By the time Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, killing 17, he had given every warning of what he planned to do.

But to put it that way understates the egregious failure, at every level, by the adults responsible for protecting the students. An awful lot of people had to fall down on the job. Once you spell out the parade of failures that preceded the shooting, it’s much harder to buy into the cry for gun control that followed it.

Recommended Stories

Trump urges Republicans to pass concealed carry reciprocity as standalone bill

Repeated prayers have a better chance of working than repeated gun control proposals

How a fast fix on gun safety unraveled in the Senate