Sunday marks 26 years since the shooting at Columbine High School, a tragedy that left 13 people dead and forever changed the way schools approach safety. But for some across the Valley, the painful reality is that not enough has changed.

While a protest downtown wasn’t centered on gun violence, several demonstrators took time to reflect on the ongoing crisis of school shootings and what they say is a lack of meaningful progress since Columbine.

“There’s just been another shooting — this time at Florida State University,” said Cathy Reppy. “We have to do something about guns. I’m not against people owning guns, but there needs to be legislation. It shouldn’t be this easy.”

Others expressed frustration that emergency drills have become normalized in schools. “They do have these practice things in the schools, and they shouldn't have to do that,” said Jim Allgren. “We shouldn't be talking about the practice programs and if they're effective or not — we should be talking about not having to have them.”

The conversation around school safety has shifted over the years, with many districts implementing programs like ALICE training to help staff and students respond to active shooter threats. But demonstrators say there needs to be a greater focus on preventing violence from occurring in the first place — especially by addressing mental health and promoting a culture of nonviolence from an early age.

“I think we need to start teaching children, even in preschool, about nonviolence and about the principles of nonviolence,” said Penny Wells. “If we start on an elementary level, that can expand.”

As the anniversary of Columbine passes, demonstrators say the urgency to act is greater than ever — not just to respond to violence, but to stop it before it starts.