Not Me

Reading through the headlines on Flipboard last night I came across this article.
At a trade show of gun enthusiasts and manufacturers, the head of the National Shooting Sports Foundation plans to tell convention goers they didn’t cause the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT a month ago.  Of course they didn’t, but…

In contrast to that was a meeting I attended of community leaders and school teachers and administrators to talk about how, as a community, we begin to address the issues facing children and youth and families and our communities, including the threat of violence.  Those of us in the room didn’t cause the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT, but…

Here is the difference between the response in the article and the response in the meeting I attended.
The sentiment on  one side is: 
I/we didn’t do and therefore we are not responsible.
The sentiment on the other side is:
I/we didn’t do it, but we do have, and maybe bear, some responsibility. 

Here, I think, is the critical question.
Each of us…
And each community…
To say nothing of our nation…
Has to decide which of this sentiments if correct and which of these sentiments might lead to the best long term future for our children and our communities. 

I believe that the children who group up in our communities are OUR children and that I have a responsibility to do what I can to make our communities and our schools a safe, secure and supportive place for children and youth and families.  And, when children fall through the cracks and something happens, I bear some responsibility for that as well.  
What do you think?