On December 14, America awoke to a tragedy. That morning, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother before entering Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and fatally shooting 26 more people, including 20 children no older than seven.

As President Obama stated after the shooting, “We have endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years." Since the Columbine High School massacre of 12 students and one teacher, over 150 shootings have occurred in schools across America, at least 73 of which took place in the last three years alone. 

This demands action. But how do we direct the federal government to stop future shootings?

The Connecticut shooting represents an American problem, not just a Newtown problem. As Obama stated, the Newtown victims “lost their lives in a school that could have been any school; in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America.” If such a tragedy can strike any school in America, then there must be a national force to prevent such tragedies from occurring. 

The usual response routine is as follows: we point our finger at the individual who perpetrates the horrific crime; we put the perpetrator behind bars if he or she is still alive; and then we propose drastic policy changes we hope will prevent future violence. 

This approach however, is not getting results. More and more shootings are occurring in schools, as well as theaters, malls and other public places. We simply are not putting enough effort into investigating the individuals who commit these crimes themselves, to find an appropriate solution to the problem.

According to Just Facts, 67 percent of current gun owners feel the need to have a gun for protection against crime. But how do you foresee situations like the Connecticut shooting, in which a gunman opens fire in a public place? Does this mean that in order for Americans to be safe, they not only have to own a gun but also carry it with them at all times? Instead of attempting to answer such a complicated question, we should focus on the shooters themselves, not making any moves until we have a better understanding of their intentions in these circumstances. Why cave to public pressure, rushing the issue, when we have not yet addressed the reasons the individual committed the crime? If we can examine these individuals’ lives and identify when they begin their emotional downward slopes, we might be able to better explain these crimes. Only then can we propose changes. 

In Lanza’s case, particular familial factors may suggest reasons for his devastating behavior. Lanza’s parents separated in 2009, and Lanza’s brother told police that he had not had contact with Lanza since 2010. Basic information such as this thus leads us to speculate that domestic family issues could have initiated Lanza’s own emotional downturn.

Family is the backbone of any society, though in America its importance is often overlooked. A strong, supportive foundation in times of struggle and sorrow, as well as times of love, allows an individual to develop and contribute to our society in a meaningful way. There comes a point in every American's life in which he or she is alone, standing on his or her own two feet with no one else to help, and the family is the essential societal unit that prepares the individual for this moment of freedom.

Divorce is hard for any child, no matter how old. The divorce of Lanza’s parents may have distracted his family’s attention from each family member's needs and from recognizing the extent of Lanza’s depression. Lanza was most likely experiencing strong emotions and terrible thoughts before the divorce. When his family could not interact with him when his emotions went sour, this allowed him to dwell on these negative thoughts. Ultimately, these thoughts grew to become feelings of extreme hatred, initiating Lanza’s decision to shoot innocent people.

We can only speculate on these issues, but Lanza must have been experiencing strong feelings of hatred to commit such a crime. A family may be the only hope for suppressing such emotions. In any family, there are points in a child’s life where that child needs help. This need may not always be verbally brought to the family’s attention by the child, but, regardless, it’s on the members of the family to look out for one another. It is the family’s responsibility to prepare its children to be in control of themselves in times of emotional and physical struggle.

So, before changing the gun control laws, as Obama is advocating, we need to investigate every detail of each individual who commits these inexplicable crimes, and identify the social and emotional problems that prompted individuals to commit them. We must deal directly with the individuals involved. Forget the political pressure calling for change: let’s slow down and find the best solution for preventing horrific tragedies like this from ever happening again.

 

Read the lyrics of "So Smart-So Stupid," a song written by musician Dennis A. Smith in honor of the victims at Newtown, here.

Reach Contributor Noble Lau here; follow him here.