Gwen Ifill sits down with Washington Week regulars to look at how Washington reacted to this crisis and others in the past. Peter Baker of the New York Times, Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair and Alexis Simendinger of RealClearPolitics discuss what may be different this time, for this President and this Congress.

Over the last few years, dozens of states have significantly rolled back gun restrictions. Need to Know’s John Larson traveled to Virginia to see what’s known as the “open carry” movement first-hand and to investigate how the gun rights movement had become so effective in easing gun control laws. And, John Larson talks with Larry Pratt, the head of Gun Owners of America about Newtown.

While there is some evidence linking violence in general to risk factors such as age, sex, substance abuse, and personality traits such as anger and impulsiveness, over many years, researchers have established that only a very small subset of people suffering from mental illness are likely to commit violent acts. NOVA investigates what we know and what we don’t about the neuroscience of violence.

Gwen Ifill talks with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about preventing more school shootings, the debate over arming teachers, how to counsel children in the wake of tragedy, and what the administration’s plans will be moving forward.

From the first European settlements in the New World to frontier justice and from the Civil War to civil rights, guns have been at center of our national narrative. “After Newtown: Guns In America” traces the evolution of guns in the U.S., their frequent link to violence and the clash of cultures that reflect competing visions of our national identity.

Need to Know’s Jeff Greenfield notes that politicizing tragic events may actually be a good thing.

Larry Pratt, the head of Gun Owners of America wrote in USA Today that gun control advocates have “blood on the[eir] hands” for the Connecticut school massacre. Pratt believes that the solution is not fewer guns but more. John Larson sat down with him this week in Virginia.

What we say and how we say it: talking to children and finding a path to healing after the Newtown shooting tragedy.

An in-depth analysis on public policy and mental illness in young adults: what’s being done and what’s not.

Can schools be protected? Should they have armed guards? National experts discuss school security and teacher training in the wake of the Newtown tragedy.

Part 1: Gwen Ifill anchors After Newtown, featuring contributions from PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, Washington Week, NOVA and Need to Know. The show addresses such issues as access to guns and the politics of gun laws; mental illness in young adults; the science of detecting violent impulses; and how communities react to unspeakable tragedy. Part 2: PBS continues its coverage with a live broadcast.

NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan reports on the insights Newtown offers into the strengths and weaknesses of old media and new media alike.

Expanding on the discussions brought forth from the PBS special After Newtown, What Next After Newtown takes a deeper look into teen mental health and the mind of a troubled shooter.

An in-depth look at the nation’s gun policies and the accessibility of weapons. Why gun owners say gun control is not an answer and a conversation with political leaders who say the Newtown shooting may be a tipping point in the argument over the Second Amendment.

From Columbine to Virginia Tech to Sandy Hook, school shootings seem to follow an eerily similar pattern. Kip Kinkel did not kill himself and was not killed by the police. Frontline brings us his confession. It is a rare record of what one school shooter claims was his motivation — in his own words. This excerpt is disturbing and may not be appropriate for younger viewers.

Is there a consensus about violent media and violent behavior? How should parents respond to what their children see? An in-depth analysis on the culture of violence in the media.

PBS Continues its coverage of the Newtown shootings with hosts Jeff Greenfield, Maria Hinojosa, Susie Gharib and Scott Simon. Looking for long-term solutions, the show provides an in-depth analysis of such issues as accessibility of weapons, violence in the media, talking to children and finding a path to healing, school security, public policy and mental illness, the mind of troubled shooters.

After Newtown, anchored by Gwen Ifill, addresses such issues as access to guns and the politics of gun laws; mental illness in young adults; the science of detecting violent impulses; and how communities react to unspeakable tragedy. The program features contributions from PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, Washington Week, Need to Know, and NOVA.

Psychologists, working with law enforcement officers, have devised tools to prevent violent attacks. “The Path to Violence,” details a powerfully effective Secret Service program — the Safe School Initiative — that’s helped schools detect problem behavior.