Progress: Connecticut Passes Strict Gun Control Measure

Lawmakers make good on their promise to prevent another Sandy Hoox massacre

Good news for gun control advocates and bad news for the NRA! In the middle of the night, Connecticut lawmakers passed what they’re calling the nation’s most comprehensive package of gun control legislation. This accomplishment comes months after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, where 20 students and 6 adults were gun down by a mentally disturbed young man with a semiautomatic rifle. The legislation includes a ban on the sale of ammunition magazines that carry 10 or more bullets and requires registration of existing ones. It also expands an assault weapons ban, requires background checks on all firearm sales and establishes a registry for weapons offenders. So if Connecticut can do it, what are Washington lawmakers waiting for? Oh yeah, the NRA has many in Congress on a leash. (New York Times)

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Obama Renews Push for Gun Control With Plea to Lawmakers

Legislation has been stalled for weeks

Months after the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting, President Obama is still pushing lawmakers to pass gun control legislation. On Thursday, Obama appeared at the White House with mothers of children who had been shot to death, and called upon Americans to demand action for Congress. "The entire country pledged we would do something about it and that this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten. I haven't forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we've forgotten," said Obama. Gun legislation has been stalled on Capitol Hill in recent weeks, and it is likely that background checks for gun purchasers and tougher penalties for gun trafficking will be approved, but not a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips. Obama expressed his frustration saying the legislation's opponents, led by the National Rifle Association, are "doing everything they can" to derail the effort. (Reuters)

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How Will Gun Control Affect The Hood?

The heat is on to limit legal access to assault weapons, but what about illegal ones?

The 20 children that Adam Lanza gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School were killed with a registered .223 assault rifle that Lanza took from his mother's house.

The AR-15 assault rifle, Remington 12-gauge 870 shotgun and two .40-caliber Glock handguns James Holmes used to kill 12 people and injure 52 others in the Aurora, Colo., movie-theater massacre, were all obtained legally.

The seven people that Wade Michael Page killed during a shooting at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin were shot dead with a legally registered 9-mm semi-automatic.

The lesser reported workplace shooting that took five lives in Minnesota? Yep, done with a legal handgun.

The semi-automatic used in a shooting that hospitalized Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords? Legal, too.

So yes, after all of these tragedies, you can understand why the public and media at large is pushing the U.S. government for stricter gun control laws to keep weapons out of the wrong hands. In a perfect world, strict gun laws would prevent mass shootings from happening with such frequency and which, conversely, tend to drive fearful gun lovers to the stores in droves to buy more guns.

[Also Read: Do We Need Guns In Our Schools?]

But what about all of the other guns used to commit murder and mayhem in this country?

Guns like the ones linked to the nearly 500 deaths in the city of Chicago this year? Or the guns that have contributed to cities like New Orleans and Detroit ranking high on national firearm death rates? Guns in cities like Memphis, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Baltimore, where people wake up hearing about someone getting shot and killed every day.

For the most part, these guns are illegal.

While there is no concrete data pinpointing the number of illegal guns on American streets, it is safe to say that there are thousands being used on American streets. A 2011 Gallup poll revealed that 47 percent of Americans said they have a gun in their home. But a figure like that in no way means that the remaining 53 percent of the country does not.

Sandy Hook Shooting Survivors Record Song For Charity

The song is available on iTunes and Amazon to benefit two organizations.

Twenty-one children who survived last months shooting massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School recorded a version of “Over the Rainbow” to raise money for charity. The children performed the song Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America, alongside singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. Copies of the music is available on iTunes and Amazon and will benefit the United Way of Western Connecticut and the Newtown Youth Academy.

