Note July 3, 2024: I no longer agree with banning military-style assault weapons.
The police have confirmed my identification of the weapons used in the killing. To be sure, I have an advantage in this sort of thing; I’m a criminologist with a bit of understanding of crime scene investigation, as well as what makes shooters like this tick. But, really, you don’t need to have these qualifications to put together a reasonably accurate account of the Sandy Hook massacre. You just need to listen to what the police, the medical examiner’s office, and other authorities are telling reporters. A knowledge of firearms helps. And a mind not clouded by right wing paranoid delusion.
One of the ironies of this event is that right wingers would rather trust hasty reporting by the “liberal” news media in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, in particular the December 15 Today show coverage, in which numerous claims were made that turned out to be completely wrong, than believe the experts and authorities who are investigating the event.
Sandy Hook is not part of a conspiracy to disarm the populace. Here’s what really happened: A troubled young man living in a climate of gun enthusiasm in a house full of high powered and assorted weaponry went to an elementary school with four of those weapons, took three inside with him, and proceeded to murder 26 children, teachers, and administrators. The guns used in this crime were legally purchased. His mother taught him how to use a firearm and took him to the firing range to practice. He was trained and willing to kill. This is the long term problem we face in the United States: a culture supportive of gun violence.
The only way this particular tragedy could possibly have been prevented is if military-style assault rifles and high-capacity semiautomatic handguns and magazines were not publicly available, the number of guns allowed per household was sharply restricted, and any household with the presence of one or more diagnosed mentally ill persons was barred from owning firearms (which, if you know anything about the prevalence of mental illness would disarm a lot of households). Only the gun control measures listed would cover everybody (since most shooters are not mentally ill) and not involve further stigmatization.
freedom and reason 