'How did a kid get a gun?' should be the central question of any school shooting

Parents reunite with their children after an accidental shooting at Salvador B. Castro Middle School in Los Angeles on Feb. 1.

Feb. 11, 2018 4 AM PT

To the editor: Your article asking about where a 12-year-old got the gun that was fired in the recent Los Angeles school shooting is a significant contribution to preventing school (and other) shootings by minors. (“LAPD still searching for owner of gun that went off in Westlake classroom,” Feb. 8)

Far too often, the response to school shootings is to talk about increased mental health services, school security and even arming school personnel. We neglect the fundamental question about prevention: How does a child get a gun?

Storing guns so that a minor cannot have access to them is the law in California and the responsibility of all gun owners, and where a minor gets a gun should be a focus of any news story on shootings committed by children.

Virginia Classick, Duarte

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook