Story highlights Steve Israel: When an epidemic claims a small number of lives, America's politicians spring into action

He asks: How can we stand by when the toll from guns is enormous and much higher than in other wealthy nations?

Rep. Steve Israel, D-New York, is the sixth-ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership and chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) One year ago, Ebola fears swept across the country after two patients with the virus died on U.S. soil. Politicians rushed to microphones and demanded a comprehensive and aggressive response by the federal government. Hearings were held, hospitals were reconfigured and immediate action was taken. It completely dominated the news.

Steve Israel

In the same year, more than 30,000 Americans lost their lives from gun violence, including more than 10,000 from homicides. And yet it was just another news story. Nothing was done.

Once again, there has been a mass shooting in America. As a country, we have been here too many times before. We go through the motions -- send our thoughts and prayers to the victims' families and vow to continue the conversation of enacting laws that will keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them.

And that's where the coverage and the conversation end. Every time.

We are the most advanced and powerful democracy in the world, yet we can't admit that we have a crisis in our country -- one that has witnessed 294 mass shootings in just 274 days this year.