An elementary school in Texas, a 4th of July parade in Illinois and a grocery store in New York. These locations, seemingly random, all have one painful tie. These communities have all experienced a mass shooting in 2022. People continue to die as more places are continually traumatized by these events.

On Nov. 15, there was a shooting at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. Students there had taken a trip to Washington, D.C. to watch a play and eat traditional Ethiopian food. However, the trip ended with the deaths of UVA football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry, along with injuries to two more students.

In the aftermath of the UVA shooting, students said that the campus and atmosphere have changed. “Since the shooting, everything has seemed to slow down. UVA no longer has that hustle and bustle attitude that I experienced during the first few months of the school year. Everyone is still grieving and flowers still litter many parts of the grounds . . . [the grounds] are very quiet, even weeks after the shooting,” UVA freshman and class of 2022 graduate Miles Wiley said.

The shooting at the UVA and so many other places is preventable. The number of these incidents, which leave families broken and communities scarred, could be lowered by federal gun control legislation that limits access and tightens background checks. “The harm posed when people who should not have guns can easily avoid a background check is particularly evident in mass shootings, where one in three incidents involved shooters that were legally prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the shooting . . . [they] may have been prevented with a stronger, more comprehensive background check system,” according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

While there is no easy way to deal with a mass shooting, students praised UVA’s handling of the situation and the care that the administration displayed for the mental health of students. “I am really grateful for how our university admin dealt with the shooting and its aftermath. I live within a five-minute walk of the shooting, and we were constantly updated via email. Classes were canceled for a few days following the shooting and tests and graded work were postponed until after the Thanksgiving break. This was really helpful as it allowed students to take a needed break after such a scary experience,” UVA sophomore and class of 2021 graduate Owen Matus said.

The perpetrator of the UVA shooting was Christopher Jones Jr, a senior and former member of UVA’s football team. He attempted to buy guns twice before successfully purchasing two in July. He failed at first for being underage and then for not passing a background check due to a criminal record. However, his felony charge of fleeing the scene of an accident was reduced to a misdemeanor. Jones was able to buy guns legally after that point. This is a crucial reason why background checks must be stricter. If someone fails a background check, they should not be able to pass it again a few months later because of a reduced sentence. While Virginia recently passed historic gun law reform, there is still a way to go. There is no required waiting period, only machine guns are required to be registered and assault weapons are not prohibited.

It takes time and strength for a community to recover from a tragedy such as a shooting, but UVA students believe that the collective student and staff population will be able to come back from this devastation. “At first, there was a really heavy feeling on grounds. I remember going on grounds in the days following the shooting and it was really quiet and somber. But at the same time, there was a really strong feeling of unity and community. Everyone came together to mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of Devin, D’Sean, and Lavel,” Matus said.