A Message from Dr. William Yates:

In the past week, we've had three more victims from school shootings. Two teenagers who had survived the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last year committed suicide. And a father of a child who died in the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut also committed suicide. I'm left with so many questions.

What drove these survivors to suicide? Certainly, in the case of the teenagers, we know that the trauma of surviving a school shooting, losing friends to violence, and survivors' guilt were contributing factors. In the case of the Sandy Hook father, losing a child to murder is a life-changing trauma that some parents simply can't survive themselves.

I also wonder, did they simply lose hope? Was the lack of progress on gun violence a factor in these tragic decisions to take their own lives? Many politicians have been quick with their thoughts and prayers, but slow to endorse meaningful change. Meanwhile, new active shooter incidents and school shootings continue to make headlines and lives continue to be lost. It could make anyone lose hope, especially those who are coping with the aftermath of a school shooting in their own lives.

I have yet another question. Were the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings that killed 50 people a factor that contributed to these suicides? After all, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, announced within ONE DAY of the shootings that her nation would ban semi-automatic weapons. ONE DAY to make a change that the majority of Americans have supported for years. Then, a week later, this spate of suicides in the U.S. Was the juxtaposition of New Zealand's actions alongside America's seeming inability the proverbial "final straw" for these victims?

In the end, we may never know the answers. What we DO know, however, is that there are still many other victims of gun violence in America's schools who continue to suffer, including:

* Survivors of shootings coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, guilt, and anxiety.

* Children who struggle with school performance and anxiety as a result of the fear of gun violence. Active shooter drills taking place in schools make it worse.

* Families and friends of school shooting victims -- as well as teachers and school administrators -- who must cope with similar mental health challenges.

* Students, teachers, and school workers who walk into school every single day wondering if that's the day they will get shot.

* Parents who drop their children off wondering if it will be the last time they see their child.

* Teachers, who are being traumatized and even injured by active shooter drills, including situations where they are shot execution-style with plastic bullets.

* First responders and medical staff who care for victims, and the media and cover the tragedies, who all deal with the psychological aftermath of these crises.

Apart from the profound human costs and psychological impact, there's also a financial toll that taxpayers like you and me ultimately pay. After a school shooting, millions of dollars are spent rebuilding school sites and making restitution to victims' families...those are our tax dollars, and they could have gone toward improving our children's education.

Gun violence in schools is a complex issue. We need to address the root causes of violence in schools and protect victims and survivors from the mental health implications of school shootings. That requires societal changes and better mental health care. At the same time, we need regulations that will keep assault weapons off our streets. That requires legislation and gun control, no easy task.

But we also need to protect the future victims -- those whose lives have not yet been personally scarred by gun violence in schools. As the founder of Yates Enterprises, there is one thing I DO know. Metal detectors at schools can prevent guns from getting into schools. Metal detectors literally save lives, NOW. Metal detectors also save lives later. It’s exponential. Every school shooting or active shooter event that we prevent today means fewer students, families, friends, school staff, and communities scarred by gun violence tomorrow.

As a trauma surgeon, I learned to "first, stop the bleeding." And it’s clear: We need to stop the bleeding now, by keeping our schools safe. Metal detectors don't stop people from wanting to do harm in our schools. But they CAN stop many of those people -- and their ability to hurt our children -- at the door. It's a start, and something we can do now...today.