There was yesterday's nationwide student walkout, and I think the students of Florida are having an impact on the state legislature. Everything has been geared towards forcing pro-gun legislators to raise their hands and say "we oppose what the friends and relatives of the tragically murdered children desperately favor." And it seems the FL repubs are seeing too much risk in just continuing to ignore them. I think they will enact something.

"Making guns illegal will not prevent a psycho dedicated to mass murder from doing it." I think that's true to a very large extent, and I also think it misses the point that drives these kids and parents to tears when the law does not change at all. I think to a friend or relative of a student (or anyone) who died in FL two weeks ago, it has become incredibly important that the weapons and accessories used to commit mass murder are in no way endorsed by the govt that is supposed to protect us. So a 16 yr old kid becomes hysterical at the refusal of pols to consider a ban on AR-15s. That's not a logical, rational judgement that outlawing AR-15s will prevent any similar future episode. I think the kid needs to know that the govt in no way condones the tools of these murders that hit so close to home.

And I think gun control proponents should accept that, own it, and declare that it makes their demand no less valid. Many other steps need to be taken - I personally think near-invasive monitoring of social media, and an ability to intervene when indicated, are perhaps the most important thing, especially for school shootings (kids are addicted to social media, and it is apparently the norm that they are complete idiots about privacy - they regularly announce intentions to do things that they shouldn't). And that comes with some pretty complex Constitutional considerations of its own, maybe more than gun issues.

I think many pols are hoping like hell this will blow over, but I bet the prudent ones are not willing to bet on it. Like #METOO, we may have hit an inflection point.

Ironically Trump in the WH might be part of the reason.