The students recorded the song on Monday at the home of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, two former members of the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club rock bands. “Singing the song makes me feel like she’s with me and she’s beside me, singing along with me,” said Kayla Verga, 10, of one of her friends who died in the attack. Gunman Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 first-graders and six staff members of the school on Dec. 14. Some parents of the children killed spoke out on Monday, urging a national conservation to prevent similar tragedies. (New York Post)

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Conn. School Named After Teacher Killed in Sandy Hook Shooting

Cite her "extraordinary commitment"

A new school building has been named after Victoria Soto, one of six staff members killed last month during the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. Soto, 27, was raised in the town of Stratford, about 20 miles from Newtown, so the Stratford Academy's Honeyspot House building will be named after her. Construction for the new school building will begin over the summer and is expected to open in 2014. The Stratford Town Council said, "Soto’'s courage, dedication and self-sacrifice demonstrate a strength of character and extraordinary commitment to her students of the absolute highest magnitude." She died while trying to protect her first-grade students from gunman Adam Lanza. (NBC)

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Russell Simmons Suggests Unarmed Mediators in Schools

Funding and attention should be given to minority communities as well, he said.

Along side NYC Council members Leroy Comrie and Ruben Wills, Russell Simmons called for funding for unarmed peacemakers in schools rather than armed guards. In a press conference on City Hall’s steps, the Hip Hop mogul emphasized the important of focusing on “underserved communities.”

"The recent Sandy Hook incident put gun violence in the forefront but there's a Sandy Hook every weekend in Chicago,” he said. He cited one weekend in Chicago when 56 young people were shot, saying that they seem to be left out of the conversation when it comes to protecting the community. More specifically, he asked for funding for nonprofit organizations like Life Camp, Man up, and I Love My Life that support his suggestion for unarmed mediators. 

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10 Things You Need To Know For Monday

President Obama will work to get Congress to change the immigration system in the coming months. Obama and Senate Democrats want to propose a comprehensive bill to break the overhaul into smaller sections. The bill would include a way to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, and the president will oppose any measures that would not allow immigrants who attain legal status to become American citizens one day. The bill could be introduced as early as March, with a Senate vote before August.

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News in Photos: The 10 topics you should be ready to talk about today.

MORE GALLERIES TO CHECK OUT:

Haiti: Three Years After the Earthquake

Other Firsts We’d Like To See In Congress

The White House Year in Photographs, 2012

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NY Gov Pushing for Strictest Ban on Assault Weapons

Empire State would become first to enact new gun laws after Sandy Hook shootings

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York will on Wednesday push new gun laws that would make the Empire State the country’s most restrictive on assault weapons, and possibly the first to enact measures in the wake of the December school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Cuomo, a Democrat, is describing the state’s existing ban on assault weapons as having “more holes than Swiss cheese.” He wants to broaden the number of guns and bullet magazines restricted by the law, while also making it more difficult for gun manufacturers to tweak their products and get skate around the bans. Cuomo will outline his proposal in his State of the State address. (NY Times)

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Alabama Teen, Inspired By Newtown, Planned Racist School Attack

Personal journal shows student targeted teachers, African American students

An Alabama teenager, who describes himself as a white supremacist, is accused of plotting an attack on black students and school teachers, apparently inspired by last month’s shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn.. The Russell County Sheriff’s office says Derek Shrout (pictured) is charged with attempted assault after authorities say he planned to use homemade explosives – fashioned from small tobacco cans and other materials containing pellets – along with firearms in an attack that he wrote about in a journal discovered by a teacher. In the journal, five of the six students Shrout named as targets are African American. Sheriff Heath Taylor said the connection to Sandy Hook Elementary School was made because the journal entry was dated three days after the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 20 schoolchildren and six adults. Shrout’s attorney says the allegations are blown out of proportion and that he never intended to hurt anyone. (Washington Post)

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GOP Senator Says Gun Control is Unconstitutional

Declares after Newtown tragedy

Tragedies be d*mned. If the constitution says you can own any kind of gun you want, then that’s the law. At least that’s how Sen. Ted Cruiz (R-TX) feels. In an interview with Fox News Sunday, the newly elected official called out other politicians for using the Sandy Hook shooting to push anti-gun agendas. “The reason we are discussing this is because of the the tragedy in Newtown,” he said. “And every parent, my wife and I we have two girls aged four and two, every parent was horrified at what happened there. To see 20 children, six adults senselessly murdered it takes your breath away. But within minutes, we saw politicians run out and try to exploit and push their political agenda of gun control. I do not support their gun control agenda for two reasons. Number one, it is it unconstitutional.” (Think Progress)

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New Jersey Town Tests Armed Police in Schools

Following the Newtown massacre, a town votes to use uniformed police -- for now.

