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April 2 is my Alive Day.

When military and veterans talk about their Alive Day, its typically a commemoration of the day that they survived death in combat.

My Alive Day marks the date that I was not killed by a mass shooter.

Eight years ago, a soldier at Fort Hood embarked on a shooting spree that resulted in the murder of three service member and injuries to many others. While the shooter and the three men he killed were all in military uniforms, this was not an act of war. Rather, this was another chapter in the growing saga of gun violence in America.

I knew two of the murdered soldiers well. I was working alongside Sgt. Timothy Owens on the day of the shooting; he was a dedicated team leader in my platoon. Sgt. First Class Daniel Ferguson was a hard-working, professional soldier with whom I had the pleasure of working in a past assignment. I did not have the privilege of knowing Staff Sgt. Carlos Alberto Lazaney-Rodriguez.

As a veteran, I am often thanked for my service. Yet, I dont consider my service to be complete. I am no longer in active service, but I am still compelled by a duty to protect my fellow Americans this time, from the ongoing epidemic of gun violence.

We know how to handle guns in the military. We follow the three pillars of military gun culture: training, safety and accountability. Every soldier knows to keep their weapon locked and unloaded until its ready for use, with strict accountability for every firearm, including regular checks by staff duty officers. The military takes these steps to reduce the number of soldiers killed or wounded on duty.

Civilian America is vastly different.

Dozens of states have no law requiring gun owners to safely secure their guns or even a law requiring a background check on all gun sales, including those arranged online making it easier for convicted criminals and domestic abusers to get their hands on guns. The shooter eight years ago bought his gun off-base, from the very same store that five years prior another shooter bought a weapon from, used in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. Instead of strengthening our gun laws, in Texas last year, politicians went even further, passing permitless carry which allows anyone to carry a handgun in public without a permit, which required a background check and safety training.

This lack of oversight does not make us more free as a society, it makes us less safe. Just a few months into this year, there have already been at least 51 unintentional shootings by children with guns, resulting in 17 deaths, and roughly 70 percent of veteran suicides are by gun.

If you are one of the many Americans who greet veterans with a hearty, Thank you for your service, what actions will you take to honor the lives of our brothers lost at Fort Hood?

We need common-sense gun laws, like universal background checks on all gun sales. If you are a gun owner, practice and promote a culture of weapons safety, including secure gun storage. We cant stay quiet when dangerous laws like permitless carry put us at risk.

None of these steps threaten the rights laid out in the Second Amendment rights that I believe in and served to protect. In fact, in states where these gun safety laws are already in effect, they are helping to save lives. The data is irrefutable: States with weaker gun laws have higher rates of firearm-related homicides and suicides.

There is no magic cure for gun violence, but common-sense gun laws save lives.

We owe it to our loved ones to create a society where people feel safe from this epidemic that is harming our fellow Americans every day. I owe it to Timothy, Daniel and my country to work for a significant reduction in all forms of gun violence.

Johnston is an Army veteran who served as a platoon leader during the 2014 mass shooting on Fort Hood. The views expressed in this article are his alone, and do not reflect the United States military or Department of Defense.

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Opinion: I survived the Fort Hood mass shooting. Now I work to stop gun violence. - Houston Chronicle