I am very sorry it has taken me time to post to my blog. I had a violin recitle and a ton of homework over the past couple weeks. Please forgive me.

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Even though Newtown Connecticut is over 700 miles away from my home in Michigan, the tragic event that occurred there last week affectedd me emotionaly as if it happened in my own neighborhood. I am deeply saddened by what took place and like many I find it difficult to comprehend. I cannot imagine the level of pain that the victims' families are going through. I also can't imagine the pain that the gunman was going through that led him up to his unforgivable actions.

Everyone wants to know why the gunman went on his rampage, because an act like this is incomprehensible. Sadly, having the answer to this question will not make the pain for the families and the community of Newtown any less.

I understand that people want or need an explanation for something as horrific as last week's shooting because it is hard to understand and cope with the fact that someone like Adam Lanza and many others like him walk among us every day. We pass by and interact with dozens of emotionally unstable people on a monthly basis, unaware that the smallest thing could trigger them to ignite as Adam Lanza did.

I am confused about the uproar for increased gun control that followed the shootings. I seriously doubt that increased gun control or eliminating guns all together will stop certain individuals from going on a killing spree. China, a country where it is illegal for its citizens to own guns or even play with toy guns has had similar tragic events occur over the past few years. The country is sadly experiencing a string of rampage attacks at schools, daycare centers, retirement homes and on city streets that have left dozens upon dozens dead and scores more wounded. All these crimes were committed without guns.

I think the answer to correcting and eliminating tragic events such as these is far more complex than banning guns or putting stricter gun control laws into place. If someone such as Adam Lanza is going to go on a killing spree, he or she is going to figure out a way to inflict as much damage as possible and get around the limitation of not having a gun. A can of hairspray a small tube of BB's and a 9-volt battery can inflict an immense amount of damage. The items are readily available and don't require permits to buy. My point is that banning guns won't stop this type of crime, especially with the technology we have today.

The questions I would like answers to are:

• Nancy Lanza knew her son had severe emotional and behavioral issues, so why did she get into gun collecting and keep so much ammunition on hand? I realize that she was one of the victims, but in my mind, she is just as responsible for last week's events. If my child showed signs of being unstable, then there wouldn't even be a butter knife in my house.
• Why aren’t schools built more like banks? They should have high levels of security, doors should be locked, windows should be bulletproof like bank teller windows and there should be an armed security guard at every entry. No one gets in or out without being frisked and walking through a metal detector. Schools don't have to look like prisons to be secure. Banks protect our money better than schools protect our greatest asset- us kids!
• Why don't we have better mental health care available in this country? How could Adam fall through the cracks?  

Please note that I am only 11 and that guns for the most part scare me. I have a Daisy BB gun that I shoot tin cans with and my dad has an old shotgun that has been locked up longer than I have been born. So my oppinions are not that of a gun slinging, pro-gun person. They are just my observations right or wrong.