Gun violence has darkened the doorstep of college campuses, elementary schools, grocery stores, malls, movie theaters, and churches across the United States. Stories of mass shootings have become a familiar part of the news cycle, the recent tragedy at Michigan State University being just one of approximately eighty shootings as of mid-February. But this epidemic is far from inescapable. While no single, simple solution exists, states that have common-sense gun control laws continue to rank lowest in gun violence and gun-related death.

“When you see these types of severe, blatant misconduct, that really has an impact on all police officers.” Those words were spoken by Chief John Carmichael of the Newton Police Department in reaction to the recent release of footage showing several Memphis police officers beating an unarmed black man: Tyre Nichols. Nichols would later die from his wounds in the hospital, sparking yet another moment of reckoning for law enforcement across the country.

To say it has been a difficult time over these last few years would be an understatement, and it would ignore the decades of trauma that preceded the current spotlight on law enforcement. However, in the wake of this most recent tragedy, it is important to reflect on where we are, how far we have come, and where we want to be.