27 shot dead in Conneticut school

[wenshu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=5MEzCtyRWP8

[GeneChing]

And don't forget those shooter videogames...

Inside the dark, lonely world of maniac Adam Lanza
Killer lived in windowless lair playing violent video games
Surrounded by posters of weapons, he plotted massacre
Exclusive
From PETE SAMSON, US Editor, in Newtown, Connecticut
Published: 17th December 2012

SCHOOL massacre maniac Adam Lanza fuelled his violent fantasies while hidden away in a windowless bunker plastered with posters of guns and tanks.

Lanza, 20, spent hours playing bloodthirsty computer games such as Call Of Duty and obsessivly studying weapons in the basement at mum Nancy’s home. It came as the first funerals of the victims were held yesterday.

Plumber Peter Wlasuk went into the basement many times while working at the plush four-bedroom house and got a glimpse into the disturbing underground world where Lanza plotted his crimes.

He said: “It was a beautiful house but he lived in the basement. I always thought that was strange.

“But he had a proper set up down there — computers, a bathroom, bed and desk and a TV. There were no windows.”

Peter, 45, said Lanza’s elder brother had previously lived in the basement before moving out.

He added: “Adam then moved down there. The boys were fans of the military. They had posters all over the wall in the basement.

“They had one poster of every piece of military equipment the US ever made.

“It was a huge poster with every tank every made. The kids could tell you about guns they had never seen from the 40s, 50s and 60s “The kids who play these games know all about them.

“I’m not blaming the games for what happened. But they see a picture of a historical gun and say ‘I’ve used that on Call Of Duty’.”

On Friday, Lanza used two handguns and a semi-automatic rifle to shoot dead Nancy at their home in Newtown, Connecticut, before heading for nearby Sandy Hook school.

He forced his way into the classrooms and murdered 20 six and seven-year-olds and six female staff members before killing himself.

The weapons used by Lanza — a Glock, a Sig Sauer and a semi-automatic Bushmaster — were owned by Nancy.

They are the sort of guns that feature heavily in games like Call Of Duty - in which players take on the role of soldiers and shoot dead scores of enemies. The latest version of the game, called Black Ops II, is a huge worldwide hit and will be on the Christmas wish list of millions of youngsters.

Lanza was also wearing a bulletproof vest and battle fatigues similar to those used by the US military in combat.

President Barack Obama paid tribute on Sunday to the innocents massacred by Lanza — and the teachers who died trying to protect their young charges.

Speaking during a vigil at Newtown High School, he said: “We know when danger arrived in the halls of Sandy Hook school the staff did not flinch, did not hesitate.

“They responded as we all hope we might respond in such circumstances — with courage and with love. Giving their lives to protect the children in their care.”

Obama also pledged to fight for gun control laws in America in the wake of the tragedy.

He said: “No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world but that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this? Surely we have an obligation to try?”

More incredible tales of survival emerged from Newtown yesterday.

Pastor Jim Solomon told how one six-year-old girl played dead after Lanza murdered all her classmates — then ran to safety when he moved away. He said: “She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood.

“The first thing she said to her mum was ‘I’m OK but all my friends are dead.’

“Somehow, by God’s grace, she was able to act as if she was dead.

“How at six-and-a-half years can you be that smart, that brave?”

The heartbroken family of the British schoolboy killed by Lanza yesterday told how the last time they spoke he was excited because Christmas was coming.

Dylan Hockley, six, who had moved to Connecticut with his British dad and American mum, regularly spoke to his aunt Judith back in England using the internet.

Judith, 45, of Peterborough, Cambs, said: “Dylan was a typical six-year-old boy, he was confident and happy and loved his family. He was enjoying life in America and had made many new friends.

“His parents and older brother Jake were also enjoying their new life in Newtown, it sounded like such a nice place.

“When I last spoke to them they were looking forward to spending Christmas together.”

Judith said her husband and daughter had flown out to Connecticut to comfort Dylan’s dad Ian, mum Nicole and Jake, eight.

She added: “The whole family are devastated. Everyone is grieving for Dylan. The last few days have been very traumatic.”

