We live in a complacent society full of complacent people; we settle for less than expected when it comes to anything in our lives because it's what's easiest. If you don't think you do, just think of the little things you do from day to day. Yeah, you could take the time to make a healthy breakfast before work, but how much easier is it to just pour a bowl of cereal? How much easier is it to grab a high-calorie burger at one of this country's million or so fast food chains rather than cook for yourself? How much easier is it to watch the movie instead of reading the book? My point is that we cut corners in places even when we don't realize it, but this issue is at its worst when we don't want to admit it. Nowhere is this more evident than in some of our major societal issues, mass shootings are taking center stage at this point.
Maybe I'm going crazy and I'm the only one noticing or one of the few who wants address this elephant in the room, but I've noticed that the American public displays a horrific lack of compassion and vigilance after these shootings take place. No matter the casualties or location, our nation always goes through the same process. Whenever these tragedies occur we give the usual thoughts, prayers, and condolences while feeling horrible for the victims and their families for a brief period. From there, we all rally to force our government to make changes and fix whatever issue is causing these shootings. However, this is where we reach an impasse, as some accept the temporary government solution and move on, while others (a vocal minority) continue advocating for change. Once our government does something, even if it makes a small dent in the problem, the majority just shuts up and accepts it, forgetting this incident never happened -- until another tragedy occurs under the same circumstances. Like I said, maybe it's just me, but I spend days thinking about what's really changed since Aurora, what government limits have really done since Newtown. Every time these shootings happen, we cover up America's gaping wound with a wet paper towel rather than a Band-Aid. No matter how obvious and close that Band-Aid is, the public always tries to avoid it, but why?
The vast majority of Americans believe that this obvious solution is infringing on their beliefs, their rights. "It's my Second Amendment right," some say. "Guns don't kill people, people do," they continue. "The government can't take away my guns!" they all cry. People are so quick to literally stick to their guns rather than address the issue at hand, and that's an issue -- especially when some are so sensitive to the topic that they won't see reason. Ignoring the fact that the Second Amendment technically allows limited mass armament (another topic for another day), you have to admit that the government has come to a logical conclusion: guns are dangerous, plain and simple. In all honesty, you can't deny that they are dangerous, as a gun is used for no other purpose than killing -- it's a death tool, to put it bluntly.
Unlike most other murder weapons, it serves no other purpose but to kill. You can't slice an onion with a Glock and you can't use an M16 to do yard work. Most own a gun for hunting purposes or to protect their home from intruders, and while both are solid reasons for owning one, you're still buying one to dispense death in some fashion. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all gun owners are deluded, death-obsessed maniacs, as armed civilians have been able to prevent tragedy when in the right place at the right time. However, it's way too easy for those aforementioned lunatics to get a hold of these tools. Guns don't kill, as some would argue, and you're right -- but in the wrong hands, they have the potential to, and that's what makes them dangerous.
Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Kevin Loibl and Omar Mateen were all able to carry out their massacres with legally obtained firearms, despite being labelled as mentally unstable. In the case of Mateen, he was a known terror suspect and was still able to buy a gun, no problem. I get that gun owners have a right to their property. but too many people have died for people to say these weapons are harmless. These weapons are distributed by a broken system that plays right into a murderer’s hands and allows them to perform horrific acts. It’s past time for us to break that trend.
Some calls are harder to make than others. As human beings, it’s inherently easier to go for the solution that seems to please everyone. For most gun owners, the easy way out is to blame the shooter in the same way that it’s the easy way out for most non-gun owners to blame the former. I feel like the blame should go three ways: one part shooter, one part weapon, and one final part to the broken system that allowed this deadly chemical mixture to brew together. As of this article’s publication, one week will have passed since the murder of Christina Grimmie and the Pulse nightclub shootout; I sincerely hope that this conversation is still going on by then. Usually, however. that’s not the case, as we blame who we need to blame and move on with our lives -- but this is something we can’t walk away from. It’s not an isolated incident.
Next to terrorism, mass shootings are probably the most random and non-selective crimes to occur in this country, as the victims can be anyone -- regardless of race, gender or sexual identity. Too many people have died for us to just pack our bags and wait to do something until the next tragedy rolls into town. The time to act is now. I can’t imagine what the surviving victims or the families of those lost must be going through, but it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, as well as something that could happen to me or my loved ones at any time. Simply put, nowhere is safe from these shootings, and it’s haunting. As long as we don’t come up with a solution, the body count will increase, and the paranoia will only rise from there.
I understand that people feel safe with guns and that people love owning them or have a strong connection to them. For instance, I have a strong connection to the comic books, movies and video games that I own. If the government had swept in and told me that my two favorite pastimes needed to be banned and a large community was backing them up, I’d get defensive and try to keep hold of my beliefs too; it’s only natural. However, defending our right to own these assault weapons is taking the easy way out; this scenario is the paper towel solution. We owe it to our fallen fellow Americans to consider a different option than the ones that have been laid out, as the ones we have aren’t working.
We live in a complacent society full of complacent people. When a group of people are gunned down in a nightclub, school or movie theatre, we all try to find a way to justify ourselves and come up with a solution that seems best, rather than make the right, tough decisions. Please don’t let these incidents fall by the wayside. When the media goes to cover Kim Kardashian’s second toe surgery a week from now, don’t let these tragedies fall back into your subconscious. The victims and their families deserve better than a passing thought or a sympathy vote here and there. They deserve more than a government bill or judiciary penalty for the shooter, as those are only temporary solutions. Both address the shootings as isolated incidents, rather than a small piece of a larger puzzle filled with the blood and tears of those caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Enough men, women, and children have died for us to shrug our shoulders, move on, and wait for the next tragedy to show up. As of this writing, President Obama is attempting to pass an assault weapons ban that’s making the rounds through Congress. Whatever happens, don’t settle for less than you deserve. These shootings are caused by a variety of factors, ranging from mental health to simple hatred and intolerance towards a specific group of people. When the dust settles, we all look for something or someone to blame, while dancing around the solution that’ll eventually prevent these tragic events from happening ever again. America is a country of the people. It’s one where the public can make their voices heard and make a change in our history, a change for those we’ve lost. Speak up for your community; speak up for your country. Otherwise you might as well be loading the next psycho’s gun.
