The events that took place last month in Newtown, Connecticut, marks one of the most tragic school shootings in the history of the United States. It also brings the subject of gun control to the foreground of political discussion. The problem, however, is not gun control at all; at least not yet.

Every time a tragedy of this nature occurs, devastated families are left to watch as people bicker over whether or not owning a firearm should be more regulated, if legal at all. The first concern of those who were not affected directly should not be the tricky policy issue at hand; let policy makers handle that issue. The issue is making sure everything in our power is done to comfort these families in their time of need.

People, as aided and abetted by media, become far too concerned with the wrong things at times like these. The killer should not be of the focus of anyone’s interest; the man was sociopathic and deranged and does not deserve a second thought. The people who should be the center of our attention are the families who lost loved ones, as well as those who were lost. Keep the lunatics and the policy issues out of the spotlight long enough for families and friends to mourn.

 Gun control can and will be debated for the rest of this nation’s existence. But the NRA needs to stay far away from Newtown in the coming weeks. No one should be picketing the funerals of six year olds who were taken from their parents eleven days before Christmas: anyone who does is almost as sick as the man who committed this crime. The lives of children were lost and the most important thing is that their parents, family and friends receive an outpouring of support.