OPINION:
Whenever we as a nation witness a horrific crime committed by our youth, we must consider all societal influences in our conversations about solutions. There are steps every level of society can take to stop gun violence, and the Biden administration can do more than just point fingers.
There can be executive orders issued limiting access to specific guns based on Department of Defense recommendations. There are elements of the Brady Bill that Congress could reinstate, such as making it illegal for individuals under the age of 21 to buy ammunition.
However, there is something that the administration continues to downplay and ignore: the social influences motivating children to kill. We must hold accountable the various types of businesses that allow dangerous behavior to fester: social media platforms, violent video-game makers and more. And as parents (and a nation) we need to reconsider how we are raising our children.
When adults in corporate America started creating avenues to influence our children, I certainly understood how we were being convinced it was a good thing. Using so-called behavior experts, entertainers from the music, movie and television industries, as well as the notion that more media would offer inclusion and economic opportunities for everyone, we allowed big business to participate heavily in the raising of our children. Company profits soared as their leaders ignored signs of negative behavior patterns in children. I must ask parents: Was it worth it?
Our children have been severely damaged by this. As a youth counselor I’ve listened to children describe social influences and home experiences that created a sense of emotional abuse and abandonment to the point that they triggered violent tendencies. We are past due to address a national crisis — and if we don’t consider the many social influences present in our children’s daily lives, no new public policy will make a difference. Every town, city and state will be a potential site of the next tragic shooting.
GREG RALEIGH
Washington
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