The discussion: Santa Barbara college murders a reason to review all factors

It's hard to imagine anything more horrible than hearing your child's life ended at the hands of a lunatic.

And no matter what you think about gun control, firearms permits or violence on television and on video games, the reality is that nothing is ever going to stop someone who is mentally ill from completing a heinous act if he or she is determined to do so.

Anyone who says otherwise, who calls for that one piece of legislation that will change that fact, is simply looking for a way to do something. It is a natural human response -- to want to take action to make sure no one else faces the same fear and pain.

But there is a way that we can work to reduce instances like this -- and perhaps to stop another before it starts.

We need to talk as citizens and as communities about subjects that are tough to examine -- mental illness, warning signs, social media rantings and all the factors that have played prominently in some of the most recent tragedies.

We need to look for a balance between protecting gun rights and keeping dangerous people from getting access to weapons. We need to understand that pervasive violence on the movie screens and on television matters.

It won't be an easy discussion, and it requires complete candor and no politics. And it won't result in an immediate solution either.

But it is a start -- and a chance to do something as we mourn the loss of six innocent people who never got the chance to live out their dreams.

Published in Editorials on May 28, 2014 10:31 AM