America’s deadly love affair with guns has hit an all-time high and continues to be an overlooked recipe for disaster. The United States has faced 128 mass shootings since the start of 2023 and there have been more mass shootings than days in this year alone.

The most recent shooting took place at the Covenant School, a Pre-K-6 private Christian school located in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27. The shooting reportedly began in a classroom while the perpetrator moved throughout the school, targeting innocent children. The details of the shooting are still emerging, but it has left three 9-year-olds and three adults killed.

Authorities identified the victims as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scrugg and William Kinney, as well as Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60 and Mike Hill, 61. according to CBS News.

Nashville resident Audrey Hale, 28, was identified as the shooter, who was armed with at least two assault-style weapons and a handgun. 

According to officials, “the shooter legally purchased seven firearms from five different gun local stores, and three of those seven weapons were used in the shooting.” Additionally, the shooter was “under doctor’s care for an emotional disorder,” according to police chief John Drake.

Law enforcement officials revealed that they obtained a manifesto containing a map, details of the shooting’s plan and other written materials related to the Covenant School shooting, all belonging to Hale. Drake reported police were reviewing the materials to gain a better understanding of the shooter’s motives and intentions.

“I would like the public, government officials and all others to understand how grievous the gun violence issue has become in the U.S. A country that was intended to represent freedom, liberty and justice is instead being represented by violence, division and hate,” said University senior Darby Gallagher. “Gun violence is a symptom of a deeper issue that has yet to be properly addressed. Each shooting is like a cut upon the body of our country. We do not look at what it is that is cutting us, instead, we focus on how to stop the bleeding of that one cut. Desmond Tutu once said, ‘There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.’”

Despite repeated calls for stricter gun control laws and increased mental health resources, mass shootings continue to occur at an alarming rate, with devastating consequences impacting communities across the country.

March for Our Lives is a student-led movement that was formed in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The movement’s main goal is to advocate for stricter gun control laws and to reduce gun violence in the United States. It has become a national movement that has focused on promoting policies such as universal background checks for gun purchases, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and implementing “red flag” laws that allow law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others. This organization has resulted in thousands of students, activists and community members reaching out to elected officials at the state capital in Nashville to demand action.