Preventing gun violence begins at home

After reading “Common Triggers” [page one, Jan. 24], another common trigger came to mind. What kind of background and parenting did these young people have?

Anger, disrespect and insults triggered violent reactions to shoot someone in an instant. Many shooters grew up in an environment where violence was the response to deal with conflict. Barry Saunders, the shooter at the Southcenter mall, admits he started carrying a handgun at 16 to protect his mother. His mother was getting beat up by her boyfriend.

We can tighten gun control and make new laws, but this will not change behavior that is learned from an unhealthy home life where communication skills are lacking and domestic abuse is rampant. A child can go to school and learn to develop these skills but it breaks down once he returns home. It’s a cyclical situation passed down from parent to child.

Perhaps, there should be more attention to this problem, which is the very basic, original source, before it escalates.

--Vinette Tichi, Woodinville