The media can keep people wrapped up in non-news items for ratings, but real news that people need to know is sometimes masked in this effort to entertain. If you ask someone what happened in the year 2015, they may tell you about Kylie Jenner’s lip challenge, the new Star Wars movie, and that the dress was white and gold and not blue and black. They may not think about the horrific number of mass shootings that have taken place, sometimes only miles away from their home.

Shootingtracker.com reports that there have been 353 mass shootings in the United States as of December 12, resulting in a total life loss of  457 and countless families being torn apart. In fact, the United States leads the world in mass shootings, followed by France, with a casualty count of 145 from its shootings. While every life matters, this is a difference of 312 lives.

If one were to do the math, they would see that, on average, a mass shooting occurs in the United States less than every six days. There is no formal definition for a mass shooting, but it generally accounts for incidents involving multiple victims of gun violence.

In a country containing five percent of the world’s population, we have experienced 31 percent of the world’s mass shootings. Even though the number of gun owners has significantly decreased recently, from 47 percent gun ownership in 1973 to 31 percent in 2014, according to the Washington Post.

On June 18, nine people were killed in South Carolina. Less than a month later, five were killed in Tennessee. In October, nine were killed in Oregon. In November, days after Thanksgiving, three were killed in Colorado. And just last week, fourteen were killed in California.

Most of the shootings this year have occurred in the southern states. Only two of those states have strict gun control laws.

When I asked a group of students about this massive number, only half knew about this, but none of them were surprised or appalled. It seems we have become desensitized to this type of violence.

“I’m upset that something as terrible as murder is becoming the norm,” says junior Devin Becker. “I’m even more upset by this because nothing is going to change if no one knows about it. There can’t be a movement without informed individuals fighting for a purpose.”

Many factors contribute to the high number of mass shootings in this country, but the most prominent include mental illness and a lust for fame.

The United States leads the world in mental illness: for every 10,000 people, 707 are mentally ill in some way. This is followed by Russia, with 404 individuals mentally ill for every 10,000.

Also, fame is a major push factor. Adam Lankford, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, claims that being famous is one of our generation’s biggest goals. Some are willing to obtain fame at any cost, which is becoming a huge problem. Offenders think the more rash the deed, the more news coverage, thus giving them more than 15 minutes in the spotlight.

We never know what the future holds, but, unfortunately, this problem doesn’t seem to have an end in sight or a solution. The only actions people can take are increasing gun control laws and being aware of the statistics.

In a recent press release, Obama said that gun control is the top issue of his final year in office.

In this upcoming year, try to separate this non-news from the news, and become aware of these important facts about the world around you.