The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown shocked the nation, and for months the faces of those who lost their lives and the stories of their families broke our hearts. Since that fateful day, at least 74 school shootings have occurred in the United States. Most of them don’t make headlines because there weren’t mass causalities, but that doesn’t mean the community wasn’t traumatized.

Gun violence does not discriminate; it does not care how long someone has lived, or how many people will mourn once they are gone. Gun violence does not care about the good things a person has done, or the good they could have done if their time wasn’t cut short.

I’ve been told that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action over and over, while expecting a different result. Time and time again we put lives at risk, expecting things to change by themselves. Americans are finally starting to realize that hoping things will change will not lead to a change. Everytown for Gun Safety is a movement that has begun to make our communities safer and rid them of gun violence. Even Americans who own guns agree that more needs to be done to keep our families safe. Moms, mayors, survivors and those who just want the violence to end are finally speaking up and refusing to let this continue. The hash-tag #NotOneMore has exploded on twitter, where people across the country are sharing their experiences, thoughts and ideas in regards to gun violence. According to Everytown’s website, "Americans are 20 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in other developed countries". Personally, I’m proud to be an American, but that is not a statistic our country should be known for.

Now some of you probably think this article is about restricting American’s right to bear arms; but it’s not. An argument I hear a lot is, “guns don’t kill people; people kill people”. My question to you all is that if you believe this is true, would these murderers be able to do the damage they have done without a gun in their hand? And if you disagree with that statement, ask yourselves, if people are killing people, how we stop it. Guns are sold to people without proper background checks, to parents that can’t properly secure them, and to whoever else wants one on the black market. So, how do we turn our world around so that when the news comes on, there isn’t a report of another tragedy?

We can start with higher security. Do I think we need an officer stationed at every door? No. But I do believe that the education system and the government is making it too easy for armed kids to walk through the doors of a school undetected. If our country can increase security at airports after an attack, we should be able to protect students across the country. Something as simple as a bag search or pat down could save someone’s life, and these procedures are something we agree to just to enter a concert. Those who purchase firearms should also have to buy a lockbox or some sort of security system. Whether or not they choose to use it is up to them, but at least they have the tools to do so. Everytown also informs us that, "over 2 million American kids live in homes with unsecured guns", another shocking statistic. Another way to help prevent acts of violence is to address mental illness by recognizing the symptoms and actively helping those who might head down this path. Not only are these kids killing others, they’re also killing themselves. To this day we can’t understand where some of this anger stems from, and even when there is a “cause,” the justification doesn’t seem to make much sense.  

How long are you willing to wait until this happens on your campus?

Not one more day.