If you have not heard about the Parkland, Florida Shooting, you need to read the horrific news about how innocent lives were taken. 17 individuals were killed in a school shooting. Why? Is this a mental health issue that the shooter Nikolas Cruz had? Or perhaps is it a gun regulation issue? Or perhaps is it both?

Here is an article from the NY Times giving more information about the school shooting https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/florida-shoo...

This has been one of the deadliest shootings in American History. 19 Year old Cruz was planning to shoot up the Parkland School. Signs were given but the FBI did not act upon the hints.

According to the article and information that just keeps pouring out each and every day, there were no breaking of the laws in regards to the weapon.

He also has a history of mental illness. He is apparently broken inside, and hey maybe he is. He may have a learning disability, his mother had passed when he was a teenager, he was depressed, and he had been taken in by another family. What's even more shocking is that the family knew he had a gun but let him keep it in a lockbox.

The family claims they did not see the signs, but how could they miss all of them? Truly it is possible to not notice them and at the end of the day, I do not believe it is their fault. But how could have this been prevented?

If Cruz was given proper treatment to heal mentally would this have occurred? If the gun was not there could the victims have been saved? Is this a mental health issue, a gun regulation issue, or perhaps both?

Parents who had lost their children in the shooting and students of Parkland are protesting for a change of gun laws. Is it plausible to get guns not only out of the hands of young children but off the streets? How can children go to school feeling safe knowing that it is possible for a child to bring a gun into school? We can't just forget about this issue. Soon, all adolescents may feel the need to have a gun for protection, as it will seem to become the new norm.

What about the mental health issue of things? There is no doubt that what Cruz did is horrible and unimaginable. If he did not have a mental health issue, however, could he have been a responsible young man who could have a gun? It was clear though from the signs that were missed on social media that Cruz had given he had some mental disturbances. On social media, he posted pictures of guns and mentioned that he wanted to be a school shooter. Why didn't the police take these signs seriously?

We can debate all day long if this is a mental health issue, gun issue, or both. I personally feel that it is both. What I do 100% believe is that action needs to occur immediately. This is not an issue to debate for a long time . It needs to be evaluated as quickly and proficenlty as possible so effective procedures can occur.

We cannot have a mass shooting like this occur again. It is simply horrendous and we need to protect not only the Children but the citizens of America.