These two student heroes died standing up to guns. Now let's do our part.

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, May 8, 2019 [NYTimes.com/Kristof »]( ADVERTISEMENT [Students get off buses after being evacuated following a shooting at STEM School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. on May 7, 2019.]( Students get off buses after being evacuated following a shooting at STEM School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. on May 7, 2019. Michael Ciaglo, via Getty Images America’s latest school shooting unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in Colorado. When one gunman entered his literature class and pulled a gun, several students charged him and tackled him. They managed to disarm and subdue the gunman, but one of them — an 18-year-old student named [Kendrick Castillo]( an only child three days short of graduation — was shot dead. Kendrick and the other students were heroes, and we should honor them. But it’s appalling that we have abandoned students so that they must charge gunmen and die to save their classmates. What we need is sensible gun policy that makes such heroes less necessary. The best way to honor Kendrick would be with policies that aim to curb gun violence in America. [I outline]( some of the obvious steps to take — universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage — and note that these won’t avert every shooting. But every day in America, 107 people die from gun violence, and we can save some of those lives. The statistic that makes me cringe: In a typical year, more children aged 0 to 4 die from guns in America than police officers do. Meanwhile, abroad, one sign that pressure works: [Brunei appears to have backed off]( its threat to stone gays to death. Other harsh punishments including amputation remain on the books, and critics are calling for continuing boycotts of Brunei-owned hotels until those penalties are lifted as well. I’ve periodically warned about the risks of a clash or war with Iran, and I’m afraid we’re getting closer. I don’t think either side wants a war, but there are hotheads on both sides and considerable risk of escalation. I particularly worry about a naval incident in the Gulf escalating out of control, and I know that American Navy officers worry about this as well. And there is some risk that the [Iranian nuclear deal]( will fall apart completely, in which case we’ll soon face a new crisis. Here’s [my column]( about gun violence and the need to stop it with policies, not just with heroic students charging gunmen. Every other advanced country in the world has managed to do a better job than us in regulating guns; it just takes political will, and politicians who are less fearful of the National Rifle Association. Good News I’ve written periodically about clubfoot, a birth defect in which one or both feet are turned inward. It’s easily corrected in the West, but in poor countries these children often are left crippled, uneducated and pariahs, with no future except as beggars. A couple of organizations, [Miracle Feet]( and [Cure]( repair clubfoot, and someone at Miracle Feet told me the other day that my readers have over the years contributed $1.6 million to it, resulting in 3,000 children being able to walk. As I sometimes say: I have the best readers! Thanks to all. By the way, if you're looking for a Mother's Day present, check out [MothersDayMovement.org]( — and maybe help save a life. It was started after a column [I wrote]( once about maternal mortality and since 2011 has channeled more than $600,000 to help moms and kids. ADVERTISEMENT What I’m Reading Richard Holbrooke was an extraordinary diplomat but also a complicated and often self-destructive figure. He was an old friend of mine, so I thoroughly enjoyed an outstanding new biography of him, [“Our Man,”]( by George Packer. It’s an excellent book, but my judgment of Holbrooke is more favorable. Yes, he betrayed friends and could be impossible to deal with. But he was right on Vietnam, right on Bosnia, right on AIDS, right on Tibet, right on Vietnamese refugees, right on Afghanistan, right on women’s rights. Sometimes, as with Vietnamese refugees and Bosnia, he made the impossible possible by sheer force of will, bulldozing everything in his way. You’re missed, Richard. You can connect with me on [Facebook](. If you have friends who might enjoy this newsletter, forward this email or tell them they can [sign up here](. Send feedback or tech questions to kristof-newsletter@nytimes.com. Recent Columns [Imprisoned for Trying to Save His Son]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF Mass incarceration was America’s biggest mistake over the last half-century. [The Bill-Melinda Gates Romance Started With a Rejection]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF She recounts her evolution to feminist in her new memoir. What I’m Reading in The Times [Why the Rich Don’t Get Audited]( By JESSE EISINGER AND PAUL KIEL The I.R.S. doesn’t have the resources it needs to chase offshore accounts and tax cheats. [When One of the World’s Most Visible Athletes Is Told She Can’t Be One]( By LINDSAY CROUSE I wish we heard more about women’s spectacular victories than their testosterone. ADVERTISEMENT NEED HELP? Review our newsletter [help page]( or contact us [for assistance](. FOLLOW NICHOLAS KRISTOF [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nickkristof]( [Instagram] [nickkristof]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Nicholas Kristof newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2019 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018