On April 30, 2019 at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Riley Howell, 21, was shot dead point blank while protecting his classmates from a school shooter.

On May 7, 2019 at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Denver , Kendrick Castillo, 18, was shot dead point blank while protecting his classmates from a school shooter.

These two young men are heroes. Riley and Kendrick both rushed a shooter so that their classmates had a chance to escape being shot.

Wrap your mind around this-children and young adults are being faced with the choice of being shot as part of a mass shooting or being shot as a hero who sacrifices one’s life to protect one’s classmates.

Children and young adults are being taught Run, Hide, Fight. Fight with nothing but an unprotected body. Fight with no training. A fight which can only result in a sacrifice when the fight is against a loaded gun.

We must understand what we are asking our students to do. We must take responsibility for every school shooting death and injury. It is our collective guilt because, as a country, we have not seriously addressed the school shooting crisis.

Riley and Kendrick are heroes.