Dec. 14, 2024, marked the 12th anniversary of the Sandy Hook School Massacre where 20 students and six adults lost their lives. This year, Dec. 16 marked the 323rd school shooting in 2024. School shootings are so common that unless they are considered mass shootings, where four or more are injured or killed, they no longer warrant mention on the national news.

Our country has become apathetic to gun violence. Our president and vice president elect have told Americans to “get over it,” and school violence is “just a way of life.”

These shootings are not just numbers, they are a loss of human lives.

Many of the shootings have been caused by AR15 style rifles. In a CNN op-ed (June 4, 2022), former WMPD officer Michael Fanone described what happens when a bullet is fired from such a weapon.

According to Officer Fanone, the bullet can travel more than 300 yards, penetrate normal police body armor, and go through a human body, the wall behind it and potentially through the next room as well.

If that description doesn’t scare you, it should.

According to the Brady Foundation, 63% of Americans want a ban on assault rifles and most gun owners support responsible gun legislation, including universal background checks and red flag laws.

Federal and state legislatures have it within their power to write gun legislation that would not violate either the United States or state constitutions and make it more difficult for those who should not have access to guns to get them. Legislators have the power, now it is time to act on it before more lives are lost.

Helen Mirenda

Altoona