An advisory message flashed across phone screens in the early hours of Wednesday morning, alerting students that Kent State police were investigating the sound of gunshots near Centennial Court and Tri-Towers. Anyone with information was encouraged to contact the police.

Another message followed after 2 a.m., reading “Investigation determined there were no gunshots but it was a truck backfiring.” Some may have read the alert sleepily, others may have sat up and cringed, but one thing is for certain: With gun control cases spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., the fear of a to-be shooter has become the new expectancy.

The campus was sent into terror in 2014 when a three-hour lockdown called for students to find a safe place as police tried to find Quavaugntay Tyler. People genuinely believed there was an active shooter on campus because it’s not a ridiculous thought.

While the campus is equipped with police officers and safety procedures, nothing is stopping someone from concealing a weapon and opening fire.

Every time students receive alerts like the ones sent on Wednesday morning, the thought of personal safety has to come to mind because of how normal events like Oregon and Chardon have become. More often, social media feeds have become shared links or retweets from news outlets about stories involving gun violence.

F.Y.E. classes even require students to practice ALICE Training in result of terrible events that have costed lives and major injuries. Students should come to expect more of these messages in the future because universities have to be overly cautious or suffer the consequences of making an assumption. It’s the new normal and it shouldn’t be.