In the wake of mass shootings, pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle advance theories for how such tragedies could happen, let alone time and again. To the left, predictable blame is placed on guns, and their solutions always involve chipping away at Americans' Second Amendment rights. On the right, mental health is often discussed as well as ways to "harden" schools. Of course, the nation is struggling with many other problems as well, like drug addiction and crime. So how can we account for all of these issues?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered his own take on the nation's myriad problems during a recent interview with Dave Rubin. While the Republican did not advance a new argument, it is one that society would benefit from discussing more.
"If you look at all the different problems society could deal with, a huge number of them are rooted in kids growing up without having a father in the home," he said.
"Part of it is sending a message," he continued. "Men, meet your responsibilities. You have a responsibility."
This isn't the first time DeSantis addressed the issue.
"If ... every kid in America had a loving father in the home, we would have far, far fewer problems that we would have to deal with as a society," DeSantis said on the podcast First Class Fatherhood last month. "I do think there are a lot of problems, but if you could just snap your finger and do one thing, and you did this where the fathers were in the home, you would not even need to worry about a lot of these other problems."
Both comments come after he signed legislation in the state in April to support involved fatherhood.
"There are more than 18 million children in our country who live without a father in their home," said DeSantis. "This has a severe impact on children, and often leads to dropping out of school, crime and substance abuse. Incredibly, there are those who diminish the importance of fatherhood and the nuclear family – we will not let that happen in our state. I am proud to say we are doing everything we can to support involved fatherhood in Florida."
House Speaker Chris Sprowls said while "fatherhood, accountability or character" cannot be legislated, lawmakers "can provide support for fathers to equip and encourage them to take an active role in the lives of their children."