My Headlines for February 16th - Part 1 – Facts in the face of the Parkland Shooting
Bottom Line: Today's headlines are a deviation from the important and hysterical headlines. I want to address three facts head-on that need to be discussed as part of the bigger conversation about what's next?...
Education Outcomes: What does this have to do with a school shooting? I think potentially plenty. Why didn't we have these shootings at schools prior to Columbine? What's changed in our society, in our schools? Mental illness isn't new. Guns aren't new. So, what is it? Here a few differences. As recently as the 1980's the US ranked 2nd in the world in education. Today we're 17th and have been in a steady 30-year decline. Doing what we've been doing the way we've been doing it has been progressively failing generations of children for a few decades now. Among the changes...A move away from God/faith and related values in the classroom and society generally. More single-parent households to name a couple...
Guns: If guns were the issue answer this question. Why have all of the mass shootings in recent years taken place in states with below average gun ownership rates?
- Colorado: 33rd
- Connecticut: 46th
- California: 42nd
- Nevada: 35th
- Texas (despite its reputation): 30th
- Florida: 41st
There are over ten states with gun ownership rates that are well over double what they are in Florida. If guns, rather than people, were the problem why wouldn't this be happening frequently in the states with the highest rates of gun ownership. Conversely, why is it happening in the states among the least armed?
FBI failures: Once again if the FBI did its job to completion we're not having this conversation right now. Ever since 9-11 we've been told that if you see something say something yet that happened numerous times prior to the Pulse shooting and what happened? Here again the FBI was notified – briefly looked into the matter of a person saying quote "I want to become a professional school shooter" and dismissed it.
The answers aren't easy, but problems are clear.