The April 20, 1999, murders at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, and other similar school shootings, left the American public shocked and saddened. In the wake of the tragedy, parents, politicians, and researchers began searching for reasons why children and teenagers would resort to such violence. But as columnist John Leo explains, the political debate over youth violence soon broke down along party lines:

Every time a disaster like the Colorado massacre occurs, Democrats want to focus on guns and Republicans want to talk about popular culture. . . . The Republicans can’t say much about the gun lobby, because they accept too much of its money. The Democrats can’t talk about Hollywood and the rest of the entertainment industry, because that’s where so much of their funding comes from.

Following the Columbine tragedy...