We are 247 days into 2025, and there have now been 348 reported mass shootings in the United States. It is agonizing that more shootings have transpired than days in the year, yet this number is one rarely in the headlines. Last week the Minneapolis community faced a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, resulting in two lives lost and over 18 injured. 

Despite these alarming statistics, a comparable course of action occurs following each event. Policymakers consistently issue statements calling for “thoughts and prayers” for families engulfed in their grief and go on to pinpoint mental illness as the motive for a shooting. Occasionally, GoFundMes subsequently circulate to support those affected. While these endeavors are benevolent, donations and invocations cannot compensate for mourning a loved one. 

Twenty-six years following the Columbine mass shooting in 1999 — one of the most infamous mass school shootings — there are still few advances in gun control legislation. Instead, with more mass shootings, including Sandy Hook in 2012 or Uvalde in 2022, gun violence continues to fuel a repeating cycle of unforgivable atrocities.

In American society, gun violence is becoming desensitized. Hopelessness continues to linger among gun control advocates as the debate behind the right to bear arms is consistently facing public exposure with little social change sparked. 

Gun violence is stressed as a political issue, frequently highlighted in election campaigns as a topic for voter acknowledgement. The urgency of addressing this issue differs based on political affiliation. The Pew Research Center found that 69% of Democrats view gun violence as a priority, while only 26% of Republicans feel gun control holds a similar scope of priority. 

Political polarization has utilized the meaning of the Second Amendment as a strategy for voter mobilization, thus alleviating the issue away from being a collective societal responsibility to save lives. Until we acknowledge that gun violence is sparking a continuous state of social emergency rather than a mere political discussion point, real progress remains stagnant.  

Redefining gun violence as a social issue requires understanding its public stake and socioeconomic relevance. A public health study recently found that youth who reside in economically disadvantaged or racially marginalized areas are more susceptible to gun violence threats. Furthermore, Black Americans are more impacted by gun threats, signifying the racial injustice significance of this issue.

Additionally, there is a strong correlation between firearm homicide and urban poverty, which occurs from historical cycles that incorporate racism and segregation. With socioeconomic, systemic factors dictating who is exceedingly at risk of gun violence, there is no debate that gun control remains a social issue. 

There remains significant justification for acts of gun violence, which deters further collective mobilization. Los Angeles has previously seen how gun violence has been downplayed by justifying acts due to existing crime rates. 

Early in June last year, two brothers named Sergio Rios Jr. and Ricardo Rios passed away from a shooting in the Exposition Park neighborhood. Their cousin, Ivan Robles, had to clarify that this instance was not a “gang-related shooting” — despite public assumption that this was the case — but was rather due to the problem of guns in the U.S. 

Mental health is also a common misconception as a rationale for school shootings. I remember when the Allen Outlet Mall shooting occurred in North Texas — just three miles from my home — which detrimentally impacted my community. 

In the immediate aftermath, a statement issued by Gov. Greg Abbott directed the blame onto mental illness, despite repeated research proving that gun violence does not derive from mental illnesses. Similar statements are now justifying such atrocities and directing our society from acknowledging a grave reality: The American gun problem is only worsening.

Frankly, I am repulsed by viewing “thoughts and prayers” headlines on my television, knowing that these words hold an empty weight. How many more innocent Americans must be harmed before evoking a realization of the crisis we are facing? Gun laws are deprioritized in comparison to economic considerations despite the innocent lives impacted.

Thoughts and prayers are not an acceptable course of action. We must mobilize and start prioritizing gun control on our ballots. Movements such as March For Our Lives or Everytown for Gun Safety reiterate fighting for gun control legislation and provide opportunities for student involvement. 

I urge every student to advocate and educate themselves on the existing systemic barriers that are allowing for gun violence. As young members of our society, we hold the most power and sway towards the structure of society. We cannot continue treating gun control as a political matter unaffected by mobilization.