https://www.scmp.com/rss/288075/feed On December 14, 2012, a man  wearing combat gear and armed with semiautomatic pistols and a semiautomatic rifle entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Connecticut, US, where he fatally shot 20 children and 7 adults. The gunman, identified as Adam Lanza, age 20, most likely shot and killed himself during the incident. The gunman had earlier shot and killed his mother at their residence prior to the shooting at the school. Lanza's girlfriend has also been... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters The US Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a challenge by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to a US$1.4 billion judgment awarded to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut over the Infowars website founder’s false statements that the 2012 incident was a hoax. The justices turned away his appeal of the Connecticut Appellate Court’s decision in a defamation lawsuit against him to uphold most of the judgment issued by a judge and jury in 2022 to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329019/alex-jones-loses-supreme-court-appeal-over-us14-billion-sandy-hook-defamation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329019/alex-jones-loses-supreme-court-appeal-over-us14-billion-sandy-hook-defamation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:12:40 +0000 A UK teenager who killed three family members and planned to outdo notorious US massacres to become “the world’s most famous school shooter of the 21st century” was on Wednesday jailed for a minimum of 49 years. Nicholas Prosper, 18 at the time of the killings, used a shotgun to kill his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, sister Giselle, 13, and brother Kyle, 16, who also received more than 100 knife wounds, at their home in Luton, southern England, in September 2024. “Your ambition was notoriety. You... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3303048/uk-teen-who-planned-school-killing-jailed-minimum-49-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3303048/uk-teen-who-planned-school-killing-jailed-minimum-49-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:09:25 +0000 NFL star Aaron Rodgers is a notorious figure in the pop culture sphere, and the recent release of his Netflix documentary series, Enigma, is further proof of that. The New York Jets quarterback is prone to controversy and, more often than not, his polarising statements are to blame. From accusing Jimmy Kimmel of being involved with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to giving false impressions about his vaccination status during the Covid-19 pandemic – claiming he was “immunised” when he was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3291750/meet-controversial-nfl-star-aaron-rodgers-brother-jordan-playing-and-commentating-college-football?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3291750/meet-controversial-nfl-star-aaron-rodgers-brother-jordan-playing-and-commentating-college-football?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Dec 2024 22:00:16 +0000 A US bankruptcy judge on Tuesday stopped the parody news site the Onion from buying conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars website, ruling that a bankruptcy auction did not result in the best possible bids. US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected Jones’ claims that the auction was plagued by “collusion”, at the end of a two-day hearing in Houston. But he said the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee who ran the auction made “a good-faith error” by quickly asking for final offers for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3290281/us-judge-stops-onions-purchase-alex-jones-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3290281/us-judge-stops-onions-purchase-alex-jones-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:57:31 +0000 Like a headline lifted from the Onion, the parody news website is buying conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars in a bankruptcy auction. The Onion said in a statement on Thursday it aims to replace Infowars’ “relentless barrage of disinformation” with the Onion’s “noticeably less hateful disinformation”. “The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” the Onion... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3286620/satire-site-onion-buys-alex-jones-infowars-help-sandy-hook-families?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3286620/satire-site-onion-buys-alex-jones-infowars-help-sandy-hook-families?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:22:12 +0000 A US federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ′ personal assets but dismissed his company’s separate bankruptcy case, leaving the future of his Infowars media platform uncertain. Jones owes US$1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones’ proposed personal bankruptcy reorganisation to a liquidation, but threw out the attempted reorganisation of his company,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3266716/alex-jones-assets-be-sold-pay-sandy-hook-debt-judge-decides-infowars-fate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3266716/alex-jones-assets-be-sold-pay-sandy-hook-debt-judge-decides-infowars-fate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:27:25 +0000 Alex Jones, founder of InfoWars website and Genesis Communications Network US-syndicated radio host, is not only known for his far-right ties, but also for his continued promotion of conspiracy theories. He rose to prominence after pushing multiple theories against the US government and the New World Order, an organisation he alleged was working against US citizens, from more than 15 years ago. His broad audience and relationship with Donald Trump have seen him become one of America’s most... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3252963/what-controversial-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-today-donald-trump-once-praised-far-right-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3252963/what-controversial-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-today-donald-trump-once-praised-far-right-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:00:14 +0000 Social media platform X reinstated the account of US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after a poll of the site’s users backed his return, X owner Elon Musk said on Sunday. “The people have spoken and so it shall be,” Musk posted in reply to a poll on Saturday on whether to reinstate the Jones account. Close to 2 million votes were cast by the time the poll closed, with about 70 per cent voting in favour of Jones’ return. In a post following the completion of the poll, he said X would “abide by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3244546/elon-musk-restore-account-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-x-after-user-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3244546/elon-musk-restore-account-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-x-after-user-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2023 09:17:15 +0000 President Joe Biden on Wednesday renewed vows to secure a new ban on assault weapons in the United States as he turns up heat on lawmakers to pass legislation before his party loses control of Congress next month. Lawmakers have shown little inclination to outlaw assault weapons since a ban on high-capacity firearms expired in 2004, but Biden is hoping to seize on outrage about the regularity of shootings to lead to greater pressure on them to change their mind. “We did it before,” Biden said of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3202490/biden-pushes-ban-assault-weapons-vigil-us-mass-shooting-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3202490/biden-pushes-ban-assault-weapons-vigil-us-mass-shooting-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 04:00:56 +0000 Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy on Friday, after he and the parent of his Infowars website were ordered to pay about US$1.5 billion for spreading lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting. Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors with the US bankruptcy court in Houston, a court filing showed. The filing said Jones has between US$1 million and US$10 million of assets and between US$1 billion and US$10 billion of liabilities. The extent of Jones’ personal wealth... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3201922/alex-jones-files-bankruptcy-following-us15-billion-sandy-hook-verdicts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3201922/alex-jones-files-bankruptcy-following-us15-billion-sandy-hook-verdicts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:26:55 +0000 Keeping “InfoWars” host Alex Jones off Twitter appears to be something Elon Musk is taking personally. Since completing a US$44 billion purchase of the social media platform in late October, Musk has reactivated the accounts of questionable characters including rapper Ye, who used Twitter to promote anti-Semitism and was formerly known as Kanye West, and former US president Donald Trump, whose lies about the 2020 presidential election preceded a deadly attack on the US Capitol. But the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200496/elon-musk-draws-line-letting-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-back-twitter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200496/elon-musk-draws-line-letting-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-back-twitter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Nov 2022 03:29:51 +0000 Jurors ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Wednesday to pay nearly US$1 billion to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ relatives and an FBI agent, who said he turned their loss and trauma into years of torment by promoting the lie that the rampage was a hoax. The US$956 million verdict is the second big judgment against the Infowars host for spreading the myth that the massacre never happened, and that the grieving families seen in news coverage were actors hired as part of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3195767/alex-jones-ordered-pay-nearly-us1-billion-sandy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3195767/alex-jones-ordered-pay-nearly-us1-billion-sandy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Oct 2022 23:36:52 +0000 A Texas jury on Friday ordered Alex Jones to pay US$45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim, a day after he was ordered to pay US$4.1 million in actual damages for claiming that the school shooting was a hoax. The two awards total nearly US$50 million, well below the US$150 million that parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis sought for the InfoWars host’s assertions that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, was fabricated. Their... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3187939/us-jury-orders-alex-jones-pay-another-us45-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3187939/us-jury-orders-alex-jones-pay-another-us45-million?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:12:52 +0000 US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre at least US$4.1 million for falsely claiming the shooting was a hoax, a Texas jury said on Thursday. The verdict followed a two-week trial in Austin, Texas, where Jones’s radio show and webcast Infowars are based. The jurors will next consider the parents’ request for as much as US$75 million in punitive damages from Jones for spreading falsehoods about the killing of 20 children and six staff... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3187772/us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-ordered-pay-us41?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3187772/us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-ordered-pay-us41?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Aug 2022 22:04:53 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. When you wake up in the morning, fill your mug with coffee for that awakening sip and pick up this newspaper, be glad, because whatever your situation, it is good to know you lived to see another... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3179679/imagine-united-states-where-children-dont-die-school-shootings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3179679/imagine-united-states-where-children-dont-die-school-shootings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 May 2022 06:30:15 +0000 Alex Jones, the US conspiracy theorist who faces multiple defamation lawsuits by parents of victims of a massacre that he called a hoax, has declared bankruptcy for his far-right website Infowars, documents seen on Monday showed. The filing for bankruptcy protection, also known as “Chapter 11”, is intended to freeze the civil court proceedings while recovery plans are prepared for the company, which can continue to operate. The well-known but deeply controversial figure on America’s rightwing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3174708/us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-declares?