Reader: Lack of a gun didn't prevent terrible double-murder/suicide using a knife

Our post about the killing of two Colorado Springs kids, allegedly by Ethan Courrau, described by his mother as bipolar, noted that the fatal weapon was a knife. This fact caused our commenters to morph into a lively gun-related debate. Here's a prime example...

By Michael Roberts

February 19, 2013

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Our post about the killing of two Colorado Springs kids, allegedly by Ethan Courrau, described by his mother as bipolar, noted that the fatal weapon was a knife. This fact caused our commenters to morph into a lively gun-related debate.

Here's a prime example.

JimTom writes:

If he had used a gun, that is all this story would have been about. Why when the killer uses a gun do we not put any attention on the killer's mental state? It is always "without the gun, this wouldn't have happened." Sad situation that further shows the problem with mental health and mental health drugs that have a play in these killings. Has the CDC researched the statistics of deadly violence correlated to the increase in the use of all these mental health drugs that have been poured into society in the last 20 years?

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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