Another mass shooting. As my friends and I were huddled around the police scanner, listening to the buildings where some of lived, had classes, ate lunches, be announced with gun shots behind them, my friend said something I will always remember. “I’m numb. I can’t even feel sad anymore. I’m just so angry.”

The events that occurred at Michigan State on Monday February 13th, are not an exclusive event in our country. In fact this was the 71st mass shooting since the year started 43 days ago. My heart feels heavy, as does essentially everyone I know with ties to MSU. I can’t imagine the way this will effect the students involved and my heart goes out to them. It didn’t feel right this week to write an empowering lifestyle blog when there is so much wrong. Here is a list of non-profits against gun violence and facts about mass shootings in America. 

1. Each day 12 students die, and 32 students are injured from gun violence. 
2. The Sandy Hook Promise- https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/
3. Guns are the leading cause of death between kids and teens. 
4. Chicago CRED- https://www.chicagocred.org/
5. School shootings have returned to pre-covid levels. 
6. Everytown- https://www.everytown.org/
7. An estimated 4.6 millions children are currently living in a home where a gun is loaded and unlocked. 
8. Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence- https://www.bradyunited.org/
9. In 4 out of 5 mass shootings at least 1 other person knew of the plan but failed to report it. 
10. Guns Down America- https://www.gunsdownamerica.org/
11. 93% of school shootings are meticulously planned in advance. 
12. Violence Policy Center- https://wagv.org/
13. Children living in poverty, and in urban areas, are much more likely to die in gun violence. 
14. Moms Demand- https://momsdemandaction.org/
15. Black youth are 4x as likely to be killed than their white peers. 
16. Make Our Schools Safe- https://makeourschoolssafe.org/
17. There have been 4 mass shootings since Monday night at Michigan State. (Pittsburgh, PA, Sweetwater, TX, Buffalo NY, El Paso, TX) 
18. Safe Schools for Alex- https://www.safeschoolsforalex.org/
19. The US firearm homicide rate in 2020 was the highest recorded since 1994. 
20. Nonviolence Chicago- https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/