This weekend was a tragically violent one, especially in Orlando, Florida. On June 10, singer and former contestant of The Voice, Christina Grimmie, was gunned down after preforming at The Plaza Live. The shooting occurred when she was signing autographs after her performance. The gunman was identified as 27-year-old Kevin Loibl. Currently, there has been no motive identified involved with her shooting. Loibl was killed during police altercations.
June 13, 2016 will be known as the most fatal mass shooting in history. In the wee hours of the morning, Omar Mateen held Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida hostage. It is noted that Pulse is a gay bar/night club, also. However, it is unknown at the time if it was specifically targeted for this reason. Moreover, he opened fire which ended in at least 50 people dead and 53 injured. Before entering the club, Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS. He had previously been interviewed by the FBI for having possible ties to terrorists.
Violence isn't just occurring in Orlando, however. Over Memorial Day weekend, 7 people were killed and 32 people were injured in shootings in Chicago, Illinois. These crimes even affected teens as young as 14-years-old. In one weekend, this many separate altercations occurred, which is uncalled for.
When Sandy Hook happened, our nation was beside themselves. We were sickened and revolted. We said never again would we allow a mass shooting. In those 3 and a half years, 1,001 mass shootings have occured. At least 1,141 people have died and 3,943 people have been injured. This includes 555 children under the age of 12 who were killed in mass shootings. That is nearly half of the population that died in a mass shooting incident. In addition to mass shootings, 12,942 people died as a result of gun homicide, unintentional shooting, or suicide in 2015.
What can we do about this? How can we protect our children, families and friends? Is it stricter gun control? Is it banning certain types of fire arms?
The AR-15 is the type of gun that was used by Mateen in Orlando. It is also the fire arm that was used in 2015 in the San Bernardino shootings and at Sandy Hook. It is a semi-automatic weapon and in Flordia, as well as other states, there is no special registration needed to have an assault weapon.
Gun control is more complicated than it seems simply because there is only a law standard at the federal level. When it comes to state law, things from state to state can vary from one extreme to the next. For example, in some states you can give guns to people as presents. Many states you don't even need to have a permit to buy a gun. Some states have more regulations than others as well, like background checks.
States with more guns have more gun deaths. That sounds like common sense. However, if you dig a little further and look at their gun laws, you'll notice that the states with more guns are the states where obtaining guns is fairly easy, like Wyoming. It's almost like, if you can have a gun, why wouldn't you? If it's there, it's more likely to be used. People don't think about gun deaths in terms of other types of gun violence such as domestic violence, suicides, or accidents most times but that's where a lot of gun deaths come from.
In terms of suicide, research shows that suicide via gun is on the incline while homicide via gun is on the decline. The states that have more guns are reporting that they have more suicides in general. Also, guns allow people to commit suicide faster and more successfully. Most times when people go to commit suicide, they are in crisis mode. They are feeling panicked and go to the last resort. When it comes to guns, they are quick and fatal. Other methods, are less successful and usually give people a second shot. For example, people who attempt suicide by cutting or poison are only successful 5-7% of the time. Guns are successful 96% of the time.
Surprisingly, high profile shootings like Aurora, Tucson, and Virginia Tech, don't lend anymore support to gun control afterwards. Will this shooting be any different? People's opinions do not seem to change even though people view these acts as some of the most evil to be committed. While people haven't been changing their views on how they feel on gun control, they have been opening up about specific opinions regarding gun policies.
Gun control is a political issue that has many ins and outs. I can only hope this tragedy will be a catalyst for social reform. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of Orlando, especially those who are personally affected.
If you would like to donate money in support, here is the gofundme page.