The town of Marlboro, N.J., is taking safety in its schools very seriously in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., placing armed guards on school campuses in the town.  As they returned from Christmas break, students at both Robertsville Elementary and Marlboro High School were greeted Wednesday with armed uniformed guards.

While many parents support the new measure, some students said they thought the move was a bit of an overreaction to the murder of 20 students and six educators in Newtown. “I feel safer, I guess, but it’s Marlboro—nothing’s going to happen," said senior Alex Gonzalez. Following the Dec. 14 school shooting, town officials voted to staff the town’s nine schools with armed police officers on a temporary 90-day basis. (NY Daily News)

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Student Facing Expulsion For Saying She 'Understands' Sandy Hook Shooting

Courtni Webb's poem was not a big hit at school.

San Francisco high school senior Courtni Webb is facing possible expulsion after writing a dark poem about the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

In the poem, she is quoted saying, “I understand the killings in Connecticut/I know why he pulled the trigger.”

A nervous teacher told the principle about the poem, who reacted by suspending Webb. The school board is now deciding if they should expel Webb as a part of their no tolerance policy.

Webb, who says she's turned in dark poems before, insists that the poem isn't condoning the violence.

“The meaning of the poem is talking about society and how I understand why things like that incident happened,” she said. “So it’s not like I’m agreeing with it, but that’s how the school made it seem.”

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Adam Lanza’s Body Claimed for Burial

Spokeswoman for the Connecticut coroner will not say who claimed the body

Nearly half a month after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., an unidentified person has claimed the shooter’s body for burial, the New York Times is reporting. A spokeswoman for the Connecticut chief medical examiner’s office declined on Sunday to identify the person who claimed 20-year-old shooter Adam Lanza’s body. Family members for Lanza were not reachable on Sunday night. A funeral service for Lanza’s mother, Nancy, whom he shot in the head while she slept, before carrying out the massacre at Sandy Hook on Dec. 14, took place days after the shooting. Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 school children and six adults before turning the gun on himself. The massacre sparked international mourning and reignited a serious debate over stricter gun control in the U.S. (NY Times)

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ICYMI: Pres. Obama's End-of-Year Interview on Meet The Press

President calls Newtown, Conn. shooting the worst day of his presidency

The good folks at NBC News scored an end-of-year interview with President Barack Obama, who took stock of a big year. Obama told Meet The Press moderator David Gregory that the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. earlier this month was the worst day of his presidency. “I think anybody who was up in Newtown, who talked to the parents, who talked to the families, understands that something fundamental in America has to change,” Obama said in the interview that aired Sunday. The president also discussed the status of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations in Washington and whether the country would indeed fail to avert going over the cliff. (New York Times)

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Loop 411: 2012 in Review [Pt. 2]

Here's what we were talking about this year.

Go here to see part 1 of the Loop 21 Year in Review!

What did you think was the biggest story of 2012? Tell us in the comments!

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2012: An Amazing Year In Photos

U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs on the balance beam during the women's individual all-around competition at the London Olympics on Aug. 2. Douglas goes on to win the gold medal.

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Some of the images of the most memorable events of the past year.

