Reader blames poor mental health system, Hollywood, NRA, and politicians for school shootings

Dear Editor,

It is difficult to take the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut off my mind. I think some of the blame for such a heinous crime could fall on the doorsteps of those that are looking the other way. An inadequate mental health system, an overly obsessed with killing entertainment industry, the stubborn resistance of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to accept a real need for gun control in the US, and the political arena lacking the courage to take a firm stand against the NRA have left America vulnerable to the type of active shooter that springs up out of nowhere to kill innocent people.

Like the first responders in Newtown, Connecticut we all know that we would have given our lives to stop a shooter from firing on innocent children.

Alfred Waddell
West Dennis, MA