It seems that around twice a year we can expect to turn on our TVs to see that another major mass shooting has occurred. In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in American history, we can see that this experience is nothing new. Acts of gun violence have become commonplace in our society and we have collectively accepted that.

In recent years the images of victims such as elementary school children who died in the Newtown shooting or videos of attacks from a victim’s perspective like those from Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas have become seared into our memories. The digital age provides new insight to these massacres, which makes them all the more harrowing. But after a certain point we begin to become desensitized to the countless images of tragedy flashed across our TV screens.

As a nation we grieve these losses on a large scale, funerals are held and politicians issue their public condolences. We all seem to experience the same visceral gut feeling of disgust when we hear about these large-scale bloodbaths, but eventually we move on with our lives and the process repeats itself. But the events that we have become immune to are the horrific acts of gun violence that occur every single day.

According to the New York Times, on average one mass shooting (where four or more people are killed) occurs a day. While these events in themselves are catastrophic, the lack of outrage about the state of our country is even more upsetting. The issue is perpetuated when attention is not brought to these shootings that aren’t always plastered across the national news.

These attacks have created divisions within our countries that run deep. During a time where healing is needed most, speculation arises and blame is cast. Mental illness, race, religion, and nationality serve as scapegoats for the problems that continue to persist. We have seen these attacks time and time again, but we have yet to see is any change.

We saw after 9/11 an immediate reform of international security, but what I do not understand is that when these threats to American safety are domestic, the need for reform is not treated with the same gravity. Of course, there is no cure-all solution to an issue as encompassing as this one, but change can begin with legislation that places tighter restrictions on the purchasing of firearms, requiring universal background checks, and drawing more attention to this pressing issue.