Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

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Frequently asked questions

This section is here to provide answers to some questions
that have been previously discussed on this talk page.

Note: This FAQ is only here to let people know that these points have previously
been addressed, not to prevent any further discussion of these issues.

To view an explanation to the answer, click the [show] link to the right of the question.

General concerns and questions

Q1: I have an issue with the name of this article.

A1: You can post a message on this page about your concern. Please note that renaming of the article will be limited until after some time has passed so that it can be looked at with some retrospect. If you would like to suggest a certain name for the article, then it might be recommended to wait until the renaming process begins. If you would like to make sure that your name hasn't already been suggested, then please first look at the various Archived Talk pages (such as Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting/Archive 1, Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting/Archive 2, Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting/Archive 3 and so on), and the current talk page.

Q2: I have an issue about the Bath School disaster being mentioned; I have an issue with the disaster not being mentioned.

A2: As with the above question, you can post a message on this page about your concern with the wording of the sentence. If you would like to suggest different wording, then make sure to detail why your change would be an improvement in your post on this talk page. However, it is recommended to check the archive first to see if the specific suggestion to the wording has not already been discussed.

Q3: I have an issue about the mother, Nancy Lanza, being mentioned or not being mentioned as a victim of the shooting.

A3: Before posting a message, please check the article's various archived talk pages (like Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting/Archive 1, Talk:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting/Archive 2) and check the Talk page's Archive index along with the current talk page before adding a new section. Discussion has occurred on this matter before, so please make sure that your point hasn't already been covered by past discussion before opening a possibly redundant thread. You can still post a message on this page if your concerns were not answered by past discussion or you believe that there is something that could change consensus on the issue.

Q4: I heard there was an NBC News report that said only handguns were used. Why isn't that in the article?

A4: This issue emanates from an NBC TODAY Show Pete Williams report early on the morning of December 15th. The information is outdated because at a press conference at 3:30 that afternoon, the Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner stated that casualties were caused by a long gun/rifle, which was later confirmed by various media reports as well as a definitive press release from the Connecticut State Police on January 18, 2013, giving details of the weapons recovered inside the school. In this video from December 15, 2012, Dr. H. Wayne Carver II, the Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut, is asked about the wounds. At 1:13 he says "All the ones that I know of at this point were caused by the long weapon." The NBC report now carries the following message: "Editor’s note: Later on Dec. 15, officials updated the public on this story. For more details see NBCNews.com/shooting-update." On March 28, 2013, MSNBC, along with other news organizations, published court documents showing that the Bushmaster rifle was the primary weapon used in the school shooting.[1] The NBC report has been discussed before on this talk page and continues to be posted about at Article Feedback.

If this information does not answer your questions, you can perform a search of this Talk page's Archives by typing your search term into the white box above and then clicking on the Search Archive button beside it. You can still post a message on this talk page if your concerns were not addressed by past discussions or if you think that there is something that could change consensus on this issue.

Q5: I have an issue with Asperger syndrome being mentioned in the article.

A5: Various people told investigators and the media that Adam Lanza had received a diagnosis of AS. Medical experts have said that even if he did receive this diagnosis, it would not provide an explanation for the shooting. The article attempts to put this into context.

Q6: Why does the article not give a motive for the shooting?

A6: Investigators have not made any public comment on what the motive might have been. The media has suggested several possibilities, but they are all speculative at the current time.

Q7: I heard [something] about [someone] who supposedly could have some [possible] connection to the crime...why isn't this in the article?

A7: Since the shooting occurred, news reports, especially the early ones, have reported on connections that various people might have had with the crime, but those reports have usually turned out to be erroneous and have maligned innocent people. If you have come to this talk page to post a theory that is not supported by multiple up-to-date reliable sources, please note that Wikipedia policies about living persons apply across the entire encyclopedia. Posts that are judged to be against Wikipedia policies will be removed.

Q8: I heard that Adam Lanza's death record said that he died the day before the shooting.

A8: Numerous blogs have claimed this, but they have all cited a page on www.genealogy.com, which is not a reliable source and has a disclaimer about its accuracy. Unless this is confirmed by mainstream media sources, it will not be added to the article.

Q9: Why isn't there a separate article about Adam Lanza or other members of the Lanza family?

A9: This issue has been previously discussed at least four times on this talk page as seen in the following Archive pages:

The general editorial consensus of these discussions was that there is not enough notability for an Adam Lanza Wikipedia article to be sustained on its own and that, unless new information from reliable sources is presented, any possible Adam Lanza article would essentially be a WP:CONTENTFORK of this article. Also, this Question/Answer is being posted here in the FAQ to let present and future readers that this matter has been discussed before, not to forestall any further discussion.

Q10: I heard Adam Lanza's YouTube channel was discovered. Why isn't it in the article?

A10: Despite compelling circumstantial evidence, no reliable sources have reported on Lanza's supposed YouTube channel. As such, any speculation regarding his YouTube activity is original research, which is unsuitable for Wikipedia articles.

This article was nominated for deletion. Please review the prior discussions if you are considering re-nomination:

speedy keep, 15 December 2012, see discussion.
speedy keep, 14 December 2012, see discussion.

A news item involving Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the In the news section on 14 December 2012.

Wikipedia

A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on December 14, 2015 and December 14, 2022.

While the biographies of living persons policy does not apply directly to the subject of this article, it may contain material that relates to living persons, such as friends and family of persons no longer living, or living persons involved in the subject matter. Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about living persons must be removed immediately. If such material is re-inserted repeatedly, or if there are other concerns related to this policy, please see this noticeboard.

