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SpeakFree Series
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The Bullying Debate Part 2 continues
May 2005
ROCHELLE RESPONDS
Here is the response from the mother of our subject from the Part 1 Featured Story:
I am amazed at the nerve of people. Anywhere in my story about by daughter, did it say that the gun was loaded?????? A very bad assumption on your part. Yes, I did have a gun in my house, unloaded, bullets in another area. Am I responsible for my daughter's death? NO I AM NOT. If there was not a gun, should I not have any rope in my house, no medicine in my house. As to the person that asked what kind of environment my daughter was raised in, I can tell you that she was raised in a very loving, supportive and nurturing home. Maybe you didn't read the entire story, that my husband and I had ABSOLUTELY no clue that this was going on. Because believe me, I would have taken every precaution to help my daughter. To the person that suggested that I was not owed an apology, I say this; If someone told your child to kill themselves over and over again and they did, no matter the manner in which they completed the suicide, who you not feel as if your child was stolen from you
. I respect all of your opinions, but they are just that, opinions. My daughter and I were the very best of friends and I know that I love her with all my heart and soul and that I was a GREAT mother (yes I am a MOTHER, not a lady) to her. I just hope and pray that none of you ever have to face the death of a child, because trust me, you will not be as quick to judge another.
If someone wants to commit suicide there are other ways of doing it besides using a gun. There are websites out there that actually provide instruction. Therefore, if a child is desperate enough to kill him or herself they will find another means - if no gun is available that is. The real point is.......STOP BULLYING! Gun control and bullying and separate issues. Do you know that bullying causes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among other things? No relation to guns. We can't make this into a gun issue - if you do so - you will have to make sure parents hide all of their knives remove other sharp objects as well, use only safety glass for windows and mirrors, remove medication including [pain relievers], plastic bags or plastic wrap, any item that could be wrapped around your neck to hang yourself, stop building tall building (someone might jump), hide all caustic chemicals including, but not limited to cleaning supplies (they might be ingested), etc. etc. etc. Don't let them drive either because they could drive off a cliff or into a tree. Come on. Any child desperate enough to commit suicide will find a way - with or without a gun. That is a no-brainer.
-Sue
Guns are not violent, they are inanimate objects. The children that are committing suicide are not the ones being violent. The issue of guns in the home is not the issue. They would find other ways if they had to. The violence comes from the bullies, the ones verbally and physically abusing our children to the point that they feel so bad about their life that they would just as soon end it. Adults are held accountable by the law if they take action that causes someone to die. Why are the bullies in our schools any different? They caused Corinne's death and they should be held responsible for it.
-Bobbi
The sole purpose of a gun is to inflict harm upon others. Yes the argument can be made that things like pills, cleaning solutions, etc. can also be used to commit suicide, but how often do we have kids going into schools and killing others with cleaning solution?
-Danny. Detroit, Michigan
Do any of you know her or her family? Are they in law enforcement? Are they required to carry a gun as part of their job? Was the gun locked up? Was there a key hidden somewhere? From reading the story it seems that the gun wasn't easy to find. And how can you place all of the blame on the parents? Am I to blame because my child is being bullied at school? The bullies are to blame, their parents are to blame and the schools are to blame...not me! We could debate the gun issue for days. Guns have been around for many, many years and there weren't issues like there are today. The problem is with parents who are raising out-of-control children and with society for being too accepting of immoral and inappropriate behavior and for being too lenient when it comes to punishment. Remember people...when you point the finger and judge someone; you have three fingers pointing back at yourself! We are All human and we ALL make mistakes. Don't you think this mother and her family have beat themselves up everyday for what happened to Corinne? I certainly wouldn't judge another unless I have walked in their moccasins. And I pray every day, that by the grace of God, I never have to walk in Corinne's mother's moccasins.
-Chris. San Diego, California
I only know of a few uses for guns and each of them are to do harm to others. It’s true that kids can find another way to commit suicide and if they want to do that, go ahead. It is when these guns end up in the hands of the depressed kid and they go to school and take it out on innocent people that really [plural expletive] me.
-Peter. Grand Forks, North Dakota
SpeakFree-for-all
Responses from the Featured Story in Part One
If a kid is depressed then why not take as many precautions as you can around the house to eliminate the possibility of them causing harm to themselves, up to and including death?
-Kyle. Washington
(Translated from French submission)
Maybe if there open communication between parent and child everyone would be aware of everything that happening. As a parent I make sure that if there is something bothering my son I get to the bottom of the problem and do what I can to fix I. And that means not giving up until the problem is fixed.
-Rob. Montreal, Quebec
It’s a shame what this mother went through. I really do feel sorry for her.
-Betty. Flin Flon, Manitoba
