“If you aren’t outraged, you’re not paying attention.” In the United States, students have become desensitized to lockdowns. In the United States, students have become desensitized lockdowns. Elementary, middle, high school and even preschool students know what to do if someone comes into their school with an AK-47.

Lockdowns shouldn’t be something students should have to prepare for. Students should be able to go to school without the need to be conscious of the best hiding place or the fastest way to exit a room or building. They deserve to feel safe in school.

“Thoughts and prayers,” is the typical yet inadequate response that follows all mass shootings. Americans have become desensitized to the loss of life due to gun violence. Pew Research Center reports that 98% of public K-12 schools have conducted a lockdown drill.

Students have to take time out of their school day to practice hiding, and it has been normalized.

Shootings are the leading cause of death for American teens and children, according to the Centers For Disease Control.

Despite this unavoidable issue in the education system, some Americans have set their sights on punishing drag queens who are reading books to children. They are often the same people pushing book banning in schools and public libraries.

That is how they claim to be protecting children, yet lax gun laws allowed 19 children and two teachers to be gunned down and killed in Uvalde, Texas. Where is their outrage on that? Outside of thoughts and prayers, what are their solutions?

Caring about student safety means people and their legislators must decide what they care about more: their guns, money or children’s lives.

Gun laws must become stricter, meaning stronger background checks, closing all loopholes and stopping the sale of automatic weapons. School shootings and lockdowns aren’t normal, and it’s time to stop acting like they are.