Woman Arrested for Sandy Hook Fake "Funeral Fund" Scam

Pretended to be relative of victim

A woman was arrested Thursday after wrongfully soliciting donations by pretending to be the relative of a Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting victim. Police say Nouel Alba, 37, of the Bronx, claimed to be the aunt of a 6-year-old boy and used her Facebook account, telephone calls and text messages to solicit money for a “funeral fund." When contacted by federal agents investigating fraud schemes related to the shooting, police say Alba denied she had posted any messages or had taken funds from anybody. She was charged with lying to federal agents. “It is unconscionable to think that the families of the victims in Newtown, and a sympathetic community looking to provide them some sort of financial support and comfort, have become the targets of criminals,” said Kimberly K. Mertz, the special agent in charge of the New Haven division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If convicted, Alba faces a maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 fine. (NY Times)

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Newtown, Conn. Officials: ‘Please Stop Sending Gifts’

Town unable to handle the nonstop delivery of goods, donations

Elected officials in Newtown, Conn., are asking people to stop shipping and leaving gifts to the grief-stricken town following the deadly school shooting massacre. Officials on Wednesday, through an editor at The Newtown Bee newspaper, said they are grateful but can’t handle the donations deluge. They say the school supplies, artwork and other mementos have arrived in such numbers that they’ve been unable to process it all. Newtown official say they plan to process the “warehouses full of items” they’ve already received and then later inform the pubic of the best ways to help. The United Way of Western Connecticut announced Wednesday that a fund established to support the Newtown shooting victims has grown to $3.5 million. On Dec. 14, a lone gunman killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Funerals for the victims took place all last week. (Associated Press)

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NRA’s Schoolteacher Gun Proposal Garnering Support, Rebuke

Gun buybacks and free handgun trainings represent sides of the issue

It’s been nearly two weeks since the world was shocked by the Connecticut elementary school shooting massacre and the gun control debate still rages on. Public officials and gun rights advocates are making their positions known. In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced police are trading grocery gift cards for guns, as a crime fighting response to the Newtown, Conn. shooting. Officers on Wednesday handed out $200 gift cards to people who turning in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to people who turned over a handgun, rifle or shotgun. Gun rights advocate in Utah were responding to the National Rifle Association’s call to arm schoolteachers with a free training for 200 teachers. The Utah Shooting Sports Council on Thursday will waive a $50 fee for concealed-weapons training for the teachers. An Ohio gun group is also considering the same, while Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne has proposed amending state law to allow one educated in each school to carry a gun. The debate around gun control has been heated since the Dec. 14 shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. (Reuters + Associated Press)

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Philly Mayor: NRA's Call For Guns In School 'A Dumba** Idea'

Michael Nutter has never been one to mince his words.

In an interview with MSNBC, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter articulated what many have been saying at home when it comes to the National Rifle Association's suggestion to have armed guards at schools in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn.

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Nearly $3M Raised for Sandy Hook School Fund After Shooting

Here's where you can donate

Nearly $3 million has been raised for the Sandy Hook School Support Fund since December 15, the day after Adam Lanza opened gunfire at the elementary school killing 20 kids, six adults and then himself. The team of Newtown Savings Bank and the United Way of Western Connecticut has collected $2.8 million, and one hundred percent of funds will go directly to the community. However, neither organization will have a say in where funds end up — instead, money will be distributed by an independent advisory board made up of Newtown residents, which could include school officials, parents and religious leaders. Though many opportunities for contributing have sprung up since the tragic shooting, the fund is the primary donation source listed on websites for Newtown Public Schools and the town of Newtown. To donate, click here.

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Michelle Obama Pens Open Letter to Newtown

The first lady opens up in sentimental letter, affirming the nation grieves with the families

A week after the mass shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School, first lady Michelle Obama wrote an open letter to the families of Newtown, Conn. In it, she spoke of the grief the country was sharing with them and how she hoped to assure them that the administration will do all they can to “prevent tragedies like this one” in the future. “As the mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families,” she wrote. “Like so many Americans, I wish there were something — anything — I could do or say to ease your anguish.” As funerals continue for all those killed in the tragedy -- 20 children, 6 educators and the gunman's mother -- President Barack Obama joined the nation in a moment of silence for the victims Friday morning. He also released a video addressing gun control advocates, saying, “We hear you,” and vowing to take prompt action. (Hartford (Conn.) Courant)