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3174708/us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-declares?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:08:16 +0000 Police shot and killed a Knoxville, Tennessee, high school student on Monday after they said he opened fire on them in a campus bathroom, wounding an officer. The gunfire, which erupted at about 3.15pm at Austin-East Magnet High School on the east side of Knoxville, marked the latest in a rash of shootings in the United States since mid-March. The wounded police officer was struck by a round in the upper leg and was in serious condition following surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3129283/police-report-multiple-victims-including-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3129283/police-report-multiple-victims-including-police?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:00:56 +0000 Vigils and church services were held Saturday in Connecticut to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and remember victims of other gun violence since the tragedy in Newtown. Twenty first graders and six educators were killed at the school on December 14, 2012. During one remembrance service, Monsignor Robert Weiss, of St Rose of Lima Church, expressed dismay about how the spate of deadly gun violence has continued in the US since Sandy Hook. “On this day... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3042145/church-services-and-vigils-mark-seven-years-26?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3042145/church-services-and-vigils-mark-seven-years-26?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Dec 2019 22:40:25 +0000 The US Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a blow to the firearms industry, rejecting Remington Arms’ bid to escape a lawsuit by families of victims seeking to hold the gun maker liable for its marketing of the assault-style rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that killed 20 children and six adults. The judges turned away Remington’s appeal of a ruling by Connecticut’s top court to let the lawsuit proceed despite a federal law that broadly shields firearms manufacturers from liability... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3037452/us-gun-maker-loses-appeal-against-lawsuit-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3037452/us-gun-maker-loses-appeal-against-lawsuit-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2019 15:38:22 +0000 Congressional Democratic leaders warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any proposal on gun control must include a House-passed bill to expand background checks for gun purchases – or else risk no legislation at all. In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they spoke Sunday morning with Trump, who planned to announce as soon as this week what measures he supported. Pelosi and Schumer said they made clear that any proposal lacking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3027369/us-gun-control-laws-must-include-background-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3027369/us-gun-control-laws-must-include-background-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Sep 2019 22:01:41 +0000 Gunman Adam Lanza wore yellow ear plugs that muffled the screams of his victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School and he shot himself in the mouth after committing one of America's worst school massacres. Disturbing details about last year's mass shooting in the small Connecticut town of Newtown were revealed on Friday when US police released thousands of pages of documents, photographs and recordings from their investigation. The troubled 20-year-old shot dead 20 first grade children and six... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1392080/investigation-reports-reveal-horror-sandy-hook-school-killings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1392080/investigation-reports-reveal-horror-sandy-hook-school-killings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Dec 2013 21:21:08 +0000 Hundreds solemnly gathered in Washington's National Cathedral to mark the first anniversary of the Newtown school massacre and demand tougher action to halt gun violence in the United States. Pop music icon Carole King performed her 1977 song In the Name of Love on the piano at Thursday's late-afternoon vigil, which organisers hoped would pull the media spotlight away from the still-grieving New England town where 20 first-grade pupils and six teachers were killed. The anniversary of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1379934/newtown-massacre-anniversary-brings-fresh-call-gun-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1379934/newtown-massacre-anniversary-brings-fresh-call-gun-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2013 14:15:15 +0000 A teacher calmly explains she has been shot in the foot. Another woman, sounding anguished, pleads for help. A custodian relays information from officers at the scene to a police operator. There is also the booming echo of gunshots. Officials in Newtown, Connecticut, on Wednesday released audio recordings of emergency 911 phone calls from the Connecticut school shooting that killed 20 children and six educators almost a year ago, revealing raw emotion in the voice of the callers. US releases 911... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1373645/newtown-massacre-recordings-reveal-calm-anguish-and-gunshots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1373645/newtown-massacre-recordings-reveal-calm-anguish-and-gunshots?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2013 06:40:21 +0000 The motivations of the gunman who killed 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, last year is still a mystery and may never be known with certainty, prosecutors said in a report that ended their investigation. Adam Lanza, 20, was obsessed with mass murders and the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in particular, but investigators did not find evidence he ever told others of his intentions to carry out such an attack. The question that remains is: ‘Why did the shooter murder 27... