THE HEADSHAKING ROLLS ON

[horse_traderxx]

The airwaves are once again filled with the word that numerous innocent people have been gunned down while shopping in a mall in Omaha by a deranged individual with a high powered weapon. Today is a sad day indeed for all the shooting victims and their families as well. Although my heart goes out first to the victims and their loved ones, I can't help thinking about the young shooter and how his life got so derailed by age nineteen.

Before you start condemning me for being concerned about the shooter, hear me out. As previously mentioned, my first concern is for the victims. But I think that there are a couple of questions that we all should be asking ourselves about the shooter. First off, did this young man just wake up one morning and due to a quirk of nature become enraged enough to go on a killing spree. I don't think so. Can we , as non-mental health professionals assume that there were signs indicating something was wrong that went unnoticed or noticed but not addressed? Has he ever had mental health treatment and if so, was he still under a doctor's care and how well was he monitored? Answers to many questions pertaining to this young shooter should be sought by the professionals. And, after their studies are complete, why not attempt to enlighten the public on what we should be on the lookout for.

Secondly, I think we should be asking ourselves how this young man came into possession of a weapon of this magnitude, or any weapon as far as that goes. If he got the weapon from a friend or family member, doesn't the owner of the weapon bear some responsibility for this disaster? If the weapon was purchased, when, where and from whom and is the seller locked up yet? You know, every time I hear of another shooting incident such as this, I can't help but think of the National Rifle Association and their whole bag of cliches they use to try to explain away any reason for gun control. How often have we heard them say, "guns dont kill people, people kill people". To that, I say "bullshi-! They also love to tell us about the 2nd Amendment and warn us that if we all gave up our guns, then only criminals would have guns. They also love to defend the right of a homeowner to own a 50 caliber machine gun if he wants one...??? Doesn't that give unarmed shoppers in the local mall something to think about?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I think it would be worth the time to examine the lives of the string of

young shooters who have felt compelled to be recognized through the destruction of others over the years. Columbine. Paducah, Kentucky. Virginia Tech.

Google "shooter" and "Children" and see what a listing you pull up.

These are no longer anomalies and aberrations. These kids are part of our social fabric and future shooters must be identified, recognized, and valued and/or treated before they seek this desperate ultimatum.

[Lindsey]

2. I totally agree. Firstly, my heart also goes out to the victims and their

families. My heart also goes out to the shooter and his family. My understanding is that he was mentally ill and of course this f'in' country almost completely disregards mental illness as real. "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps." "Get over it." "Count your blessings." I say BS. Mental illness is a real disease and more often than not is rooted in physical abnormalities in the brain. IMHO, among the many losses we suffered by not having Al Gore where he should have been, in the White House, for the past eight years is that Tipper's cause was going to be addressing mental illness. She herself has suffered from depression and knows it's not just a weakness of will. I pray and send light to ALL who were effected by yesterday's events.

[NC_Nurse]

3. I have had similar thoughts...

Last night listening to the MSM coverage, I heard the commentators keep asking about his "reasons" for
doing this. The guy was obviously mentally unbalanced, I don't think reason had anything to do with it.

I wish that these incidents would provoke more honest discussion of the travesty of mental health care in this country.
Mental illness seems to be the red-headed stepchild of the healthcare/poverty/homeless issues. We will only see an increase
in mental health problems with all the scarred vets of this abominable war coming home, families who have struggled without
a parent or parents for long deployments and who receive an often very changed person back after deployment.



:-(

[benEzra]

4. He spent four years in group homes and foster care...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071206/ap_on_re_us/mall_shooting

OMAHA, Neb. - The young man who killed eight people and committed suicide in a shooting rampage at a department store spent four years in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care after threatening to kill his stepmother in 2002.

Finally, in August 2006, social workers, the courts and his father all agreed: It was time for Robert Hawkins to be released — nine months before he turned 19 and would have been required to leave anyway.