[downie_24]

I know we talked about this guy's parents and stuff, but was he not 25 or so. What was he doing still living with his parents?

[tommygunn]

The girl who died was only 18 years-old, and they just talked to her uncle on CBC. It's incredibly heartbreaking.

[prz]

It's easy to direct all our disgust and contempt at the kids who commit these heinous acts, and we are awfully quick to put all the blame on them.... but in reality, the people who are most guilty in these tragedies are those failing in their roles as parents or guardians.

You can't actually believe that parents/guardians have a responsibility to their children/charges!

Sadly I think that this will be the cause of many more of these types of events...

We have it here in Ontario under the Parental Responsibility Act. It is limited though to property loss, damage or destruction. Parents may be on the hook for what their kids do.

[skippy the wonder dog]

There is a problem here.

It's called gun control.

Join the debate, but reply with some substance.

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I don't think you want to go down that road, my whiny little friend.

You know jack-shit about crime in Canada, and jack-shit about Canadian gun laws. Not that ignorance has deterred you from shooting off your mouth in the past; you consider yourself an expert on Montreal, apparently, on the basis of one visit.

You haven't contributed anything of substance yet. If you'd like to contribute something of substance, I suggest you review the facts of the case for us with reference to existing Canadian firearms law. You might want to rhyme off the major changes introduced by the last two rounds of gun control legislation, to show your expertise.

Or, alternatively, you could follow the suggestion offered here by so many, understand that this isn't all about you and your precious CD collection after all, and shut the fuck up.

[skippy the wonder dog]

I know we talked about this guy's parents and stuff, but was he not 25 or so. What was he doing still living with his parents?

I guess you don't live in the big city. Lots of kids stick with their parents until that age these days, because of the cost of housing.

Before we start smashing on this guy's mother, folks, let's bear in mind that research suggests that peer groups are more important and influential in the development of teenagers than parents. We actually don't know anything about this guy yet, other than the fact that he was a weirdo.

Which, incidentally, we might have guessed.

[tommygunn]

I guess he posted on this site..
http://www.vampirefreaks.com/journal_com...ry=2850563

[The Horrible Esthete]

Before we start smashing on this guy's mother, folks, let's bear in mind that research suggests that peer groups are more important and influential in the development of teenagers than parents.

That may be true, but I'd contest that when parents take the appropriate amount of interest in their children's lives, they are better able steer them in a direction which allows them to associate and interact with peer groups of higher quality.

And by "higher quality", I mean groups with a more wholesome system of beliefs, interests, morals, and values.

There were certain "peer groups" who might have influenced me in all sorts of negative ways -- had I spent more time hanging around them. And if it weren't for my parents' discipline, interest, and involvement, I'm sure I would have spent a heck of alot more time with that group, and certainly would've gotten into more trouble....

[fingernailsonhull]

Before we start smashing on this guy's mother, folks, let's bear in mind that research suggests that peer groups are more important and influential in the development of teenagers than parents.

That may be true, but I'd contest that when parents take the appropriate amount of interest in their children's lives, they are better able steer them in a direction which allows them to associate and interact with peer groups of higher quality.

And by "higher quality", I mean groups with a more wholesome system of beliefs, interests, morals, and values.

There were certain "peer groups" who might have influenced me in all sorts of negative ways -- had I spent more time hanging around them. And if it weren't for my parents' discipline, interest, and involvement, I'm sure I would have spent a heck of alot more time with that group, and certainly would've gotten into more trouble....

Esthete, I agree, but I think that supposition is proverbial more than anything else. It's not a hard and fast rule - but it is generally true. I think I need to side with Skippy on this one and say that we can't say either way whether the mother should be blamed at all yet.

[The Horrible Esthete]

It's not a hard and fast rule - but it is generally true. .....we can't say either way whether the mother should be blamed at all yet.

There are no absolutes, I agree. And I don't think there's any good in piling on this one mother who just lost a child, a child who wreaked injury and terror on a slew of others. She's probably reeling in misery right now...at least I hope she is.....and quite possibly has no clue what the hell just happened, and what went wrong.

That said, it's hard to think somebody can just "pop off" and do something like this. There has to be some sort of neglect or abuse or some other horrid trauma that is at the root of it all, and it's hard to fathom that a parent who is sufficiently involved with her child's life couldn't see or know something that was horribly wrong with this child. If this tragedy isn't the result of some sort of psychological abuse, then the only other feasible explanation is mental illness.

Shouldn't you know if the child you are raising is insane?

[Ry222]

BuffaloHipFan
- your first post and the rest have all been pretty idiotic and thoughtless. All I see in your posts is another way to let go of some steam because your car got jacked in Montreal...If nothing had ever happened to your car, I GUARANTEE you would not be in this debate right now........so relax