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Newtown Shooting

Saturday, December 22, 2012

What Do You Think of the NRA Call for 'Armed Security' Around Schools?

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.

The National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, CT, and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the American family, our children, we as a society leave them every day utterly …

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DGM

2:45 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013

Connie, I have seen the same. I think it is a smart thing!   more ›

Friday, December 21, 2012

Patch Joins in Moment of Silence for Newtown, CT, Shooting Victims

The company-wide blackout is to honor the memory of those killed last Friday in Connecticut.

This morning at 9:30, Patch will join with AOL in a company-wide blackout as "moment of silence" to honor the victims of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, CT, last week. According to Techcrunch, "The campaign was inspired by a call for a moment of silence by Connecticut’s Governor, and spearheaded by Causes and SV Angel. It follows a coalition of tech leaders calling for more gun control." Other companies likely taking part in the "Web Moment of Silence" include Adobe, Duke University, Salesforce and WillCall. How will you participate in the moment of silence? Tell us in the comments.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Should Students Have Been Able to Wear Sandy Hook Shirts?

One school system says no.

Webster students were told to change out of their T-shirts that paid tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre last week, according to Fox 25. One of the students, a first-grade boy, was wearing a shirt that read "Rest in peace, the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School. And in the front is all the kids' names," his parent Tiffany Elliot told FOX 25. Elliot told Fox 25 she talked to her son about the shooting and thought the best way to handle it was to have him show his support for the victims. But the school, said Elliot, disagreed, saying it wasn't their place to discuss the tragedy with students. Instead, Superintendent Dr. Barbara Malkas told Fox 25, "... I don't feel it is the school's right to take that privilege of …

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Is Now the Time to Talk Gun Control?

Does the massacre at Newtown, CT, signal the need for a political debate on gun regulations?

Before officials had even held their first press conference Friday, Facebook was abuzz with status updates about the Newtown, CT, massacre. The statuses were split between those sending their condolences and those asking if the country would finally deal with the issue of gun control. Some fought back, asking for respect and mourning before political debate began. Others remained fierce in their belief that stricter gun control regulations would have prevented such a mass killing, saying the victims were shot multiple times and with semi-automatic weapons, according to Fox News. The guns were not illegal and were, in fact, owned by the shooter's mother. Among them were a semi-automatic .223 caliber bushmaster rifle and two handguns. Those …

DGM

8:21 am on Thursday, January 3, 2013

Yup. You're in good company Gretch! No I have watched your posts go from borderline mean to outright hateful of anyone with a different view than your own. You are so far on the fringe that common sense is all but lost on you. I enjoyed reading your posts until you started calling people nuts and other things Then I responded in the same way. I guess you brought me down to your level. anyway, I …   more ›

Monday, December 17, 2012

Have You Talked With Your Child About the Shooting at Sandy Hook School?

Experts advise when talking about the shootings to take your lead from your child.

Today is the first day back to school, since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. on Friday, Dec. 14, where 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman.  Experts advise that parents follow the lead of their children—feel them out, find out what their concerns are—when talking about the incident. Dr. Joshua Weiner during an interview on msn.com said he had not told his school-aged children about the massacre in Connecticut until Sunday. "With elementary school children, you want to be brief and simple and not go into detail," advised Weiner. "Young children don't understand probablilites. ... You want to assure them that they will be safe." Weiner also said to assure your child that school is a safe place and …

Tim L

10:33 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012

Talking to my kids ages 9 and 11 was a bit tricky. My 11 year old really didn't want to ask any questions, but I had his undivided attention when I was answering the questions from my 9 year old. The toughest part was verifying that the incident occurred in the town where a family member lives. Though we are blessed that he wasn't directly affected by the situation, it definitely hit home how …   more ›

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Massachusetts to Newtown: Share Your Love

Help Patch build a huge virtual card to the Newtown, CT community and let them know they are in your heart and on your mind.

      “There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster.” – The Dalai Lama When unthinkable tragedy strikes, we grapple for a way to come to terms with the how and the why. We search for ways to make sense of what happened, even when it doesn't make sense. The horrific shooting that took place at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT on Friday, Dec. 14, stunned a nation as the news broke that not one child, but 20, six- and seven-year-old children and six of their teachers had been shot and killed by a gunman who then took his own life. Most communities can only begin to imagine sorrow …

HJ

9:28 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

God bless everyone who was murdered in 2012.   more ›

Friday, December 14, 2012

UPDATED: 27 Dead in Connecticut School Shooting

Local and state police in Newtown, Conn., were called to an elementary school at about 9:30 a.m. Friday morning after a gunman allegedly opened fire at the school.

UPDATED at 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15... NEWTOWN, CT -- Connecticut police said Friday afternoon that 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at an elementary school after a gunman opened fire. Another adult was killed at a second location.   The Scene Police in Newtown were called to the Sandy Hook School at about 9:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call Friday morning. Authorities said the gunman was found dead inside the school. He was reportedly armed with four guns and a high-powered assault rifle. Authorities said during a press conference that they have retrieved three weapons from the scene. A parent interviewed on CBS News told the network on Friday that his 8-year-old daughter said she heard an argument and cursing over the …

Just Me!

1:32 am on Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Like I've been saying all along........if someone is deranged...and wants to commit a mass murder..they will find a way!!   more ›

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