Man opens fire at Omaha mall, killing 8
Man opens fire at Omaha mall, killing 8 - Yahoo! News

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

They wouldn't even be committing suicide if they didn't have a mental illness!

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

I know lots of people who have some sort of mental illness--heck, even I've been diagnosed w/ depression--those people don't go around killing/hurting others.

Mental illness is a cop out now days for a lot of people who commit heinous crimes. Treatment for mental illness is so much more accessible these days. Doctors know what they are looking for, school teachers know what they are looking for, pastors/clergy know what they are looking for...
The stigma that was once attached to having a mental illness is fading!

Alcoholism is a disease--and an alcoholic can choose to treat the disease or not. So can MOST people who are diagnosed w/ mental illness. It's not uncommon for people who are mentally ill to CHOOSE to go off of their meds, or to not go to counseling or seek treatment.

IF a person is diagnosed with some sort of mental illness, it is up to that person to seek the treatment. Just like you can't fix an alcoholic until they want to be fixed, you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped, or won't admit that they have a problem.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

It's a shame someone with a concealed carry permit wasn't there. Could have taken the guy down before he killed more people. From what I understand, this mall banned law-abiding people from carrying their concealed weapons. What a shame. But yet this guy can walk in with a rifle???? How do you conceal that? Obviously the security guards weren't alert.

Why take the lives of innocent people? If you want to kill yourself, then kill yourself. This is a terrible thing to happen, especially right here at Christmas.

We should pray for the families of those left behind to have to go thru this Christmas season without their loved ones.

This is a shocking story, but really hits home with us since we are from Omaha. I had to call family to make sure that they were okay. Omaha is the big city in Nebraska, but you never think that something like this would ever happen there, as opposed to a very large city like L.A.or N.Y.C. So incredibly sad that a mentally ill or drugged-up individual can take out whomever he chooses. I'm sure we will hear more detailed stories about this sick individual in the coming days. My prayers go out to the families who have to deal with such tradedgy for no reason.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

Have to respond. This all most likely happened in a matter of minutes. I don't know too many gun-toting folks that might just happen to be in Von Maur shopping at the time. I'm sure the security guards did all they could, as they are used to dealing with shoplifters, not a maniac with a rifle.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

You would be surprised at the number of as you call it 'gun-toting folks' shopping all the time. My DH carries all the time, as well as my son (even when he's not on duty). At our local smalll drug store the other Saturday, some of the guys got to talking and come to find out, there were at least five concealed carries in the drug store, including one woman. So you can imagine how many are at malls. Like I said, you would be surprised.

Plus I'm sure the security guards don't carry weapons -- probably only mace and a stick. That's what they carry here at our malls, unless they're off-duty cops.

I'm here in Nebraska, not far from Westroads....It just goes to how that this can happen anywhere...My MIL worked at Von Maur up until about 3 mos ago...she knew 2 (so far) of the people that died...My heart goes out to ALL of the people that this touches!!

Hug your loved-ones tonight...It's nice to know that your loved!

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Jenn
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill

Well this mall has security guards they are not armed though I live not far from this city & I go down thier quite often with my kids & shop because their drs are in Omaha this hits way too close to home I am in shock & praying for the people who were in thier

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mom of 3 greats girls

What a sad day this has been for Omaha. It was about 25 degrees here today, so I imagine it wasn't hard to conceal the rifle in his coat. I feel so bad for the people who lost loved ones, and my thanks go out to our police/fire/rescue units who responded so quickly.

Yes it sounds like the police were thier immediately & the security guards did thier jobs they called the police what else could they do without weapons against someone like this ya know so so sad hitting way to close to home

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mom of 3 greats girls

I have to agree with you. I know that a lot of times these crimes are committed by people who are purely evil and I'm not saying that this wasn't one of them. I'm not trying to make excuses for this person.

What I would like to convey is that mental illness is surprising in its strength, for those who haven't been exposed to severe illness. It can completely take over a person who used to appear "normal" or at least somewhat normal. It can worsen and creep in and the person who is experiencing it is usually quite adept at hiding the symptoms so the people around them may not realize the severity until it is too late. We've all read the stories that back up my statement. "They had no idea how far gone some of their friends and family members were. They wish they had gotten them help." I have very intimate knowledge of the severity and ferocity of mental illness and know the havoc it can wreak on a family and understand the effects it can have on a person's ability to think and reason as a "normal" member of society. It is frightening.

"He wanted to go out in style". Wonder what he meant by that.Was he sick and tired of all the people trying to "keep up" with the Jones?Tired of all the competition maybe? Or was it really just a random shooting to make people go . What was he really thinking in those last hours of madness.
What events took place in his life that could have brought him to this point. What justification did he convince himself with,that this was a good thing to do?
Ofcourse he was insane.It is so freaky, you just never know what flamable gases people keep bottled up inside them,and you never know what will create that spark that will explode it all. Scary...it could be anyone, possibly one of us here on the board, ...who would ever know.