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1366380/prosecution-cant-explain-why-adam-lanza-carried-out-newtown-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1366380/prosecution-cant-explain-why-adam-lanza-carried-out-newtown-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2013 13:30:15 +0000 Faced with what one official called a "gut-wrenching" decision, a task force has voted to tear down the site of the Sandy Hook school shooting and build a new school in its place. The committee of 28 officials in Newtown, Connecticut, unanimously recommended the plan after weeks of discussion. Other options included renovating the current Sandy Hook Elementary School or building a new one in a different location. The decision to rebuild on the property is a symbolic step for the community, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1236177/panel-votes-raze-site-newtown-school-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1236177/panel-votes-raze-site-newtown-school-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 After the Newtown massacre at an elementary school in December, Americans rushed to buy guns. I rushed to buy US gun stocks. The temporary plunge in the share prices of such weapon makers as Sturm, Ruger & Co and Smith & Wesson was predictable. So were their record profits, which quickly translated into rising share prices. It's counterintuitive and difficult for outsiders to understand, but Barack Obama's two-term presidency - with his leaning towards tougher gun control - has helped create a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1221000/gun-debate-window-us-soul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1221000/gun-debate-window-us-soul?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The latest attempt to bring some sanity to Americans' right to bear arms came down to one measure - expanded background checks to stop the sale of guns to criminals and the mentally ill. Political lobbying in the US senate killed proposals to control automatic assault weapons and online sales. But even that did not satisfy opponents, led by the National Rifle Association. Dire threats to the re-election prospects of wavering lawmakers also prevailed against background checks. Sadly, the re-run... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218757/bring-sanity-us-gun-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218757/bring-sanity-us-gun-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 What exactly is terrorism? People around the world instantly recognised it when two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring numerous others. But the Obama administration had to mull it over for a day before classifying the attack as terrorism. To me, terrorism is when a religious fanatic, a lunatic or a crazy youth terrorises people with bombs or assault weapons. When 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree last December at an elementary school in Newtown,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 US President Barack Obama, his face set with rage, stood with families from Newtown and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords and asked how a measure to expand background checks for gun buyers - one supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans and a bipartisan majority of the Senate - had slipped away. He asked: "The American people are trying to figure out, how can something have 90 per cent support and yet not happen?" The answer: the measure never really had a chance. In the nearly 10... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217778/why-obamas-drive-gun-reforms-never-stood-chance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217778/why-obamas-drive-gun-reforms-never-stood-chance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 US lawmakers have dropped an effort to include a ban on assault weapons in a broader gun control package, conceding the difficulties of passing such legislation through Congress. The move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday does not kill the proposal outright, but separating it from three other measures being pushed by President Barack Obama's Democrats leaves it to wither in today's highly partisan Congress. Reid said the ban, which included high-capacity magazines, proposed after... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1195553/us-assault-weapons-ban-proposal-sidelined?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1195553/us-assault-weapons-ban-proposal-sidelined?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Thousands of people marched in Washington on Saturday to demand stronger gun control legislation, in a solemn rally six weeks after the shocking massacre of young children at a Connecticut school. Protesters, backed by senior officials, marched in silence for around 30 minutes along the National Mall near the US Capitol and Washington Monument, carrying white placards marked with the names and pictures of gun crime victims. A shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1137087/thousands-march-washington-stricter-gun-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1137087/thousands-march-washington-stricter-gun-control?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:32:47 +0000 New York has passed what supporters called the toughest gun ownership law in the country, becoming the first US state to impose new restrictions in the wake of last month's school massacre in Connecticut. Lawmakers in the lower house of the state Assembly on Tuesday voted 104-43 in favour of the measure, which had been approved by the upper house in a 43-18 vote late Monday. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who rushed through the legislation, welcomed the assembly's overwhelming support,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1129690/new-york-enacts-toughest-gun-law-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1129690/new-york-enacts-toughest-gun-law-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 For adults, the recent shooting spree in the United States, in which 20 small children and six teachers were massacred is tragic, senseless and confusing. We cannot understand why or how such a terrible thing could happen, and our hearts are filled with sorrow for the parents, the children and the community. But at least, as adults, we are filtering these events through our lifetime of experiences and we know that it is this event's very rarity that makes it so appalling. When faced with how to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1125590/helping-children-come-terms-senseless-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1125590/helping-children-come-terms-senseless-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Miguel Caballero has been making bullet-proof clothes for politicians and other bigwigs for 20 years, but not for kids. The latest US school massacre has changed that. This year he plans a line for children -- T-shirts, vests, and combination backpack-vests -- and geared toward the US market. Caballero has made good money in his 22-year-old business with a factory on the outskirts of Bogota. He sells around 50,000 garments a year that go for about $2,000 a piece, but the US market had been tough... