Steve Cortes is a CNN political commentator and served as a Trump 2016 campaign aide and head of Trump's Hispanic Advisory Council. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) The day after the horrific massacre in Parkland, Florida, as I entered my high-rise office, it dawned on me that the building's lobby has six guards, several armed, and that I have to swipe my key card at three checkpoints to reach my office. Later that day, I visited my bank and quickly noticed two armed guards, plus additional security cameras.

Visit a jewelry store, a casino, even regular shopping malls and you'll find armed security everywhere. Why? Because evil walks our streets, even if we would rather live in blissful denial.

But as seriously as we guard businesspeople at offices, gaming chips at casinos and gems at jewelers, we have neglected to protect the most valued treasure -- our children. As recent shootings have shown, refusing to enhance school security represents an inexcusable failure. And while this may be a costly investment, we cannot put a price tag on our children's lives.

Gun debates always elicit heated responses, especially when the pain of many in Florida is so raw. But high-powered weapons have been around for decades, and yet mass shootings -- one right after the other -- have not. So what's really driving these acts of violence?

The forces that increasingly convince young men -- and there's no denying it's almost always young men -- to resort to acts of evil are incredibly complex. I suspect that some of the factors include abandonment issues, violent entertainment, graphic social media and the overuse of psychiatric medications. Whatever the causes, though, we must seek to heal our society and promote a culture that values human life above all else.