I also think that the adults used the kids in Broward county to further their own beliefs. Everyone was very frightened and no one should have encouraged these teens to be activists, especially immediately after this horrendous event. I blame the media as well making these youngsters click bait.

I like our sheriffs. I am very skeptical of Sheriff Israel in Broward County. The nearby law enforcement acted bravely and reasonably.

From what I hear the kids did this on their own. They are very mad and are trying to change their world. More power to them. Many kids in the Villages' area I expect are also thinking of taking action.

One major difference between you and me is that I am a mother and I was a teacher. I don't think they did it on their own.

I cannot say much yet about this because of privacy matters.

Let me just say that my Facebook links are heart wrenching. And some of these are from teachers and mothers/grand mothers.

Agree 100%!!

I have no idea if your accusations are true or not, and suspect that you do not either.

I just know that never saw activist kids being accused of such things as...

.....Being paid actors
.....Being paid pawns of a rich liberal
.....Being children of FBI agents who are "running cover for them", a continuing attack on law enforcement
.....Being uninformed and not "smart" enough to carry this fight.

All of these things have been part of a series of conspiracy theories put out there by the normal extreme right wing conspiracy groups and websites.

Pretty darn sad, in my opinion, that we would attack these kids like this without so much as one single item showing or allowing for a basis to make these charges.

We have elected officials and relatives tweeting and forwarding this stuff all over the place.

I always felt it was a good thing when young people spoke up and said what was on their mind.

For the record....I do not own a gun, and actually have no strong opinions one way or another because it is ALL politics now and has nothing to do with the safety of children or anyone else.

Journalists have kids in school as well. Some of this is about ratings and $$$$ but there is genuine concern for these kids in the action of some of the media. The kids seem extremely determined to make changes and that is a very well connected and affluent school. They are also very internet savvy. The kids I mean. And their parents, uncles, aunts, as well as some of their grand parents.

I am an uncle to numerous kids and grand uncle to a few. Did a little teaching of how to use legal resources when a reference librarian as well as on Findlaw and now on Facebook.

Methinks you are addressing the wrong poster!!!!

Those are sad. These kids will have problems the rest of their lives with post traumatic stress and with being associated with that Valentine's Day massacre also for the rest of their lives. They have no choice in the matter. They can bury it but that will also cause problems.

They are turning their pain into something positive which is their best option.

Referencing your quoted post -

Many of us have cited these same things over and over as to some of the reasons for the increasing breakdowns and violence in our society, such as -

-The breakdown of the family unit - your article mentions so many fatherless homes, to name one aspect of this
-The nature of boys in general and how that is being constantly suppressed
-Drugs, drugs, and more drugs (both legal and illegal) - I certainly could go on and on about that with first-hand knowledge as to what that has done and is doing to our society
-Improving the culture/valuing life - again, another lengthy discussion with many facets

The point is that all of these issues get swept under the table because the discussion always comes back to and revolves around gun control. An inanimate object that can do no harm until someone with the wrong intent engages with it. Until we get past this, nothing much will change. We must start focusing on the why's not just the how's. We must look at both long term and short term solutions. Short term meaning immediate security measures for our students and long term including many of the issues stated above.

On another note, some continue to bring up what they perceive as a fear of our guns being taken away. I think that is a broad overstatement. The fear is that by focusing on gun control as the only solution, the criminals win. Those many more law abiding citizens will be left with inferior weapons with which to protect themselves if guns that are now readily available are banned. I'm not saying I'm against any measures being taken, such as banning bump stocks, raising the age limit, and improvements on background checks, but how about trying the approach of better law enforcement of current laws on the books, along with the measures stated, before jumping to the ban of certain guns.

Let me explain this to you. The firing rate of a standard AR 15 rifle is no faster than any other semi automatic rifle or gun with a trigger. It shoots one bullet per trigger pull. The world champion shooter who can get 5 rounds per second with an AR 15 can do the same with a Glock.

Guns do not have a "primary purpose" other than firing bullets. It is us humans who decide where to aim them.

Most kids under eighteen don't know where the governor lives. Most young people under eighteen need funded to buy all those alike tee shirts. Many people employed by the mainstream media would kick their conscience under the bed to get a news score. I hope this all will help these young people, because to me it looks like the adults around them were using them.

Thank you. Well said. Many of us agree with you. It is shameful the way these kids are being treated, simply for being patriotic Americans.

Those children are not being treated badly except by those using them to further their own ideas and views. It isn't right to do that. It will not change anything. The divide in this country is between people who believe things like "they are simply being patriotic Americans" and those who clearly see those kids are being directed by adults.

We are generally not marchers but we are VOTERS.

I don't know about all of these things that you claim because I haven't heard or read any of them. Maybe they are just not sites where I get my news. But to reference your point about young people - yes, it is good to see them become interested in something more worldly than the usual teenage things. And certainly, after what they have been through their voices deserve to be heard.

However, when I think back to how I was at that age, and although I was considered a good kid who was above average intelligence, and a student government leader in my school, I knew very little about life or the world compared to what I know now. At that age, I was much more influenced by others and prone to crowd mentality than I am now as a more experienced adult. So long story short, to put these kids on a pedestal as an influence to make long reaching decisions is a bit scary to me.

Just throwing this out there to consider.