Beyond the Gun: A Call to Heal Our Society’s Wounds

School shootings, which claim the lives of innocent children in places meant for learning and growth, are among the most horrific manifestations of our society’s failures. To put an end to these horrors has been a primary motivator in the work that I do.

To end this cycle of violence, we must confront not one but all of the underlying issues—mental health crises, cultural glorification of individualism, the demonization and alienation of boys and men, and the divisive debate over gun rights—while having honest conversations that prioritize solutions over rhetoric and more division.

The individual responsible for the Minneapolis shooting clearly suffered from severe mental health issues, a recurring theme in these tragedies. As a society, we have increasingly normalized mental illness, sometimes even romanticizing it, while failing to provide adequate support for those in crisis. Boys and young men, in particular, face unique pressures that can exacerbate mental health and identity struggles. Boys and young men experience trauma and depression differently than girls and young women. I always say, instead of forcing them into a mental health system primarily designed for female needs, we should adapt our mental health system to better support and address the unique challenges faced by boys and young men. This could help prevent radicalization.

My work with advocates and communities has focused on addressing these challenges, emphasizing early intervention, mentorship, school safety precautions, and accessible mental health resources tailored to young men. Yet, our current approach—which often relies heavily on medication when treating boys—demands scrutiny. While correlation does not equal causation, studies, like those from the National Institute of Mental Health, suggest certain psychiatric medications may, in rare cases, contribute to violent behavior. We must explore this connection without fear of backlash, ensuring treatments are safe and effective.

Beyond mental health, our cultural obsession with individualism plays a significant role. The encouragement of self-focused tendencies and narcissism in today’s world erodes communal bonds and empathy. This is particularly damaging for young men navigating identity and purpose in a fractured society where they don’t feel valued or that their purpose has been minimized. When combined with the deep divisions in our country—political, cultural, and ideological—this environment becomes a recipe for disaster.

Speaking of young men and purpose, the connection between fatherlessness and school shootings cannot be ignored. Many school shooters come from broken homes and grew up without their father, with studies indicating that fatherless boys are at higher risk for behavioral issues and emotional instability. Dismissing this link is irresponsible. The absence of fathers leaves boys grappling with challenges—identity, self-worth, and direction—often without the guidance needed to navigate them. Strong male role models provide stability, mentorship, and a map to adulthood, helping boys channel their energies constructively. By addressing the fatherlessness crisis through community programs, mentorship initiatives, and cultural shifts that celebrate involved fathers, we can tackle an often overlooked root cause of these tragedies and work toward preventing future gun violence and mass shootings.

The Second Amendment is often the lightning rod in these discussions, with debates quickly polarizing into pro-gun or anti-gun camps. While firearms access is undeniably a factor, it isn’t the only one. Focusing solely on gun control or its defense distracts us from the broader societal failures at play. Restricting access to firearms may reduce the means of violence, but it doesn’t address the motivations behind it, and defending gun rights without acknowledging the need for responsible oversight ignores the reality of these tragedies. 

We need a balanced approach: reasonable regulations, such as universal background checks, which a Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions national survey found that 85% of Americans support, paired with efforts to address root causes like mental health and cultural disconnection.

The shooter in Minneapolis, like others before, was not born a monster; they were shaped by a society that failed to address unhealed wounds. The easiest way for evil to wreak havoc in this world is through unhealed wounds.

As a culture, we must ask: Are we building connection and resilience, or are we enabling isolation and despair?

Parents today live with a fear that their children are not safe at school. This isn’t just a policy failure; it’s a moral one. As a civilization, we’re failing our youth when we allow these tragedies to become routine. The path forward requires courage to have uncomfortable conversations—about mental health, the impact of media and technology, the way we treat our boys, men and fathers, and the balance between individual rights and our collective safety. We must invest in school-based mental health programs, with more counselors trained to identify early warning signs, particularly more male counselors. Community initiatives, like mentorship programs for at-risk youth led by men, can provide the support systems many young men lack.

Ending school shootings demands a reckoning with who we are as a society. It requires us to reject the normalization of violence and the apathy that follows each tragedy. We cannot afford to wait for the next headline, the next lockdown, the next loss of innocent lives. Instead, let’s commit to a proactive approach—addressing mental health, building stronger, more compassionate, interconnected communities where we value everyone, and finding common ground on gun policies. Only by confronting these issues with humility and honesty can we hope to break this cycle. Children deserve better. They deserve a future where schools are sanctuaries, not battlegrounds.