Haunting parallels between Newton, Conn. and Dunblane, Scotland

We all know the story well: On a cold morning, a troubled man armed with legally purchased guns and a large supply of ammunition walks into a small-town school.

He happens upon some of the youngest children in the school, opens fire on them and their teachers, then kills himself. Panicked parents rush to the scene; the nation beyond reacts in horror; two days later, the nation's leader arrives to share in the grief.

Newtown, Conn., in 2012? No, Dunblane, Scotland, in 1996.

But the parallels between the two massacres are haunting. The victims in the Dunblane school attack were 5- and 6-year-olds, while in Newtown they were 6- and 7-year-olds. Sixteen students died in Dunblane, 20 in Newtown. In both cases, teachers went down with their students. One died in Dunblane; six adults perished at the Newtown school....