Feelings of exhaustion and a lack of shock echoed around Kansas City on Feb. 14 as the 50th mass shooting of 2024 took place at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.

  Over 80 people, including Liza Lopez-Galvan, died in the first 45 days of the year due to mass shootings in America.

  With KC reporting 182 homicides in 2023, most stemming from firearms, many students were not surprised to hear about the tragedy on Wednesday.

  Ethan Ford, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, had family at the rally. He believes most people are desensitized to events like this until they are in close proximity.  

  “Having it in the news so often makes it feel like it’s not real anymore,” Ford said. “When it happens to the people close to you, it brings it to light how much this actually impacts people.”

  Over 99.85% of Americans will know someone affected by gun violence in their lifetime with it being the number one cause of minor’s mortality. 

  Lesly Pena, a sophomore majoring in biology, said that she was disappointed in KC when she saw what happened at Union Station.  

  “It’s hard to see that shootings are becoming more and more common,” Pena said. “It’s scary and hard to have fun when we go out, we don’t know if there is going to be another shooting.”

  Over 75% of Gen-Z reported high rates of stress about shootings, and a third of U.S. adults avoid certain public places due to anxiety about potential gun violence. 

  Ander Hernandez, a senior psychology major, did not grow up in America and was surprised about the regularity of mass shootings.

  “We’re all just supposed to continue our days and go to work, as if it were nothing,” Hernandez said. “Feeling sad, angry and not being able to do enough for things to change can sometimes leave us with no option but to dissociate from the terrifying reality we are living in.” 

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