We’re asking all the wrong questions about the shooting last week at a Michigan high school that killed four students and injured seven, some critically:
- Why would a 15-year-old kid do something like that?
- Why weren’t there metal detectors in the school?
- Shouldn’t school officials have seen this coming and stopped it?
Here’s the right question: Why can just about any American adolescent get his hands on a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol? Furthermore, why do we no longer even think this question is worth asking?
Why did he do it? It’s natural to wonder, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s not like understanding the warped psychology of one school shooter will help us stop the next one. There are 60 million K-12 students in this country; no one should be surprised that a few are capable of horrific actions.
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School Matters 