Barbara Dority

About the author: Barbara Dority is executive director of the Washington Coalition Against Censorship (WCAC), the president of the Humanists of Washington, editor of the Secular Humanist Press, and a columnist for the Humanist magazine.

Despite what many commentators claim, studies have not found a causal link between violence in the media and school shootings. Although many adolescents play video games that feature simulated violence, incidents of school violence have actually decreased over the past decade. Alternative lifestyles, including the Goth movement, are also wrongfully associated with school shootings. The common solutions to school shootings, such as metal detectors, increased police presence, and bans on certain types of clothing, are simple-minded and ignore the real problems facing children, including poverty and lack of child care.

Columbine...