As I am writing this article, it has been less than 24 hours since another mass shooting was committed in America. When I saw posts and headlines about what happened in Sutherland Springs, Texas, I didn’t even want to look at them. I didn’t read any articles or updates until the next morning. The saddest part of reading those articles was that I wasn’t even surprised. You read that right...I was not surprised by this act of violence. Yes, I was saddened by the lost lives and felt for the family’s who lost loved ones, but my first thought was “again?” It seems like it has only been a month since the deadliest shooting in American history, the Las Vegas shooting, occurred: because it has. There were only 35 days between two of the five deadliest shootings in American history. Only a month. (source)

The ten deadliest mass shootings have all taken place within the last 51 years. They include:

• The Harvest Music Festival: 58 killed - October 1, 2017
• Pulse Night Club: 49 killed - June 12, 2016
• Virginia Tech: 32 killed - April 16, 2007
• Sandy Hook: 27 killed - December 14, 2012
• First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs: 26 killed - November 5, 2017
• Luby's Cafeteria: 23 killed - October 16, 1991
• McDonald's in San Ysidro: 21 killed - July 18, 1984
• University of Texas: 18 killed - August 1, 1966
• San Bernardino: 14 killed - December 2, 2015
• Edmond, Oklahoma: 14 killed - August 20, 1986

(source)

Since I have been alive, the past 21 years, around 703 people have been killed in mass shootings and approximately 1,073 people injured. Almost half of those injured were part of the Las Vegas shooting alone. One of these shootings took place in Citronelle, Alabama, a town close to where I grew up. The shooting happened a little over a year ago on August 20^th, 2016. Six people were killed, including an unborn baby (source).

In regard to the Sutherland Springs shooting, President Trump said:

"Mental health is your problem here," Trump said, noting that "based on preliminary reports" the shooter was "a very deranged individual… This isn't a guns situation," Trump said. "This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It's a very, very sad event." (source)

I searched several articles regarding the shooter’s past, and none of them mention any history of mental illness, only an assault charge from around 2010 (source). It seems that, in America, we only care about mental health when it fits our narrative. Every time there is a shooting, it’s written off as a “deranged individual” or “someone with a long history of mental health issues.” This mindset demonizes those who suffer from mental illness, painting them as “psycho killers,” as well as ignoring the issues surrounding gun control and gun violence. I don’t believe that mental health isn’t a concern when it comes to these incidences, but we must be careful with our rhetoric when discussing how the two are connected.

It's important that we also focus on proper gun safety and use education for gun owners. If you have to take a test to drive a car, why shouldn't you have to take a test to use a gun? Cracking down on illegal gun trafficking could also help reduce the number of uneducated gun owners. If we make it harder to acquire a gun, we can more easily control what kind of people are able to own guns and hopefully prevent dangerous or unstable individuals from harming more people. The NRA has several resources for finding information on gun safety and firearm training.

Our mindset around gun control has reached extreme levels of apathy. How many men, women, and children have to die until we do something about it? How many mass shooters with military grade weapons do there need to be before we make a change? Because obviously, we are doing something wrong. I don’t believe in taking away our second amendment rights, but there should be more limitations. Civilians should not need more than handguns and hunting rifles. Any man or woman walking down the street should not have access to assault rifles. “Assault” is even in the name!

Stop “sending your thoughts and prayers.” Stop “thinking about the families affected.” Because thoughts and prayers wont stop the next shooting. Thoughts and prayers won’t bring justice to those who lost their lives. But action will. We must take action now, we must require our legislature and our nation's leaders to put bipartisan legislation into effect. The next victims of a mass shooting could be your parents, siblings, friends, family, loved ones.