A holiday season with limited joy

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has left most of us reeling at this season of holidays.The deaths of those dear little children and valiant teachers and administrators is so terribly sad. I grew up in gun country where all the members of a family would go on deer hunts to supply their winter's meat.But assault rifles like the one used by Adam Lanza are for wiping out, anniliation, not for hunting and don't belong in households. My mother had a 22 pistol that she kept at her bedside as protection until she was well into her 70's.She gave the pistol away when a family friend told her she could never protect herself from intruders at her age.
  There is another issue, that  of mental health that must be addressed. There are people who are born with mental problems that make them a danger to society.But the history of mental health hospitals in this country is not pretty, especially when the workers are as disturbed as the inmates. I do not defend the parent who tries to cope at home with a dangerous child, but I can understand why that parent cannot find the proper professional help.