Imagine waking up on a Wednesday morning, ready to send your children to school. The routine is familiar—packing their lunch, helping them get dressed and waving them goodbye as they eagerly hop on the school bus. 

A few hours later, the phone rings. The voice on the other end delivers the news no parent should ever have to hear—your child is one of the many victims killed in a school shooting. In an instant, your entire world is shattered. 

The parents of Apalachee High School find themselves in this nightmare. Their children were sent to school in the morning with plans for after-school activities, homework and dinner. But instead of welcoming them home, they’re forced to cope with an unbearable truth—their children have been taken from them in a place that should have been safe.

The Apalachee school shooting was the 218th time a gun was shot at a school. Since 2021, America has had 250 or more mass shootings per year. In 2023, there were 349 mass shootings, which is nearly one a day. 

Colt Gray, 14, rode the school bus to AHS on Wednesday morning, and in just two hours, he killed 13 people and injured nine others. 

His father, Colin Gray, 54, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children. He bought the gun in December 2023 as a holiday gift for his son. 

Now, why would a 14-year-old need a gun, especially as a present? A gun has no place in the hands of someone so young, someone who is still developing mentally, emotionally and socially.

Time and time again, communities are shattered by the horrors of mass shootings in the United States. Families are left in disarray while the country remains silent and stubborn, trapped in its unwillingness to make significant changes. 

On March 5, Louisiana passed a new bill that states any person 18 years or older who may legally possess a firearm can carry a concealed handgun on his or her person in public without a license or permit. 

According to Every Town Research and Policy, states with stricter gun laws suffer the least amount of gun violence. For example, California is the leading state in terms of gun law strength. Per 100,000 residents, the gun violence rate is 8.6, far lower than the national average of 14.2 

Compare this to Arkansas, the state with the weakest gun laws in the country. Per 100,000 residents, the average gun violence rate is at a staggering 21.9.

According to YubaNet, over 70% of mass shootings in developed countries happen in the United States. From 1998 to 2019, the United States accounted for 73% of mass shootings. 

At some point, we have to enforce stricter gun laws to protect children and teachers and save lives. Many people will counteract by saying the “good guys” with guns will stop the “bad guys.” 

The Uvalde school shooting suggests otherwise. Police waited outside Robb Elementary School for over an hour as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 19 students and two teachers. 

How many more parents will endure the unimaginable heartbreak of sending their children to school, only never to see them return? How many more classrooms will be scarred by the sounds of gunfire, and how many more communities will be left picking up the pieces after another senseless act of violence? 

It’s time for America to face the reality: inaction is not a neutral stance—it’s a choice that costs lives. 

The time for thoughts and prayers has long passed. Now, we must act. Stricter gun laws are not about politics; they’re about protecting our future, our families and our society from an epidemic that has stolen far too many lives.