Liu : A child was killed because he went to school in Washington , Marysville , a year . The shooting Friday at a high school in Marysville , Washington -- just miles from my home in Seattle -- is a tragedy on two levels . Liu : Steady stream of shootings makes them virtually normal . Is this `` Americans exceptionalism '' ? It 's contagious epidemic . Gun activists wrongly say background checks wo n't help , he says . Liu : We the people must set tone , standards , with laws , norms . It 's our responsibility .
Liu : A child was killed because he went to school in Washington , Marysville , a year . Liu : Steady stream of shootings makes them virtually normal . Is this `` Americans exceptionalism '' ? It 's contagious epidemic . Gun activists wrongly say background checks wo n't help , he says . Liu : We the people must set tone , standards , with laws , norms . It 's our responsibility .