Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has done a lot of thinking, and grieving, since gunshots rang out at the end of the Chiefs' celebratory parade through downtown Kansas City last month, leading to dozens of injuries and the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan. The popular DJ was wearing a Butker jersey when she was shot and killed, and after her family reached out to the kicker he gave them one of his jerseys for her burial. 

I can't imagine how emotional that must have been for both Butker and Lopez-Galvan's family. An interaction like that isn't just something that happens in the moment. It sticks with you. It makes you think. And after doing some soul-searching, Butker says that he's come to the conclusion that guns aren't the issue. 

The Super Bowl champion was asked in an interview on EWTN News’ "In Depth" about gun violence and how to curb it in the wake of the shooting.

"I had to do a lot of thinking about what took place at the parade. I know that gun violence was a big discussion, but at the end of the day this is degenerative violence, and it should not be occurring," Butker said. "I think we need strong fathers in the home. We need men that are leading, that are setting good examples, that are teaching the young men in our society that violence is not the way to handle our disputes. 

"It’s very unfortunate what happened. Unfortunately, many, many children were injured. A beautiful young lady was killed over someone getting offended and turning to violence to handle that dispute. It’s so sad. I don’t think guns are the issue. I think we need fathers in the home that are being great examples for our youth."

We know almost nothing at all about the juveniles who've been charged in connection with the shooting. I'm not aware of any news stories that have detailed the family histories of the two adults who've been charged with murder, but based on the information released to date it certainly sounds like no one involved ever got a lesson from Dad (or anyone else) about conflict resolution or the basic rules of gun safety. 

It began, prosecutors said, with one man accusing another of staring at him.

Groups of men, who appeared to be strangers, exchanged angry words and threats. A female friend tried to intervene. And then, surrounded by thousands of people at a rally last week celebrating Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory, at least two men pulled out their guns and began shooting.

“Just being stupid,” one of the men, Lyndell Mays, 23, told detectives later, according to the authorities, after admitting to firing his gun at least once or twice into the crowd.

Mr. Mays and another Missouri man, Dominic Miller, 18, were charged with murder for the death of a bystander, prosecutors announced on Tuesday. Ballistics tests revealed that a bullet from Mr. Miller’s gun killed Elizabeth Galvan, 43, a D.J. and radio host known as Lisa, who was at the parade on Wednesday with her family, prosecutors said.

Mays, according to police, admitted to firing his first shot at someone who was running away at the time, and also told officers he hesitated before pulling the trigger because he knew there were lots of kids around. 

What happened in Kansas City was the result of a lack of self-control, not gun control. I have no idea what kind of upbringing Mays and Miller had, but they're both old enough to know better than to let a look escalate into a shooting in a crowd of people and the possibility of a lifetime in prison. 

Butker wasn't flippantly dismissing the shootings when he spoke about what he believes is the real issue behind the violence. In fact, I'd say his comments were far more thoughtful than the knee-jerk calls for gun bans that we've heard from many on the Left starting in the minutes and hours after the shootings took place. 

Having said that, I don't think it's solely about not having a father around; after all, there are millions of Americans who grew up in a one-parent household who've never gotten in trouble with the law, myself included. 

At the same time, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that fatherlessness does have a negative impact in all kinds of areas of society, including crime, so Butker's not completely off-base when he says that more good dads will lead to fewer evil acts like the shootings at the Chiefs' parade. At the very least, encouraging dads to step up to the plate wouldn't do any harm, unlike restricting our right to keep and bear arms based on the false promise of increased safety.