Millennials are known for many things. We’re either applauded or criticized -- there is no in-between -- for our adaptation to technology and our trend of lackadaisical business-wear has not gone unnoticed. Despite the microscope on the Millennial stereotype, few seem to notice the role that mass shootings have played in who we are as a generation. We are not living in the same world that existed 30, 40, and 50 years ago. Crime has always existed, and will continue to do so, despite our best efforts to deter it. But crime, more specifically the presence of mass shootings, has never been as prominent as it has been in the past 20 years -- the lifetime of Millennials.

In 1999, two armed students opened fire on Columbine High School, killing 13 people, 12 of whom were students. In 2007, Virginia Tech fell victim to the deadliest school massacre to date, when a student opened fire on the campus and killed 32 people. In 2012, a gunman attacked the audience in a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in a Colorado movie theater, killing 12 and injuring 70 others. Later that year, another gunman opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary school, killing 26, 20 of whom were children.

Needless to say, these events are not few and far between.

Between 1966 and 2012, there were 90 mass shootings in the United States. 90. These statistics, while gut-wrenching, failed to appall me. I should have fallen over backwards at the thought of nearly a hundred mass shootings taking place on my beloved American turf, a place that prides itself in fostering a community of peace and liberty. Instead of feeling shock, I felt more a sense of uneasy calmness. This sense of numbness is a result of the society that we Millennials have grown up in. How many times can we be shocked by a mass shooting? How many times can we be surprised when a headline rambles off tallies of the injured and the dead? Growing up in a society where preventable tragedy is so common makes instances like these less of an event and more of an inevitable aspect of life.

In my lifetime, I have had my fair share of tragic headlines. From the Aurora shooting to the Boston Marathon bombing, the Virginia Tech massacre to the Amish schoolhouse murders, September 11th to the most recent on-air murder of a reporter and a photographer, tragedy is not unusual. Of course, no one is immune to heartache. No one is free of anguish. But for the select generation who has experienced the extreme frequency of calamity, the Millennials, the increasing and deadly statistics do not cause us pain so much as they contribute to who we are.

Not only have we never known a world in which mass shootings are not a regular occurrence, but we are still in a very transitional and easily influenced phase of life. We have been, and still are, learning, growing, and finding our true selves. Many of the Millennials are just now entering the beginning phases of stable adulthood. Some of us are still in the grey area of unofficial adulthood, immature maturity, where we are on the brink of independence yet still learning who we are. In such an impressionable and vulnerable state, we can’t help but let these tragedies and their regularity contribute to the people we become.

Perhaps this upbringing can explain some of our generation’s feelings toward gun control. We have never experienced an age in which guns have been used responsibly, so some of us seek some sort of change because we know no different. Some call it liberal, others call it unrealistic, but something that older generations need to understand is our perspective on the situation. Being raised in a world where you can’t guarantee your safety in a movie theater is unnerving, yet ingrained into our society, possibly leading Millennials to take a more active approach in terms of gun awareness and control. That’s not to say that all Millennials are in favor of gun control, because that’s certainly not the case. But for a generation that is notoriously liberal, we are the way we are because of our experiences and the world we grew up in.

“Everything happens for a reason.” While this mantra typically holds true, it’s hard to argue any sort of “reason” for tragedies as agonizing as mass shootings. The only scrap of rationale I can muster is that, in the wake of a tragedy, our nation shares a bond closer than ever before. While some of the Millennial generation may respond differently to this torment than older generations, we are all still one unit to join together in a time of grief. We are still human beings, suffering through a time of tremendous heartache, in need of one another as much as we need to be there for each other. While Millennials may be more numb to the pain than others, we can channel that numbness and bring about change. Whether through legislation, education, or just general awareness, we can build a world where future generations don’t find tragedy to be as regular as it has been for us. Millennials are known for many things for which we’re either applauded or just criticized. But maybe we can be known for something greater than social media or wardrobe changes. Maybe we can be the generation to make a change in the world, and bring an end to the trend of mass shootings and violence that have made us who we are today.