{"id":2342156,"date":"2024-09-17T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-we-really-want-fewer-school-shootings-end-easy-divorce\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T08:26:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T12:26:22","slug":"if-we-really-want-fewer-school-shootings-end-easy-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-we-really-want-fewer-school-shootings-end-easy-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"If We Really Want Fewer School Shootings, End Easy Divorce"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fif-we-really-want-fewer-school-shootings-end-easy-divorce%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2342156&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b text discusses the troubling \u200dconnection between family structure and youth violence, particularly in \u200bthe context \u200dof school shootings. It focuses on \u2064the 14-year-old Georgia school shooter, \u2063Colt Gray, and examines the detrimental effects of parental divorce on boys. Historical\u2062 data \u200dshows a rise in school shootings\u200d since the Columbine incident in 1999, \u200dwith many shooters coming from broken homes. Studies indicate that\u200d children who experience parental separation are at a higher\u200d risk for violent behavior, \u2062highlighting that\u200c strong family units correlate with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-gop-rep-calls-for-national-religious-revival-after-nashville-shooting\/\" title=\"Tennessee GOP Rep Calls For National Religious Revival After Nashville Shooting\">lower crime rates<\/a>. \u200dResearch also \u2063identifies a range \u200dof \u200cnegative \u2064outcomes for children \u2064in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/25-asylum-seekers-granted-u-s-entry-under-biden\/\" title=\"25 asylum seekers granted U.S. entry under Biden\">single-parent households<\/a>, including increased risks of\u200d delinquency, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-year-old-girl-pepper-sprayed-during-interaction-with-rochester-police\/\" title=\"9-Year-Old Girl Pepper Sprayed During Interaction With Rochester Police\">mental health issues<\/a>, and \u200dsuicide. The author advocates for reforming no-fault \u2064divorce laws, arguing\u2064 that preserving family stability is crucial for children&#8217;s\u2063 well-being and societal safety. the piece \u200cemphasizes \u2064the need for stronger family structures to mitigate\u2063 the risk \u200dof youth \u2064violence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>I held my breath when details of the 14-year-old alleged Georgia school shooter&rsquo;s home life began unfolding in the news. I was not surprised when I learned his parents were&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/georgia-school-shooting-suspect-colt-gray-what-we-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">divorcing<\/a> &mdash; a red flag for boys. And Colt Gray&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-high-school-shooting-c3c97267a4dfff64a59e1605e515c2f9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">struggled<\/a>&nbsp;under the pressure. He&rsquo;d recently changed schools and lived with his dad while his mom had custody of his two siblings.<\/p>\n<p>More than&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/education\/interactive\/school-shootings-database\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">400<\/a>&nbsp;school shootings have occurred since the Columbine massacre in Colorado in 1999. The rate has risen precipitously since 2018, excluding 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic shut schools down.<\/p>\n<p>The Sandy Hook Elementary School&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/therapist-who-counseled-adam-lanzas-parents-says-mom-didnt-like-leaving-gunman-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shooter<\/a>&nbsp;who killed 20 children and six adults, after first shooting his mother in the head, also came from a broken home. So did the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/12\/14\/us\/colorado-school-gunman-karl-pierson\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Centennial,&nbsp;Colorado<\/a>,&nbsp;school shooter, and the young man who walked into a Georgia&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/plea-help-georgia-school-shooting-suspects-lonely-life-flna6c10974911\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elementary school<\/a>&nbsp;with 500 rounds of ammunition. Although the parents of 15-year-old&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/james-crumbley-jennifer-crumbley-oxford-school-shooting-e5888f615c76c3b26153c34dc36d5436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michigan school shooter<\/a>&nbsp;Ethan Crumbley still lived together, reports indicated the marriage was troubled; his mother was having an affair.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly to an international academic&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6057277\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a>&nbsp;published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in 2018, &ldquo;separation from a parent during childhood is strongly associated with elevated risk for later violent criminality&rdquo; in contrast to children &ldquo;who lived continuously with both parents.&rdquo; The study surveyed a whopping cohort of 1.3 million individuals up to age 15, specifically excluding children with deceased parents. Males accounted for 90 percent of violent offenders.<\/p>\n<p>A 2023 nationwide&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/ifs-admin\/resources\/reports\/ifs-strongerfamilies-final-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">analysis<\/a>&nbsp;conducted by the Institute for Family Studies found that &ldquo;strong families are associated with less crime.&rdquo; In cities, the crime rate was 48 percent higher in areas with a high number of single-parent households than in &ldquo;those with low levels of single parenthood.&rdquo; A decade earlier, Brad Wilcox, University of Virginia professor and author of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/get-married-brad-wilcox?variant=41546330636322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get Married<\/a>: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization<\/em>, determined that nearly every school shooting in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/school-shootings-fathers-divorce-family-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2013<\/a>&nbsp;&ldquo;involved a young man whose parents divorced or never married in the first place.