Gun violence has voraciously spread across the country and in the past few years, has been the center of media attention yet, it seems that very little has been done to prevent it.

Although school shootings are not new, they have grown in frequency, with the latest occurrence in a San Bernardino, CA elementary school.

The “domestic” attack littered media sources for multiple hours.

Earlier this month, two adults and two children were shot in a special education classroom where only one child survived the domestic attack, according to multiple media sources.

At first, the coverage of the incident was immediate and omnipresent until the intrusion was categorized as an act of domestic violence.

Then, the broadcast  coverage of the tradgedy largely disappeared.

Behind closed doors, this type of violence can happen frequently. However, once brought into the spotlight, broadcast media  barely reported the fact that the incident was domestic violence. If it were a “terror attack,” it would have gained more attention, possibly given a remembrance day and other countries may have shown their respects.

The ex-husband of the teacher entered the classroom with the intent of murdering her, a motive that was unknown at the beginning of the incident.

Once the situation was confirmed, the act of misconduct was swept out of the spotlight and into the subconscious of citizens who have been conditioned to normalize domestic violence.

Two innocent people were murdered and another harmed, yet very few will recognize the severity of the loss of life, including the politicians backing extreme pro-gun rights.

But the shooting itself holds more power lost in the subconscious: it was an act of domestic violence against a woman.

Politicians and citizens who are pro-gun rights will argue that if everyone carried a gun, they would be able to defend themselves.

But guns should never be involved with violence because it will just exacerbate the situation, including domestic violence.

Now, arguably, an intrinsic part of the United States culture, gun violence has reared it’s ugly head into the lives of many but is rarely correlated with domestic violence even though gun violence and domestic violence often intersect.

There could be similar incidents that did not happen in an elementary school, which have succumbed to the gatekeeping decisions by major media organizations.

This allows us to sweep these circumstances under the rug and pretend they don’t exist.

Domestic violence hides behind black and blue arms, “I fell,” and a subtle cry for help in the hollowness of eyes filled with sorrow. But often as a society, we hold a gun to the victim’s head and say “shush,” because we’re too afraid to encounter issues that are difficult to control.

Just like that, the aftermath of a major attack is hidden because we don’t want to talk about the reality.

Karen Smith was murdered in an act of domestic violence that disappeared once it was labeled as such. A shooting is allowed coverage while a women’s suffering is hidden.

So, where do we go from here?

We must talk about the issues that make our skin crawl, that make us want to shut out the rest of the world and hide.

Discussions are inherent to stop the acts of domestic violence and other internal incidents that affect many people across this country and others.

It is necessary to hold the media accountable for its decisions on the amount of coverage certain acts of violence receive.

Although, the media is not solely responsible. As citizens of this country, it is imperative that we continue the conversation against violence, including domestic violence.

We cannot let it be hidden among the everyday acts of misconduct by others.

Domestic violence cannot hide if you do not let it.