Originally Published in Pittsburgh Post Gazette on February 26th, 2018
The school shooting in Parkland, Fla., should sound a panic alarm for lawmakers to prioritize a probe into the underlying basis for the surge in teen violence. The 800-pound gorilla may well be the ease of access to heavy-duty firearms. But we should also pull our heads out of the sand when it comes to the rampant problems that create unrest among vulnerable youth, including bullying, domestic violence, hate groups, violent gaming and the absence of positive role models.
Sadly, there is a risk that the memory of the Florida school massacre will soon fade away from the spotlight, like the dozens of other similarly terrorizing attacks, and we will once again become distracted by frivolous issues such as whether the executive in the White House spends too much time on TV or golf.
It is time to get serious about confronting the real problems that face our country, and the safety of our schoolchildren should be at the top of the list.
