Update 7:19 p.m.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Newtown to meet the families of victims killed in Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and to thank first responders, according to a press release issued by the White House.
"The President will also speak at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims as well as families from Sandy Hook Elementary School scheduled for 7 p.m.," the press release said. "More details will be released as they are available."
According to the Hartford Courant, Obama will not make any public appearances during his visit.
Original Story:
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton Tweeted that the helicopters people heard over Danbury today were an advance team setting up for a possible presidential visit early next week.
"We don't know when at this point," Boughton said.
The helicopters visited Danbury Municipal Airport and other locations in the city. The mayor didn't know if the helicopters visited Newtown yet.
"Those helicopters you hear are the Presidential advance team. No details on what day the President is coming," was one of the mayor's Tweets.
Airport Administrator Paul Estefan declined to say anything at all about the helicopters or the president or any visit. Estefan said when President Clinton visited Danbury, the advance team arrived three months before the visit.
"They are scouting landing locations. He's not with them," Boughton Tweeted, referring to the president.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting began at about 9:30 a.m. Friday. In all, 27 people were killed, police said, including 20 children. Among the adults killed were the school’s beloved principal and psychologist.
The identities of all victims have been established, according to State Police Spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance. Families of those killed have asked that no media members press them for interviews.
It is the President's role to lead the nation at times like this and maybe, just maybe you could put aside your pointless partisan rhetoric and abject hate for Obama and recognize that.
And guess what, Joshua -- you'll never see one of your guys in the White House -- that's NEVER, as in the rest of your life. 332-206. Does it hurt yet?
The CDC put out guidlines for reporting suicide so that they didn't glrify it: "ASPECTS OF NEWS COVERAGE THAT CAN PROMOTE SUICIDE CONTAGION" Engaging in repetitive, ongoing, or excessive reporting of suicide in the news. Providing sensational coverage of suicide. Reporting "how-to" descriptions of suicide. Glorifying suicide or persons who commit suicide. News coverage is less likely to contribute to suicide contagion when reports of community expressions of grief (e.g., public eulogies, flying flags at half-mast, and erecting permanent public memorials) are minimized. Such actions may contribute to suicide contagion by suggesting to susceptible persons that society is honoring the suicidal behavior of the deceased person, rather than mourning the person's death. " http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00031539.htm
"The Media is an Accomplice in Public Shootings: A Call for a "Stephen King" Law" This week, I watched in horror with most of America, as yet another person unleashed a furry of bullets in a busy Portland, Oregon, mall killing two and injuring others. But my horror was twofold. The first misery came as I heard the names and numbers of victims and thought about the pain they and their families will endure for the rest of their lives. The second dose came as I held my breath, hoping and praying the media wouldn’t amplify the violence. But they did. They did exactly what they needed to do to influence the next perpetrator to lock and load. 1.They named the shooter. 2.They described his characteristics. 3.They detailed the crime. 4.They numbered the victims. 5.They ranked him against other “successful” attackers. Public shootings are a contagion. And the media are consistent accomplices in most every one of them... http://www.forbes.com/sites/josephgrenny/2012/12/13/the-media-is-an-accomplice-in-public-shootings-a-call-for-a-stephen-king-law/
And, just remember, this could just as well have happened here, to our children! I applaud the President for coming to Newtown, but I would like to see some real and meaningful gun control passed NOW!
If someone had a gun at the school the shooter would be dead. Its crazy to leave defenseless kids all bunched up in one place with no defense. A guy sliced 23 kids in China the same day as Connecticut shooting. If broken schools and families are going to keep producing destabilized kids then schools better have more in the way of protection than silly "Gun Free Zone" signs
Strict background checks and responsible storage and use are what's needed. If someone wants to carry out an act like this badly enough, and doesn't care if they live or die, there's really nothing that can be done to prevent that. When you take away the fear of death in the criminal, there's really no one that can't be killed. The reason there was no threat of a land invasion on US soil in WWII was that if that happened, there'd "be a gun behind every bush" People like to try to make broad sweeping generalizations about guns after some nut job shoots up a school / church / office / ect. But that's just what it is, one isolated individual. It's the individual that bears the responsibility for his or her actions, not some inanimate object.
Criminal / unbalanced individual / sociopath are all interchangeable. You defend the fact that he wasn't a criminal, well he sure as hell made up for that when he began this heinous act. A .22 caliber weapon was actually the preferred assassination weapon in close range, since the velocity of the bullet cannot exit the skull once it enters and sprawls off the inner surfaces. A .22 caliber bullet is a step or two above a BB gun. An assault rifle when properly cared for is no more dangerous than any other type of weapon. Now you may mean an automatic weapon, which I would agree has no place in a civilian's hands. Your assault weapon argument is like saying people can't drive a Corvette because it's faster than other cars. Whether it's a Corvette or a Prius, if wielded improperly, someone can get hurt.