I am just praying for everyone who was involved. What a horrible act....just to "be famous"! I just watched the updated information on The Early Show and I am just sitting here with my mouth wide open. I cannot even think of a reason why someone could do this to anyone....esp....people they don't know.

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Give me the wisdom and grace to understand

Tracy S
Mommy to 5 little girls
Victoria
Alyssa
Samantha & Selena
Malaya
Tracy_s5girls@yahoo.com

Marilyn I'm sorry but the Mental Health System is Broke in the USA and broke bad many people cannot get help that they need, there are waiting lists for help from the State, County and even Private Practioneers. I suggest this to anyone who has a friend or relative with a Mental Illness even minor like Depression Go to the Library or Local Book Store and get the book "Crazy: A Father's Search through America's Mental Health Madness" By Pete Earley he shows just how broke the system is and my County is in there . I have talked with Pete Earley myself when I found myself being shoved all over the place trying to get help for a severely mentally Ill 18 yr old son who has a dual diagnosis and was failing miserably in a school for Emotionally Disturbed or Children who cannt be in a regular setting to learn and the Mental Health System discharged him in spite of his violence which included physically attacking me, and classmates and drug abuse that he denied but I knew he was using. I didnt raise him he came to live with us in 2005 and I know why his father couldnt wait to get rid of him at 18 now. Let me tell you since we kicked him out of the home in April 2006 he has been homeless, jobless and still mentally ill and cant get help even where he is now in Kansas and yes some of it now is his own fault he refuses to believe he is "ill" yet he has been diagnosed by more than one physician and was kicked out of boot camp and diagnosed yet again by the Military Psychologist as Mentally ill. When he gets treatment he is the sweetest nicest calmest person you would ever meet, when the system fails and say hey you are fixed liek they did with him and the meds are gone he is a whole different person its called put a bandaid on them and let someone else deal with it, My son has bi-polar depression, ADHD and was/is addicted to meth but the Mental Health systm "Fixed" him by giving him drugs and counseling for a set amount of time until he was "stable" in their minds and discharged him with no aftercare and when I tried to get him back in was told sorry we fixed him get on the waitlist and we'll see if w ca help him then which could be a year or two !!

My heart goes out to this families who lost loved ones and who were hurt. Honestly something needs to be done to fix our Mental Health system it really does I am one person and I belong to NAMI and other local groups on Mental Health reform but collectively we can make a difference so that Parents dont get frustrated and school counselors, teachers etc dont have their hands tied when they need help but cant get it for a student in need. I;m done I could go on for hours, days weeks about this but wont.

Please get the Book it is very eye-opening

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

and while I understand what you're saying, I disagree with you on some aspects. I would say your son's bigger problem is Meth addiction.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I'm of the thinking if you want to kill yourself do it without taking others with you. If you do take someone's life be man enough to take your punishment.

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Laura
Please visit my blog
http://mylifeinlaurasworld.blogspot.com/

I agree on that wholeheartedly meth is a big problem for him, the mental illness came first and it was second and oddly enough I believe he got it while in a outpatient treatment program from another client or at the school which is how he got started. How in the heck he tested negative to get into the KS national guard in the first place is anyone's guess. In our area here in VA the Cops everyone says there is not a meth problem here well I tell them they are liars. My son sadly was/is I dont know and this is gonna sound cruel I dont care if he is addicted. homeless sleeping on the streets he did it to himself and until he mans up and realizes he has issues trust me I wont have one iota of sympathy for him and the problems he has. My DH on the other hand seems to be conned by him I wont anymore I've been there done that and got the scars to prove it. There is more to my son that I didnt go into that is linked to being mentally ill he has warrants for his arrest out of VA which is why he bolted back to his "friends" in KS who btw abandoned him, and he is a pedophile he is now 20 yrs old and still messes with the 14-15 yr old set. It is a sad system they are not equipped to help those who need help and wnat it or they help them and then "Cure" them and release them to get ill again with no aftercare. We lost two cops here last year because of a mentally ill young man who the system failed over and over again since he was around 10 yrs old, he went on a shooting rampage at a local police substation and killed two cops one a female who is written about in PEte Earleys book.

I tell you the system needs to be fixed this kid in NE had to be showing symptoms prior to just going off and shooting people they all do once the "professionals" look it all over and analyze it to death on TV, then the family, friends, teachers, ministers,co-worker etc go yeah you know what thats right "Johnny" did exhibit xyz behavoir if I only listened or got him help or fought for the help to continue maybe he and those others would be alive today.

I;m not gonna beat a horse to death we all have our own opinions and I see everyones point pro and con I am just very passioante about this subject because of my son or as he is referred to around here the dis-owned son or Uncle Brians Nephew... I hope to make a small difference for another parent who has to face what I did in the past so that they have a brighter future. I'm done no more from me in tis thread I promise.

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy