Finger-pointing is not a solution

Once again, our nation is grieving over the loss of student and faculty lives in a school shooting. Everyone, regardless of political ideology agrees that something must be done to assure that such a tragedy must never happen again. Unfortunately, within hours of the shooting, a number of our elected officials marched to the closest podium and began pointing fingers at anyone who doesn't share their ideology regarding guns and gun laws. This is not problem solving. It is pure self-serving demagoguery.

My question is, how does finger-pointing solve the problem? I would suggest it never solves a problem and only serves to derail any reasonable attempts to find solutions to the problem. What we need are responsible people to begin the problem-solving process by bringing their ideas to the table and discussing the pros and cons of each in a focused and civil setting.

If I were forming such a group, my first act would be to exclude anyone who has a political or activist agenda. Instead, I would choose ordinary citizens whose only interest is protecting the lives of our children. A facilitator would be present and be empowered to shut down any discussion that is not specifically directed at solving the problem.

Finally, those of us who are baby boomers never had to fear for our safety when we went to school. One could purchase any kind of firearm, including semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols, but the easy availability of these weapons didn't result in mass shootings. Perhaps we need to closely exam what cultural changes have occurred between then and now.

David Carrell

Campton Hills