To The Daily: Without question, the senseless murders of the children and faculty in Connecticut was an act perpetrated by someone who was hell bent on doing it, motivated by revenge or the desire to be famous, or by mental illness.

We will never know what set off the events, or who set them off. Many people have used this tragedy for their own political agendas.

There are three elements that may have been at the core of this latest mass shooting: the shooter, the weapon and the society in which we are living. Hollywood is instrumental in providing us with movies that are full of violence.

Video games are available that allow the user to practice or to perfect their marksmanship expertise before they go on rampages.

Then, we also have the Internet to research.

Timothy McVeigh murdered 168 people, 19 of whom were children under the age of 6, and he never fired one shot from any firearm.

Jim Jones was responsible for the deaths of 900 people, 279 of whom were under 17 years of age.

Outlawing guns, or creating new gun laws is not, nor will it ever be, the solution.

Another issue that has been only minimally mentioned in this latest tragedy is the prescription drugs, their manufacturers and their warnings and side effects.

Without a doubt, some of these drugs create thoughts of suicide and homicide.

I guess that's why we hear their disclaimers at the end of their sales pitch on television.

Mike Dowdy

Hartselle