Mass shootings have recently become the center of attention and fear in the United States. While these widespread tragedies are seen far too often, there is still another half to the gun problem in America that is receiving much less of our concern and needs to be addressed if we wish to end this war against ourselves.

According to a report published by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2015 and 2016, 27,394 people were killed by someone with a gun in the United States, and 44,955 used a gun to kill themselves. Whether these deaths arise from a lack of gun control, minimal attention to mental health, or both, this worsening epidemic requires both our focus and our help.

An article published this past November by CNN discussed the recent increase in gun deaths after years of decline, telling us that “The US has the world’s highest rate of gun ownership by civilians, and the highest rate of gun-related deaths among industrialized countries.” Here, we see a direct correlation between loose restrictions on guns and an increase in gun-related fatalities. All the numbers are there, and yet we continue to argue and debate over gun control, with no real moves being made to fix this worsening problem.

There is always a shock factor to seeing headlines covering a mass shooting, but they occur so frequently now that we are becoming numb to even that. And still there are thousands and thousands of deaths to guns every year that the general public isn’t even aware of. After sharing the CNN article with my mom, she was shocked by the statistics, making the point that, “Whenever there’s a mass shooting, which happens way too often anyway, it gets a lot of attention. But the reality is, people are getting shot, just one person at a time, on a daily basis. These numbers add up, and we need to pay more attention to it.” But how can we fix a problem that is hardly acknowledged by the media or the government? This leaves it all up to us to raise awareness and end our spiral down this dangerous and costly path.