On April 20, 1999, two students at Columbine High School - armed with explosives, an arsenal of firearms, and knives - killed 12 of their peers and one of their teachers,injured 28 others, and then turned their weapons onto themselves. The Columbine Massacre would leave its mark in history as the deadliest school shooting America has ever seen. The Colorado high school where the bloody scene took place was located near Littleton in Jefferson County - a town just outside of Denver.

Shooters Eric Harris (left) and Dylan Klebold (right) walk the halls in Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

The two teen perpetrators were 18 year old seniors - Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Both were known for being members of the school's misfit clique dubbed the Trench Coat Mafia. Determined to seek revenge upon their peers for years of bullying, the two stormed the hallways with heavy armaments and planned to kill any student or teacher who crossed their path - giggling and joking as they pulled their triggers. The two were rumored to draw swastikas on their clothing and when they struck on Adolf Hitler's birthday, they mainly targeted minorities and "jocks" as the targets of their violence. The images of students and parents huddled around triage sites and in prayer vigils on the perimeter of the school campus still haunt the psyche of the American people. Because of the rumors of bomb-riddled hallways, police combed the halls of Columbine High School late into the night - walking alongside the dead who lie riddled with bullets.

Columbine Students run from the school toward an adjacent residential area for safety.

Chairs melted from the heat of a bomb explosion on April 20, 1999 in the Columbine High School cafeteria.

The incident at Columbine sparked gun reform laws and facilitated conversations about mental illness and depression, gun control, school cliques, and bullying. But with violence showing up in almost every aspect of life - and shootings in schools, nightclubs, and other public places becoming daily headlines - Columbine remains a vital part of the American conversation.

Students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut flee from the building toward safety.

Two Columbine Students mourn their fallen classmates at a triage site on April 20, 1999.

When we look at more recent school shootings like the Newtown, Connecticut massacre where the shooter was reported to be obsessed with the Columbine shooters, each is somewhat different. But each of these tragic events have had the same goal, to kill as many people as possible and turn a place - that should be a safe space - into a war zone. There is nothing more tragic than the death of a child, and yet it has turned into an unfortunately common part of life in America. Politicians now talk about arming teachers in schools, limiting the types of firearms consumers can purchase, and the possibility of mandating mental screenings along with background checks for those wanting to purchase military grade weapons. Columbine sparked these conversations and more recent shootings just make those conversations longer.

Crosses erected as a makeshift memorial in memory of the 13 murdered and 2 shooters at Columbine High School.

Students should not have to worry about their safety in schools. Parents should not have to worry that their children may not come home from school in the evening. Columbine sparked fear in their hearts - that suburban school could have easily been their child's school. We must remember Columbine not only for the deaths of 13 innocent people and 2 troubled students, but also for the effect it has had on America as a whole.