Please pray for our community

[MessickFarmEqu]

Take a look at cnn.com - front page. About 20 minutes away from us was a school shooting today. A gunmen entered a 1 room Amish school house, took hostages, and ended up shooting several of them before killing himself. All the kids where in 1st-8th grade. Please pray for our community. The Amish here are very close. The death of these children will be felt by hundreds of families.

 

[scott_vt]

Hello Neil,
Yes, I saw this on the news, what a terrible tragedy ! My prayers go out to all those affected families ! An unbelievably sad story.

 

[texbaylea]

I had not seen this but we don't watch much TV. It is so sad that these things keep happening when it is a solvable problem. Schools are the only place where guns are completely banned by federal law. If that was repealed and school districts would let those staff members who wish to carry concealed firearms do so, these people would soon stop if they knew that they would be stopped before they were able to inflict much damage.

I pray for these people but it is sad that this will continue until this nation undertakes a sensible approach to gun safety. Inspite of the 10s of thousand gun laws on the books one more will solve nothing. The perpatrators are not sane to start with and this way they get their 15 minutes of fame.

Vernon

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I just found out that one of our parts delivery trucks drove by the place just a few minutes after the police got there. He said just two weeks ago he stopped at the school while the kids where outside, gave them some candy and talked with the teacher for awhile. Its crazy. You never expect this kinda stuff to happen so close to home.

 

[gsganzer]

I had not seen this but we don't watch much TV. It is so sad that these things keep happening when it is a solvable problem. Schools are the only place where guns are completely banned by federal law. If that was repealed and school districts would let those staff members who wish to carry concealed firearms do so, these people would soon stop if they knew that they would be stopped before they were able to inflict much damage.

I pray for these people but it is sad that this will continue until this nation undertakes a sensible approach to gun safety. Inspite of the 10s of thousand gun laws on the books one more will solve nothing. The perpatrators are not sane to start with and this way they get their 15 minutes of fame.

Vernon

Vernon,
In all due respect and I'm sure you share my sadness: I'm a life member of the NRA , a devoted supporter of our second ammendment rights, and am shocked at the attacks on our constitutional rights. However, I'm saddened that some believe our society has degenerated to the point that our teachers must be armed. There has to be some other answer to our problems.

I pray for the Amish community and all those affected by this tragedy.

 

[roxynoodle]

I am a teacher, and to be honest with, I don't want to be armed. I have nothing against gun ownership or hunting, I just personally don't want to handle a gun. We have had a police officer on our campus for a number of years now, at least since Columbine. My prayers go out to the families and your community. I wish I knew what to say.

 

[randy41]

I had not seen this but we don't watch much TV. It is so sad that these things keep happening when it is a solvable problem. Schools are the only place where guns are completely banned by federal law. If that was repealed and school districts would let those staff members who wish to carry concealed firearms do so, these people would soon stop if they knew that they would be stopped before they were able to inflict much damage.

I pray for these people but it is sad that this will continue until this nation undertakes a sensible approach to gun safety. Inspite of the 10s of thousand gun laws on the books one more will solve nothing. The perpatrators are not sane to start with and this way they get their 15 minutes of fame.

Vernon

this continuous news of school shootings is terrible. anyone ever think of locking the school doors?
as far as arming school staff, i think its a stupid idea. when you hear of teachers molesting and sexually using underage students you get to doubt their ability to make wise decisions. i dont want a gun in the hand of a pedaphile.

 

[texbaylea]

gsganzer
I, too, am a life member of the NRA and a life member of the Texas State Rifle Association. I wish that there was another way to solve this problem but I haven't seen anyone propose it except another anti-gun law, which has not worked.

As long as we have a segment of our political life persisting - whoa: this might get too political. I will just say this: the presence of a firearm in the hands of a trained and responsible adult is not going to "contaminate" the students.

Vernon

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I hate to see these conversations go straight towards guns. Its an old statement, but guns don't kill people - people kill people. If this wack job did not have a gun he would have found another way to accomplish what he wanted to do.

