On Sept. 29, chaos erupted at the annual Global Citizen Festival in New York City after many thought they heard gunshots. The crowd frantically fled Central Park and many didn’t come back even after the New York City Police Department tweeted: “There were NO SHOTS FIRED at #GlobalCitizenFestival. The sound was a fallen barrier.” It was clarified the next day that the disturbance was actually popped water bottles.

The fear surrounding the possibility of a mass shooting is not irrational—this has become America’s reality. The first of October marked the one year anniversary of the Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in America. Last weekend, a shooting scare at a Lil Wayne concert in Atlanta, Georgia caused widespread panic and resulted in a stampede that left a dozen people with minor injuries.

While these incidents may have already drifted from the minds of some, a pressing question remains: What does it say about America now that mass shootings have become expected?

This generation has grown up hearing about these shootings on the news and practicing active shooter drills in school. Although what happened at Global Citizen wasn’t deadly, it hit close to home for many WHS students. Inside this issue, read their thoughts on public safety in response to these events and how it has affected their lives.