Season of Peace

Remembering those who've lost loved ones due to America's gun violence epidemic

It’s official: the holidays are here.  People are busying themselves with the last few days of Christmas shopping, maybe picking out gifts for Kwanzaa, making plans for the New Year and most importantly getting ready to celebrate life with family, friends and loved ones.  But as many in the nation are preparing for this joyous time of celebration, there are people who are grieving the absence of loved ones who should be celebrating with them. The sad reality is that while many will immediately read that and think about the victims and families in the shooting in Newtown, Conn., there have been far too many other lives lost across this country due to gun violence. Not only will the families of Ana Marquez-Green, Noah Pozner, or Victoria Soto of the Sandy Hook shooting be left to fill the void, but so will the families of Heaven Sutton, Lloyd Morgan Jr., Trayvon Martin and many others. 

There are some who feel this latest tragedy was somehow different, and while the circumstances in shootings are rarely alike, the truth is the deaths of all those victims are the same.  Each one of them shot and killed when they shouldn’t have been. Whether accidental or intentional, the pain and suffering their families feel is the same, and likely to a greater degree during this holiday season.  There will be no request of toys or electronics, no unwrapping of gifts with elation; there will be no ringing in of the New Year for any of them. Yes, the details may be different, but the resulting absence is the same. 

When people hear stories of a child like Heaven Sutton or Lloyd Morgan Jr. being killed, there’s sadness, but for some, it wasn’t motivation to act.  It is almost as if people see gun violence as an unfortunate part of life that working-class urbanites have to contend with. What people are coming to learn is that gun violence isn’t a black or Latino problem, it isn’t an urban problem, and it isn’t a mental health problem. 

Gun violence is an American problem. 

Bulletproof Backpack Sales Spike After Sandy Hook

Company says sales have practically quadrupled since the elementary school massacre.

Following the murder of 20 children at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., parents across the country have began purchasing bulletproof bookbags for their children. Elmar Uy, vice president of business operations at BulletBlocker, told the New York Daily News that his company is experiencing the biggest spike in sales he’s ever seen -- a 300 percent to 400 percent increase in sales since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.

BulletBlocker’s child safety backpack retails for $199.99, but the company also sells lower cost “shields” that can be inserted into existing laptop bags and purses. Uy started the company after the Columbine shootings of 1999, but said he never expected interest to grow this big.  Amendment II, another company specializing in bulletproof bags, said it didn’t see this kind of interest even after the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. However, the safety precautions may have come a bit too late in certain areas as some Miami schools are enforcing safety precautions to forbid students from carrying backpacks altogether. (NY Daily News)

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In the Loop: Newtown Massacre

Matt Simon hits the streets in search of your opinion.

LET'S TALK: Follow Loop 21 on Twitter and join us tonight, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. EST for a TweetUp about the shooting rampage that left 20 children dead in Newtown, Conn.

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Lanza Destroyed Harddrive, Cut Ties with Dad Before Shooting

Killer covered tracks prior to massacre

Before Adam Lanza, 20, opened gunfire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. killing 20 first-grade kids, six adult school officials and then himself, he destroyed his computer hard drive. The FBI’s computer-analysis response team is still trying to put its pieces back together. According to the Hartford Courant, Lanza had used the computer to play a violent videogame in which life-like characters participate in bloody battle scenes, but there is currently no other evidence of what else he did with it. Still, a law-enforcement said, "The kid knew what he was doing. This was a planned event. There is no question about it.”

Adam also killed his mother Nancy at their home, shooting her four times in the head while she was likely sleeping, but the relationship with his father hasn't been as widely reported on. Peter Lanza, a successful finance executive at GE, separated from Nancy in 2001, but still saw Adam every week. In 2009, the Lanzas officially divorced and, by 2010, Peter was dating a new woman, whom he later married. Adam cut his dad off then, and Peter hadn't seen or heard from him since, despite fully supporting them with monthly payments of more than $289,000 in alimony and also volunteering to pay for Adam's college, car and medical insurance. When a local reporter showed up at his Peter's doorstep to break the news, "his expression twisted from patient, to surprise, to horror. It was the first time that he considered a loved one could be involved," said Maggie Hogan of the Stamford Advocate. (Daily Beast, Today)

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Should We Allow Teachers To Bring Guns To Class?