Connecticut Mid‑importance

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Schools Mid‑importance

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This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

"How does Wikipedia deal with a mass shooting? A frenzied start gives way to a few core editors". Nieman Journalism Lab. December 18, 2012.

This article has been viewed enough times in a single week to appear in the Top 25 Report. The week in which this happened:

May 22 to 28, 2022

FEMA Drill

Why is there no mention of the FEMA school shooting drill that was going on at the school during the time of the shooting? The drill is on the FEMA calander of events, water booths and sign in tables were present at the event becauese of the FEMA drill, without mention of the FEMA drill going on, these other aspects could be taken out of context and be used to promote conspiricy theory. 2600:8800:2221:F500:1810:B1D3:30B7:2BA2 (talk) 05:33, 8 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any evidence in secondary reliable sources that there was a FEMA drill? This is something that James Fetzer and others have said, but it doesn't appear in mainstream accounts.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:18, 8 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sigh. Just another baseless allegation that was part of James Fetzer's publications and internet posts about how supposedly nobody died at Sandy Hook. He was sued in 2019 by a father of one of the dead children for making those claims. Fetzer lost & at one point owed $450K for promoting that conspiracy. That is why there is no mention of it in this Wikipedia article, because reliable sources have not stated that claim/allegation/assertion as a verifiable fact with actual proof. Just because Fetzer & his co-author Mike Palacek wrote those words and got them published does not make them true. - Shearonink (talk) 15:15, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Discovery of the Izhmash Saiga-12 shotgun

The final report by the state's attorney says that the shotgun was discovered in the passenger compartment and then subsequently moved to the trunk for safety purposes. I think the following sentence should include these details.

"Outside the school, an Izhmash Saiga-12 shotgun was found in the trunk of the car Lanza had driven to the school, a black 2010 Honda Civic."

I propose it be changed to something like the following.

"Outside the school, an Izhmash Saiga-12 shotgun was initially found in the passenger compartment of the car Lanza had driven to the school, a black 2010 Honda Civic. A police officer subsequently moved the shotgun and ammunition to the car's trunk for safety purposes."

You can find the report here (see page 13). 2A00:23C5:6013:C201:E1A5:875F:D6B4:7FF (talk) 14:12, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

And this is a vital detail because? Acroterion (talk) 14:17, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've changed the wording in the article for the sake of consistency with the Final Report, page 2.[2] The shotgun did not play any part in the shooting and was left in the car.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 14:55, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There probably wasn't a lot of value to pointing out that it was moved, as mentioned, but thanks for the responses. 2A00:23C5:6013:C201:584D:60AF:1CAD:A0D5 (talk) 17:51, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Adam Lanza page

I think Lanza himself is notable enough to merit him having his own page. James Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho, Nikolas Cruz, Stephen Paddock, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Eric Harris + Dylan Klebold all have their own articles. I am asking for input before I go and create the page, though. Praiawart (talk) 00:38, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Please read the FAQ, specifically Q9. What is new that hasn't been discussed before? Acroterion (talk) 01:02, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Number of video games played by Lanza

Re this edit: I did check the source and it looks like twelve games. ♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 19:13, 19 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The article is listing video game series. For example, they simply list "Shin Megami Tensei", but he was never found to own the Shin Megami Tensei series' eponymous first entry (which wasn't even released outside of Japan), he owned Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (bottom game in the stack on the top left side of this crime scene photo https://imgur.com/WS1ltTJ). The same goes for "Call of Duty" (he just owned Call of Duty 2-4 along with unnumbered sequel "Finest Hour"), "Dynasty Warriors" (he just owned an unspecified PS2 entry (while the eponymous first Dynasty Warriors game was only on PS1) in the series along with some spinoffs), etc. However, for some reason, the article lists "Vice City", referring to "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", even though it already separately lists "Grand Theft Auto". He was never found to own the Grand Theft Auto series' eponymous first entry, but he was found the own Grand Theft Auto III, IV, San Andreas, and of course Vice City, so they were already referring to the series. Therefore, I find it less redundant for this page to just list the eleven clearly represented series in that article and ignore the Vice City discrepancy. PizzaStallion (talk) 20:08, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the problem seems to be the Vice City discrepancy. The source gives the list of games as: “Grand Theft Auto”

“Shin Megami Tensei” “Dynasty Warriors” “Vice City” “Team Fortress” “Doom” “Left for Dead” “Metal Gear Solid” “Dead Rising” “Half Life” “Battlefield” “Call of Duty”
This may involve counting Grand Theft Auto twice, although strictly speaking Grand Theft Auto (1997) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) are separate games. I've stuck to what the Final Report says, although it may be inaccurate according to the video game purists.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 20:38, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I’m not exactly sure what you’re saying (the "although it may be inaccurate according to the video game purists" part made it seem to me like you were about to disregard the technicalities I pointed out), but I agree with your subsequent edit. PizzaStallion (talk) 20:49, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

One of the problems is that the interpretation of the photo here seems to involve some degree of original research. However, I removed the exact number of video games/game series from the article as it isn't a key issue.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 20:59, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah. Unfortunately, most aspects of Adam are either unreported by the media or reported horribly and even some FBI reports are bad (none of them even specify which Shin Megami Tensei game he had. It gives a completely different idea because Persona 3 hardly even counts as a Shin Megami Tensei game, it’s a spinoff at best and the Japanese title didn’t include SMT in its name), so it’s hard for a Wikipedia page to accurately depict him. PizzaStallion (talk) 22:23, 20 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

I added some new videos to the page. Could any of them be used in the article? Trade (talk) 03:18, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]