In the midst of all the important talk about mental illness and gun laws, I don’t hear anyone asking about the environments of the perpetrators of violence and threats. What is life like for them at home? What are their support systems? What stimulates the anger that leads to mass carnage? Do some young people think it is funny to post an idle threat to see what happens?

We need more than gun control to change the underlying culture that produces threats (real and otherwise) and violent actions. We need to talk about and reclaim what it means to be a civilized society.

Intelligent gun control and good mental health services are critical parts of it, but not all.

Elizabeth Barker

Freeport