On Sunday morning, Oct. 1st, 017, I woke up to news that there had been a fatal shooting in my hometown. Three people were killed, and two others were injured. It is Oct. 2, 2017, and this morning I woke up to news of a horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas. Over 50 people were killed and counting, and over 500 people were injured. I have spent all day thinking about these tragedies and, as a writer, I find it hard to describe my feelings any other way.
The reality is, this isn’t a new issue. Gun control in this country is not a new argument, nor is it a new problem. Since 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been — by at least one definition — more than 1,500 mass shootings. And, unfortunately, we, as a nation, and our government, aren’t doing anything to change this. We are losing people to mass shootings; Innocent people are dying.
In the past year, Kansas legislators decided to allow the concealed-carry of guns onto college campuses. I would be lying to you if I said I haven’t thought about that in class this year. I would be lying if I said I haven’t held back my thoughts in class because I thought that someone might have a gun. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t thought about someone walking into class with a gun and shooting.
I am an avid concert-goer, and my heart breaks when I hear of shootings at concerts and music festivals. I have thought about what to do if someone opens fire at a concert. Or where to hide, where to run, because that could be me, my family, or my friends. And that’s the reality.
As mass shootings become more and more frequent in America, it becomes less likely for us to “not be that person/group." And the mentality of, “That won’t be me,” is just ridiculously false, because no one knows who will be the next target. The fatal shooting that occurred Saturday in my hometown really impacted me. And thinking about it now still brings tears to my eyes and tugs on my heart. Because home is supposed to be a safe haven. A grocery store, a concert, a library, school, etc. ... nothing/nowhere is safe anymore. There are buildings with safety precautions in place hopefully to prevent these, but nothing is certain. I assure you that no one at the concert last night thought he or she would be a part of a mass shooting. It might have crossed the minds of a few, but nothing more than a thought before it was gone.
Going about our typical days, the thought of a mass shooting happening to us is not constant. There may even have been months at a time when we don’t think about it. And yet, this is huge issue in our country. If you are not upset by this tragedy, you should be. We are becoming numb to these tragedies. The shooting in my hometown didn't even make national news, and I'm not too concerned about that. But, we are becoming so immune and numb to these acts of violence that only the most deadly acts are the ones that make headlines nationwide. That's how we are becoming numb, because these incidents happen so frequently, we have to choose what goes in the news, because mass shootings have become our normal. And that is absolutely outrageous. Our country is dying because of our legislation, or lack thereof. We are killing our own people. We are allowing violence to take over our country, not love. There are ways to help, ways to make our voices heard. Someday, something will change. It’s unclear when. It’s unclear how many people will die before something changes, but something will change.
Call your representatives. I did. Stand up for what you believe in. Combat evil with love. We can and we will overcome this. We will prevail. But we cannot be silent. We cannot let this become our normal. We cannot ignore this. We are losing too many friends, family members, and fellow Americans, fellow people, to let this slide. Violence is never the answer. Love should always and will always overcome.
