This weekend, in the West Side of Chicago there were many shootings. Supposedly these were gang-related. These tragic gunfires resulted in the death of four people, leaving others wounded. A woman was shot and left in a trash can, and a nine-year-old boy was also shot. The young boy was in a car and was accidentally struck by a bullet during the crossfire. Guns are too easily put in the wrong hands, and everyday lives are unnecessarily lost to gun violence.

Also this week, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn made insensitive and crude remarks regarding guns. At the Special Operations Forces Industry conference, Mayor Buckhorn joked about how journalists “cri[ed] like little girls” when he shot a .50-caliber machine gun during a Florida military show last year. Public figures’, such as Mayor Buckhorns, sexist and aloof comments regarding gun usage is not okay. These small acts, such as Buckhorns’ casual jokes about guns, normalize gun usage and can lead to subsequent violence.

Groups, such as Moms Demand Action, have been fearlessly fighting against the NRA’s agenda. On May 13, MDA tweeted that, “The South Carolina legislative session is over and, despite the gun lobby’s bests efforts, no dangerous gun bills passed!” Organizations such as MDA are crucial to fight against well-funded gun lobby groups’ legislative authority.

One of the videos we were required to watch for class resonated with my topic of gun violence. The video is called, “This teacher remembers her Muslim students who were murdered in a shooting.” This Upworthy video thoughtfully remembers the lives of three Muslim students who were murdered in North Carolina, and in this video we hear from one of the gun victims herself. In an interview with StoryCorps recorded before she was murdered, Yusor recounts how blessed she feels to grow up in America. Stories such as Yusors, remind us to take legislative action and to act to end gun violence in the U.S.