Yesterday, in a church in the small town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, we again witnessed another mass shooting. 26 are known dead. Many more are injured. At least half the dead are children. Again, the site of the tragedy is a house of worship. Again, the world speculates about the motivation of the killer.

First and foremost, as a father and grandfather, my prayers are with the victims and their families. Our hearts break for their loss. After so many similar incidents, words alone are inadequate comfort at a time like this.

Some will say it is a gun issue. Some will say this is not the time for a “political” discussion. Some will say it is a mental health issue. The true insanity is witnessing the same thing over and over again, doing nothing, and expecting a different result.

The need for an honest and forthright discussion about the causes of this kind of violence is overdue. These incidents erode the very core of our society. There is no more basic right than the right to feel safe. We must leave our respective political ideologies and often repeated rote responses behind and open our hearts and minds to an honest discussion of why these incidents repeatedly occur and what we can do to stop them. Doing nothing is not an option.