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1118657/after-newtown-colombia-firm-makes-bullet-proof-kid-clothes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1118657/after-newtown-colombia-firm-makes-bullet-proof-kid-clothes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:35:41 +0000 Air raid kills 12 from same Syrian family BEIRUT - An air raid on a town partly held by rebels on the outskirts of Damascus killed at least 12 members of the same family, most of them children. Warplanes bombed the town of Moadamiyet al-Sham, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The United Nations estimated more than 60,000 people have been killed in the civil war, a toll one-third higher than what anti-regime activists had counted in the 21-month-old conflict. The UN human rights chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1118571/briefs-january-3-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1118571/briefs-january-3-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Father claims remains of Connecticut gunman HARTFORD - The body of the man who killed 26 people in the second-largest school shooting in US history has been claimed by his father. A spokesman for the family said yesterday Peter Lanza had claimed the remains of Adam Lanza, 20, who shot himself after the rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14 in which he killed six adults and 20 children after slaying his mother. AP   Bodies of 30 torture victims found in Syria BEIRUT - Thirty bodies were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1116921/briefs-january-1-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1116921/briefs-january-1-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Newtown massacre last month that resulted in 27 deaths, including those of 20 children, has once again renewed debate on gun control in the United States. While the debate will continue, as legislators such as Democrat Dianne Feinstein promised to propose a bill to restrict the use and sale of certain assault weapons once a new Congress is convened, I believe the debate should instead focus on the right to gun ownership. As pro-gun activists and powerful lobby groups such as the National... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1116888/pro-gun-lobby-distorting-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1116888/pro-gun-lobby-distorting-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Before William Spengler opened fire on firefighters who had arrived to put out a fire at his home in the upstate New York town of Webster, killing two and seriously wounding two others, he typed a couple of pages announcing his plans. "I still have to get ready to see how much of the neighbourhood I can burn down and do what I do best: killing people," Spengler wrote, police said. The previous morning, Spengler shattered the holiday calm with an assault that officials found uncharacteristic of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1113083/new-york-gunman-wrote-note-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1113083/new-york-gunman-wrote-note-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The largest US gun rights lobbying organisation yesterday forcefully stuck to its call for placing armed police officers and security guards in every school as the best way to avoid shootings such as the recent massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the National Rifle Association (NRA), said his organisation would push Congress to pay for more school security guards and co-ordinate efforts to put former military and police officers in schools... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1111604/americans-wants-armed-guards-school-nras-wayne-lapierre-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1111604/americans-wants-armed-guards-school-nras-wayne-lapierre-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 1. The New York Times Like other shootings before it, the Newtown tragedy has reawakened America to its fixation with firearms … Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health, using data from 26 developed countries, have shown that wherever there are more firearms, there are more homicides … Other nations have suffered similar rampages, but they have reacted quickly to impose new and stricter gun laws. In Japan, which has very strict laws, only 11 people were killed with guns in 2008,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1111006/how-they-see-it-december-23-2012?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1111006/how-they-see-it-december-23-2012?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 When he was a student at Newtown High School, Adam Lanza would sometimes have what a school employee referred to as "an episode". No one knew what might bring it on. The shy teenager "would just shut down", said Richard Novia, a former adviser to the school tech club. He said Lanza would get together with other technology-minded students for fantasy role-playing video games and for sleepovers at school. The thin, gangly boy would join in with enjoyment. "It would be total emotional withdrawal,"... