The deadly massacre at a Connecticut school, in the United States where a young gunman killed 26 people including twenty elementary school children, has come as a rude shock not just in America but worldwide. The incident has once again reignited the debate over gun control laws in America with the US President Barack Obama deciding to back a ban on assaults weapon, besides a slew of other measures in order to tackle the situation. However, is gun control legislation the only answer to the violence in our society? Perhaps not and it will be helpful if the American people can start to look beyond gun control and address other faults that drive people to such kind of action in the first place. For instance, the horrific events leading to the massacre began when the gunman, Adam Lanza shot his mother, Nancy, at their home. He then took her car and some of her guns to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary, where he broke in and opened fire, killing 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself. The mother was herself a gun enthusiast who practiced at shooting ranges. The first question therefore is this: was it a responsible thing for a mother to keep assault weapons at home? Is it safe to keep such deadly weapons within the reach of young people? What kind of a role model was the mother? Perhaps these are inconvenient questions for any parent to answer but probably some of the fault lies in parenting or the lack of it.
This reminds us of the infamous London riots in 2011 where young people ran amok destroying public property and looting. At that time, the British Prime Minister Davis Cameron spoke out against the culture of negligence and irresponsibility in 21st century British society. And this is probably true of every other society even though we may have made tremendous human progress, like in the US, which is the place that inspires people from all over the world—to live the American dream. But when we are not able to teach our children about choosing right from wrong, then we end up making life more about troubles, accidents and about being sorry all the time. The problem of poor parenting and indiscipline among young people needs to be addressed and this will depend on personal action and responsibility more than on anything else. Related to this is the explosion of the media where young people are getting influenced by all sort of negative things. There is also a growing concern about violent video games. A sound health—physical, mental and spiritual is also vital for a positive frame of mind. Our young people are today faced with the onslaught of conflicting message adding to their confusion and restlessness. This is having an adverse effect on their mind (to be healthy) and the end result seems to be the turmoil that we are witnessing. As America looks for possible answers to the terrible tragedy, perhaps it must see beyond gun control and look at the other contexts and interventions.
