It is definitely a very very very tragic turn of events, especially when it involves kids. For crying out loud... kids! At an elementary school.
Like I said before and replied to another post by RAH, I really can't blame just the US or Texas for that matter, as this sort of thing can happen anywhere with someone having serious mental issues. It's very clear that these issues are not addressed, and so life goes on...
Back in my home land, which is Sri Lanka, Colombo, we had a bloody civil conflict for over 30 years. Then a new PM was elected and all of a sudden in 2009 May, the war ended in just 4 months! He violated every human right imaginable... used heavy artillery against the so called terrorist group, and goodness knows what else he did (also wiped out over 250,000 people up Nth), and now is wanted for war crimes. But you see, the thing is he just resigned as PM and managed to bail out with a helicopter full of cash, leaving his other half witted brother as President who's ruined the country! They don't even have money to print the national exams nor have any ink! Let alone food essentials and electricity in the country is zero! Hence, the riots continue, violence is at large and the people have had enough. So, now they're taking to the streets.
I would think that in the US or certain States, if such mass shootings are so frequent, why aren't the people doing anything about it...?
Well, they are! They want to but there's a much larger problem than just the NRA and their lobbyists. Yes, the NRA is extremely powerful, non-US people don't know how powerful the NRA is. Leaving that aside, I firmly believe there's a group of vulnerable kids & people that are left in the way side... and this is the group that need the help.
1. Lonely
2. Rejected
3. Side lined systematically throughout their youth.
4. No close supportive family.
5. No nurturing or proper upbringing.
6. Basically, nothing or no one to look up to.
7. No friends
8. No aspirations, no social life.
9. A loser...
10. Have suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harm.
Amongst all of this, there's the gun control issue as well, which should have been sorted out looong time ago, waaay back when it was possible to do so. Now, it's too late, simply because those regulations and governing bodies, whatever they're called, are very strong, hence you just cannot break them down and change laws overnight. Can be done though slowly within a time frame, only if they are really willing to make that change. The question is, are they willing? And if so, who's going to make that change?
Now, my hometown is Melbourne, and I absolutely love Aus, wouldn't want to be anywhere else. However, we do have our own systemic issues, drugs, alcohol and other substances that can cause serious harm, and it's getting worse day by day.
I can't speak for my former hometown, Colombo, because it's way out of my comprehension as to how on earth our own people allowed it to get to this point. It's an utter shame and absolute disgrace!
As for the actual shooter in the recent event, I can only see one thing! And that is, this person was just 18, still not yet fully developed, pretty much half wit, and half cooked... extremely agitated with himself and those around him, so he decides to shoot up a primary school... go figure!
When I lived in the US, between 94 to 98/99, I pretty much saw it all. The gaps between the haves & have-nots, the educated privileged and the under-dogs, the ones primed for success and those that fell through the cracks... there's no real help for the vulnerable, unless they helped themselves. The population is massive! 350 million vs only 22 million in Aus & SL... not even comparable. But I firmly believe that this particular chap was one of those that fell through the cracks... no one took him seriously nor did they stop to check on him, so who would have known. Only his grandmother though... poor soul got shot.
During my undergraduate years in Chicago, there was a scuffle on campus during one of our event nights... a major ruckess broke out and several shots were fired. I was part of campus security at the time and was caught in the cross-fire. I still have the scar on my chest to prove it and tell this tale, which I'll never forget! Yes, that kid who was un-invited had access to firearms. Where did he get it? Who knows... most probably from one of the gun shops. Anyway, he shot and killed one of our fellow Uni students that night, and I witnessed the whole dam thing, it wasn't pretty.
That was during Clinton's time, now it has gotten far worse and like I said, this issue should have been dealt with a very long time ago, not now?
In Aus, there was one major mass shooting around 96 if I'm correct and the govt seized all guns! They even paid the gun owners so thst they don't lose money... done & dusted! Back then it was easy to gather whatever firearms there were in circulation but now... forget it!
I don't think there's ever going to be a solution to the gun control issue in the US, from the time I was there, I experienced other issues than just gun control. Those points I listed above need to be addressed first. Education and proper upbringing in a supportive environment is lacking. That's the issue!
Keep safe all, and look out for one another, afterall that's the best we can do at this stage. I still have hope though!
Enjoy those fine tunes, RJ
