It's a sad fact of American life that when we address a tragic mass shooting that appalled the nation, we have to be specific about which one we mean.
Although the massacre that impacted Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, will remain in infamy forever, other shootings such as the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado; the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; and one that took place at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, last year are but a few among the many that remain etched in our memories today.
But one such incident in particular made it regrettably clear that the nation's children can't afford to be innocent of the potential dangers faced by an active shooter.
And when the eighth anniversary of this mass shooting passed on December 14, both the incoming president and vice president felt it appropriate to pay tribute to the memory of its victims.