Guns don’t care about children. Killing is their job.

A human-made storm is ravaging the United States. It struck 630 times in 2023. The eye of the storm encircled Perry, Iowa, on Jan. 4, which was the first day of school for the new year.

On that morning, Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old Perry High School student, shot and killed an 11-year-old Perry middle-schooler, Ahmir Jolliff. Butler also shot and wounded several staff members and students, including Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who was trying to distract him so the students could escape.

Marburger died 10 days later after being shot while he was trying to save his students.

“As I heard of a gunman, I instantly had a feeling my Dad would be a victim as he would put himself in harm's way for the benefit of the kids and his staff,” Marburger’s daughter, Claire, wrote on Facebook.

It is believed Butler died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

More: Perry High principal, shot at the school, described at funeral as a model of love, grace

More: ‘We are in this together’: Perry mourns, seeks healing at Ahmir Jolliff’s funeral

It’s impossible to fathom what the families of those killed and the injured must be going through.

Ahmir was shot three times.

Images of Ahmir in the media ran through my mind on my drive to his visitation. I arrived at Perry's Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home Chapel in the early afternoon. Adults and kids were there. The kids’ sobs were a testament that Ahmir will be terribly missed. Three comfort dogs were brought to the chapel for support.

I wished it was just a bad dream, yet the tragedy was real.

To be a child in the United States is to live in great danger. Guns ended the lives of 2,590 American children in 2023. In this beacon of hope, spaces meant to be safe for kids are now their potential killing zone. The carnage is real.

I have imagined Ahmir waking up that doomed morning excited to be back in school after the winter break. Perhaps he meant to go to band activities after eating breakfast. Perhaps he meant to have a chat with his best friend after breakfast.

“I am sick and tired of people seeming not to care about kids or others because they are staunchly against any gun regulation, and instead, states are loosening gun laws,” said a friend. My friend is not alone feeling this way. The anger is real.

In the United States, it’s not just the adults who own guns. Kids also can own guns before they are old enough to vote, old enough to drink, old enough to smoke.

“Who buys a 9-year-old a gun?” a friend lamented after a nephew received a .22-caliber rifle for Christmas. “Please, promise me that you will never pick up that gun when you are angry,” my friend implored the nephew.

The insanity of guns is real.

And we can’t replace the precious lives lost to guns.

“In his relatively short time with us, Ahmir managed to touch the lives of countless individuals, leaving behind a legacy of love, compassion and advocacy for those in need,” read part of Ahmir’s obituary.

Imagine a child coming into the world — fragile, peaceful, innocent, beautiful. Imagine holding the child in your arms.

You watch the child fall asleep in your arms. You realize life has entrusted you with a star. You realize you would do anything to protect the child, even if it means dying so the child could be safe.

You watch the child grow. Legs and arms gain strength. Then comes crawling. Then an attempt to walk. Then the first step. Then the first fall. Then standing up to try to walk again. Over and over again. The child walks. The child says the first word. The child catches a cold. The child has a fever. There are many sleepless nights to care for your sick child.

Soon you see the child off to his or her first day in kindergarten. The heart breaks. But the heart is proud. Will the child be OK in school? Will the child make new friends?

Never will my child be injured or killed in school.

The child grows more. First grade, second grade, fifth grade. Many play dates happen through the years. Many show-and-tells, many trick-or-treats. You create or buy super-hero costumes. You see the joy in the child’s face to be presented as their best super-hero.

Oh how you have worried about the child eating too many candies. Oh how you have worried about the child’s safety, which is why you walked with the child, house to house, even on bone-chilling evenings.

The child grows more. Then come visits to amusement parks. Oh how you have worried about the safety of the rides your kid loved. Oh how you have worried about the child eating too much ice cream. All you want is for the child to have the best experience.

You sit with the child to watch “The Polar Express,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ice Age” or “Soul.”

The child grows more. Your love for the child also grows. You still wish your precious child will grow to become an adult. To have his or her own family. To be alive.

Nonsense! Says a politician. More guns! Says the gun lobby. Sure! Says the gunman. Kill! Says the gun. Obliterate! Says the bullet. Your loved one bleeds to death. Your precious child bleeds to death.

Only in America. The insanity of gun violence.

Walter Suza of Ames, Iowa, writes frequently on the intersections of spirituality, anti-racism and social justice. He can be contacted at wsuza2020@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Children in the United States are in danger every day, from guns