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the correlation between family structure and violent sons appears consistent over time.<\/p>\n<h2>No-Fault Divorce&rsquo;s Role<\/h2>\n<p>After five decades, the scientific evidence on the devastating&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4240051\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">consequences<\/a>&nbsp;of no-fault divorce and fatherless households is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalaffairs.com\/publications\/detail\/the-evolution-of-divorce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">well-settled<\/a>. Boys who grow up in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-unmasking-epsteins-clients-finally-wake-americans-up-to-our-human-trafficking-crisis\/\" title=\"Will Epstein&#039;s clients being unmasked wake Americans up to our human trafficking crisis?\">single-mother households<\/a> have twice the chance of ending up juvenile&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/sexes\/archive\/2013\/06\/the-distinct-positive-impact-of-a-good-dad\/276874\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">delinquents.<\/a>&nbsp;Children in general have increased rates of poverty, depression, and anxiety,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/projectknow.com\/parents-guide\/divorce-and-substance-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">substance abuse<\/a>, and generational divorce. Educational attainment decreases. Research also shows an association between parental divorce and an increased risk of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/socialwork.columbia.edu\/news\/adult-children-divorce-show-greater-risk-suicide-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suicide<\/a>. Indeed, the boys who orchestrated the Sandy Hook and both Colorado shootings killed themselves after harming others.<\/p>\n<p>Statistically, children simply&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4240051\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fare better<\/a>&nbsp;on every level of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/less-poverty-less-prison-more-college-what-two-parents-mean-for-black-and-white-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wellness<\/a>&nbsp;in two-parent married households.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, most boys (and troubled girls) don&rsquo;t become killers or attempt suicide. Still, the adverse emotional trauma of a broken home extends well into&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hup.harvard.edu\/books\/9780674003989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adulthood<\/a>. Just listen to these&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Primal-Loss-Now-Adult-Children-Divorce\/dp\/0997989319\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adult<\/a>&nbsp;children of divorce.<\/p>\n<p>The literature demonstrates that most marriages are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/opinions\/2005\/11\/06\/just-whom-is-this-divorce-good-for\/32da3ae3-b15e-491f-a897-96b62a23fe57\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">low-conflict<\/a>&nbsp;with good chances for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1239&amp;context=drlj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reconciliation<\/a>. So why are so many divorcing parents willing to take the risk with their children&rsquo;s futures? What better legacy to leave children and grandchildren than an intact family? (One point of reference: In 48 states, innocent spouses are routinely divorced against their will under no-fault divorce, and thus have no say whatsoever on whether the family splits up.)<\/p>\n<h2>Divorce Reform<\/h2>\n<p>I&rsquo;ve been advocating for divorce reform for more than a decade. During the last year, certain conservative leaders have expressed interest in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/attacks-on-conservatives-supporting-divorce-reform-are-mounting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eliminating<\/a>&nbsp;no-fault divorce, which I believe is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/2628675\/what-fifty-years-of-no-fault-divorce-has-gotten-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unconstitutional<\/a>. Attacks on us have been unrelenting. Even modest legislation I helped craft in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/divorcereform.us\/my-passion-to-serve-children-and-save-families\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Georgia<\/a>&nbsp;that would have retained no-fault and merely helped struggling parents to resolve conflicts and communicate better was shut down twice several years ago.<\/p>\n<p>A so-called &ldquo;good divorce&rdquo; won&rsquo;t necessarily safeguard children either &mdash; another cure-all put forth by detractors. Although there is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/divorcescience.org\/2011\/11\/29\/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-good-divorce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">modest evidence<\/a>&nbsp;that a good divorce is better than a contentious one, remaining married is the gold standard for child wellbeing. By all accounts, the Sandy Hook boy&rsquo;s parents had a highly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/therapist-who-counseled-adam-lanzas-parents-says-mom-didnt-like-leaving-gunman-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amicable split<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>School shootings won&rsquo;t be eliminated by gun control or laws that require sturdier locks for gun cabinets either. Nor will&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/james-crumbley-jennifer-crumbley-oxford-school-shooting-e5888f615c76c3b26153c34dc36d5436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">convicting<\/a>&nbsp;parents along with their children. (The Michigan shooter&rsquo;s parents were convicted of manslaughter earlier this year, and the Georgia shooter&rsquo;s father has been charged.)<\/p>\n<p>We must address the cause contributing most heavily to the despair of our children &mdash; the break-up of their families. To do that, feuding politicians and divisive Americans must lay down their own verbal weapons and work together courageously for the benefit of our nation&rsquo;s children.