Photo by Mark Hanrahan/Huffington Post

Over the past month, mass shootings have devastated families nationwide, from Aurora, Colorado to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, College Station, Texas and, now, New York City. With a shocking frequency, these shootings affirm the terrible reality in America today: that gun violence can and does happen anywhere and at any time, all across the United States.

Until our national leaders address this crisis in a meaningful way — with real national dialogue about meaningful solutions to stop the violence — 32 Americans will continue to be murdered every day. Until we have a real national discussion about this issue, locations that once seemed like safe places to live our lives — movie theaters, places of worship, college campuses, national landmarks — will instead serve as reminders of the ever-present threat of gun violence.

Americans want the violence to stop, but do our leaders have the courage to listen?