Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Well spoken.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

I wish that, along with the mention of most mass shootings happening in gun free zones with shooters from broken homes, he mentioned that almost all shooters were on some kind of prescription psychotropic drug. Also, specific to, but not limited to, every school shootings... all shooters are/were some type of cast-out that was shunned or bullied.

I'm not saying with disarm anyone who fits into a broad category strictly because they fit into that category. I do think that is is up to EVERYONE to help develop a psychological profile of everyone else. Be it our family, friends, doctors, teachers, classmates or co-workers. We need to make sure our system of justice works. Lets help every person by helping the person who needs it most... the would be shooter.

Lets be honest, every one of us would have sympathy for a person of any age that:
1.) feels distant from family
2.) has 2 or less friends that are more like acquaintances, if they exist at all
3.) gets picked on or ignored due to being "different", be it looks, smarts or any other reason
4.) has no mother or father because of some poor family life choices of the parents
5.) is on meds for mental health issue because there is either a chemical imbalance in their brain or they are having a hard time coping with life due to all the other stuff I just mentioned.

I am not saying that if you fit into one or all of these profile elements that you're going to snap and start killing people. It is just a good starting point to start keeping an eye on someone.

The real problem is, we have gotten to a point were not enough people care and those that do are treated as evil if you try to interject. So, it gets ignored and gets worse.

I don't know what the right answer is, but I know what the answer is not. It is not banning guns, being PC, and letting more government into our lives. That just makes it worse.

I love that guy.
About medication: we were sick with the flu and my daughter read about Tamiflu. She informed us that she would not take it anymore, because among other things it can make you suicidal. Apparently she got the info from some CDC page.

"Lets be honest, every one of us would have sympathy for a person of any age that:
1.) feels distant from family
2.) has 2 or less friends that are more like acquaintances, if they exist at all
3.) gets picked on or ignored due to being "different", be it looks, smarts or any other reason
4.) has no mother or father because of some poor family life choices of the parents
5.) is on meds for mental health issue because there is either a chemical imbalance in their brain or they are having a hard time coping with life due to all the other stuff I just mentioned."

Funny thing, 4 out of 5 of those points could have described me, once. And, the 5th one; sorta kinda. And, 4 out 5 of those could also describe my son.

Fortunately for me, point 1 was only a feeling, and I was wrong. Same for my kid; and we've been keeping an eye on him, for years. He just turned 20, and has been having a hard time adjusting to adulthood. His mother died of self-loathing, a few years ago. One of my closest friends lost his mother at a young age, and is able to have an understanding that I simply can't have, and opened his home to The Boy.

I have read up on some of the school shooters that have popped up over the past 20 years. It's scary, how I can identify with some of them. Yet, the thought never crossed my mind, to do what they did.

I credit my Christian faith (more accurately, God, Himself), and thank God for a good family, and real friends. I may have felt distant from my family for a while, but that was because I pushed them away, and alienated myself from them. They never turned their backs on me.

The other side of that, while I can sympathize and empathize, I also believe in accountability and responsibility. I've met plenty of folks that have grown up in dreadful situations, and just knew that some things were clearly wrong, and these people are productive members of society, today.

I'm always glad to offer help to those who want it. But, I've learned that it's pointless to help those who are content to wallow in their misery. My time and finance only goes so far; I won't waste my resources on those who would squander my generosity.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Oh... it's also worth mentioning that some folks are simply evil. Not much one can do for them, except to pray for them.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Those very things are why I said I dont want to cast a broad net... but they are good indicators that someone may need help. You and I share a familiar background and we both turned out okay...

I guess your last statement really tells the rest of the story. Some people are just evil. Put them in a position where that want to lash out and the right people aren't there to curb it, then you get something chaotic.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]