I’ve been struggling on my column for this month. I try to keep this to international issues that have an impact on the local scene. I wanted to talk about Memorial Day, and I have a “Tales From the Supply Chain” column running around in my head – but the recent mass shootings and the reaction to them has been plaguing my mind.

In the aftermath, the usual suspects began shouting, “Gun control! Second amendment!” Unfortunately, we do not see a serious discussion of the true causes and what can be implemented as a remedy.

Let me begin by saying that I am a strict constructionist of the Constitution. I believe it was written to enumerate the powers of the national government, and there are no other powers available to it.

When I say to gun control advocates that you need to amend the constitution to enact gun control, they bristle at the thought. I’m not sure why; that way, they would get their gun control locked in.

However, I did hear a great question from one. I saw a post stating that if the Second Amendment supporters are saying it is a mental health issue, then why are we not supporting expansion of mental health infrastructure to support that?

Mental health is one of the causes of these attacks. Some is part of the destruction of the nuclear family, broken homes, children who have never had a dad.

If you watch the media reports these days, you would think this is something new; however, in Bath, Michigan, a school was bombed, killing 38 – and that was in 1927. So, it’s not guns, and it’s not new; it is a long-term problem that is getting worse.

Murder has been with us from the beginning of mankind. There is evil in the world, and we must address it.

How do we combat the evil that is destroying our society, that causes such a plague on children? We must address the root causes!

We have research that points to irregular brain activity in those who commit these acts. This must be researched thoroughly.

At the same time, we must promote mental health improvements. We need mental health professionals looking for these signs, and we must have facilities to treat these conditions. Society must contribute its share of the blame and recourse. Society must place a larger value on the nuclear family; the family needs to be supported and encouraged.

We must get back to regular church attendance. God the Father is the answer to solving the father of the household’s failures. Yes, single mothers and single fathers can raise exceptional children, but as a whole, the nuclear family is the bedrock to a civilized society.

While we are working on these two countermeasures, we need to protect our children.

The current “gun-free zone” is not working. We must control access to school yards; we must have roving patrols; we must guard our children.

Turning a school into an armed camp is distasteful, but unfortunately, this is a stop gap measure we need until we get mental health facilities underway. I’m sure there are smart people who can design these security systems so they do not look like a prison camp.

This is expensive; implementing a mental health infrastructure is also expensive. Taking your family to church every week is very inexpensive. We need to do all three to protect our future.