NRA Should Buy Casket For Samuel Hengel, Marinette School Shooting Victim
Not for the first time do I ask the question that keeps haunting our society.
When will we stop allowing hand guns to create death and mayhem in our nation?
Look into the eyes of this 15 year old boy and tell me the question is not worthy of an answer.
(Picture Credit CBS News)
On Monday night a troubled, and obviously depressed teenager shot himself in a Marinette, Wisconsin school. For hours prior to that deadly decision Samuel Hengel held a classroom hostage with two guns.
Samuel Hengel was carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic and a .22 caliber semi-automatic. He had additional ammunition in his pocket, and a duffel bag with more bullets.
Samuel Hengel’s emotional pain ended Tuesday morning when he died from his gun wound.
We all should feel responsible. After all, we allow this to happen every day in our nation. We allow this to happen when we do not step up and force policymakers to enact tougher gun control laws.
That this Marinette school shooting is a huge tragedy goes without saying. Problem is that this shooting was not an isolated case in America. Every day there are countless shootings that end in murder, suicide, pain, blood, and funerals.
In Marinette, as in every other such shooting, there needs to be an answer to a question I have asked over and over when such senseless events occur.
Where in hell did Samuel Hengel get the damn guns?
There should be a slamming indictment of the adult(s) who owned the guns, left them unattended, unlocked, and loaded. There should not be any confusion that there was a way to prevent this madness. The way to do that was to force adults to treat deadly weapons in the way they should be handled. Locked, and away from those that have no appreciation for the harm that can occur, or unable to make responsible decisions.
Someone failed to do that in Marinette, and are responsible for the death of Samuel Hengel.
This blog has never shied away from gun control, or asking the tough questions that too many wish to pretend do not exist. Too many gun apologists fall back on the trite, and uneducated statements that only show a lack of concern for others in society. To be so crazed over the ‘right to own a gun’ means that there is not enough care about the Samuel Hengels in society. That shows the unethical and immoral side of gun owners.
The NRA members who champion the Second Amendment should now buy the casket for Samuel Hengel.
Who will be the first to step up to the challenge?
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Who’s to say that the guns were “left in a place so a person of any age could gain access”? Were you there? Do you know if the guns were locked or not? Your statements are ludicrous. As I said, I know this family and I know they were very careful about how they handled these things. Sam did hunt and did have a permit to hunt and had hunter’s safety course. As long as there are guns in any home, there is access if someone is determined enough. What is it you want to see for “gun control’? Should there be no guns in any private home? Or, should they be locked? IMO, anyone determined to inflict harm could figure a way around that. Let’s just take guns out of the equation, so the common person is left to the mercy of whatever violent criminal chooses to impose in their disregard for any law. Yes, young males especially, tend to end their lives in violent ways, namely, shooting themselves and crashing their cars (more common than shooting). The gun did not kill him, HE DID. Let’s take every possible method of self-inflicted harm away, including cars. Your argument for gun control radically breaks down when trying to build it with a case like this.
There is no lack of respect for the teenager in this story. He was troubled. He found access to guns. Whoever left those guns in a place so a person of any age could gain access to them is troubling, and something I have long advocated needs to be dealt with in the form of tougher gun laws.
To not talk about the need for gun control at this time misses the 800 pound monster in the room. This is EXACTLY the time to talk about this matter. People are are paying attention all over the nation to another senseless gun shooting.
Everyone is saying this young man was smart and talented. That only underscores the horror that guns play in this nation. If the brighest can be brought to such an end with these weapons is there not a lesson here for all to learn?
The gun did kill him, and to say anything other than that is pure lunacy.
I knew Sam and his family. I can tell you, from knowing them for years, that they are a great family and Sam was fantastic. He was well-liked, very intelligent (straight A’s), involved in boy scouts and the outdoors. His friends and family are at a loss as to why he did this. The students who were held hostage did not feel threatened or in danger after the initial shock of Sam entering the classroom with guns. They felt he didn’t intend to hurt them and were able to talk to him for hours, even laughing with him at times. He was obviously troubled and depressed, but showed no signs of that to anyone that knew him. Using this tragedy as a platform for gun control, as the poster on this website did, and as Wisconsin governor Doyle did, is outrageous. Please HAVE SOME RESPECT for family and friends that are grieving and at a loss over why this happened. Find another way to make your arguements. As previous posters said, the guns did not kill him. Without access to guns, he was definitely bright enough to find an alternative strategy to carry out his plans – unfortunately.
It is a tragic when a like is lost. But do not put the blame on the NRA or gun owners. They did not put the gun is his hand. If one is intent on ending their life, they will find a way to do it. There is all kinds of violence on TV, movies and video games, and it tends to “harden” emotions. Some may say it is cold to say so, but it a fact of life and history. Ever question why over 4 million Jew and others were rounded up and killed in Germany during WWII. 1938 Germany outlawed private ownership of guns to protect the citizens from guns and criminals. Australia two years ago severly restricted private ownership of guns. The result was a 300 percent increase of rapes and 400 increase in home invasions, and 10 percent of other crimes in one year. Theses are just a few examples when law obeying citizens are disarmed. I have also spent a number of years as a law inforcement officer.
You can pass every law you want restricting firearms, but in doing so you’ll leave law-abiding citizens disarmed, while criminals feel more empowered. The anti-2nd amendment establishment’s call for more gun laws makes total sense. I’m sure the criminals are preparing to kindly turn their firearms in to the proper authorities once those laws go into effect. Good fricking idea, dumbasses!
P.S. When the criminals come knocking at your door, good luck to you!
Mom from Marinette,
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. Your words have been more of the more thoughful ones this evening. Prayers go out to all those in your community.
In no way am I speaking only to the folks in Marinette. This gun problem is a national stain, and the attention now, until the next story like this, is in your town. But the only way to stem the problem is for all of us to step up and demand those who buy our elected officals with campaign cash,(that would be the NRA in this case) and then make sure strong gun control legislation never sees the light of day need to be called out and stopped.
It is not fun to have most everyone come on my blog tonight and bite me, but I am grounded enough to stand up for what I know to be right. It can not be said of me that I took a politically correct stance on this matter. I have deleted over 30 messages that are foul-mouthed and treated this young man in Marinette in dreadful ways.
I would ask that you join with others in your hometown and help stop the loss of these lives from guns.
This kid had his WHOLE life ahead of him. A gun in a moment of loss, rage, hurt, depression, etc. took it from him.
We must do better for our kids.
Guns are the by-product of our culture. This boy was not an evil person. He was a depressed person. Our culture is a culture of death. Have you watched the news, a movie or played a video game lately? Please don’t blame the people of Marinette, especially the parents.They have enough pain. I agree with you that we are all to blame every time we participate in violence and desensitize ourselves into accepting violence and guns throughout our society and ………….for entertainment. When we all get courageous enough to say what isn’t politically correct and offer kindness, hope, faith and compassion to each other….then you might change a life. Maybe save a life. God Save the People.
laws are needed for sure as there is no permit needed to purchase handguns or any registration of handguns or licensing of owners of handguns or even permit to carry handguns
Feel free to move. My fore fathers left the european nations behind on purpose. Why do people like yourself always use those lame excuses to try and justify anything/everything?
I could care less how much they are paying for a litre of petrol either.
How can anyone blame am inanimate object for causing death? Have you ever witnessed, read of or heard of any gun capable of loading ammo, acquiring a target and discharging itself? Human intervention is a necessity in the sequence of events. This time, a 15 year old male youth provided the interface between man and machine.
There are quite a few distasteful things in our society. Sensationalized journalism promoting ones own personal agenda clearly lies in this category.