There have been 108 days in 2023, 108 days when children have been laughing with friends, having family dinners, reading, writing, and loving. Within these 108 days, there have been 110 shootings that have occurred on school campuses. There have been more school shootings than days in 2023 so far. One hundred and eight days when parents have been scared of their child not returning home. Within these 108 days, 75 children have been killed or fatally wounded since Jan. 1.

Recently, school shootings have increased greatly. Since 2018, there have been 33 active school shooting on school campuses. The most recent took place on March 27 in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. The shooter, a former student of the school,  is a transgender man who goes by the name of Aiden Hale. 

The shooter shot through class side doors to gain access to the building, then walked around the building and shot three staff members and three students. The victims include 9 year old, Evelyn Dieckhaus, who was described in her obituary as a light who radiated joy and warmth, 61-year-old Mike Hill, the custodian at the school and father of seven, 6-year-old Katherine Koonce, head of the school 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher, 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs who had a love for life, and 9-year-old William Kinney, who was an unflappable spirit.

There have been many conflicting feelings about this mass shooting, which sounds insane because what is there to be conflicted about? Three elementary school students died for simply going to school, and an entire elementary school will live with this trauma. What conflicting feelings are people having? 

Some anti-trans conservatives are correlating the shooting with the shooter’s identity. Representative Majorie Taylor Greene (R- Georgia) said in a Tweet, “How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking? Everyone can stop blaming guns now.” Unfortunately, this congresswoman did not do her research before Tweeting, because any simple Google search shows that out of the 2,861 mass shootings since 2018, only 3 of the shooters have identified as transgender, showing that this narrative she is pushing is outright wrong. It is saddening to see that the congresswomen did not take time to grieve or give condolences to the families who lost loved ones. She used this shooting to push the anti-trans narrative, while families are losing children.

Sensible Democrats are pushing to end gun violence. As seen on democrats.org, these individuals believe that it should not be easier to get a gun than a driver’s license. These persons recognized the fear of many Americans by saying, “In a country as great as ours, no child should be afraid to go to school or walk around their neighborhood. No spouse should be afraid to come home at night. No American should be afraid to go to work or their place of worship. And no human being should be afraid to go to a shopping mall or baseball field, nightclub or movie theater, concert or college campus.” It is uplifting to see that some of our government cares for the American people’s safety, mental health, and wellness. Many against gun regulation have this thought that gun regulation means that their guns will be taken away but Democrats put an end to this fear. In the article, “Preventing Gun Violence” posted on their website, they say that we can reduce gun violence while responsible gun users use their right to bear arms. It is as simple as strengthening background checks.

Guns have been a horrendous problem throughout the U.S.  in recent years. In 2020, 19,384 out of 24,576 murders involved a firearm. In the U.S., you can be 18 to legally obtain firearms, shotguns, and ammunition. 

The division in our country due to this issue is heartbreaking.  Many individuals are worried about getting their guns taken away, while other citizens just want to feel safe in their country. Our government should strengthen background checks before an individual purchase a gun. Citizens should do research before voting next, ensuring that they are voting for people who are pushing to end gun violence.