When mass shootings happen, and they seem to happen far too often, we’re keenly aware of the incident and we’re affected by it. But we also recognize that certain distractions to the things that create grief, fear, and worry are necessary. So we try to stay in our lane, providing the kinds of information and analysis that has become for many a welcome diversion from more serious subjects.
Since our lane continues to be the NFL and everything associated with it, it’s prudent to share this observation from Dolphins president and CEO Tom Garfinkel in the wake of the latest school shooting, which occurred Wednesday in Florida.
“How do we stop this?” Garfinkel wrote on Twitter. “When will there be proactive change from our government leaders to address the complexity of why this keeps happening? Praying for those affected in Parkland. And Orlando, and Columbine, and Sandy Hook, and every other senseless and tragic shooting.”
It’s a simple question, but it has no easy answer, because it relies on a combination of factors and issues, from spotting a potential killer before he or she decides to kill to making it harder for someone who has resolved to kill to accumulate the means to easily do so to addressing the factors that can drive a person to choose to kill. Until an answer is identified by those charged with leading and protecting us, the risk of death in a mass shooting at school, church, work, the mall, or anywhere people gather will remain one of the saddest realities of life in America.