I remember reading articles about the violent murder of up-and-coming artist Christina Grimmie just hours after her death and hearing about the shooting at Pulse Nightclub just two days later. I checked my Facebook and it was flooded with news articles, statuses, and pictures in remembrance of those who lost their lives to both tragic acts of gun violence. I checked my Twitter and saw the hashtag “#PrayforOrlando” trending in at number one and “#ChristinaGrimmie” following a close second. I took a look at my Instagram and saw that people posted pictures of Grimmie and wrote about how she will always be one of their favorite artists. I remember seeing pictures of rainbow flags representing the LGBTQ+ community with long descriptions written by users who were angered and disgusted by the gunman’s act of hatred. These were they type of posts I saw on social media for days, maybe even a week’s length. I’m not positive how long these posts lasted for, but I am positive that a week after the shooting, I heard nothing about it. There was nothing to be seen and nothing to be heard about the deadliest mass shooting in modern day history. Not even a single news report following up on the families who lost loved ones could be seen on TV. That, to me, is shameful. Shame on the large percentage of Americans for neglecting to take action against the increasing state of gun violence in our country. More importantly, shame on the politicians who hold a place of power and have done nothing but offer their thoughts and prayers. Just shameful.

We hear about gun violence time and time again and to me, it seems like a continuous cycle of reaction and silence. At first, we are outraged and cannot wrap our minds around how a gunman could be so heartless and destroy the lives of innocent civilians. Then, after a while, we decide that we have nothing more to say on the subject and continue to live our everyday lives. Maybe it’s because Americans are so used to hearing about shootings through the media that we have grown calloused hearts. Perhaps it’s just the fact that these shootings have become old news and have been replaced by more current situations. Either way, we are feeding into a dangerous cycle of human destruction and it’s about time that we put an end to it.

When will there finally be an act of gun violence so horrific and so vile that Americans will put their foot down and put an end to the madness? When will we decide that enough is enough and demand change for a more peaceful future? Men and women of all races and sexual orientations deserve to live in a world where they can enter a gay club on a Sunday night without any fear of being killed. Singers deserve to live in a world where they can attend a meet-and-greet with their fans without wondering if they will be able to perform at their next show. People deserve to attend a movie with their friends and families without wondering if a gunman will force them to surrender their lives. Parents deserve to be able to send their children to school without worrying if they will make it home alive. We all deserve better. America deserves better.

We can all continue to offer our thoughts and prayers and wait around for the next shooting to occur, or we can make at least some type of small effort to create a safer world to live in. Sometimes even the small action can help make a difference. Educate yourself on where your representative stands on gun control and take it into consideration for the next election. Compose a tweet to your congressperson on what you believe needs to be changed. Demand action from your senator by

writing a letter on your thoughts/ideas on ways to end gun violence. Make an effort to do something that will help prevent anything from ever happening to you and do something to prevent anything from happening to anybody else.

It's about time we all try to create a peaceful future.