Shootings and inaction: the continuing trend OPINION

Nashville, Tennessee, suffers school shooting, leaving six dead

Nashville, Tennessee, is mourning the loss of three school children — all just nine years old — and three adult staff members of the Covenant School, after their lives were taken during a shooting on the school’s campus. The shooter, identified as 28-year-old Audrey “Aiden” Hale, was a former student with no criminal records. Hale committed the shooting with three legally purchased firearms, according to ABC News. Police action during the confrontation was swift and concise, ending the shooter’s rampage just three minutes after they arrived on the scene, per CNN. This stands in stark contrast to the police conduct surrounding the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, just under a year ago.

Tennessee, a Republican stronghold known for having loose gun laws, is a prime example of how the only solution for America’s gun violence epidemic is preventive action that ensures firearms do not fall into violent hands. Tennessee lawmakers even worked to further loosen gun laws in the weeks before the shoot- ing at The Covenant School. The police response was swift; there were good guys with guns on the scene, yet six people still lost their lives in a trend that claims thousands of Americans each year.

Children and teens are dying en masse in America, and little action is being taken to solve the root cause. According to Everytown Research, firearms are now