- A MANIAC who knifed 23 children at a school in central China on Friday told police he did it because he believed an ancient Mayan prophecy that the world will end on Friday.

p.samson@thesun.co.uk

MyView
BY TERESA BLISS, Child and Educational Psychologist

THERE is no doubt that what children watch affects their behaviour. It isn’t healthy for children to watch people destroying other people.

Video games like Call Of Duty can lead children to become more immune to violence and death.

Without adult mediation, kids may start to think that the violence they see on their screens is normal.

Friends and family portrayed Adam Lanza’s mother Nancy as a paranoid person who stockpiled guns. It is unlikely that she would have been able to give him the influence he needed.

All the time he spent locked away playing the game would have been isolating.

When children are on their own they can’t develop social skills. Without alternative viewpoints his perspective will have been skewed.

Call Of Duty in rampages link

CRAZED gunman Anders Breivik played Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare to improve his shooting skills in preparation of his killing rampage.

The 33-year-old was jailed for 21 years earlier this year for slaughtering 77 people in a gun and bomb outrage in Norway.

The deranged games fan blew up a government building in Oslo killing eight.

He then shot dead a further 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth camp on Utoya island.

Another mass murderer who played Call Of Duty was al-Qaeda fanatic Mohammed Merah, 23.

His wife said they played the violent game before his shooting spree across Toulouse, France, in March that left seven dead.

He was killed by cops.

There's more to this article on the funerals of some of the children.

[Syn7]

There's more to this article on the funerals of some of the children.

That's like back in the day when they thought childrens summer diseases were caused by ice cream. Cause you know, kids eat ice cream in the summer, and the diseases only struck in the summer. Pretty obvious that it was the ice cream.

[hskwarrior]

could it all have been a hoax??????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9Gx...ature=youtu.be

[RenDaHai]

could it all have been a hoax??????

No.

This is just propaganda by the conspiracy theorists because they want their guns and they think this steps on that. Inconsistencies are easy to find everywhere because people make mistakes all the time and nothing happens exactly as we would expect it to.

They used to fear the UN invading. That never happened. Now they fear FEMA. Its all the same crazy people.

Face it middle America, the UN are never gonna invade, you have fuck all that they want!

[David Jamieson]

If a 12 years old can get an illegal drug, he can get an illegal firearm.

Not in our town he can't.

also, Hitler used maps to plan his invasion! Let's ban maps! And Pens! And little toy tanks and boats that move around on maps! They enable genocide!!!!!

See how weird that tack is?

Blaming video games is bizarre.

you have kids with guns who shoot each other and video games get blamed.
Before video games? Why were people murdering each other then?
I think Ted Bundy committed his acts of heinous meaningless killing sometime around the release of pong 2 and there were no 1st person shooters available.

To blame anything other than the individual, poor laws and ridiculous access levels is silly in my view.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Not in our town he can't.

While I wasn't speaking of Toronto, getting an illegal firearm here is NOT as hard as many may think it is.

[David Jamieson]

While I wasn't speaking of Toronto, getting an illegal firearm here is NOT as hard as many may think it is.

It's not that easy either. Most of the illegal ones aren't for sale to you or me and get absorbed into the criminal world immediately. They are brought across for the criminal market. Of which, there is definitely no shortage around Toronto. There are plenty of scummy dirtbags all over this big old city.

You or I would be hard pressed to get our hands on one of those without already having a criminal connection or a degree away from that.

Besides, I can get pretty much what ever I want that is legal and available by going through the proper channels. So could you I would imagine.

Anyway, stat is about 70% of guns used in crime are from the USA smuggled in. The rest are pretty much stolen from legal owners and that is a serious access question as well. Typically gun storage is a big deal here. Trigger locks = required. Bullets stored in separate secure locker= required. All guns to be in lock boxes=required. Any hand guns en route and you have to notify the Police and the route you are traveling to your gun club etc etc.

You can't even walk into a Canadian Tire and buy a shotgun anymore. Or a walmart or anywhere that isn't a defined sport supply store (fishin and shootin store or farmer supply)

Frankly, I don't care how hard they make it to get guns. It should be hard to get them and t here should be extremely strict rules about ownership and storage etc etc.

I think America paralyzes itself on this issue for no good reason other than fear of government. And the second amendment is always read short.

It's always read by gun supporters as "The right to keep and bear arms" however, there is more than that which gives it a clearer context.

