The recent school shooting in Florida is something that has left a lot of parents with questions about how to introduce tough topics to kids. The National Council on Family Relations has a great website with resources to help talk to your kids about difficult events, including shootings, mass violence and terrorism. In particular, I want to bring two links to your attention:
* How to Talk to Children About Tragedies: This is a collection of web-based resources from a variety of sources, ranging from Sesame Street to research universities.
* Coping in the Wake of Shootings, Mass Violence, and Terrorism: Similar to the above link, this is a collection of resources, many of which come from the law enforcement community.
Something that's important to remember is that kids process news, and news about tragic events, differently at different developmental levels. The links above have plenty of resources for kids from preschool age through the teen years.