I want for there to be an answer. I want stricter gun control with bans on automatic and semi-automatic weapons to stop the violence. I want improved diagnosis and treatment of mental illness to prevent tragedy. I want an end to the sensationalism in the media to stop a killer from taking that terrible step. I want a ban on realistic violence in video games to prevent young people from feeling like killing is unreal. I want security measures in our schools to protect our children beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I want for there to be an answer. A simple one. One that will definitively end the violence that is far too common in our modern American society.
I know that answer doesn’t exist. There is no single solution that is going to end the violence. Over the past few days we’ve certainly been talking about any number of contributing problems. Can we agree that we have to start somewhere?
President Obama expressed this very sentiment earlier today – much more eloquently than I can.
We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this.
– President Obama, Newtown Memorial, December 17, 2012
It’s time for us to do better.
chrisbykate 
I had the same response essentially. Let’s agree to start somewhere. Let the answer or process be multi-dimensional, including mental health and better security at schools. But it must also include better gun regulation. There will always be crazy people. When there are less guns around, there will be less mass shootings.
I definitely agree that improved regulation around guns has to be a part of the answer. I need to explore that topic a little bit more in the next few months.