But it reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

A well regulated militia is essentially an elected police force. So, it's interesting that everyone thinks they and their drinking buddies are some sort of well regulated militia. And to that end, forgo common sense in regards to the use, sale and distribution of firearms in the nation.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Actually, it isn't that hard once you have the right connections but of course to get those connections one is already going down a road with a very bad ending.
I agree about the militia/police force thing, I just don't think Americans do since they tend to view anyone that works for the government with some suspicion, even cops.

[GeneChing]

It's a fine opportunity for martial marketing. In all seriousness, I've been approached by a few of our regular freelancers with queries about martial-counters-to-shooter-scenario articles. If anything good comes across, I'll be happy to publish it. I'm always happy to publish good material.

Martial arts school offers free training for educators


Instructors Victoria Little, Sam Barksdale and Ryan Hoover, rear, demonstrate martial arts techniques for neutralizing an active shooter on Thursday January 10, 2013 at Ryan Hoover's Extreme Karate in Gastonia. (Ben Goff / The Gazette)
By Amanda Memrick
Published: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 18:39 PM.

Teachers can lock the door and hide when an armed intruder enters their school.

But that isn’t their only option.

Ryan Hoover of We are Fit to Fight at Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate wants to give school employees training and alternative ways to handle a shooter on campus with a newly created “Safer Campus Now” program.

“We aren’t trying to make teachers warriors,” Hoover said. “We only want to give them some options, should the unthinkable happen. The physical response options are only a small part of our program.”

Local school employees will learn some of those options at a workshop Feb. 2 at the West Gastonia Boys & Girls Club. Any local school employee can attend for free as long as they bring their school-issued ID. The workshop is open to all educators from custodians to teachers to principals.

Hoover created the Safer Campus Now program as a response to the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary on Dec. 14. Hoover has children in the local school system and has dedicated his life to researching how to make people safer through martial arts training like Krav Maga, which provides a realistic approach to handling violent situations.

Participants will learn both tactical responses as well as ways to physically address an attack. Hoover recently assisted in a similar training course in San Antonio, Texas, where 70 educators learned self-defense tactics.

“We’ll do the lockdown simulation and some lockdown alternatives, and then the physical techniques,” Hoover said.

A shooting incident at a school is typically over in 10 to 15 minutes, often before police reach the scene, according to an active shooter report created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. That means those on the ground have to be prepared mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation.

“During that point we’d like teachers and administrators to have options other than close the doors and turn the lights off,” Hoover said. “Unfortunately, we have a profile of what this kind of shooter is now, and he’s not a warrior.”

Typically, these kinds of shooters seek easy targets, aren’t physically fit and don’t look to get into a gunfight, Hoover said.

Getting educators to think differently about their response in those kinds of crisis situations means making them uncomfortable at first, Hoover said. The natural response of many people isn’t to fight, Hoover said, but if force is necessary and can save lives, it ought to be offered as an option.

“Is poison a good thing? Not unless you call it chemotherapy. Is violence a good thing? Well, no — unless you need it,” Hoover said. “My goal, my hope is that we start and continue a dialogue about better ways of making schools more secure.”

You can reach reporter Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or follow @AmandaMemrick on Twitter.

------

Want more details?

The first Safer Campus Now workshop will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 2 at the West Gastonia Boys & Girls Club, 310 South Boyd St., Gastonia.

Participants should bring their school ID and wear comfortable clothes.

School employees that cannot attend Feb. 2 can contact Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate at 704-867-4020 for additional training opportunities.

Gaston County public and private school employees may train at Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate at no charge between now and the end of March.

[Raipizo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=DLUNgRAbR7w

[Syn7]

Interesting to see where this is all going. Lapierre is such a bought douche. They bitch that mental health is the issue not guns but refuse to back off on universal background checks. Stupid. I can't believe some people are so brainwashed retarded that he makes complete sense.

Did you know that only one in ten bullets fired by police actually hit their intended target? And these are the trained people who only shoot to kill. Those statistics do NOT include accidental discharge.

How many people here think that a wooden semi auto hunting rifle is pretty much the same thing as these "assault" weapons? Magazine size is diff. But I have fired both kinds, they feel the same. The biggest diff with the assault weapons is that you can attach a coffee maker to em.