 

[dmccarty]

Messick,

I just popped into TBN to try to escape from the insanity the exists in so many people and saw your note. I'm so sorry to hear that this monster hit so close to one of our TBNers. The $%^&*() was married and had kids. How someone can hurt a bunch of kids.... He did this because of something that happened 20 years ago. Why those kids and families should have to be punished for something that happened 20 years ago that they had nothing to do with.

Many people don't believe in Evil. If this and the other incident Last week don't prove the existence of Evil I don't know what does. I have never been able to find a word that discribes such incidents.

Later,
Dan

 

[graybeard451]

As someone who lost my daughter suddenly, discussing guns, or bombs or whatever is a waste of time. If any of you are nearby, bring the families some food or maybe offer to help them bring in their crops so they can greave. There is nothing you or I can say that will make them feel better right now. I'm sorry to say I'm a long way from there and I think they may not be that open to outside help, but the offer does mean alot if some of you have some spare time.

God bless those that can help, Richard

 

[MikePA]

Please keep this thread focused on the families, their grief and as a vehicle by which information can be shared about how to assist them and not be used as a soap box from which people espouse their views on gun control.

According to local news reports, the families have been innundated with offers of assistance, e.g., rides to the hospitals where the children are being treated. Some of the hospitals are local, while others are as far away as the Philadelphia region and a hospital in Delaware.

 

[texbaylea]

MikePA
I agree that we must help these families but it is about guns isn't it since it is the weapon of choice of these wackos. We must find a sane and reasonable way to stop these things in the future.

Vernon

 

[MikePA]

This thread is not the time or the place for this debate/search for a solution.

 

[JoeR]

All I can do is pray for those families and hug my children tighter. God help those affected.

Joe

 

[WVBill]

First, my heartfelt sympathy and prayres go out to the people of this community. The best thing for them right now would be if all of the TV and News crews just left them alone.

It will probably come out, as it often does in these kinds of situations, that someone who knew or met this man at one point said to themselves something like "He's just not "right" ". But out of fear of repercussions or not wanting to tread on his "rights" out of political correctness - did nothing and said nothing.

Sad to say that's the way it is these days. The fear of getting sued - or worse - is causing many of us to supress common sense and the old adage "I am my brother's keeper".

It's a sad, odd irony that such a feeling - a sense of community and responsibility for each other - is one of the hallmarks of the Amish.

Perhaps the best tribute we could give to these lost souls is to learn from them.

WVBill

 

[SkyPup]

That truly was an evil act by an evil person against innocent children.

We just recently almost had a major disaster here. A bar owner was jealous of another bar owners business and planned to take him out to increase his business.

The perp went to the local Honda dealership at night and stole a new Honda van, then put a king size water bed in the van and filled it with gasoline (at least 200-300 gallons or more). Then went to a vacant lot adjacent to the other bar and put a brick on the gas pedal to drive it into the front glass sidefront of the bar and kill dozens of bar patrons and the bar owner and his family.

Fortunately his wife turned him into the police and they arrested him at the scene before he could let loose his massive firebomb on a large group of innocent people. If his wife had not turned him in, over a hundred people would have burned to death in the ensuing fire....


There are extremely evil people in this world, they are a dime a dozen, don't ever forget it.

 

[BoneheadNW]

This thread is not the time or the place for this debate/search for a solution.

Please direct me to where we could debate/search for a solution. Three school shootings in one week- a solution is needed fast!
Bonehead

 

[MikePA]

Please direct me to where we could debate/search for a solution.

Anywhere but TBN.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Please direct me to where we could debate/search for a solution. Three school shootings in one week- a solution is needed fast!
Bonehead

To me this is a time for prayer and healing, that is what Neil has asked for and it seems to me we should be respecting that request. There are many lives that have been shattered, not just in his community but in many areas where schools have been attacked. Seems to me first we pray and heal, after that, we sit down and discuss the issues that may have caused this, or some of the other tragic events. We are still in the prayer phase. I'm sure that grief will overcome many in the days ahead. Lets put off the debates out of respect for those who face this difficult time.