Bruce Lee was a martial arts guru and pioneer. A paraphrase of what he once said is this:
“When I was a beginner in the art, I knew nothing. A punch was just a punch, and a kick was just a kick. Then I studied the art, and I learned there were many kinds of punches, and many kinds of kicks. But then I mastered the art, and then a punch was just a punch, and a kick was just a kick.”

When you study a subject, you learn all the complexities. But then you master the subject, and things are simple again. This is true of many subjects besides martial arts. Take interpersonal violence, including school shootings, for example. There are hundreds of factors to consider. But in the end, you either raise kids to be extremely reluctant to kill other human beings, or you don’t. Then, whether it is guns, or knives, or gasoline, or whatever, you can send your kids to school with the reasonable assurance that they will come home again safe.

Did you know that school violence is nothing new? The worst school massacre in U.S. history was in 1927, in which 44 were killed. It was accomplished with dynamite. Was that violent enough for you? But no guns at all. That school, or what was left of it, was a “gun-free zone.”

Thank you, Bruce Lee. You said it well.