Econ 101...if there is a high demand, there will be suppliers to meet that demand. Gun control mandates or not, if the people demand violence, then there will be someone to supply it. We need a culture change, not a change in constitution. People kill people so let's change our people. Where better to start than with our children.
We can all point a finger (or ten) at all the causes we want to blame. Blame games are easy. How about we teach our children to take responsibility for their own feelings and their own actions. We need to teach them to roll with the punches and to rebound from disappointments. We need to demand that violence not be our entertainment, our last resort, or, for that matter, our first resort. We need to demand that our families be healthy environments to nurture and grow our future generations.
Provide our children love, responsibility, education, and support for their dreams. When they ask "why?" find out the answer if you don't know, and answer their questions. Whatever you do, don't resort to "Because I said so." That doesn't honor them nor does it build their trust. Even if the answer isn't ribbons and bows and puppy dog tails, tell the truth and teach your children the difference between right and wrong and the shades of color in between. If we demand only the best of them, then they will supply us beyond our imaginations.
