School Shooting in Connecticut USA

[lizann]

A heavily armed gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, including 20 children, in the latest in a series of shooting rampages across the United States this year.

The gunman was dead inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, police Lieutenant Paul Vance said.

Vance said the gunman killed 18 children and six adults at the school and two wounded children died later in the hospital.

Another person connected to the suspect was found dead at a house in Newtown, bringing the death toll to 28.

One of the dead was the shooter's mother, a teacher at the school, The New York Times reported, citing a law enforcement official.

The New York Times also reported that the gunman killed himself at the scene.

The suspected gunman entered the school as children were gathered in their classrooms for morning meeting. He was armed with four weapons and wore a bullet-proof vest, WABC reported.

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

The holiday season tragedy was the second shooting rampage in the United States this week and was certain to revive a debate about US gun laws.

Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots with some saying as many as 100 were fired.

Another person was being held in police custody after he was detained in the woods near the school wearing camouflage pants, CBS reported.

why cant these sick nutters just take their own bloody lives without taking others

how is it so easy for anyone in the america to get guns

so sad all the innocent lives little children (rip) lost because of a nutter

[Siobhan]

It is totally crazy and in the meantime on the other side of the world a chinese man decides to go to school and stab kids there.. what is the world coming too?

[tammyy2j]

I think Obama has to make stricter gun laws in America but seeing the kids pictures on the news is heartbreaking their poor parents, kids should never die before their parents Rest In Peace all

[Perdita]

I don't think making gun laws stricter will achieve anything ... anybody wanting to shoot somebody will find a way to do so and there are millions of very responsible gun owners in the US who treat their weapon(s) responsibly. If those wanting to kill can't get a gun (which I am sure they can get easily enough on black market) they will use something else, as sad as this is.

[deadlydave]

But seriously though what sort of person in America needs an AK47 as a hunting gun? For example did you know that you can own an AK47 in America as long as it is not equipped to fire in fully automatic only single shot only?! America and guns have gone mad!!!

[Chloe O'brien]

The only way to stop this horrific crime from happening again. Is to have a total ban on all guns, however this will never happen in America. It's almost 16 years since Dunblane. How many more innocent lives must be lost before something is done to prevent these tragedies.

[deadlydave]

The problem is the 2nd amendment on the bill of rights later enacted into law in the United States of America constitution which states :

The right of the people to keep and bear arms.

Thats the problem. Its in the law that they are allowed to keep weapons.

So if by law they are legally entitled to purchase, own and keep weapons then surely the US govt can make the circle a little smaller that people need to jump through in order to buy and own guns.

For example i have been talking with a few friends about the US gun law and one of them said that there should actually be background mental health checks to see if they are sane or responsible enough in order to be allowed to purchase a gun. The thing i said was that there would be no way the people would go for this, the cost and ramifications of such a move would be shocking!

But the more i thought about it though, yes it may cost more to get further checks done etc but surely that cost is better spent in the long run than the cost of a human life or the cost of another toddler or another shooting masacre like the school or the 2 fire fighters lured to their death trying to save lifes and put out fires.

The cost of life is too high to do nothing!!