Guns are now the leading cause of death for young people in our country, and that is a reality we cannot accept. Our children, our families, and our communities deserve to feel safe in their schools, neighborhoods, and places of worship. Young people are counting on us to show the courage and leadership necessary to confront this crisis. Mass shootings and everyday gun violence should never be treated as an unavoidable part of American life—we have a responsibility to act.

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We can respect responsible gun ownership while also taking meaningful steps to protect public safety. That means ensuring that firearms are only in the hands of individuals who demonstrate that they can own and use them responsibly. Universal background checks must become the national standard so that every gun purchase includes a thorough review of eligibility. We should also require safety training and licensing so that gun ownership comes with the same level of responsibility and accountability that we expect in other areas of public safety.

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At the same time, we must take commonsense steps to reduce the risk of mass violence and prevent tragedies before they occur. That includes restricting high-capacity magazines and automatic weapons to law enforcement and the military, and passing a new federal assault weapons ban. We must also establish federal safe-storage laws to ensure that firearms are properly secured, especially from children. Finally, we should support efforts like Wisconsin’s proposal for extreme risk protection “red flag” laws, which allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who have been determined to pose a serious risk to themselves or others. These steps will not solve everything overnight, but they can save lives and help build safer communities for everyone.