I was sitting in my congressional office before heading to the House floor for votes when my phone lit up. Charlie Kirk – right-wing activist and podcaster – has been shot in the neck at a rally on a college campus in Utah. The growing political violence we’ve seen recently has been gut-wrenching and terrifying. I’m not only scared for the safety of friends and colleagues but fearful for the future of our country.

Then my phone lit up again. I received additional horrifying news: there was, at that very moment, an active shooter at Evergreen High School.

I was stunned sitting on the couch thinking about the parents receiving word that there was an active shooter and that they were warned not to go to the school for their safety. The helplessness and not knowing if they’d ever see their kids again. My heart breaks for the students who continue to fight for their lives in the hospital, the parents who are at their bedsides not knowing if they will ever come home, and for the kids and educators who will carry the trauma of this day forever.

Just like every parent reading the headline, I felt the shock and terror and thought: what if that was my kid? What if that was his school? I’m outraged that this is the result of failed policy and inaction.

‘Radicalized’ Evergreen High School shooter appeared to hold antisemitic, violent views in online accounts

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I grew up here. I attended high school in Jefferson County, not too far from Columbine. I still remember the shock I felt as a junior in high school when the unimaginable happened. Back then, it shocked the nation. But now it’s become all too common. Mass shootings have become an ugly stain on our state. My heart breaks that Evergreen now joins the long line of Colorado communities forever changed by a mass shooting.

While Colorado has a history of making national headlines for gun violence, we’re certainly not unique. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in this country. Not cars. Not cancer. But gun violence. It’s worth repeating – guns are the number one killer of our kids. And the most outrageous part about all of this is that it’s completely preventable. How many lives do we need to lose before we are willing to say enough?

Just weeks ago, we saw kids in Minnesota killed at school. And earlier this summer, lawmakers murdered outside their homes. Now a conservative activist. Now once again, high school students in Evergreen. Who’s going to be next? It feels like we’ve reached a breaking point. This is untenable.

We are living through a dark moment in our country’s history – one that will be remembered for whether we confronted the radicalization and violence tearing at our communities or allowed it to break us apart. As a society, we are being forced to answer a fundamental question: is this who we want to be as a country? This is a policy choice. Not a political one.

We have to ask ourselves – do we want to live in a country where our kids are being gunned down in their classrooms? Where your life hangs in the balance at a grocery store, a movie theater, or a political rally?

This is the moment to decide. Overwhelmingly, we want a world where our kids can come home safe from school. Where their lives aren’t at risk because of what they believe. But we need leaders who have the courage to stand up and decide that we are no longer going to standby while one more life is taken too soon.

We’re all still reeling from the events of this week. But our community is resilient. The world feels heavy right now but we can’t give up hope. My kids and our kids depend on it.

If you are struggling and need support, please call 988 to be connected to someone who cares. Also know that my team and I are here to support you and our community every step of the way as we recover from this tragedy.

Together, we can build the future our children deserve.

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen was first elected to represent the 7th Congressional District in Colorado in 2022.

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