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110938/shutdowns-marked-newtown-mass-killer-adam-lanzas-school-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110938/shutdowns-marked-newtown-mass-killer-adam-lanzas-school-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 She was an innocent child sharing her radiant smile with a complete stranger. Holding her grandmother's hand she said her name was Jeanie and she was five years old. You could tell instinctively that picking up her adorable granddaughter after school was the highlight of grandma's life, there was so much joy in both of their faces. When I exited the elevator Jeanie smiled one more time before waving goodbye and it was all I could do to enter my flat before breaking down like a sobbing fool. Man,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1110888/no-escape-gun-madness-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1110888/no-escape-gun-madness-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The National Rifle Association's response to the Connecticut school shooting means any effort to pass new gun-control laws must overcome opposition from an organisation with longstanding clout in Congress. NRA chief Wayne LaPierre on Friday dismissed calls for tighter gun limits and instead recommended armed school guards following the massacre of 20 children and six adults. While not unexpected, the NRA's continued resistance to new firearms restrictions would make it more difficult to enact... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110968/national-rifle-associations-hard-line-suggests-tough-fight-new-gun-laws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110968/national-rifle-associations-hard-line-suggests-tough-fight-new-gun-laws?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As Americans paused for the one-week anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, new details emerged about the gunman, Adam Lanza. Acquaintances revealed how he was able to take apart and reassemble a computer in a matter of minutes but rarely spoke to anyone. In high school, Lanza used to slither through the hallways, awkwardly pressing himself against the wall while wearing the same green shirt and khaki pants every day. He hardly ever talked to classmates and once gave a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110835/week-after-connecticut-school-massacre-new-details-emerge-about-killer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110835/week-after-connecticut-school-massacre-new-details-emerge-about-killer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:58:26 +0000 As the funeral processions unfolded this week across Newtown, Connecticut, laying to rest victims of last week's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the massacre's often-uncounted first victim - memorialised: Nancy Lanza, the mother of the killer - was quietly remembered. An official source in New Hampshire confirmed that a private funeral, attended only by her family in an undisclosed location, had been held for Nancy Lanza, 52, on Thursday. "About 25 family members attended," said Donald... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110090/family-holds-quiet-funeral-gunmans-mother-new-hampshire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1110090/family-holds-quiet-funeral-gunmans-mother-new-hampshire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Parents' anxiety following last week's Connecticut tragedy is driving a surge in sales of bulletproof backpacks, in the hope they can give their children a safety edge. For under US$300, the company Amendment II - a play on the second amendment to the US constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms - is selling a backpack with Avengers characters on it for boys and a Little Mermaid one for girls. "Sewn into the rear of the pack, you can always be confident that the armour hasn't been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1109230/us-school-massacre-boosts-sales-bulletproof-backpacks-kids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1109230/us-school-massacre-boosts-sales-bulletproof-backpacks-kids?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 An 11-year-old boy has been charged with possessing a deadly weapon after bringing a gun to school, claiming he was worried about a massacre like Connecticut’s, a schools’ spokesman said on Tuesday. The boy brought a .22 calibre handgun into class on Monday at the West Kearns Elementary School in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns, Utah, and allegedly threatened classmates with it before being reported. “He is alleging that he brought the weapon to protect himself and his friends from a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1108094/us-boy-11-charged-after-bringing-gun-class-after-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1108094/us-boy-11-charged-after-bringing-gun-class-after-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2012 03:40:23 +0000 US President Barack Obama backs a new bill to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, the White House said on Tuesday, fleshing out his nascent response to a shocking school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday’s carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said. The killings of 26 people, including 20 children, at a Newtown... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1108015/obama-backs-bill-ban-assault-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1108015/obama-backs-bill-ban-assault-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:12:15 +0000 President Barack Obama on Tuesday threw his weight behind a bill to reintroduce a ban on civilians owning assault weapons, in the wake of a gun massacre in an elementary school that shocked the nation. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president would support a law proposed by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein to prohibit the arms, defined as certain types of semi-automatic firearm with removable magazines. “He is actively supportive of, for example, Senator Feinstein’s stated intent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1107857/obama-backs-bill-ban-assault-weapons-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1107857/obama-backs-bill-ban-assault-weapons-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:12:16 +0000 The brutal murder of 20 children and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut, shakes us to the core as individuals and requires a response as citizens. The United States seems to reel from one mass gun killing to another - roughly one a month this year alone. America needs to find a better way. Other countries have done so. Between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s, Australia had several mass shootings. After a massacre in 1996, then prime minister John Howard instituted a severe crackdown on gun... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1107569/american-myth-freedom-through-guns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1107569/american-myth-freedom-through-guns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000