When stripped down, there are differences, but not the kind of differences you hear in the media.

And for the record, if I wanted to do maximum damage, semi auto is preferable over fully auto. Choose your shots, make em count. Spraying has it's moments, but for the most part, in these mass shooting scenarios, semi auto is better.

So what's the answer here? Ban all semi auto weapons? I can live with that, I guess.

With a CNC, lathe, drill press and a few other hand tools, you can pretty much make any gun you want anyways. And now with 3d printing being more accessible, people are printing weapons now. So far I have found a decent one off single use. But it's only a matter of time before you will be able to print out good parts. Although, IMO, certain parts will always be better when machined than printed.

[GeneChing]

...and very OT (although I'm not confident about the source )

DHS using Kung Fu movies to prepare for mass shootings
By Igor Toutellalai, American Media Collective

The Department of Homeland Security wants Americans to fight back against violent gunmen with the most effective means of self-defense without the risks associated with gun ownership: Kung fu.

The DHS has recently posted a training video on how to use such items as scissors to defend against an armed assailant. But this only the start in what DHS officials believes will be a popular transformation of American culture, from gun-toting cowboys to high-kicking martial artists.

“Many Americans remember the popularity of David Carradine’s gentle Kwai Chang Caine on the TV show ‘Kung Fu,” said Sally McClusky, a mass murder defense analyst with the DHS who is working on the new program. “We want more Americans to identify with him than all the cowboys he fought, all using his bare hands.”

McClusky says that President Barack Obama is very interested in moving American culture away from a gun-oriented society to one that is more peaceful. She said that the President has instructed the Department of Education to begin working on a new meditation curriculum for Kindergarten through Third Grade, after which students will begin martial arms training.

“For our part, DHS wants Americans to be safe without the risks associated with firearms,” said McClusky. “As we move away from gun ownership, unarmed self-defense is the natural direction that things will lead towards.”

Using existing videos from Hong Kong, DHS and the DOE are working on school training programs for teachers to defend their classrooms using such Kung Fu styles as Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Monkey, Bak Mei Pai, Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, Jow Ga, Wing Chun and T'ai chi ch'uan. Students will also see changes in their physical education requirements as traditional team sports will be replaced with group exercises and katas, which are formulated series of moves designed to teach students the necessary moves associated with the martial arts style they are studying.

The First Lady (Michelle Obama) has already decided that the Let’s Move program needs a drastic make-over in the fight to combat childhood obesity,” McClusky said. “You don’t see fat people doing kung fu, right? By getting Americans hooked on Kung Fu films and practicing unarmed martial arms techniques, we can get a whole lot of people healthier and safer at the same time.”

McClusky said that some teachers, due to medical conditions such as chronic obesity or PTSD will be excused from participation in the program. The DOE is planning to mandate that all teachers unable to handle the physical rigors of martial arts training will be paired with a classroom-based ‘sensei’ who will double as bodyguard and physical education instructor.

“We think that the meditation program will also help with classroom discipline,” added McClusky. “Plus, kung fu movies are full of positive messages like working towards your goals and standing up to bullies.”

This program is likely to be followed by a new DOE mandate banning all firearms, including those carried by security guards or police, from school campuses under what is now being called the ‘Empty Hand Zone’ where all campus defense will follow the kung fu model of unarmed combat.

[Jimbo]

...and very OT (although I'm not confident about the source )

Yeah, I have serious doubts about that. For one thing, you cannot learn kung fu from videos. Unless of course you're experienced in a system and the vid shows another aspect of it.

If there were a program like that implemented, Krav Maga would suit it way better.

[David Jamieson]

It's a fine opportunity for martial marketing. In all seriousness, I've been approached by a few of our regular freelancers with queries about martial-counters-to-shooter-scenario articles. If anything good comes across, I'll be happy to publish it. I'm always happy to publish good material.

There's a guy...his name's Rory Miller.
A writer / martial artist / professional badass

He has written some stark realism about violence.
Also I promote him as he's a friend.

Anyway, check out Meditations on Violence by Rory to start. He's got a couple of others too bookwise and does seminars. Maybe he could be talked into doing an article for the magazine.

Linkage: Meditations on Violence by Sgt.Rory Miller