What is our responsibility?

I've been following the horror that has unfolded in Aurora Colorado since yesterday morning.  My first thought when I heard about it, and watched the news while getting ready for work on Friday morning was "Oh my God!'  My second thought was for the people that Elyse and I know in that area, were any of them in the theater? did any of them know people who were injured or killed?  Having gotten in touch with them and finding out that they and their families are okay, I started reading more.

First, as I always do, I read articles.  I still find that the NY Times has the best straight reporting of any newspaper, print or online, that I have read.  I then read the quickly put together Op Ed pieces on nytimes.com.  I'm personally middle of the road on gun control but I am not surprised that the prevailing view was that we need stricter gun control. 

Finally, I read the comments on the Op Eds.  I read one that I found particularly disturbing.  The poster wrote that because it is predominantly young adult males that commit most of the crimes using guns in this country (and the poster also mentioned traffic fatalities as well), then we would be best served by writing  laws that restricted gun ownership for that demographic.  That was my second "Oh my God" moment of the day.  I read that comment as a person abdication of responsibility.  Make no mistake, we are responsible for our children's actions.  We teach them right from wrong.  We teach them good from bad.  We all need to live the words of Pirkei Avot (Sayings of the fathers)  "If I am not for myself who will be for me?  If I am only for myself, what am I?  If not now when?"

My heart goes out to the families and victims of this horrific crime.  My heart goes out to the mother of this deranged young man whose first words were apparently "You got the right person".  My thoughts and prayers go out to all of us to make sure that we do everything we can to not allow something like this to happen again.