Residents of this small town were gathered at the intersection of Central Avenue and Second Street, hoping to engage in a community-bonding experience with their families when 70 shots of a weapon of war rang out from above them. The community is now scarred for life.

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In the early hours of the afternoon on the Fourth of July in Highland Park, Illinois, as people were celebrating America’s Independence, the 309th mass shooting of 2022 in the U.S. commenced. The shooter is 21-year-old Robert Crime III, who used a legally-purchased, high-powered rifle, after shooting from a  rooftop to the spectators. The crowd immediately panicked and ran for their lives, some visibly injured. The suspect remained loose for several hours while the police were attempting to track him down. He is now facing 7 charges of murder, with more from traumatized community members heading his way. 

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"How do you tell a 5-year-old someone’s trying to shoot and kill you right now?" said Natalia Lorentz, who was present with her children during the shooting. She, like many others, is distressed with the inaction of the government after many similar events have already taken place in this county. 

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America’s gun homicide rates are more than double the average of all the countries in the world, due to the right to bear arms being in the second Amendment of the Constitution itself. Because of these laws, however, 7 more lives were added to the staggering list of 22,000 taken just since the beginning of this year. It has now become one of the leading causes of death here for children under 18. The gun debate has become increasingly important, with stricter gun laws being a controversial topic. An obvious way to make mass shootings less common seems to be to prevent gun ownership in the first place, although data shows that factors such as the community’s crime rate and population can affect chances as well. This, along with constitutional values have divided the citizens of this country on their views, resulting in the inaction that we are seeing today. 

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But we have to start doing something in order to protect the lives of those around us. Each of us will have to start taking responsibility, whether it's signing a petition or joining a protest, because today, gun violence does not seem to have a foreseeable end in this country. Next time, it could be your friend’s community, or your cousin’s community. Next time, it could even be yours.