It is time to stop viewing gun violence in schools as an issue regarding what side of the political spectrum you’re on. It goes far beyond whether you identify yourself with the symbol of a donkey or an elephant. When a school shooting happens, we debate the Right to Bear Arms when what we really should be talking about is how this is emotionally affecting students, teachers, and the upcoming generation. Students protest but they are not heard. In the beginning of April, students in Nashville rallied for stricter gun laws, they were rewarded increased law enforcement and mental health support at all Tennessee public schools. We are trying to repair the damage that has already been done, but we’re not doing anything to prevent the event from happening in the first place. We try to distract ourselves with issues like banning books, but books don’t kill people, guns do. Gun violence is a public health and safety crisis. If we don’t stop viewing this as a Republican/Democrat issue, we will be creating a world that becomes more unsafe every single day for our children and our children’s children.