Having more firearms in schools could do more harm than good.

The views expressed in this Op-Ed do not necessarily reflect those of Loop 21.

The tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., Friday has left America teary-eyed as 27 people, including 20 children, were gunned down by an obviously troubled man. Unfortunately, this isn't the first, second or even third time a mass shooting has happened on a school campus in the last 42 years.

“In our communities today the bad guys have guns and the good guys obey the law, and sometimes because of our firearm laws us good guys are put in a compromising position,” she said in a statement. “That is not OK. I will not hesitate to protect myself with my handguns. If I have to make a choice between saving my children’s lives or my own life or letting a scum bag take our lives, I’ll choose to take the culprit out.”

Utah Boy, Scared By Conn. Shooting, Brings Gun To School

Sixth-grader has been detained on assault and weapons charges

An 11-year-old Salt Lake City, Utah boy, who said he brought a gun to school to protect himself from a Connecticut-style attack, has been detained and charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property, a school spokesman said on Tuesday. The sixth-grader, who is not being named publicly, took an unloaded .22-caliber handgun to school in his backpack on Monday, then pointed the weapon at three classmates during recess. Some ammunition was found in his backpack, but the rounds did not appear to go with the gun. No one was injured in the incident, which undoubtedly jolted the school’s community, as the nation remained shocked by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last week. The boy was briefly questioned and spent Monday night in juvenile detention on the possession charge and on three counts of aggravated assault for brandishing the weapon at classmates. He was also suspended from school indefinitely. Last Friday, a 20-year-old Adam Lanza forced his way into the Connecticut school and killed 6- and 7-year-old schoolchildren, before turning the gun on himself. (Reuters)

[LET'S TALK! Join Loop 21 on Twitter Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST for a TweetUp about the terror at Newtown]

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National Rifle Association Breaks Its Silence on Newtown

Families prepare to bury six more mass shooting victims

The National Rifle Association broke its silence on Tuesday, four days after a mass shooting in Connecticut killed 20 elementary schoolchildren and six adults. The usually vocal gun rights lobbying group released a brief statement on the shooting.

“The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown,” reads the statement posted to its website. “The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”

The group said it would hold a major press conference in the nation’s capitol on Friday, but offered no other details.

The statement comes as families of the victims killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School last week prepare to bury six more victims. The family of Sandy Hook principal Dawn Hochsprung plans to hold a public wake on Wednesday afternoon, but her burial will be private. Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto, whose family gave a public wake on Tuesday, will be buried on Wednesday. Services were also scheduled for 6-year-olds Charlotte Bacon and Caroline Previdi, and 7-year-olds Daniel Barden and Chase Kowalski.

Last Friday, police officials say 20-year-old Adam Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary school and killed 6- and 7-year-olds and school staff, before turning the gun on himself. (Reuters + New York Times)

[LET'S TALK! Join Loop 21 on Twitter Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST for a TweetUp about the terror at Newtown]

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Doomsday Belief Lands 400 in Jail in China

After an unstable fanatic stabs 22 Chinese middle-schoolers, China cracks down on doomsday cult

As the supposed doomsday approaches this Friday, Dec. 21, China is cracking down on what it's deeming fanatics—arresting more than 400 members of a popular "cult" in Western Qinghai province and dozens more elsewhere. Members of the Almighty God Christian group were detained for spreading rumors about the end of the world, while others were suspected of wounding people.

A day before the massacre of 20 children and six educators here in the U.S. at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in China, a man identified as Min Yingjun, entered a school in the Henan province and stabbed 22 middle school students. Media reports indicated he was unstable over fears of the world ending.

In light of the incident, in which the children suffered injuries but were not killed, police in China have been warning people to be wary of end-of-the-world scams and cults. Many people around the world believe that something will happen on Dec. 21, as the Mayan “Long Count” calendar ends a 5,200-year cycle. (BBC)

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