Living Through the Unthinkable: A College Student's Journey with Gun Violence

Mia Tretta, a 21-year-old junior at Brown University, knows the horror of gun violence all too well. In 2019, she was just 15 years old when she was shot in the abdomen during a mass shooting at Saugus High School in California. Two of her close friends, Dominic Blackwell and Gracie Anne Muehlberger, did not survive. Now, four years later, she has faced the unimaginable again. On a recent Saturday, Mia and her roommate were in their dorm when they started receiving alerts about an active shooter in the university's engineering building. At first, Mia thought it might be a false alarm. But as the messages kept coming, she realized the gravity of the situation. The university went into lockdown, which lasted until the next morning. Mia's experience with gun violence has shaped her life in profound ways. Since the Saugus High School shooting, she has become an advocate for gun violence prevention. She has spoken at vigils and rallies, using her story to highlight the dangers of unregulated firearms, particularly ghost guns, which were used in her shooting.Gun violence is a pressing issue in the United States, especially among teens. It is now the leading cause of death for this age group, with Black youth in underserved neighborhoods facing the highest risk. Despite a decline in shootings and homicides since 2020-2021, there have already been nearly 400 incidents in 2025 where four or more people were injured by gunfire. Mia is part of a growing group of young adults who have survived more than one mass shooting. Zoe Weissman, another Brown student, was just 12 years old when she witnessed the Parkland, Florida, shooting in 2018. At least two students who survived the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in Michigan also faced another school shooting at Michigan State University in 2023. Days before the Brown University shooting, Mia was in Washington DC, performing a song at a national vigil for all victims of gun violence. The event, organized by the Newtown Action Alliance, brought together people who had lost loved ones to gun violence and others who had been injured themselves. Mia's message is clear: gun violence affects everyone, regardless of where they are or their background. She believes that politicians have a responsibility to keep people safe and that more needs to be done to address this critical issue.