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beverly Willett is co-founder of the Coalition for Divorce Reform and a former lawyer. She is the author of &ldquo;Disassembly Required: A Memoir of Midlife Resurrection.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I felt a sense of dread as the news revealed details about the home life of the 14-year-old accused Georgia school shooter. It didn&#8217;t shock me to find out that his parents were going through a divorce, which is often a warning sign for boys. Colt Gray was clearly feeling overwhelmed; he had just switched schools and was living with his father while his mother had custody of his two siblings. <\/p>\n<p>Since the Columbine shooting in Colorado in 1999, there have been over 400 school shootings, with a significant increase since 2018, except for 2020 when schools were closed due to the pandemic. The shooter from Sandy Hook Elementary School, who killed 20 children and six adults after first murdering his mother, also came from a broken family. This pattern is seen in other cases as well, including shooters from Centennial, Colorado and one who entered an elementary school in Georgia armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Although Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan school shooter at age 15, had both parents living together at that time, reports suggested their marriage was troubled due to infidelity.<\/p>\n<p>A comprehensive international study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in 2018 found that &#8220;separation from a parent during childhood is strongly associated with elevated risk for later violent criminality,&#8221; especially compared to children who grew up with both parents present. This study surveyed around 1.3 million individuals up to age 15 and specifically excluded those whose parents had died; notably, males made up about 90% of violent offenders.<\/p>\n<p>A nationwide analysis by the Institute for Family Studies in 2023 indicated that &#8220;strong families are associated with less crime.&#8221; In urban areas where single-parent households are prevalent, crime rates were found to be significantly higher\u201448% more than areas with fewer single-parent families. A decade earlier research by Brad Wilcox at the University of Virginia noted that nearly every school shooting incident reported in 2013 involved young men whose parents either divorced or never married.<\/p>\n<p>This suggests an ongoing correlation between family structure and violent behavior among sons.<\/p>\n<p>The Impact of No-Fault Divorce<\/p>\n<p>After five decades of research on no-fault divorce and its consequences on fatherless households has established clear evidence: boys raised by single mothers are twice as likely to become juvenile delinquents compared to their peers raised by both parents. Children overall face higher risks for poverty, depression and anxiety issues along with substance abuse problems when coming from broken homes; educational outcomes also suffer significantly. Research has linked parental divorce not only to increased chances of suicide but also highlighted tragic cases where shooters like those involved in Sandy Hook or Colorado took their own lives after committing acts against others.<\/p>\n<p>Statistically speaking, children thrive better across all wellness metrics within two-parent married households.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s true most boys (and some troubled girls) do not resort to violence or suicidal actions stemming from these circumstances\u2014the emotional trauma inflicted by familial breakdown can linger into adulthood as evidenced by testimonies from adult children affected by divorce.<\/p>\n<p>Studies indicate most marriages experience low conflict levels and have good prospects for reconciliation\u2014so why do so many divorcing couples risk their children&#8217;s futures? What greater legacy could they leave than an intact family? It&#8217;s worth noting that across all states innocent spouses often find themselves divorced against their will under no-fault laws without any say regarding family separation.<\/p>\n<p>Advocating for Divorce Reform<\/p>\n<p>For over ten years I\u2019ve been advocating reforming divorce laws; recently some conservative leaders have shown interest towards abolishing no-fault divorces which I believe violates constitutional rights amidst relentless opposition we face even on modest legislative efforts aimed merely at helping struggling couples communicate better without eliminating no-fault options entirely\u2014these proposals failed twice previously here in Georgia alone!<\/p>\n<p>The notion promoted about \u201cgood divorces\u201d being protective towards kids doesn\u2019t hold strong either\u2014a claim made frequently yet lacking substantial backing despite some evidence suggesting amicable separations may be preferable over contentious ones\u2014the reality remains staying married proves best overall standard ensuring child wellbeing\u2014as illustrated through accounts surrounding Sandy Hook\u2019s boy&#8217;s amicable parental split prior events unfolding tragically thereafter!<\/p>\n<p>Gun control measures won\u2019t eradicate school shootings nor will punishing negligent parenting suffice (as seen recently following convictions against Michigan shooter&#8217;s parents). We must confront root causes fueling despair among our youth\u2014the disintegration occurring within families themselves! To achieve this goal requires bipartisan cooperation amongst divided politicians willing set aside differences working collectively toward safeguarding future generations\u2019 welfare! <\/p>\n<p>Beverly Willett co-founded Coalition For Divorce Reform &amp; served previously as attorney authoring \u201cDisassembly Required: A Memoir Of Midlife Resurrection.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2799,"featured_media":2342157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ga-e1726108569316.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41041,35136,35390,35975,41040],"class_list":["post-2342156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-divorce-reform","tag-education-policy","tag-mental-health","tag-public-safety","tag-school-shootings"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ga-e1726108569316.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2799"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}