeking help for mental issues is still stigmatized. If we can get metal help for children who need it, we can help prevent these events. For that to happen, our country needs to acknowledge that mental illness is an illness that needs treatment, just like cancer or MS or any other physical ailment. It is not something you can just overcome by force of will. A week or so in treatment is not enough for some people. You can’t apply a bandaid to a gaping wound and expect it to get better. We need to do better for all of our citizens, so they can have a productive, happy life. Not go down the road of despair and violence.
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Now just reflect on this “to hell with the NRA” thing for a moment. Connecticut already has gun laws as restrictive as they can be. Nancy Lanza had complied with them, though whether she had her guns locked up as she should have remains to be reported. Adam Lanza may have had to kill his mother first to get her keys. BUT if the principal and all the teachers in that elementary school were packing and trained to use their weapons, I personally don’t believe Adam would have entered what was last Friday a gun-free zone to do his dirty work. Only a gun can stop a gun. Adam Lanza is to blame, not society as a whole.
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