Mr. King’s frustration with gun violence and his feeling of helplessness for our country are not unique, but they are born more from exhaustion than reality. I reject his view that “there is no solution to the gun problem.”

Could enhanced firearm research have led to policies or laws that might have prevented active shooting incidents at Robb Elementary, Covenant Christian, and Michigan State University? Valuable research is part of the solution as well as the role of the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear United States v. Rahimi, a case weighing the firearms rights of people under domestic violence restraining orders.

Texas State University researchers tracked 520 attacks from 2000 to 2022 involving primarily guns but also knives and vehicles. Its research found civilians stopped 78 attacks with many involving security guards and off-duty police. Civilians used physical force to overwhelm the shooter in two out of three incidents. Compare that to the 26 incidents involving armed civilians who engaged, a tally involving 5% of the incidents throughout the 23-year review. Many of these involved armed security.

In addition to the priceless loss of life, Everytown For Gun Safety researchers last year estimated that gun violence costs the U.S. approximately $557 billion annually or 2.6% of the gross domestic product.

Who foots that bill? We all do.

In the aftermath of the wrenching tragedy in Uvalde, it’s clear that, nearly 10 years after Sandy Hook, we must ask ourselves if the training designed to safeguard us against killers in our schools is the training that is working.

Her immediate comment back to me, “I didn’t know they had that many poor people there.” As I calmed myself, I looked it up. The average household income in Highland Park is $232,000. The average household income in Uvalde is about $56,000. Our sensibilities tell us that grief and sadness is not a matter of rich or poor.