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?
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
How can you think of Samuel Hengel as a victim? He was a deranged young man at the end of his rope who viewed death as the only way out. If he didn’t have a firearm he would have found another means of ending his life. It is shameful and irresponsible to turn a young man’s death into gun control propaganda.
“Too many gun apologists fall back on the trite, and uneducated statements that only show a lack of concern for others in society”
I will put you down as a NO for helping with casket costs.
If a gun would have killed the young man, I would buy the casket myself. The young man killed himself and he could have done that just as easily without a gun. I have trouble calling him a “young man”. He took a classroom full of students hostage! If he hadn’t shot himself, the police would have done the job for him. If he had taken hostages with a knife, the police would have still responded with deadly force. His life was ran by his own choices and apparently death was his final choice.
Nothing to add. Well put and your anger is justified.
Fact is we see the real purpose of weapons in this story. They kept no one safe, prevented no violence. In fact, the weapons did just the opposite.
As for personal gains on my part…that is insane to even suggest. I make no money on this blog, and have no aim other than the promotion of logical public policy.
What is insane is the lack of your looking into the eyes of this young person and admitting we are in a heap of hurt and awful public policies in this nation when these shootings can so easily happen.
Please don’t pretend logic plays any part of your opinion. First off, who’s to say that an adult left the guns unlocked and loaded? Is a 15 year old too stupid to load a gun or figure out where his parents hide the key to a gun safe? I think not. Secondly, any logical person realizes that laws only impact the people who obey them. Murder is against the law, clearly it never happens right? When will gun control advocates wake up and start addressing the real problem? When will they realize that banning guns is as idiotic as slapping a Band-Aid on an arterial bleed? Address the problem not the symptom. I doubt I’m in the minority of gun owners who wish there were a way to rid the US of all gun violence, and I know I’m not the only one logical enough to realize that erasing the second amendment isn’t going to fix this boo-boo.
What is truly insane is your inability to recognize that that young kid was in a heap of hurt, and HE chose to deal with it in a destructive way. A lack of gun control did not cause Sam Hengel to commit suicide, he made that choice. That’s the real problem that needs solving.
There are too many guns in this country. They are too easy to buy. There are no conditions, for the most part on buying or keeping them. You can buy as many as yiou want. You can have cop-killer ammo. You are not required to keep them stored, locked, without ammo.
There are no laws that are going to bite the adult(s) in the back side for not protecting this young person from these weapons.
There are so many of these “boo-boo”…as you write….and that only underscores my point in the post about “unethical and immoral side of gun owners” as I do not think that what happened to Samuel was a “boo-boo”……it was instead lax guns laws from the top to the bottom that allowed for this matter to start and end in the fashion it did.
Does it not trouble you that England (as an example) does not have these stories splashed on their front pages every day?
Might we just be wrong in the United States regarding guns?
Might this young man in this post be the result of all that is wrong with our gun laws.
Go back, and look into his eyes.
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.
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.
Yeah, guns should be like drugs, illegal and therefore impossible for anyone to get… especially kids… hold on a minute, I think I hear reality knocking… brb
Such a shame to have this post so soon. How do you know the guns were not locked. People who do not understand should not be spitting in families in pain you sir clearly used thus tragedy as a personal agenda platform I will pray for you.
Deke,
You write from the heart. If only others would live from the heart. I feel the same as you about guns and the need to fix the problem. Those who oppose you have nothing to write except the same old things we have heard for decades. The banning rope comment is the most lame one yet. But given the three-thumb crowd in this land I bet that one can be improved on. As for me, I say thanks for writing as you always do. Clearly and with passion.
This “victim” took a loaded gun to his school and held people hostage. That requires thought and planning. I’m sure he was a troubled kid; it is a tragedy. I’m sad for his family, but glad he killed nobody else. I’m also sure he was offered help and a way to end the situation without violence. But the real victims here are the students and teacher he held hostage.
To suggest that a gun was responsible for this is to suggest the internet was responsible for the wikileaks.
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.
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
Ron, u have a 3 day wait period, for a handgun. You need to be run through the ATF on your form required to purchase a handgun through a federal firearms licensed business and you need to prove you are capable of handling and shooting a handgun before you are issued a conceal carry permit. At least in the state of WISCONSIN. Criminals don’t buy guns for gun shops, HONEST people do. How are more laws gonna help this?????????
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.
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.
dekerivers you just think its your way and thats that, but guess what you say no gun and I say gun so who gets there way I do.
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!