It’s been a tough week for Georgians across the State. My heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and teachers affected by the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia last week. The entire community is in my thoughts as we navigate this devastating event. I express my deepest condolences to the families who are now grieving their loved ones, and I stand with the Apalachee community during their time of need.

Inaction has been and always will be an unacceptable response to the loss of life, and now is the time for our lawmakers to step up. We need our elected officials to take immediate action, to listen to our communities, and to keep our families and our schools safe. Gun violence is not an accepted part of everyday life; it is preventable, and we must act now.

According to Everytown, firearms are the leading cause of death for children, teens and young adults (ages 1 to 25) in the U.S. Our children and our teachers have the right to feel safe at school, and to have an educational career that is not overshadowed by anxiety and fear. Legislative action is the only way to create a safe environment in which young minds can learn and thrive; but, if we don’t fight for change, we are failing an entire generation. Common-sense gun reform is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans and, like many Georgians, I am here to say that enough is enough. There are not enough security guards in the world to prevent the 400 million guns in this country from getting into our schools. We have over 100,000 schools and just one assault rifle in one set of hands in one school is enough to cause incalculable loss, to tip the scales in favor of legislating common sense gun reform instead of spending money on more metal detectors and off-duty police officers. It seems that some are forgetting that we are the only country where this regularly happens.

No family should ever go through the horrific pain of losing a loved one to gun violence, especially when that pain could be prevented by our lawmakers. I firmly believe that there are countless ways we can enshrine common sense gun safety into law without infringing upon Second Amendment rights. I send my love and support to the Apalachee community, and I desperately hope that politicians in the State of Georgia respond with action, not just thoughts and prayers.

Maura Keller, candidate for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, has been verified by Moms Demand Action as a Gun Sense Candidate.

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To get in touch with the campaign to Help Elect Maura Keller, please reach out to alex@maurakeller.com