Editor:

As a first-time voter this year, I have been struggling to find my place in the political landscape. There are a lot of issues I’m still on the fence about, but from my limited personal experience, problems like gun violence and women’s healthcare seem to be continually put by the wayside.

I don’t think anyone can deny that gun violence is rapidly infiltrating daily life in America. A few months ago, my neighbor’s son was practicing soccer when gunshots erupted and he had to run from bullets. He’s only 12.

The Texas school shooting happened on the day of my high school graduation. I left that ceremonious event tainted with unease, turning my vision away from my own future to the future of the children still in classrooms. How much community grief can we take before it’s unbearable? How many names will haunt school hallways until we understand? How long will political candidates stay silent on the harm being done across the country and here in Georgia?

Wade Herring has to be the best choice this runoff season because he’s the only candidate to acknowledge the tangible impact the loose regulation of firearms has had on our communities. I’m voting for Wade to make sure we don’t get stuck in a cycle of shootings and normalize the unthinkable.

Madeleine Pelli, Savannah